A Surreptitious Relationship

:A Surreptitious Relationship: Chapter Seventeen

"You look so gorgeous!" 

An embarrassed grin crossed my face as I paused at the top of the stairs, glancing at my mom at the bottom of them. She wolf-whistled as I continued down them, taking extra care not to stumble in my heels. When I made it to the bottom, she gave me a suffocating hug. I stuck my arm out to avoid my mask being crushed between us. After a few moments she pulled away, leaving me nearly out of breath. 

"Is Jeremy still picking you up?" she inquired. 

I nodded. "He'll be here soon." 

"Is he bringing you home?" 

My heart skipped a beat at her question. Did I forget to tell her I was staying at Chris's? Crap! Would she allow me to? I hesitated a few moments, twiddling my thumbs nervously. "Um, actually..." 

"Actually?" 

"Well it's Chris's birthday tonight and he wanted me to stay at his place for the night because he won't be able to spend time with me at the dance and I want to give him his present, but it'd have to be at his house and-" 

My mom laughed, cutting me off. "Holly, it's fine." 

I blinked at her. After a second her words registered and I let out a sigh of relief. What was I so worried about? I forgot she loved when I was around him. 

"I trust you two, so it's not like I'm going to say no," she told me, smiling gently. "You're eighteen now too, so you can do whatever you want." 

"Oh, um, thanks..." 

She ruffled the top of my head. "Don't thank me. Just provide me with plenty of grandchildren-" 

"Mom!" 

"Holly!" 

I flushed, scowling at her. "I-I'm too young right now!" 

She cocked an eyebrow. "Right now? So you will later in life?" 

"It's not like I don't want children," I mumbled, shifting on my feet uncomfortably. "Maybe after I'm done with college." 

"That's a good idea," she responded, nodding her head. "You and Chris will make very cute babies." 

I half-smiled at her. "Mom... If he ever heard you saying something like that, you might scare him away." It was nice she was so confident we'd still be together then too. 

"I'll make sure to keep it on the down low for awhile... But when the time comes I'll be dropping hints," she added with a wink. 

Before I could respond, the doorbell rang. My mom basically flew to the door, wrenching it open excitedly. Jeremy was standing there, his blonde hair damp and messy from the wind. "Hello Lynn!" he greeted enthusiastically, pulling her into a bear hug. "You look as fine as ever!" 

She giggled, pushing him away. "You're too kind, Jeremy." 

I rolled my eyes. During my time in the hospital, somehow they'd created a surprisingly strong friendship- and apparently it didn't evaporate. 

"And of course, Holly, you look as gorgeous as you did the first time I saw you in that dress!" 

"You don't look half-bad either," I responded, eying him. 

I wasn't lying. He looked exceptionally handsome in his black tuxedo. He resembled an adorable penguin- with blonde hair. The sight of his deep pink tie resting around his neck and down his formally clad chest made me smile. Whether he planned on it or not, he'd chosen the same color as Casey's dress. 

"Well you two have a great night," my mom started, pushing me towards the door. "Jeremy, have her back by midnight." 

"She'll probably be very busy by then-"