I zip up the emerald dress and can't help but admire it in the mirror because it truly is beautiful. It skims my body perfectly and makes my eyes look like the green gemstones themselves. It is also daringly low-cut.

It is New Year's Eve so tonight we are all going out to some high-end club to have some well-deserved fun. After days of studying and pulling all-nighters we were all going to let loose. Or in Abby's words 'get as drunk as possible'.

Looking at the beautiful dress in the mirror I can't help but think back to the moment at the store earlier and how I got the dress in the first place

"The Emerald one. Promise me you'll buy the emerald one." Abby was practically bouncing on her toes as she spoke.

The real issue was the price, there was no way I could afford it. The only money I had was payments from a dad I'd never met and the money I made at my summer job. "I can't afford it."

Abby grabbed my hands, pulling me to her. "Juliet. That dress was made for you. You have to wear it,"

My cheeks heated as Warner's eyes skim down my body. "You look incredible. Abby is right you have to wear it."

He hands over a black credit card to the saleswoman and my mouth drops open.

"What?" he asks nonchalantly.

"Warner that dress costs over a thousand dollars."

"That's it?" Warner says with a tilt of his head, "Maybe you should get some matching heels too then."

Before I could wrap my head around what just happened the dress was already paid for.

"Did he just? - "Abby asks looking just as shocked as me.

"It's already done so there's no point trying to argue with me Jules." Warner waves both our shocked expressions off, glancing at his phone "I'll meet you guys at Starbucks, Kenji is waiting there and he's impatient."

Things have been like that all week. I am beginning to think that Warner is some sort of rich drug lord, or he has a lot more money than I thought.

It seems as soon as he cut his dad from his life he is free to use his money as he pleases. And it seems that what pleases him most is buying me things.

I take one last in the mirror satisfied with my appearance for the first time in a while. My hair is curled into loose waves with the two front pieces pulled forward and the rest pinned back with gold clips. I didn't let any of the girls touch my hair when getting ready after what happened with Amy the other week.

However, when I look in the mirror I feel...acceptable.

My collarbones jut out a little more than I would like them to, and my cheeks have a hollowed-out look but it just looks like I did some cheek contour.

You're not skinny enough to have an eating disorder

My mom's words ring in my head as I dwell on my appearance.

Warner steps in breaking me out of my thoughts and he looks delicious in a perfectly tailored black tux, each edge hugging his broad shoulders. He wastes no time giving me a once over from the doorway.

"Jesus Christ. You are fucking unreal." His words are laced with awe like he can't even process what he's seeing.

"Thanks." My words come out unsure, self-conscious because it's how I feel. He hears it, as always, and reaches a hand out to pull me close to him.

His hands push me back once more, just enough to look into my eyes. He stares at me for a long moment, like he's decoding my thoughts and the emotions written on my face. "We are going to work on this."

"On what?"

"This is my job now."

"What is?"

"From now on, it's my job to make sure you know how fucking beautiful you are. Make sure you don't question it, and when you look in the mirror, you only see beauty. I will spend the rest of my life showing you how beautiful you are. I will shout it to the ends of the earth. Tell you every day you're gorgeous, remind you how damn hard you make me. Whatever it takes until you see what the rest of the world sees."

I smile at him and try not to cry. No one has ever said anything like that, much less cared.

And in his eyes, I see sincerity. He really, truly believes it. Wants me to see it. And even though he won't always be here to make me feel beautiful. I'll let him today. I'll let him tell me he thinks I'm beautiful if only so I can make it through tonight in one piece.

"I love you, Warner." I kiss each corner of his mouth.

He plays with the piece of hair framing my face "Music to my fucking ears."

___________

We are all pre-drinking in our common room before heading to the club and it is nice to forget how horrible these past few weeks have been when I am surrounded by my friends.

Kenji and I had surprised Warner by having him drive up to spend New Year's with us. It was always nice making Warner smile. What's funnier is he had done the same for me, surprising me with Maggie driving up to stay with us. So, we both have our childhood best friends with us for the night.

"We need a picture! Juliet go get your polaroid camera!" Abby yells, already on her fourth drink.

I get up and head to Warner's room because that is where I last used it. Or Warner had when he took a picture of me sleeping because he wanted to capture me drooling. I walk into his room and look through his drawers trying to remember which one I put the camera in. When I go through his nightstand drawer my sappy ass almost tears up when I see that he has a drawer full of mementos from our time together.

I sort through the drawer and see the picture Tracey took of us from his first game, the one she still has as her background on her phone. There is also the polaroid from the charity thanksgiving dinner we went to together, a napkin from our first date at the Ivey, a popcorn bracelet I made him on Christmas eve that I figured he would throw away and the photo of me asleep in his lap, drool dripping onto my chin. He has all this stashed away like a boy with a crush.

I try not to stare at it too long because I fear I might actually start crying and ruin my makeup. So, I grab the camera and head back to my friends.

I hand the camera to Abby and make a beeline straight to Warner who is sat next to Maggie asking her lots of questions about her University program and love life. She is currently describing her roster and telling Warner who the front runners are. Having my boyfriend get along with my friends and genuinely want to get to know them makes my eyes well.

God did he have to be so perfect? I can't just keep crying all the time.

I look at all my friends sitting in the room getting along. Amy and Sarah cuddling on the couch whispering in each other's ears. Kenji making Amy and Adam laugh so hard they almost spit out their drinks.

I snuggle into Warner on his other side and watch him in the corner of my eye. When Maggie gets up to pour herself another drink, he kisses my forehead. "What are you thinking about in that pretty head of yours?"

"About how this doesn't feel real. It's too good to be true." I surprise myself with my honesty, but he squeezes my thigh and gives me a light kiss on my lips.

"It's real."

______

I danced with my friends for most of the night. I never wanted to be the girl who got a boyfriend and forgot all about her friends. So Maggie and I had danced our hearts out for hours now with Abby, Sarah and Amy at our side.

The guys let us have our moment together, but I can't help but let my eyes drift over to Warner sometimes.

Warner is easily the most attractive man in the entire club. Of course, I am biased in the matter but it is how I feel. He is a glittering, riveting presence, with that piercing gaze of his and slight smile that is enough to lure women closer. Even men drift near, drawn to the air of confidence and command Warner carries so well.

The knowledge that this man was mine makes me breathless.

It is almost midnight, and this had been one of the best nights we have had in a while. The next song was a slow song, so the DJ shouts out, "Alright everyone, grab that special someone you are starting the new year with."

I stroll over to Warner as Lover by Taylor Swift starts playing and his eyes track my every movement. I recall a conversation months ago with him when I had tried to dance with him to make Adam jealous.

When you dance with me it's going to be because you want to, not to make my best friend jealous

"Would you do me the honour of a dance?" I ask him and the way he looks at me, which such aching tenderness and longing makes me want to skip the dance and go find somewhere to be alone.

"I told you this day would come." He smiles at me, and I know he is thinking of the same night I am. It took us a long time to get here but we got here in the end and that's what matters.

His hand grips my waist, and the other lifts my arm. He steps closer. Too close. Scandalously close and I love it. We have never slow danced together but I have imagined it many times.

There is a graceful elegance to the way he moves, it makes him mesmerizing to watch in motion.

"Who knew you were such a graceful dancer?" I tease, tilting my head up to look at him.

He leans down and presses his lips right up to my ear to whisper "I am going to remove that dress from your body with my teeth."

"Warner Brooks, how dare you say such scandalous things during such a wholesome dance. I thought you liked the dress."

His eyes gleam wickedly, "Yes but after having to watch you dance in it for a few hours, I think I will like it much more when it's hiked up around your waist."

My grip tightens on him. He smells delicious. Of his signature cologne, with the faintest hint of citrus.

His mouth curves into a lazy smile and he spins me about in a vigorous turn. I laugh breathlessly, awed by how I fit in his arms as if they'd been made to hold me.

Warner dances intimately, powerfully and with exquisite control. His thighs brush against mine with every step, his hold tightening until there is scarcely any space between them. He flows with the music and claims me with his gaze, with such intensity and focus, his eyes so soft and warm.

He slows as the song ends but my heart still races, and I become flushed under his gaze. I want his mouth on my lips, my skin. From buying me this expensive dress, his kind words and his drawer of stashed memories I just want him. I want him now.

I pull him away from the dance floor and our friends, but he doesn't try to escape my grasp he just goes with it. I find a back room and pull him inside.

"What are you doing? It's almost midnight."

I push him onto the nearby couch and straddle him. "The dance may have been enough for you, but it wasn't for me. Not even close."

Boldly, I reach between his legs and stroke the length of his erection. Knowing he got hard before I had even done anything makes me quite smug. "Juliet." He breaths my name, clearly caught off guard and flustered.

My fingers fumble with pants and he laughs softly, delighted with my eagerness. Closing my hands by covering them with his own, "Slow down."

I shake my head. "No, I need you now—"

"Jesus Fucking Christ." Warner's grip flexes into my waist. "If this is how you are after one dance then I'm building a dance floor in our house." Warner's hands slide under my dress and grip my thighs.

I arch into him and bring my mouth to his ear, my tongue tracing the curve. "I've been wet and aching for you since you bought me this dress. You made me this way; you can't leave me in this condition."

A hard shudder takes his frame, and he catches my face in his hands, urging me to lean back and meet his gaze directly. Angling his head, he presses his lips lightly to mine and breathes the words "God I fucking love you."

"Music to my ears," I repeat his earlier words back to him as he reaches around to cup my ass in his hands and then slips a finger in my underwear to find me wet.

"You weren't joking about being wet," he murmurs, parting me and stroking a fingertip over my clit. "And you make me so fucking hard."

I feel how hard he was, and it gives me a thrill to be responsible for it. His hands stroke the length of my spine. "I'll make you come, but you need to be quiet. I don't want any spectators seeing you like this." He glances at the door, and I realize there is no lock on it and there are people right outside. Warner clearly realized but I was too busy straddling him to notice.

I glanced at the time on my apple watch

11:58 pm

We were going to miss the countdown

But I was with exactly who I wanted to be with at midnight.

"Kiss me," I say, reaching for him.

"With pleasure." His lips crash with mine, and it's a glorious, desperate kiss with strong, steady tongue. It's wonderfully frantic, like he can't get enough of me. His fingertips drive me crazy as they brush over every inch of my skin.

His hands burn trails along my thighs and lower back, his tongue parting my lips. I pulse and clench for him, and he rubs between my legs, lighting up the sensitive parts of my body.

When he moves them back between my legs, I sigh with anticipation and relief. "Want them, do you?" he whispers against my lips.

"Yes." It was a whisper and a plea. His hand climbs up my thigh, two of his fingers trail through me, and I shiver, needing more but not wanting his touch to leave.

"Good because what I want is for my fingers to be buried inside you and soaked."

Air wheezes out of me at the hoarse command and timbre to his voice.

"Sit on them." He demands.

Feeling my heartbeat in every limb, I tremble as he dips his fingers into his mouth, sucking. Then, eyes heavy on mine, they meet my slick flesh. With the slightest bit of pressure, they skim over my throbbing clit.

I sit on them and his fingers fill me. I hold onto his wrist, my thighs trembling. "Yes, fuck yes."

"Warner," I whimper and moan, fucking his fingers as I crash and burn.

With a damp hand on my hip, he holds me down when I try to move away. "That's it, ride my fingers baby."

I cling to him, and my lips swell and tingle beneath his lips. My breasts press to his chest and my pelvis is right in line with his hardness. His fingers quicken rapidly, pricking my nerves. My toes curl and sweat builds across my skin.

When my orgasm comes and my vision clears, I stare down into his adoring, lust-fogged gaze and my lips find his, my hands sinking into his hair.

I fix my dress pulling it down and look at my watch, midnight has passed.

Warner glances at the time but doesn't seem phased, and judging from what I feel under me, he wants to keep going.

"Happy new year beautiful." he cups my face with one hand, his thumb brushing back and forth across my cheekbone. The movement stills for the briefest moment, and he holds my gaze with him, so much passing between us. "You're everything to me."

Tears welled in my eyes. A feeling of belonging overtakes me. Of being cherished. I haven't felt anything close to it in so long. We weren't the perfect people, but we just might be perfect for each other. "Happy new year Warner. You're everything to me, too."

"I think we should go back early." I wrap my wraps around his neck and make a point to grind lightly on his erection which is probably painful at this point.

Warner's hands grip my thighs. "I think I agree. I'll give our friends money for a cab."