Curvy Girls Can't Date Bad Boys - Kelsie Stelting Page 0,14
his hood. I lifted my gaze to him, and his honey-brown eyes collided with mine.
I shuddered as I got into my car, because I could feel something.
Butterflies.
And I didn’t even know his name.
Ten
I clasped a pearl necklace around my neck that used to be my mother’s and examined myself in the mirror. The full-length black dress clung to my curves and flared out at the ground, making my figure look even better than an hourglass. The pearls added a hint of dignity, as did my updo with curls falling around my face. Red-carpet ready? Ryde would get more than that.
I threw some lipstick, mascara, tissues, money, and my phone into my clutch and went downstairs. Ryde was usually on time, and I didn't want him to be waiting on me, watching me make my entrance. Dad and Beth looked at me from the dining room table as I came down the final steps.
Beth folded her hands over her heart. “Zara, you look beautiful.”
“Thank you, Beth.” I glanced at Dad, waiting for his reaction. Mom always dressed more colorfully for the red carpet. I remembered watching them leave, always thinking my mom could have been a queen with all her ornate jewelry and jewel-encrusted gowns.
Dad nodded approvingly. “Smart choice on the black. That'll photograph well and match whatever Ryde wears.”
I couldn't help the pride that rose within me. I wanted to make my dad proud of me, even though I disagreed with him ninety-nine percent of the time.
“When should he be here?” Dad asked.
“In a minute,” I answered.
As if on cue, the doorbell rang, and Beth let him in.
He stepped instead, clearly confident in his fitted suit pants with a slick leather jacket and a white shirt. Photos of him in this outfit would be all over the news tomorrow.
“You look smart,” Dad said.
I had to agree, even if begrudgingly. It was the perfect mix of polished and edgy, going perfectly with his character in the action film he and Dad were working on. Especially with his hair effortlessly gelled in all sorts of messy directions.
Ryde tugged his jacket. “Thanks, Dad.”
Beth made a face that made me smile.
Ryde took that for happiness at seeing him and said, “Let’s get out of here?” He extended his arm for me.
“Sure,” I said and looped my arm through his.
Grinning from ear to ear, my dad said, “Have a great time, and if you get photographs taken of you, be sure it's doing something good.”
“Image is everything, right?” I said. It wasn’t like happiness or fulfillment mattered.
“Exactly,” Ryde said wholeheartedly. He didn’t even catch the dejection in my voice.
We walked outside, where a limo was waiting in the driveway. The driver leaned against the car with his hands folded over his waist, but when he saw us, he popped up. “Good evening, Miss Bhatta.” He opened the door for me, and I slid in, sitting on the opposite side as Ryde.
He got his phone out and said, “We need a selfie.”
The driver closed the door behind him, and Ryde slid over to my side of the limo, pressing his side against mine and holding out his phone. The pose he had us in was way more suggestive than reality, but sex sells. Even if it’s at the outrage of a million tweenage girls.
After clicking the picture, he moved to the other side and began tapping at the screen. I looked down at the empty bench seats, wishing we were at the Valentine's dance again, surrounded by friends. At least then I felt more comfortable, like I could breathe. Here, in this tight dress, with this guy who cared more about his follower count than my feelings, I felt claustrophobic. Like I was suffocating.
“How far is it to the premiere?” I asked, desperate for fresh air—any air that didn’t have to be shared with this vanilla movie star.
“About an hour and a half,” Ryde said.
I sighed. An hour and a half. So, I did what any girl would do on a date with a movie star. I got my phone out and began scrolling through social media. I was immediately greeted by Rory and Beckett’s smiling faces. My friend and her boyfriend were on a date at a paintball place, and they were absolutely covered in blues, greens, yellows, and every other color of the rainbow. Their happiness shined from within and translated even through a simple, unfiltered picture. No amount of editing Ryde did on a photo would ever come close to looking like that.