Bonjour!

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Much love for you. Thanks for readinggg

"Am I the only one who realizes how boring this book is?" Korbin whines, flopping onto his back on my living room floor.

My eyes narrow at him. "It's not boring. It's a beautiful and tragic depiction of love and loss. Insanity even." I throw my hands up as I defend the honor of the great novel.

He blinks at me. "You sounds like Miss Sanders."

"Thank you."

"Not a compliment." He mumbles under his breath.

"Not my problem." I snap back, holding my book up in front of my face to hide my burning cheeks from view.

I hear him sigh and a few moments later, a page turning.

"Okay so I've seen the movie." He blurts out.

I lower my book so my eyes peak out, looking at him in surprise. "Before or after the assignment?" I raise a brow.

He rolls his eyes, his cheeks turning slightly red. "Before. My younger sister forced me to. So I know how terrible the whole thing is."

"Terrible?" I ask, shocked.

He nods as if this is obvious. "The guy literally goes blind after his psychopath wife jumps off the top of his huge house and the whole thing burns down. This is after he purposes to Jane and makes out with her. It's all horrible." Korbin states, waving his hand passionately.

I sigh, pushing my hair out of my face. "I mean, yeah, it's all kind of depressing but it's all so...moving and thematic." I breath.

His nose scrunches up in annoyance, a strand of his long hair falling over his eyes and clear forehead. That's another thing I despise about Korbin. His perfectly clear tan skin.

"You're so annoying." I throw a pillow from one of the couches at him but he catches it with one hand.

"You're not exactly a ray of tolerable sunshine either, princess." He bites.

My glare deepens, my cheeks turning a deeper red from anger. "Can we please just get back to work?"

"Gladly." He says, clenching his teeth as he takes a note in his notebook.

I watch him as he works angrily for a moment before turning back to the task at hand. I underline a few things in my copy with pencil, thinking deeply about each sentence. Searching for the hidden meanings and metaphors that might help in my essay.

We read and write silently, only speaking and working together when absolutely necessary.

I'm in the middle of writing the middle of a large paragraph playing out in my head when I freeze.

"Oh my gosh. What time is it?" I ask, panicking.

Korbin looks at me with a bored expression. "Why?"

"Why do you need to know?! Just tell me!" I stand up, pulling at my hair.

"Geez. It's 6:30, drama queen." He mumbles, shoving his phone back into his pocket.

My heart stops, dropping into my stomach. I suddenly feel extremely nauseous. "My date with Will is in thirty minutes." I yell.

He shrugs and gives me a confused look. "So? I can get ready in five."

I scoff, throwing my hands in the air. "Do you know nothing about girls? Gosh, no wonder you've never had a girlfriend!"

I was expecting my words to have some sort of impact but he simply smiles, shakes his head, and turns back to his book.

I'm tempted to kick him and his smug behind out into the snow but I don't have the time or the effort.

Making a dash for the stairs, my heart pounds as nervous energy bounces around my insides.

Running to the bathroom first, I check myself in the mirror to see what I have to work with. I cringe at my bags and messed up all-day school hair.

"Oh gosh." I mumble, turning the water on and throwing my hair into a messy bun at the back of my head.

Splashing water over my cheeks, I speed wash my face, rubbing moisturizer over my skin ferociously.

I sprint to my room, pulling my dress out of the closet Liz had pre chosen for me. I smile down at the long thin fit black dress, a slit running up the side up to right above the knee.

Glancing at the clock on my nightstand, my eyes widen before I kick it into high gear, pulling my clothes off and attempting to pull the dress up my thighs.

After zipping up the back of the dress I run back into the bathroom, pulling my makeup out of the drawer and opening a random foundation. Checking the shade briefly, I grab a beauty blender and place a light layer over my skin.

"Dang it." I mutter as I realize I forgot primer. I sigh, grabbing some concealer and dotting it under my eyes.

After I finish my makeup, keeping the eyes very minimal and neutral, I take my hair out of its bun and allow it to fall down my back.

I run my hands through it, finding several tangles and pulling them apart quickly. I check the time, seeing that I have about ten minutes left.

Expecting Will to be at least fifteen minutes late, I take the time to curl a few strands of my hair with my wand, moving with accurate speed.

My heart pounds stressfully as I work, my foot tapping on the tiled floor.

Finally, I finish getting ready, the only thing left to do being to spray myself with my favorite Nirvana perfume by Elizabeth and James.

I spritz the magically scented liquid onto the insides of my wrist, my chest and neck, and of course the back of my neck under my hair so that when I walk, my hair sways from side to side and the wind catches the scent.

Blowing air through my cheeks, I run to Liz's bedroom to look for a pair of heels. Luckily she isn't here so she can't complain about me stealing from her.

After staring at the vast collection of pumps and strappy heels, I've narrowed it down to a pair of skinny heeled red pumps and another that are gold and intricate looking.

I sigh, holding both of them up to my dress. I try both on but I love how each of them look. They both bring a different sort of feel to the look and I'm way too stressed to tell which is the better option.

I close my eyes, sighing in defeat. What has to be done must be done I suppose.

"Korbin." I holler down the stairs.

He doesn't answer and my eyebrows furrow.

Maybe he left? It has been a good thirty five minutes so I doubt he'd be sitting down there just working away.

Nonetheless, I grab a long white dress coat and a red clutch, tossing in my house keys, phone, and wallet inside along with a small thin pair of gloves just in case.

I carry both pairs of shoes with me, tucking my hair behind my ear as I walk down the stairs.

Setting my belongings down onto the back of the couch, I stare, surprisingly, at the back of Korbin's head. I wait for him to turn around but he never does so I let out a small cough to get his attention.

I must have startled him because he jumps, letting out a small yelp. I hold back a laugh, a smile escaping.

"Geez you scared me." He mutters, his green eyes meeting mine before traveling downward over my dress and down to my bare feet. His eyebrows furrow and he blinks repeatedly before slowly standing.

"Yeah I noticed." I chuckle.

He rolls his eyes, tucking his hands into his black hoodie pocket. "So uh...you and Will are going out tonight?"

I press my lips together, nodding as I try and convince myself that Will and I are still just friends and we're just going out to spend some quality time together...though I know it's not the truth.

"Yeah he's running a little late." I tell him, looking briefly out the window to check for his car but it's not there.

Korbin nods, rocking on his heels. "Look...I've been thinking and...I'm kind of sorry that I've been a little harsh about the whole Will thing. I get that you're doing what you're doing out of a love for Will and I can respect that even if I don't fully agree."

I blink, taken aback at the seriousness and maturity in his voice. "Really? Thank you that actually means a lot to me." I laugh nervously.

He nods slowly. "Yeah no problem. And don't worry...everything will work out."

I listen to his words, my eyes staring into his as they sink in. "You're right. Thanks."

"Sure."

"So um..." I look down at the two pairs of shoes in my hands. "I actually need your advice on something if you don't mind."

He raises his eyebrows. "I mean...I don't know how much help I'll be but sure, I'm down."

I laugh, holding up the four shoes. "Which ones look the best with my outfit?"

A slow grin appears in his face before he laughs, shaking his head as the hair behind his ears escape and frame his face. I smile along with him.

"That's what you need help with?" He asks.

I nod, laughing. "Seriously! It's a difficult decision."

"Try both of them on and we'll see." He tells me, gesturing to the shoes.

I nod, slipping the gold heels on and standing there awkwardly.

He looks at me for a couple seconds before shaking his head. "This isn't working. I can't tell when you're standing there looking all frumpy and weird."

I sigh, rolling my eyes. "Well then what do you want me to do?"

"How about actually trying to look nice?" He tells me as if I'm an idiot.

I give him a blank stare.

"Or better yet how about I just give you a fashion show." I spout sarcastically.

To my dismay, he considers this as he nods his head. "Good idea. Walk to the end of the hall and then come back."

I squint my eyes at him, my mouth slightly agape. "What? No, that's weird!"

He shrugs. "If you want my help you play by my rules. Now get walking."

For reasons I cannot explain, I do as he says albeit begrudgingly.

Walking carefully in the heels, I pull my shoulders back slightly and fix my hair so that the long red curls are in the front, framing my face.

I walk to the end of the hall as instructed before turning around and walking back, my chin held up as I laugh at myself.

I stop in front of Korbin, watching as he nods seriously. My cheeks turn red as he inspects me.

"Okay next." He nods to the red pumps on the floor.

"This is ridiculous. Will could be here any minute." I roll my eyes.

He quirks an eyebrow. "Well then the faster you put those red ones on the better."

I pause, staring at him in disbelief. "You're crazy."

"Just put the shoes on."

"Fine."

A few seconds later I have the heels on, standing a few inches taller. The other ones are more comfortable but I get a little more confident as I slip the second shoe over my heel.

I stand straight, turning and walking down the hall before circling back slowly, still laughing under my breath at the absurdness of it all.

I stand in front of him, adjusting my dress slightly.

Korbin looks at me with a blank face, swallowing once. "Uh...yeah I think those look fine."

"Really? I like them too but I think that - "

"Yeah well I'd better get going. My dad will be wondering where I am." He tells me quickly as he gathers his belongings.

"Oh." I say, watching him in confusion, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah of course. Everything's fine." He pushes his arms through the holes in his coat.

"Okay well...do you want to finish this weekend since our essays our due on Monday?" I ask him.

Korbin pauses and opens his mouth to speak but when his eyes flicker to the window behind me, he begins to walk to the door. "I don't know. Will is here so I really should go. You can text me tomorrow or Sunday and we'll get it done." He nods with a small smile before disappearing out the front door.

Will appears soon after looking confused for a moment at the sight of his best friend driving away but as soon as his eyes meet mine, his face slackens.

I smile awkwardly, folding my hands in front of me. "You're late."

He shakes his head slightly, grinning wildly at me before approaching. "I'm so sorry, May-Bell. I was having car trouble and my dad had to help me figure it out. I hope you weren't sitting around too long." His eyebrows furrow.

I smile at his genuine concern, shaking my head before grabbing my coat and clutch. "No I wasn't waiting long at all. Korbin was here to help me pass the time." I laugh.

His grin falters slightly. "Oh?"

My mouth opens as I realize I'm supposed to reassure him. "He was here because we were working on our assignment from Miss Sanders' class. Then he helped me pick a pair of shoes." I laugh, looking down at my heels.

I look up to see him smiling, his eyes on me. "I'm happy my two favorite people are getting along. How's your assignment coming along? Jane Eyre, right?"

I raise my eyebrows, surprised at his knowledge on the fact, as he takes my coat from my hands, holding it open to help me. I turn around and put my arms into the holes, allowing him to pull it on and rest it onto my shoulders, his hands resting there and running down my arms tenderly.

I breathe slowly, turning back around to face him, his eyes focus on me. "Uh...yeah. Miss Sanders seems to think deep, dark, and depressing is a good way to start the semester." I breathe a laugh.

He chuckles, dimples appearing deeply in cheeks as his eyes squint slightly. "I thought you loved that book."

I sigh, looking up at him. "I do but Korbin has a lot of good points. There are a lot of serious issues with the story." I laugh at the memory of Korbin reading aloud a dramatically tragic paragraph, cringing at every word.

"Korbin can be very opinionated. But don't let him ruin something you genuinely like, okay?"

I nod, holding tight to my clutch. "Yeah I know. Thanks."

He smiles down at me. "You're welcome." His hand comes up to tuck my hair behind my ear. My smile falls from my face as I watch his eyes follow his movement, his hand moving down to the end of my hair. His smile lessens, "You look beautiful, May-Bee."

A tightness forms on my stomach as I look up at him, his hazel eyes smiling down at me. "Thank you. You don't look too bad yourself." I tell him.

And he doesn't.

His Banana Republic dark blue dress pants, white button up, and dark blue jacket look beyond amazing on him. I remember when he bought the ensemble and I loved it on him then just as much as I do now.

"Thank you." He laughs. "We should get going."

I nod, allowing him to escort me outside.

As I settle into his car I take a deep breath and let it out, forcing myself to relax.

I don't think dating Will is going to be as easy as I thought it was.