Demon's Destiny

Chapter Twenty-Four

For the first time, I wake up and Dominic is still asleep. His chest moves up down with his breathing under my cheek and his arm is wrapped around my back. I lift my head and my heart stops at his face. Dominic looks so cute while sleeping, dark eyelashes brushing his cheek, mouth slightly open, snore coming out. A five o'clock shadow has formed on his chin and I mindlessly lift my hands, brushing over the scratchy hairs. His eyes slowly open, blinking at first.

"Good morning," He says in his husky sleep voice.

"Goodmorning," I say back, blushing at being caught admiring him. I know I shouldn't have been doing that. For the past couple of days, things between Dominic and I have been tense. I don't know if I want to stay with him at the risk of being hurt. Just the thought of losing Dominic is too painful to bear so I know I should cut my losses before we get any closer.

"I just realized I haven't taken you out on a proper date," He tells me suddenly.

"What?" I ask in surprise.

"A date. The closest thing we had was the movies and that doesn't count. I'm taking you out tonight, Sephie."

"I don't think-"

"Good. Don't think," He says cutting me off. "I have things to do today, so you might want to stay with your sister. I'll be back around seven to take you to dinner," Before I can protest he gets up, going into the bathroom. I hear water running and sigh. So much for keeping my distance.

***

Mia and I browse the clothing racks and ever so often she pulls something totally unreasonable out and forces me to try it on. My date with Dominic was only hours away when I realized I didn't have anything to wear. Mia noticed me freaking out dragged me to the mall.

"Try this on. The color complements your skin tone," Mia says, holding the Scarlette fabric up to me. I reluctantly take the dress into the dressing room, knowing such a red shade isn't for girls like me. Red is a beautiful, sensual color. I should stick to black, which doesn't make me stand out plus it makes you look slimmer.

I strip my clothes and slide into the soft fabric, which feels good against my skin. I'm surprised when I appraise myself in the mirror. The dress hugs my curves but not in a clingy way that makes me uncomfortable. It's long-sleeved but the neckline exposes just a bit of cleavage and clings to my breast in an attractive way. At my waist, the skirt flares out, making my hips look curvier. It stops a couple of inches above the knee, a bit out of my comfort zone. Surprisingly, the scarlet does compliment my skin's pink undertone. I walk out of the dressing room and give Mia a little twirl.

"This is it. This is the dress! You look beautiful," Mia says, pulling me into her arms.

"I don't know. It's a little too much," I tell her.

"Bullcrap! Dominic is going to lose his mind when he sees you," Mia tells me.

"I'll get it," I give in, knowing she won't give up. Mia drags me over to the checkout line, still with dress on.

"I have to take it off first, Mia," I tell her, rolling my eyes.

"This is an emergency situation. Your date is in less than two hours and by the time you get home, Dominic will be waiting for you. You understand, right?" Mia says, directing the last question to the cashier.

"I don't care," The teenage girl says, looking bored. She rings me up and I pay for the dress.

Mia drags me around the mall, store to store. We buy a pair of black strappy pumps to compliment my outfit and at one of the makeup stores, we pay one of the workers to 'beat my face' as Mia calls it. In the end, I have a soft romantic makeup look and red lipstick paints my lips to compliment my dress. Finally, I get my hair straightened for the first time since prom. It reaches mid-shoulder, falling in soft romantic waves. By the time we walk out to the car, Mia is carrying a plastic bag with my old clothes in it and I'm getting stares on the way out. I can't help but notice that these are looks of admiration, which blows my mind.