Wasted Words by Staci Hart

I smiled at the thought of Tyler picking me up and carrying me. Or me riding piggy-back in this dress and high heels.

But when Tyler walked into the room, my smile slid off my face and onto the floor.

He glanced down at his wrist as he buttoned his cuff, his white button-down shirt hugging that long taper of his waist. A black suit coat hung on his forearm to match his pants — pants that fit his long, muscular legs perfectly. He pulled on the coat, and when he looked up at me and smiled, my knees almost buckled.

I realized my mouth was hanging open and closed it.

“I’ve never seen you in a full suit before,” I tried to say, but I mostly mumbled.

His smile pulled into a smirk as he approached me. “What?”

“You look amazing.” I must have been more clear because he heard me that time.

He slipped a hand around my waist and stepped close, nearly pinning me against the counter. “Good. Then we match.”

“Like a set?”

He nodded. “I really want to kiss you, but I’m afraid of your lipstick.”

“That makes two of us.”

He chuckled and kissed me softly again. “I guess that’ll have to do, for now. Are you ready?”

“Not really,” I said with a smile.

“You’re gonna do great. I promise.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“Just stick with me. I’ll take care of you, Cam.”

Warmth blossomed in my chest. “I know you will.”

He took my hand, still smiling down at me. “Then let’s go.”

I smiled back, my anxiety all but gone, filled up on the confidence Tyler gave me, the sweetest gift.

Tyler

Cam gripped my arm like a lifeline as we walked down the stairs, her eyes down and in front of her, putting every ounce of concentration into surviving the descent. Not that it was necessary — I had her. There was no way she’d fall. No way I’d let her.

Breathtaking. That was the only word I could use to describe her.

It wasn’t her makeup, however nice that was, nor was it her dress, which happened to be stunning. It was Cam. She glowed from within, lit by her own batteries, her own spark. She felt good, even if she wasn’t sure whether or not anyone agreed, and that made her all the more beautiful to me.

When we stepped outside, I left her on the sidewalk, stepping to the curb to hail a cab. When it approached, I pulled open the door, looking back to find her standing there in the twilight, her small purse clutched in front of her, eyes big and wide, lips sweet and red. It was a moment that burned itself in my mind, one that I knew would flash before my eyes before they rested eternally.

I reached for her hand, and she took it, using it for leverage to step into the street and slip into the cab, and I slid in behind her.

“The Waldorf, please,” I told the cabbie, and then I sat back and reached for Cam’s hand.

She smiled at me and let out a breath.

“You okay?”

“I’m okay. I feel … better. You make me feel better.”

I smiled back and squeezed her hand. “Good. You’ve got nothing to be anxious about.”

“I think it wouldn’t be so hard if I did this all the time,” she said, gesturing to herself, “but I just feel so out of my element, you know? I’m just uncertain of everything.”

I slipped my arm behind her, pulling her close. “Well, then we should make sure you get plenty of practice. Let me take you to dinner when I get back from Nebraska.”

She laughed. “Dinner, huh?”

“Heels required.”

“Only if you wear this suit. Because, yes.”

I smirked and smoothed my tie. “You like my suit?”

She bit her bottom lip and nodded. “Oh, yeah. I think I’d like you out of your suit too.”

I chuckled, not wanting to get my hopes up, though after the other night, I ached for her, knowing enough to taste what it would be like to have her completely. I thought about buttoning the back of her dress, the bare slice of skin that disappeared as I fastened it, her skin so soft, I had to kiss it when I completed the task.

I recited running backs for a second to get a grip on myself.

She smoothed a hand over the skirt of her dress, toying with the end, with her eyes full of adoration. It was strange to see her without her glasses — she was foreign and familiar all at once, and truth be told, I missed them. But she was ever beautiful to me. This was just another shade of her that I hadn’t yet seen.

“Your dress is spectacular.”

She looked up at me, her eyes sparking with joy. “Thank you. It just made me feel so pretty that I had to get it.”

“You did good, Cam. Real good.”

She smiled. “Are they feeding us at this thing?”

“Yeah, dinner and hors d’oeuvres. And an open bar.”

“Hallelujah. What’s it for? I can’t believe I didn’t think to ask. I was too worried about the prospect of applying lipstick.”

I chuckled. “It’s a charity fundraiser for men’s cancers, put on by Gene Holmes.”

“The old quarterback for the Giants?”

“The very one. He throws this every year, always has some of the big names in sports. Jack bought four tables, enough for sixty of us. I think they sold something like a thousand tickets.”

“Wow. How much were tickets?”

“You don’t want to know.”

She made a face. “Well, now you have to tell me.”

I paused, wondering if she wouldn’t freak out worse once she knew. But I also knew that until her curiosity was satisfied, she wouldn’t let it go. “Five grand.”