Page 72 of Hypothetical Heart
She laughs momentarily before her eyes downturn again. “I’m sorry,” she whispers.
I turn on the hairdryers, the bathroom filling with a loud whooshing sound. “WHAT? I CAN’T HEAR YOU!” Her apologizing for things she can’t control has no effect on me.
I sit on the floor of the bathroom in front of her, holding both of the hair dryers toward her dress. I sit like this for a while, trying both to fix her dress and lift her spirits. We talk loudly over the sound of the blowing air, Winnie plays music over the surround sound of the bathroom, and every time she tries to apologize, I shoot it down.
Eventually, her hands fall to my hair, and I lean my head forward, resting my cheek on her thigh, where her dress isn’t soaked. Her fingers are moving through the strands carefully so she doesn’t dishevel it too much, and it sends a chill up my spine.
“Thank you for this,” she says, in a tone quieter than I thought I’d be able to hear.
“I’d do anything for you, Win.”
“Thank you for that, too.”
I stand up, still holding the blow dryers toward the bottom of her dress as I place a kiss on the top of her head and then her forehead.
I step back when I hear Genevieve enter the bathroom, withanother hairdryer. She sits next to me and helps me continue to dry Winnie’s dress, the bathroom becoming even louder with the added sound. “Wren is looking through her closet with Eloise to try and find you a new pair of shoes!” she yells.
I give Winnie a knowing look, one that says, don’t you dare apologize.
For the next half hour, we stay there, Genevieve and I sitting on the floor in front of Winnie, her using a handheld mirror to touch up her makeup, and eventually, the rest of the group trickles in. Eloise brings a new pair of heels, Jameson stands behind Genevieve, rubbing her shoulders periodically, and Luke takes a seat on the countertop next to the sink.
It feels like a defining moment in our friend group. One where being surrounded by your friends and the love we bring into each other’s lives is much more important than any prom festivities.
By the time the dress is nearly all the way dry, it’s time for us to leave for dinner.
“See, we’re not even missing our reservation,” I say as I help Winnie stand in her new shoes.
She gives me a thankful look, squeezing my hand three times. I do it back.
To everybody's relief, dinner and getting to the dance goes much better than pictures did.
Walking into the ballroom where prom is being held, I’m completely blown away. With Genevieve and I being president and vice president of class officers, we were in charge of planning the majority of prom, but really,it was all Genevieve. She’s way better at this type of stuff, and I had no problem giving her the reins.
“This turned out amazing, Gen.” She smiles into my side hug. “Seriously, I can’t believe you planned all this.”
The entire place is decorated with an enchanted garden theme, with different plants and fairy lights all over the place. Outside, where the actual garden area is, is even more surreal. Everyone is in complete awe.
The girls force us to take pictures of them in front of the different floral backgrounds, and we easily oblige. Luke has two of his cameras with him, one being a film camera to give the more old-fashioned looking pictures, and the other one being a high-quality DSLR for pictures that look like they came out of a wedding book.
“Have you thought about doing any type of professional photography?” I ask him as he takes pictures of Genevieve and Jameson.
“Not really.” He shrugs. “It’s just a hobby.”
“Well, you should think about it. Your pictures are really good, Luke.” I hope he knows how sincere I’m being.
He takes some of Winnie and I next, and then more of the girls, and eventually ones of all of us.
Afterward, he pulls out three different disposable cameras and hands one to me, Genevieve, and Eloise. “Take pictures of whatever you want, and I’ll get them developed.”
We all go our separate ways, Winnie and I heading for the dance floor, Eloise and Luke going toward the spiked punch, and I have no idea where Jameson and Genevieve have disappeared to.
“Is it time for us to pull out our ballroom dancing skills and show everyone up?” I joke as I take her hand.
“Absolutely not.” She laughs.
“I don’t care how I’m dancing, as long as it’s with you.”
She spins to face me, smiling. “Always.”
