Chereads / Inconvenient Flame / Chapter 2 - Chapter Two

Chapter 2 - Chapter Two

Poppy pov

"So should I buy the white dress or the green one?" I asked Sarah. I was out shopping and she couldn't join me because she was out visiting her cousin, so we were video calling.

"The white one." she said decisively.

Are you sure?" I said in doubt. "The green dress matches the color of my eyes though. At least that's what Lucy said. You know she is the school's reigning beauty." Lucy Hale was just won the title as the most beautiful girl in Greendale high. Not that I was surprised.

With her gorgeous blonde hair, striking blue eyes, baby face and hour glass figure, even a blind person could see that she deserved it.

Sarah sighed heavily. "Why are you calling me in the first place if you don't need my help? If you want a more solid opinion, how about you ask your boyfriend?"

I smile to myself when I heard that.

I have had a crush on Liam Browning ever since the seventh grade. He was very handsome with his brown silky hair, blue eyes the color of the ocean and a perfect set of milky white teeth which showing when he gave me one of his dazzling smiles.

I never had the courage to talk to him because he was among the popular guys in school (he's a senior and on the football team) and everyday he was surrounded by hot cheerleaders. I thought he thought I was invisible. But surprisingly, he told me he really liked me and so we have been dating for three weeks now and it has been the most amazing three weeks of my life.

A lot of our schoolmates do not know what he saw in me because I was very plain in comparison to him. Even I don't know what he saw in me.

Imagine my surprise when he asked me to be his partner in our English literature project. A week later, he asked me to be his girlfriend.

I still can't believe I'm dating the Liam Parker.

"Ugh. You have that stupid smile on your face again" Sarah rolled her eyes at me and sighed. "To be young and in love."

I stuck my tongue out "You're just jealous. No can do because he's taking me out on a date tomorrow and this is what I am going to wear to surprise him." I said. "On further thought, I'm going with the green."

"Wow, I am so surprised." Sarah says sarcastically. "You never listen to any thing I say. Just don't forget to tell me all the details. Tomorrow might be the day you finally get your first kiss." She squealed in delight at the thought of it.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. I don't even know where he is taking me. " I could feel a blush staining my cheeks and I tried to appear nonchalant but my stomach was positively swarming with butterflies.

"Come on." she said, "You guys have been dating for what now, three weeks, and he hasn't even made a move on you once?" Her eyes narrow suspiciously. "Are you sure he hasn't made a move and you are just not telling me?"

"We've been friends since we were seven. I'm pretty sure that if I had been kissed, you would know it before I do. You are after all our school's biggest gossip."

"What can I say? I take pride in obtaining information. It's one of the few joys I have in this boring life of mine." Just then, we heard her mother calling her from the background. "That's my cue. Break's over. Got to go back to entertaining the family." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Pray for me."

I laugh as I cut the call. I walked over to the counter and paid for my dress.

Just as I was coming out of the store, I heard a person shout. "No Roger! Stop!"

I heard a bark and before I could realize what was happening, something ran into me and I was knocked over into a puddle just at the front of the store. It wasn't just a puddle-- it was a muddy puddle

"Oh my God." I am so sorry. I heard a male voice say franticaly "I didn't know his leash wasn't placed properly. I was distracted and then he ran off…" the guy seemed to ramble on forever.

I stood up and began accessing the damage and saw that my jeans have been soaked with mud. Since I fell on my butt, I didn't want to imagine how that area looked like.

"Are you ok?" he said.

"Do I look ok to you?" I snapped and raised my head to look at him for the first time. Immediately I was taken aback by his looks. If I wasn't so furious right now, I would have said that he was very handsome. Not like Liam of course. But his all short blond hair, brown eyes and square jaw all blended together in a way that gave him a striking appearance. He was also very tall. I noticed that he had placed the leash on his dog, which seemed to be the creature behind my current predicament.

"Isn't there a rule that says dogs should be properly leashed here? Look at me? How am I supposed to go home like this?" I said angrily.

It was a busy day and already, people had begun to gather. He looked very embarrassed. "I am so sorry. Here, let me help you up." He stretched out his hand and when I made contact with him, my palms had a tingling sensation I had never felt before. I noticed that he was accessing me and I knew that I looked like crap. Literally.

"Here use this." he took off the flannel shirt he was wearing and I couldn't help but notice his well-defined muscles and I felt like rubbing my hands against them. I could feel my face getting hot.

What is with you Emily? Why are you acting like a horny teenager? Well you are one but stop acting like it.

I took his shirt and tied it around my waist. The shirts had the faint scent of lavender.

"Well, that's the least you could do." To my dismay, I had noticed that my dress was out of the shopping bag, on the floor, soaked with mud.

I was pissed. My date had been effectively ruined.

"No, no, no!" I raised the dress from the puddle and examined it.

There was no way dry cleaning could fix this mess. "Ugh. This is so not happening right now."

"I am so sorry." He clumsily brought out his wallet from the back pocket of the jeans. He brought out cash and stretched his hand. "Please let me pay for your dry cleaning."

"You are sorry? You are sorry?" I shouted angrily. "You idiot! You big stupid oaf! I just bought this dress. Do you know how much it costs?" I removed his shirt from my waist and threw it in the puddle and I stomped on it repeatedly. I knew I looked like a spoilt five year old but I honestly didn't care.

"Hey! What the hell?" I detect a hint of anger in his voice. "I was only trying to help you." he rushed to grab his shirt.

"I think you've given me enough help for the day." I couldn't help but smirk. "So now you know how that feels. Take better care of your dog next time" I stomped off angrily.