Page 62 of Bliss: Part 1
“I’m not used to other girls being so nice to me,” I admitted.
“I know,” she said. “But that’s not your fault. It’s theirs for not seeing how special you are.”
From across the room, Dash’s voice cut through. “You okay over there?”
Both Tia and I turned to look at him. He was seated in front of the TV, controller in hand, but his eyes were on me.
“Everything’s perfect,” I said.
He gave me a look. He didn’t fully believe me, but he nodded anyway.
I turned back to Tia, and all I could think was that I wanted more of this. More of her. More quiet girl-to-girl moments that didn’t come with judgment or competition or forced smiles.
I didn’t know if she’d want to be friends after tonight. But I knew one thing for sure: for the first time in a long time, I wanted one. A real friend. One that wasn’t my brother. Or cousin.
Nineteen
Bliss
I’d been on edge all morning. Not in a bad way exactly, but there was definitely a nervous buzz running through me. Tia had invited me to go shopping today, and after the way we connected during our talk last night, there was no way I could bring myself to turn her down. Even though I didn’t exactly have the money to go on a full-on shopping spree, I still wanted to go. More than that, I wanted to spend time with her. A proper girls’ day out sounded like something I hadn’t had in forever.
She’d really made me feel seen last night at Tyler’s place. There was something unexpectedly sincere about the way she opened up to me, like she was letting me peek into a part of her world not many people got access to. She even talked about her other friends, told me how high maintenance some of them could be, and how she missed having someone around who was just…easy.
On the drive home, I couldn’t stop talking about it. I kept smiling and telling Dash how excited I was for today. He was happy for me, genuinely. He knew Tia was a good person. He’d told me that before, and he believed she wouldn’t go out of her way to make me feel uncomfortable. That kind of reassurance from him made it easier for me to say yes when she invited me to hang out alone. I trusted his read on people, and if he was confident about her, I wanted to be too.
Five minutes ago, Tia texted to let me know she was on her way to pick me up. I took one last look at myself in the mirror, making sure I was okay with how I looked. I’d thrown on a pair of jean shorts and a t-shirt. Nothing fancy, but comfortable enough for walking around all afternoon. My old New Balance sneakers completed the outfit. I figured they’d do the job. I tied my hair back into a ponytail since I didn’t want it falling into my face, especially if I ended up trying things on.
A knock sounded at the bedroom door, and I turned toward it, smiling when Dash came in. His eyes scanned my outfit as he stepped closer.
“You ready?” he asked.
“I think so,” I said, smiling back at him. I could barely contain how excited I felt. “I honestly can’t wait. It’s been forever since I’ve gone shopping. I think the last time was back in the summer before sophomore year, when I needed new jeans because I outgrew my old ones.”
Dash stepped forward, reaching out his hand. He hooked his fingers through one of the belt loops on my shorts and pulled me gently toward him. His hands settled on my hips as his gaze softened, roaming across my face.
“You’ll have a good time,” he said. “Tyler texted me earlier. Said Tia’s excited, too.”
My eyebrows lifted. “Really?”
Dash nodded. “And he told me she had nothing but good things to say about you after we left last night. She really likes you, Lissy. I think this could turn into a really solid friendship.”
My heart sped up at the thought. I’d felt a lot of emotions before like stress, pressure, even bursts of joy. But this happiness was new. Different. The possibility of having a real friend, one who genuinely wanted to be around me, felt amazing.
“I hope so,” I said softly, my smile small but sincere. “I could really use a friend.”
He leaned in and kissed me gently, his lips brushing mine before he met my eyes again. “You’re going to have fun. Just remember, if anything starts to feel like too much or if you want to come home, call me. Don’t even hesitate.”
“I will.” I wrapped my arms around his waist and let my head rest against his chest for a moment. “Thank you, Dash.”
“Don’t thank me. You know I only ever want what’s best for you.” He kissed the top of my head, then pulled back just enough to look me in the eyes.
“I know.”
He smiled again and ran his fingers gently along my cheek. “Come on, now. She’ll be here any minute.”
I grabbed my phone and bag and followed him downstairs, only to be met by Dad coming out of the kitchen. His eyes flicked over to me, then landed on Dash with a scrutinizing expression.
“You sure she’ll be okay?” Dad asked. “I don’t know that girl.”
