Chapter 28: Racing (Carter's POV) I got off the seat that I was standing on and went and sat outside, looking at the lady sheepishly. She chuckled and shook her head before walking away. The door opened moments later and she walked out wearing the red dress. "What do you think?" she asked while spinning in a circle. "You look great," I said breathlessly. "Doesn't it kind of look like the dress I wore last time?" she said while looking at herself in the mirror. "A little bit," I mumbled. "Hmm. Not this one then," she said before going back inside. She walked out next in the royal blue dress trailing behind her. "I can't wear this." "Why not? You look so good," I frowned. "Carter, I'm five foot three. This dress is like seven feet tall. Look at that," she said while looking at the trail of fabric behind her. "I'm going to fall." "Okay, try the next one," I chuckled. She came out in the emerald green one next. "That one looks good," I said while checking her up and down. "It shows a lot of…" she trailed off, looking at herself in the mirror. "Boob." I stood up and walked over, "Then you don't have to worry. You don't have any," I shrugged. She smacked my chest while assessing herself in the mirror. "I'm kidding. It looks fine, just try the other two." I tucked her hair behind her ear before she went back. "I feel like the purple is too dark, no? And I don't have heels to go with this," she clicked her tongue while looking at herself. "You don't have to wear heels," I shrugged. "No heels. No dress." I sighed while leaning against the wall as she tried on the last one. If this isn't it, we'll be here for a while. She stepped out while pulling it lower and adjusting the thin straps. She was talking. Her lips were moving. But I was not listening. I was too busy staring. She looked breathtakingly stunning. I could feel my heart racing and the blood pumping through my veins just looking at her. "Hello?" She snapped her fingers in front of my face and I came back to reality. "I think I just got attracted to you all over again," I said. "It's so short," she whined. "No, it's not," I argued, "It's perfect. And you definitely have silver heels, who doesn't? Oh, my God. I don't know if I want you to go out like that. I might have a heart attack," I said while placing my hand on my heart that I was genuinely getting worried for. "You're just exaggerating. Really? This one?" she asked. "One thousand percent. It looks like it's easy to take off too," I smirked. She rolled her eyes at me and pinched my ear. "Ow," I winced before she went back inside to change. She came out with all the dresses in her hands. "Decided?" the lady asked. "This one, please," she handed it to the lady with a smile. "Okay, that'll be three hundred dollars." Alex grabbed my arm before I could grab my wallet. "Carter," she sighed, "Please don't. I have dresses at home. We'll just pick one," she whispered. "The whole point of me bringing you here was to buy you a dress. Is it so bad I want to spoil you a little?" I whispered. "Yes, it is. Very bad," she replied. "I'm buying you the dress," I said before handing the lady the card. "I'm not talking to you," she said, folding her arms across her chest. "Okay, I'm still buying you the dress." "Why? I'm only going to wear it once. What happens to it then?" she huffed. "Sell it. Or wear it again. I can think of an occasion," I smirked. "Like what?" she sighed. "Have you ever heard the song 'Birthday Sex?'" "I'm leaving." She turned around to head out but I grabbed her wrist and pulled her back while the lady bit back a laugh as she printed out the receipt. "Already bought it. You have to wear it now," I said. She huffed and rolled her eyes at me while the lady handed me the bag. "Enjoy," she smiled. "Thank you," I said before pulling Alex out with me. "Can I buy you a suit then?" she asked. "No," I shook my head. "Why?" she pouted. "I have plenty at home," I shrugged. "So? I have plenty of dresses but you didn't listen to me when I said that," she argued. "I'm not letting you spend money on me." "You just spent three hundred dollars on me!" she exclaimed as we sat in the car. "And I'd do it again." I turned to face her and she shut up, sighing in defeat while leaning back. "I'd do it every day." "You'd go bankrupt," she mumbled while staring out of the window. "Then I'd rob a bank and do it again." "You'd go to jail." "What makes you think I'll get caught?" I smirked. "You are not allowed to buy me anything for the next year or something. That was a lot of money," she huffed. "I'm lucky to have that much money, even luckier to have you to spend it on." She stared at me blankly. I love you. I wanted to say. But I didn't. It was way too soon, as well as it fits with the moment, it was extremely soon and she would flip out and so would I. I could save those words for a moment more special. "I hate you," she shook her head, biting back a smile. I leaned forward and kissed her cheek before starting the car as we pulled our seatbelts on before I started driving her home. "Do you wanna hang out?" she asked while I turned the car off. "Of course, I do." I got out with her, holding the bag with the dress as well as her school bag as we walked in. "Hungry?" she asked. "Starving." "I can make chicken wings." "You know how to make chicken wings?" I asked in disbelief. "I haven't made them in a while but my grandma taught me. Can you wait for them?" I nodded almost instantly. She laughed while washing her hands before getting all the stuff she needed. I watched, like a kid mesmerized by something, as she cooked. I stared at her every move, the way she tightened the apron around her, the way she would handle all the things, the way she would try blowing her hair out of her face when it fell into her eyes, the way she would hum a random beat, the way she would smile when she did a step right. "They're hot so be careful," she said while sliding the plate over to me. She washed her hands and took her apron off before retying her hair. "Let me know what you think," she said, beaming down at me while taking a seat on the barstool beside mine. She seemed so excited for me to try out her cooking. It was adorable. I stared at her while waiting for them to cool down. "What?" she chuckled. "Nothing," I shook my head before grabbing her stool and pulling it closer to mine, locking her legs between mine. "I thought you're here to try chicken wings," she smirked, resting her arms around my neck. I chuckled before leaning in as my arms went around her waist before my lips met hers. She took me by surprise when she dominated the kiss. She hadn't done that before. Her hand ran up and down my shirt while the other held the side of my face. She scooted forward until she straddled me before deepening the kiss. My hands rested on her waist, touching her skin under her shirt. Her skin felt warm against my hands while the kiss sent shocks through my entire body. She ran her fingers through my hair before teasingly biting down on my bottom lip. She pulled away and gasped as we heard the front door open. She swiped her thumb across my lip to wipe off any lip gloss before pushing my hair down and sitting in her own seat. We turned to the counter and ate while footsteps echoed. "Oh, Alex. Sorry, I didn't know you two would be here. That's all right. Let's head on over to my study, Clark." I spun around when I heard that name. What was he doing here? "Of course, Tim. Lead the way," he said. He disappeared into a room with Mr. Lockhart, leaving me and Alex utterly confused. "Do you think the project our dads are working on is with him?" she whispered. "It might be," I mumbled. "I thought he's a doctor," she said. "He is. So clearly, something isn't right," I said. We stared at each other in confusion for a long time before she stood up and dusted her hands. "What are you doing?" I asked, grabbing her wrist. "Listening." With that, she stood up and headed over to that room. I stood up and followed her while we stood there and listened. "This deal stays between us, Tim. I hope that's clear," Clark said. "You haven't told your brother?" Mr. Lockhart asked. "Step brother. And no, this is between us." "All right, what is the property you're interested in?" "I'm interested in a gym." "A gym?" "My son's to be specific." He's trying to take what belongs to Zach. "And is he willing to give it to you?" "No, which is why I've come to you. Whether he's willing or not. That gym will be mine." . . . .