Arthur x Reader- White Lilies Part 5

   A loud knocking rung through the house, whoever it was wasn't going to go away. So ___ sat up in bed lazily glaring towards her bedroom door. It was 6 in the morning. Who and why is someone at her door? Sighing ___ flung her feet over onto her fuzzy rug. Last night she slept restlessly… She got a few good hours but that still wasn't much…
   ___ walked down stair rubbing her eyes with the occasional yawn. She took her sweet time; this person woke her after all. A chill ran down her back causing her to shiver and wrap her arms around her. Finally coming to the door she opened it lazily to be greeted by the cheerful face of Derrick.
   "Derrick," ___ moaned, "Please tell me you have a good reason to come and wake me at 6 in the morning." She stared at him with half lidded eyes.
   Derrick just gave her a cheerful grin answering, "I'm going to help you get ready for the ball!" The way he said it was like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
   Chuckling slightly ___ brought to his attention, "The ball doesn't start until 7… It isn't going to take me 12 hours to get ready…"
   "But I got you appointments for your hair, nails, toes, make-up… The first appointment is at 7," Derrick explained with a smile.
   ___ sighed, "I can't afford that… I barely made the bills this month…" Derrick just continued to smile at her. She was obviously missing something.
   "No need to worry about that," Derrick exclaimed, "I'm paying for you!"
   "No," ___ said immediately shaking her head. "That's too much money. Plus I don't need any of that stuff done…"
   The answer made a puppy dog face come to Derricks. "Aw come on ___! You didn't go to prom so I didn't get to see you all girlified," he plead.
   Puppy faces didn't work on ___, no matter how good Derrick's was. She shook her head no and turned it to the side.
   A small pout spread over Derrick's lips, she could be so stubborn sometimes. "Consider it a late birthday present…"
   ___'s head snapped in Derrick's direction. He looked guilty, head slightly down, looking up at her with sadden blue eyes that flickered down when she turned to him. He looked back up at her giving her a half smile. "A-alright… Fine," ___ muttered quietly.
   A chill ran down ___'s spin reminding her of the cool air getting in to her home. "Well come in," she ushered quietly.  Derrick just nodded and came in silently. "I'll make some breakfast then we can leave…"
   They both went to the kitchen. When ___ walked in she felt the cool tiles under feet sending another shiver through her body. Derrick simple walked over to the small wooden table, he took his coat off once he sat.
   Silence filled the room. Derrick was looking out the window with a mug of coffee in his hands. ___ had given it to him shortly after he sat down. ___ was putting the last touched on their meals. The smell of coffee filled the air giving the room a relaxed feel.
   Despite the calming aura of the room ___ felt tense. She hadn't told Derrick about the dreams coming back… Or the fact it happened a few times during the day. That had never happened before. She glanced sideways at Derrick. He looked completely relaxed in his seat… Well if she was going to tell him right now was good as ever.
   "D-Derrick," ___ asked hesitantly. He didn't look her way, he just gave her a quiet, 'Hm?' "I-I… Well… Those dreams c-came back… But this time… They, um, happened a few times… while I was awake…"
   With widening eyes Derrick shot his gaze over to ___. "Are you okay? You haven't… "
   "I'm fine," ___ cut Derrick off. "I… just wanted to let you know is all… I've already told my therapist since I know you're going to ask… She said it's normal." Giving him a glance she added quickly, "I just might have to take pills to help me sleep."
   Derrick almost jumped out of his seat but instead gave her a look of confusion. "Why?! There is other ways to help you sleep," he argued.
   "I know there is… I told her I wasn't comfortable taking medication and asked if I could try some things first," ___ explained calmly. "If what I try doesn't work I have to take medication…"
   Derrick huffed angrily. Hoping to calm him down ___ gave him a small smile and set an omelet in front of him. He grunted before picking his fork up and taking a bite. ___ sat down across from him and ate hers.
   The rest of the meal was silent. Neither of them had much to say. Derrick attempted to say something a few times but ended up keeping his mouth shut. They both washed their dishes once they were done and neatly put them away. ___ quietly told Derrick, "I'll get ready…" Before going up stairs quietly.
   Most of the car ride was the same; quiet. Days like this usually happened around this date. ___ would suddenly talk less; it was like she was lost in her thoughts. Derrick didn't know how to handle this. He would try to get her to talk but she would reply with a simple nod or shake of the head. When necessary she would answer with one to three words. She didn't want to talk to Derrick left it that way; quiet.
   Upon arriving ___ took note of the lack of people. Derrick and she were the only costumers there. Quietly she wondered, 'Where is everyone?'
   When the two entered ___ was hit with a wave of smells; hair care products, a multitude of perfumes, and nail polish. In the front of the room fancy leather chairs sat to keep you comfortable while you waited. The desk was larger than needed made with a shimmery white marble. Behind it saloon chairs lined up each with a mirror placed in front of it. The whole room glowed with white and a twinkle every few places. It intimidated ___ a little. She suddenly felt very out of place.
   "Hello! You must be Derrick," a woman almost yelled. She gave Derrick a hug and a kiss on each cheek. Once out of the hug she turned to ___. "You," she emphasized, "must be Miss. ____." ___ nodded with a hesitant smile on her face. The woman then began to scan ___ up and down. With one arm across her chest and the other resting on it slightly she motioned for ___ to spin around. A little scared of what would happen when she didn't ___ did so.
   The woman suddenly sighed, "We have much work to do ladies! I want her hair died, longer, her eyebrows plucked, make-up, manicure, and pedicure!" She turned back to ___ with a glint in her eyes causing ___ to gulp. Out of the corner of her eye ___ saw Derrick frozen. He expected Madame to just give ___ a natural glow, not re-create her whole image. "Now," she stated harshly, "what have you chosen to wear?"
   "I-I, uh, I h-have it here! I-If you want t-to see it," ___ spoke hesitantly. She held the dress out wrapped in plastic. The woman almost tore it from her hands. She took it out giving it a quick scan before turning away.
   Poor ___ didn't even get an answer. She was dragged away by a man who talked her ear off. His job was to die her hair. A huge relief to ___, he kept her natural color but made her natural highlights stand out more. After that she felt like she was whirled away to a tall woman to the next chair. She plucked her eyebrows and dyed her girl-stache so it wasn't noticeable (even though it wasn't before.) She was whirled away again and again until she had been plucked, dyed, powered, and brushed.
   The only think ___ could do was stare at herself. She hated it. Sure she looked like a top model but… It wasn't her. She felt like her face was a cake and her hair wasn't anything she ever though it would be. She looked like a girl off the page of a magazine. It was all fake to her. This wasn't what she looked like.
   Derrick felt terrible. He told Madame a simple make over. But apparently the only thing she heard was make over. So Derrick went to her side assuring her, "You look wonderful ___."
   ___ just continued to stare. Her hair was curled up into an elegant messy bun with a few strands lingering on her shoulders. A wedding like flower piece was placed to complete her hair look. "Thank you but," ___ paused, "this isn't me… I can't even recognize myself."
   Madame suddenly appeared giving her nod of approval. "That's a good thing sweetie. No one wants to see themselves when they look in the mirror."
   A bitter laugh left ___'s lips while she shook her head. "I do. It's the way I was created and how I plan to stay," ___ stated firmly. "Besides I'm there to work. It's too late to do anything about it so I'll just wear it… Where is my dress?"
   The comment made Madame slightly agitated. She pushed it aside though; she still had work to do. With a span of her fingers an entirely new dress was pulled out. This dress made ___ think of a princess's ball gown; plain white, big poofy bottom and spaghetti straps. "Where's my dress," she asked panicked.
   A loud laugh filled the room, "Oh you silly girl! That dress was simple awful! I pulled this one from one of my gown collections."
   Before getting a word in on the say ___ was shoved into a dressing room with two women following behind. The dress fit ___ nicely but it wasn't the dress she had chosen. It was all to elite for ___'s tastes. There was no time unfortunately. They had to go pick Arthur up if they wanted to be on time. So they set off.
   Holding the purse she was given in her hands tightly ___ gave the door a light knock. The people didn't allow her to carry a jacket around as it would, 'ruin the look,' so ___ was quite cold. She felt ridiculously nervous on top of that. The butterflies weren't giving her stomach a rest. It was probably because she felt like she was walking around in someone else's body.
   Arthur answered the door in all his glory. In the tux he picked out and hair slightly combed back. Alfred made sure every tiny detail was perfect. Sure the brothers didn't get along but they were always there to help each other. "Uh," he said severing the girl in front of him. "May I help you miss," he finally questioned looking back at her face.
   The question made ___'s head drop, she knew this was too much. Arthur didn't even recognizer her! "I told Derrick I didn't need any of this," she muttered.
   "____? …Wow. You, uh, you look lovely," Arthur stated. She did indeed but she didn't look like herself. Pushing the thought aside Arthur held his arm out to ___. "Shall we go?"
   Giving Arthur a small smile ___ took his arm. Meanwhile Derrick was in the car slamming his head against the driving wheel. His date, Tara, tried her best to calm him down. "___ looks beautiful Derrick! There is no need to be so hard on yourself!"
   "She was beautiful before! She isn't even comfortable! I messed everything up. All I wanted Madame to do was to trim her hair and add light make-up! Not make her look like a Barbie doll," Derrick moaned.
   Tara looked out the window to find Arthur and ___ walking to the car. Arthur was talking putting a smile on ___'s face. Tara tapped Derrick on the shoulder and motioned to the scene. It caused a small smile to grace Derrick's lips; at least Arthur would be there.
   The car ride there was filled with mindless chatter between the four. There were a few times where ___ and Tara when on and times where Derrick and Arthur talked. Overall it was a pleasant drive.
   Arriving there a man took ___'s keys to park the car for them. Derrick and Tara went in first, ___ stayed back. The nerves became a little hard for her to handle… If felt like her knees would go out any second. To help support herself she grabbed Arthurs shoulder lightly.
   "Love," Arthur questioned looking back. Looking at ___ you could see how nervous she was. It didn't help that the single word made her legs feel like jelly. All the color was drained from her face, her body was shacking and her breathing was a little off.
   "I-I'm sorry… I need a moment," ___ answered. "I just don't feel like me at the moment… I'm just going to work… I really don't need to look like this," she said more to herself than Arthur.
   It was quite clear ___ didn't feel herself. On the car ride she kept fiddling with loose pieces of hair or looking at her reflection. It was like she had trouble believing it was her. Arthur smiled gently. Grabbing her hand he led her inside until he found some napkins. "Here," he said while dipping the napkin in a glass of water. Arthur whipped her face until he could see her features clearly. "There… Now I can see your actual face…"
   With all the make-up gone ___ felt better. The cake that was on her face was gone and she felt like she could breathe again. "Thank you," she smiled. She didn't have the nerve to take it off herself… It was like washing Derrick's money down the drain but everything else was still there… So, it was okay, she guessed.
   "___," a sharp voice called. ___ bit her lip, it was Tessa. "I need something to drink… Go get me something," she ordered.
   "Yes Miss. Tessa," ___ answered. Before she left ___ gave Arthur a small smile and a slight bow of the head to Tessa.
   Throughout the night Tessa and Lis gave orders to ___ making her walk all over the place. ___ never peeped a word about her aching feet or the hunger rising. How well she did tonight did decide if she still had a job after it was over.
   The few times ___ got to talk with Arthur she usually found Tessa close by or talking with him. It was the first time she realized she had feelings for someone… It bothered her slightly but she never said a word.
   Derrick was around to help ___ every so often. The order Tessa gave were usually ridiculous so he did his best to help. Even though Derrick really wanted ___ to go after her dreams he knew she felt this job was the only one she could get. Tara also did her best to help. Even though she did know ___ well she viewed ___ as a younger sister.
   Tessa walked up to ___ who was holding several punch cups announcing, "You're going to have to waltz soon. I hope you practiced."
   Nerves kicked around in ___'s stomach again as she nodded. It wasn't the practice that Tessa needed to worry about; ___ had done a lot of that. It was when she actually had to dance Tessa should be worried about.
   After giving everyone who wanted punch ___ found Arthur so they could prepare. To say the least ___ was nervous. She and Arthur had practiced many times but there was this nagging voice telling her she'd forget everything.
   As Arthur and ___ walked to the dance floor ___ had a hard time putting one foot in front of the other… Good thing the dress was so poofy it hid that. There was one other couple preforming with them so ___ felt a little at ease, maybe people would pay more attention to them?
   The music's first note flew into the air signaling the start. The first step ___ did but after that she froze; she forgot everything. Swallowing down the lump in her throat she looked around at everyone's faces, all of them were looking at her and Arthur. The grip ___ had Arthur's hand tightened greatly.
   On the side lines Tara had to hold Derrick back so he wouldn't go out there and try to help. "Derrick calm down, just wait to see what happens," she soothed.
   Whispered reached ___'s ears making her nerves tenfold, deep breaths she told herself. "Look at me," Arthur suddenly whispered. (e/c) eyes whipped up, she forgot he was there. "Follow my lead just like in practice," he whispered. "Just act like it's a practice."
   Nodding slightly ___ followed Arthur into the next step. Soon they were floating all around the dance floor. The people around them seem to disappear for ___; all she could see was Arthur. He was giving her a small smile, almost encouraging. Then the music died down.
   Arthur and ___ slowed to a stop, the crowd around them returned to what they were doing. Another song floated in the air but Arthur and ___ stayed still, eyes locked. Both hearts thumped loudly but neither heard the others.
   The space between them was small, they could feel the breath of the other tingle their face. Arthur placed a hand to ___'s cheek gently gliding his thumb across her cheek. He took a step closer causing ___ to look away. "I-" she began only to have Arthur shush her.
   Eyes locked again, both leaned closer to each other. ___ stopped slightly, this was real right? Because of the stop Arthur pulled her closer, their lips were just inches away from each other. ___'s eyes fluttered to a shut as she started to close the gap between them…
   "____!" Both of them froze, ___ took a step away from Arthur lowering her head. "Yes Miss Tessa," she asked quietly.
   "I need… hairspray! Go get it for me. I'll be waiting outside the girl's bathroom," Tessa demanded pushing ___ to the door slightly.
   "I'll be back as soon as I can," ___ replied. Arthur stood there numb, he was so close… Just a few more seconds, but no this Tessa person had to interrupt for the tenth time tonight.
    A small giggle tore Arthur from his thoughts; he looked around to find Tessa giggling at him. "Can I help you," he asked in fake politeness. Arthur had just met her but he could already tell he didn't like Tessa.
   "You look cute when you're in deep thought," she giggled again. Arthur had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. "You know what would be a great help?"
   "No, I don't," Arthur answered trying to hid his announce. The perfect moment was just ruined thanks to her and he probably wasn't going to get another one.
   "I can't seem to find the bathroom… Could you help me find it?" Even though Arthur was highly annoyed by this girl he helped her.
   Getting the hairspray was uncomfortable… Because of the dress ___ stood out in the store. People kept staring at her than whispered something once she walked by. Nonetheless she got it. On her way to the bathroom she placed her fingertips on her lips as she did many times while at the store. …Did Arthur feel the same way? Quickly she shook her head, that wasn't possible.
   "Hahah, you're so funny," Tessa's voice rang. For a moment ___ wondered who she was talking to. Walked around the corner she found Arthur with Tessa, they were relatively close… Tessa's eyes flickered to ___ causing a smirk to arise unknown to ___. She grabbed the back of Arthur's head to her smashing their lips together. Arthur didn't have time to react, Tessa quickly pulled away.
   A small voice prevented Arthur from exploding on Tessa. "I-I'm sorry," ___ stated quietly. She was looked at the ground trying to hide her face. Arthur was frozen; he could get any words out. He needed to tell her what happened but no words came out.
   "I didn't m-mean to interrupt… Here's your hairspray Miss. Tessa." Quickly ___ handed the bottle to Tessa. She wanted to get out of there. "I'm not feeling very well… So if you'll please excuse me I'd like to go home."
   The smirk could almost be heard in Tessa's voice. "Your serviced are no longer needed tonight. You may go home."
   With a small bow and a thank you ___ set off. "___ wait," Arthur exclaimed finally but he was too late. ___ was already lost in the crowd on her way to the door. He set into the crowd to find her.
   Stupid was a good word to describe how ___ felt at the moment. Why did she think Arthur felt the same? Annoyed with feeling out of place she took everything that was in her hair out. Eyes wandered down to the dress, she could tear it apart right now if she weren't in a public place.
   Derrick saw ___ practically run out so he followed a little worried. When he found her she was waiting at the bus stop almost in tears. "_-___?"
   Quickly whipping her eyes ___ turned to Derrick. "Make sure you give Arthur a ride home… I'm not feeling well at the moment so I'm going home early." The bus pulled up so ___ didn't give Derrick a chance to answer.
   Once seated ___ pulled the heels off and threw them into the empty seat next to her. Tears slipped down her cheeks, she felt so stupid. When it came to her stop she didn't get off. For now she didn't want to move. She wanted to pretend tonight never happened. Once she got off the bus she'll just act like nothing happened. Arthur and her would just be friends…