269

269
  Chapter 269
  Riley Burke 
  ~•~
  I wanted everything to be perfect! 
  For the past two weeks, I’ve been looking forward to this day. Mason and I were finally going on our date. I had no idea why I was nervous. It wasn’t like it was the first time I was going out with him. 
  Maybe I was just having PTSD from our last date. 
  But I knew I had nothing to be worried about. My father had assured me that he was okay with me being with Mason. He wanted me to be happy, even if my happiness included being with someone who had hurt us in the past. 
  It wasn’t Mason who hurt us but I just didn’t focus on that part. As long as he was ready to move past the whole situation, I didn’t care to correct him anymore. 
  “The makeup artist is here!” Rowan yelled loud enough for me to hear after knocking on my room door. Yes, I had to ask for a professional makeup artist because I was hellbent on making everything perfect. 
  “I’ll be downstairs soon,” I replied as I wore my hair bonnet to protect my hair while getting ready for the date. 
  As I went downstairs, the makeup artist was ready to start working. She asked me what I wanted and I showed her a picture of the look I had saved from Pinterest earlier. 
  In about an hour, she was done transforming my look. A satisfied smile crept to my face as I looked at my reflection in the mirror. 
  “Thank you.” I expressed my gratitude to the lady before heading back upstairs. 
  One would think it was my wedding day from the way I was serious about looking extra good. I liked Mason so much and wanted him to see the most beautiful version of me. 
  When I went upstairs, I picked up my phone and FaceTimed my friends. Even if I had asked them a thousand times, I still wanted to know which dress I should wear. 
  My father had helped me pick out two dresses from the clothing store about a week ago. But I was still indecisive about which one to wear. 
  The first dress was a fitted, knee-length dress that hugged my body in all the right places. The open back added a touch of sexiness to the dress. 
  While the second one was a flowy maxi dress in a beautiful shade of pale blue. It was handless, so I loved it even more. 
  My friends had already asked me to go for the white dress but I wanted to make sure I was making the right choice. 
  I held up both dresses, displaying them for my friends to see via FaceTime. “Which one do you guys think I should wear?” I asked, seeking their advice for the umpteenth time. 
  Amelia sighed. “Liam, which one do you think Riley should wear?” I added Liam to the call this time around because I wanted to get a male’s perspective. 
  Liam hesitated for a while, his eyes darting between the two dresses. “I think you should go for the white dress, it’s more chill.” 
  “That’s exactly what we have been telling her for the past week!” Harper replied, letting out a deep sigh. “The white one even blends with your skin more.” She added. 
  “Are you guys tired of me?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “It doesn’t matter if you’re tired, we are friends and you have to answer whenever I call.” 
  Everyone started laughing. “Why will we be tired of you?” Harper asked. “You’re just so indecisive!” 
  “Tell her something she doesn’t know,” Liam replied.
  “Don’t forget to tell us all the details about your date,” Amelia added.  
  After talking to my friends for a while, I dropped my phone on the bed and decided to dress up. Mason had already texted me to say he was on his way to pick me up. 
  In a short span of thirty minutes, I was ready to leave. 
  My parents weren’t around, so I had to show my outfit to the only people who were around. I still needed a few more opinions on my outfit. 
  Rowan, Jason, and Belle were hanging out in Rowan’s room, so I stopped by there first. “Oh my goodness! You look so lovely.” Belle’s eyes were filled with admiration as I stepped into the room. 
  I bit my lips to stop myself from smiling. 
  “You look alright,” Rowan replied, looking uninterested. 
  Of course, I was expecting that reaction. My brother was my biggest enemy. But I knew he was just joking. He loved me but didn’t like showing affection on some days. 
  “Don’t mind Rowan, you look great.” Jason chimed into the conversation. 
  While I was still in the room, I heard the car horn from outside, and then immediately I got a text from Mason, letting me know that he had arrived. 
  “Can you guys walk me to the car?” I asked my brothers. 
  I knew Rowan wanted to decline my request but Jason didn’t give him any chance to do so. They hadn’t officially met Mason, so I wanted to introduce them to each other. 
  When we went downstairs, Mason stepped out of the car as soon as he saw us walking in his direction. He looked so sleek in his impeccable white tuxedo. 
  It was a good thing I settled for the white dress because we were coincidentally matching colors. When we got to the car, I did a brief introduction between my brothers and Mason. 
  “Bring her back early,” Rowan warned before turning around to head back to the house. 
  “Don’t let anything bad happen to our sister,” Jason added before trailing behind Rowan. 
  “Of course,” Mason muttered to himself before opening the car door for me to enter. He was such a nice gentleman and I was lucky to have found him. 
  Shortly after, we were on our way to the restaurant. 
  I had no idea where he was taking me but I was excited to be on my way there. 
  “Did I tell you that you look so beautiful?” He asked as we finally got to our destination. 
  I couldn’t stop myself from blushing even if I tried. 
  “No.” I shook my head. 
  Mason smiled. “You look so beautiful, Riley Burke.” 
  “You look so handsome, Mason Craig.” 
  He stepped out of the car and opened my door for me. He reached out for my hands as I stepped out of the car. After he locked the car, we walked hand in hand into the building of the luxurious restaurant. 
  “This place is so nice,” I whispered to him as we entered. 
  Everything about the restaurant was nice. The ambiance, the music, the lighting, and even the fresh fragrance. 
  “You deserve nice things.” He said as he led me to our reserved table. He pulled the chair out for me and I sat down. Then he walked over to sit on the chair across from me. 
  My heart was pounding in my chest as I met Mason’s intense gaze. He didn’t say anything, he just stared at me with lustful eyes. 
  “What?” I asked, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear, feeling a flutter in my chest. 
  Mason smiled. “You’re so perfect. I want you to be in my life.” He replied, his voice firm. “Will you be my girlfriend?” 
  My heart leaped for joy. I had been waiting for him to ask me again. I even lost hope and felt he wouldn’t ask me to be his girlfriend again. 
  Without hesitation, I nodded, a smile spreading across my face. “Yes, Mason. I’ll be your girlfriend.” 
  “Okay, baby.” Mason’s eyes lit up as he leaned in to kiss me. 
  I had been wanting to do it for a long time. 
  I leaned in closer, our lips brushing against each other. Our lips moved in perfect harmony as we kissed each other. 
  “This is perfect.”
  Mason nodded. “Yes, you’re perfect!” 
  As we sat there, staring at each other, I knew it was going to be worth it. Mason and I had been through so much, and somehow, we still managed to be here.
  I thought back to the day we met. How he tried speaking to me but I wasn’t interested. I had sworn off relationships, but things suddenly changed when I got to know him.  
  I knew that this was the start of a new chapter in our lives. A chapter filled with love and happiness.