Page 82 of Searching for Beautiful
I close my eyes and could swear I feel her. Her sunshine on my skin and her smile in my heart. “She sees me,” I tell him and know it’s true.
“I think you’re right. ”
Emery and I follow Dad out of my room. Christian is standing by the door in a black suit. His hair is loose around his face like always and those too-blue eyes are pinned right on me. My heart does a somersault.
“I told you he was gorgeous,” Emery whispers.
“He is,” I reply.
Dad takes a million pictures before asking Christian to come over for dinner the next night. That Dad and I are making sauce.
Christian and I drop Emery off at her house, where we make plans to meet up in a couple days. She’s going to come over and draw while I work on my pottery.
Afterward we head out with our other friends for dinner. The only interaction between Ian and me is a quiet hello but it’s something. It’s a start.
There are a couple awkward moments as we are all navigating friendship again, but there are more laughs, girl trips to the bathroom, and I can’t help but remember the last dance we all went to together. Where I cried in the bathroom because I thought I was in love with the boy who’s sitting at a table waiting for me right now.
We go to the dance and that same boy wraps his arms around me and we move together with much more skill than we did in seventh grade. He whispers in my ear again that I’m beautiful, and his sweet, sugary scent is so familiar.
It’s funny how life moves in a complete circle sometimes. There might be lots of bumps in the road and maybe even a few cliffs, but it’s a journey, and sometimes it can bring you to the most wonderful places.
Author: Nyrae Dawn
I don’t know if Christian is the love of my life, but that’s okay. I know he makes my heart beat faster and I don’t want to kiss anyone else but him. I know he’s sweet and kind and has a wonderful heart. I can’t imagine my life without him and I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to.
I know we have a long road ahead of us and possibly more bumps and cliffs along the way, but whatever it is, all we can do, all anyone can do, is deal with it. Try to grow from it.
That’s what I’m doing. And if I fall again—because we all get scraped knees at some point—I’ll get back up. Because I’m worth it.
We all are.
