Chapter 30
The last two weeks have been like a fairy tale. I never thought I’d compare myself to a princess, but it’s true. I have a real life prince charming, and he’s romantic and caring and never misses sending me a good night text.
Even though I spent years hating myself for being hopelessly single, I’m really glad I didn’t get a boyfriend until now, when I’m older and about to head into college. I was able to bypass all of the drama from high school and skip right over years of heartache. Of course, that doesn’t mean I might one day get my heart broken, but Josh has promised me that he wants to go into this thing as adults who talk to each other, who don’t keep secrets, and who always try to work things out.
I’m sure there will be a fight or an argument in the future, but for now, we are two people on cloud nine, the puppy love phase securely in place.
The doorbell rings, but I don’t bother capping my mascara and rushing to answer it because Grandma is home. One thing I’ve learned in the last two weeks is that Grandma and Josh can talk forever. It’s made us more than late to a couple of movie dates so far.
I hear her let him inside, and she comments on his shirt, which is apparently very handsome on him.
I grin as I apply my makeup. It’s the first time since our first date that I’ve bothered going through all this getting pretty routine stuff, but tonight is special. Maddie is having a party at her house, which is basically a mansion complete with housekeepers and a chef, and I know there will be tons of pictures taken of the event. So I need to look good.
Of course, with Josh by my side, I always have this goofy grin of lovesickness on my face, so it’s kind of impossible to look like anything else.
“Hey, beautiful.” Josh enters my room and flops down on my bed.
“That was quick,” I say. “Usually ya’ll talk forever.”
“Grandma had brownies in the oven, and the timer went off so I snuck in to see you,” he says with a wink. Yes, he calls her Grandma now, but because she’s insisted that he do so.
“Looks like Blue is comfortable,” he says, pointing to my kitten. She’s curled up in my lap while I sit at my vanity.
I stroke her head and she purrs. “Every time I sit down she’ll hop up in my lap and go to sleep.”
“She adores you,” Josh says.
“And I adore her.” I dab some powder over my foundation. “I’m all ready. Wanna go?”
He gives me this exaggerated frown. “But the brownies are almost ready. Can’t we stay and eat some?”
I roll my eyes. After telling Maddie about my dieting plan, she yelled at me for going about it all the wrong way. Now we’re both using this calorie counting app and eating 1350 calories a day for healthy weight loss, even though Josh keeps saying it’s pointless because I don’t need it. Of course, as an excellent boyfriend, I guess it’s his job to say those things.
Regardless, I know I have some calories to spare, and I just can’t say no to that face. “Fine,” I say, pointing at him while I pretend to be serious. “One brownie. And then we’re going.”
“Deal,” he says, hopping off my bed. He kisses the top of my head and then sprints out of my room to go get himself a brownie.
I chuckle as I get up and set Blue down on my bed in her favorite spot near my pillow. Josh is a dork, but he’s my dork.
***
Maddie’s pool is filled with blow up floaties in colorful shapes and designs. Her little sisters are playing on a gigantic blow up donut and one that’s shaped like a popsicle. This is a small party, with only a few of Maddie’s friends, which is great because it’s helping me slowly get used to being in this group of people who were practically royalty in high school. Of course now that we’re graduated, everything is different. I’m accepted into groups that would have shunned me back then. And things that felt like a big deal in school aren’t even a small deal now. It’s nice being out of school.
“Hey girl!” Maddie says when Josh and I arrive. She gives me a quick hug, her hair smelling like dye.
“I like the new hair,” I say, nodding in approval at her new style. She’d dyed over the pink she’d had earlier in the year, but now it has highlights.
“It’s supposedly a natural highlight,” she says with a shrug. “I kind of wanted to go back to pink, but we’re legal adults and all that, so I figured I’d get a more mature hair style.”
Her boyfriend Colby fist bumps Josh in a hello before saying, “If she’s so grown up and mature now, why did she assault me with a water gun just five minutes ago?”
Maddie playfully punches him in the arm. “I was beingsupermature, for your information. I could have just thrown you in the pool, but instead I showed restraint.”
They laugh and pick on each other and then get all swoony-eyed and start kissing.
I look over and Josh and he rolls his eyes. “It’s a good thing we started dating,” he says, pulling me up against him. “Otherwise, we’d go crazy being around these lovesick fools.”
“That’s for sure,” I say, hooking my hands around his neck. “I’ve never been to a party like this. I kind of like hanging out in your world.”
