Fell In Love With My Roomy Chapter 77

"What a day," I exclaim.

I got to do everything I ever wanted in New York. Kent took me to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the 9/11 Memorial, and Times Square. It was all amazing; I loved it.

Now, it's almost dinner time, and Kent insists he has a surprise for me after our dinner reservation. So, after our day out, he takes me back to the hotel in a taxi.

"Where are we going?" I inquire as he unlocks the door.

"For dinner? We'll walk to an Italian restaurant a few blocks away," he informs me as we enter. I sigh.

"No, I mean after dinner," I persist, and he laughs.

"It's a secret. I've already told you about ten times," he says, and I sigh and smile.

"It's surreal being in New York," I murmur as I open the curtains by the desk and look out at the city. "It's so cool."

"You think so?"

"Yes, it's fascinating and thrilling. Everything here is so exciting," I say with a smile. "I can't fathom why you left."

"Leaving wasn't difficult," he mumbles. "I was excited to start a new project."

"Do you think you'll return here?" I ask, turning around. He shrugs.

"I'm not sure yet," he replies. "For now, I'll keep giving tours to Brown students who claim to be my girlfriend." He teases me, and I playfully push him in the chest as I head back into the bedroom.

"What should I wear for dinner?" I ask, and he leans against the doorway, crossing his arms. He looks content, which surprises me after dragging him around Manhattan all day.

"I suppose I'll put on my dress pants," he tells me, and I smile, feeling my cheeks warm. "What?" He looks amused as he asks, and I clear my throat.

"Nothing," I say, placing my suitcase on the bed. I hope he looks as good as when my mom and I had dinner with him. I unzip my hard-shell suitcase and let it open. I brought some dresses but wasn't sure what to wear.

"Did you pack enough?" he asks, glancing at my full suitcase.

"That's plenty," I reassure him as I pull out a few dresses. "Which one should I wear to meet your parents?" I lay them out one by one.

"Oh no, I need to take you shopping for a floor-length dress," he says regretfully. "Saturday is a black-tie event."

"For Thanksgiving?" I'm surprised, and he nods. "Well, alright, I guess we can do that. Where should I go? Do you want to come?"

"I'll arrange a personal shopper for you on the fifth avenue," he says, pulling out his phone. "Wear the black one for tonight," he suggests with a wink before leaving the room and closing the doors.

I stand there in shock. He's taking me shopping for a dress for the evening? He's getting me a personal shopper? This lie is getting crazier.

Nevertheless, I follow his instructions and put on the little black dress from my suitcase. It has a high neckline and a low back, one of my favorites, though I haven't worn it in a while. I change into a thinner pair of underwear to avoid visible lines. Then, I put on a necklace and plug in my curling iron by the mirror in the room.

I start curling sections of my hair. Once I finish with my hair, I apply a bit of hairspray and put on some light makeup, including concealer, liquid blush, bronzer, mascara, and lip gloss to give myself a refreshed look. Finally, I sit on the bed to put on my heels.

"Juls? Are you dressed?" He knocks on the door and calls.

"Sure, come in!" I reply as I slip on the other shoe.

"Alright, I have a meeting at Neiman Marcus for four people tomorrow," he says as he opens the doors. "I know we have ferry tickets to Liberty Island, but I think we'll be able to get back in time to..." He stops mid-sentence, his lips slightly parting, and I blink.

"Four should work," I give a shrug and start putting my things back in my bag. When I look back up at him, he hasn't moved. "What?" I stop and ask him. He gives me a little smirk and looks a bit embarrassed.

"You look nice," he says, and I smile.

"Thanks," I whisper with a warm feeling. I grab my purse and coat before leaving the room. "I'll give you some space to change," I say, and as I close the door, he smiles.

I feel like I can breathe again, and a big smile spreads across my face as I think about having him all to myself. I don't have to worry about who might see us together or what they might think. I get to have sweet Kent for a longer time than usual, and that makes me happy. I didn't expect to feel this way about him because I've always been good at controlling my feelings. But I'm letting go because I'm getting more and more used to him.

"Okay, are you ready?" I hear a voice, and when I turn around, Kent is wearing a navy suit without a tie. He looks so good that it makes my stomach flutter, my throat dry out, and my mind cloud over. What's happening to me? I used to think I was asexual because I never found anyone attractive and had no interest in sex. But now... "Juls?"

"Yes, I'm all set," I smile as I put on my coat.

We leave the hotel and step out into the night air. Kent mentioned that his surprise is at 7:30, and he doesn't want us to be late because he doesn't want us to miss it.

He places his hand on my back and guides me through the crowds. "It's not a long walk, and we'll take the subway after dinner to save time in the car."

"Alright," I smile and lean in a little closer as we walk. I know I shouldn't give in so much to his sweet gestures, but I can't help myself. After this weekend, I'm sure this won't happen again.

Dinner goes by quickly because it's so delicious. Kent knows a lot about restaurants and chose one with excellent pasta dishes because he knew I'd like them. He looks great in the dim candlelight, with his bright green eyes and strong jaw. For the first time in a while, he appears youthful and carefree.

Kent foots the dinner bill, just another of the many expenses today. But he doesn't seem to mind. Afterward, we head to the subway, and he buys us both metro cards for the rest of our stay. We mostly walked and took taxis earlier in the day because the places I wanted to see were not too far apart.

"Watch your step as you go down the stairs," he advises, and I nod.

It's just as I imagined: grimy, noisy, and crowded but intriguing. I walk down the platform with him, and he instructs me to wait for the train by his side.

"This is it," he says, and I smile as I watch it slowly approaching the platform. When the doors open, he places his hand on my lower back and guides me onto the train. We board and sit near the door. "You think this will make you sick?" he asks, looking concerned.

"It can't be worse than this morning," I jest, smiling and shrugging, and he does the same.

"You really like this, don't you?"

"It's kind of cool," I shrug. "When you lived here, did you use the subway?"

"Sometimes," he sighs. "Not often, mostly town cars and taxis. My parents paid for them, but occasionally I'd be out late and needed a ride home, so I'd take the subway."

"What were you like in high school?"

"Even more of a jerk than I am now, believe it or not," I scoff as he laughs. "I attended a private school, and everyone there had a sense of entitlement. I didn't do anything illegal, just whatever I pleased. There wasn't much oversight."

"What was it like?" I inquire, curious about that kind of high school experience.

"Some of it was fun, and I have good memories," he begins. "But it wasn't all rosy. We didn't have many close friends. People lied to each other, cheated, and caused trouble just for kicks. We were all a bit lonely, bored because our parents weren't around, so we tried to do as many exciting things as possible."

"That sounds like quite a challenge," I shake my head. "I always thought kids who grew up like that must have been happy and well-liked. It must have been nice not to be smothered by your parents."

"It might seem good, but it's tough. No one's waiting for you at home, staff members sign your permission slips, and despite having friends, you never know how much they really like you," he says, with a shrug and runs his hand through his hair. "It was fun back then, but in hindsight, it was a mess. I'm just glad I didn't stay here after high school."

"Were you eager to leave?"

In more ways than one," he shrugs. "After that accident, it was tough. I didn't like that that's all people knew me for, well, besides being a player."

"You're not those things anymore," I reassure him. "What's done is done."

"Really? You think so?"

"I do," I smile and shrug as I cross my legs. "I'm learning to forgive because it's been eating me up lately," I confess, my breakup still stinging.

"It's not your fault," he insists. "That guy was a complete jerk."

"I know," I nod. "But... I think I was too."

"No way," he disagrees. "It's too bad that idiot can't keep it in his pants. Juls, you're great!"

"Thanks," I mutter, letting out a small laugh.

"Why are you laughing? You think I'm joking?" He looks puzzled as he asks.

"Kent, it's the first time since high school that guys have talked to me. My body has changed again, and I've lost a lot of weight. It's hard not to notice that people look at me differently now than they did a year ago," I whisper, and he looks at me with a sympathetic expression, unsure of what to say but clearly feeling for me.

"Maybe it's because you were living with your parents. You should've put Tinder on your phone," he teases, and I chuckle and shake my head.

"My high school friends suggested that," I grin. "I didn't think it would help; I didn't have the courage to post pictures. I was afraid it might do more harm than good."

"High school doesn't define us forever, Juls," he insists, placing his hand on my knee. "Believe me."

"I know," I nod. "I try not to dwell on how people often equate beauty with thinness. I try to believe that there are guys who like me for who I am, for what's inside. But that didn't work out because Dane seemed to only care that I was 'so hot.'"

"I like you just the way you are," he says, and I raise my eyebrows, looking at him. "Well, I mean, I think you're a cool person to hang out with, and..." When I smile at him, he rolls his eyes and turns his head away. "My point is, you shouldn't beat yourself up over Dane cheating on you and Chase being a stalker. We're in New York to have fun, not to share the worst parts of our lives."

"Yes, I do," I reply, and I hear the next stop announcement over the loudspeaker.

"This is our stop, let's go," I say with a smile. I stand and lean over Kent's shoulder, rising on my toes to plant a kiss on his cheek.

As the doors open, he looks at me as if uncertain of what to do. "Let's go," I mouth, flashing a smile.

I exit the subway car with the confidence of a lifelong New Yorker, familiar with our destination. Kent catches up to me as we ascend the stairs and places a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

Emerging from the subway, I survey our surroundings to get my bearings. When I spot Radio City Music Hall across the street, its marquee illuminated by rows of bright lights, I halt in my tracks.

"What's going on?" I turn to Kent and ask, to which he responds with a smile.

"Then I'll instruct you to cross the street," he says, nodding towards the group of people gathered on the other side.