XL

"Are you sure this dress isn't too extravagant? He did say to dress comfortable," Emerald grimaced subtly, moving her palms over the fabric of the dress her friend had chosen for her.

"And to dress comfortable to you means a pair of sweatpants and tank tops, isn't it?" Oriana mocked, snorting as she rummaged through Emerald's shoe shelf. "Leave it to Emerald Pearce to wear sweatpants or a suit to a dinner date," she laughed, dodging the white pillow Emerald threw at her.

Oriana couldn't believe that her best friend had actually changed all of her dark and gloomy bedspreads and comforters into bright coloured ones - well, not technically bright coloured, just white, but it was a huge step out of the darkness for her.

She had also changed her thick velvet curtains, which had always stood as an hindrance to the penetration of the beautiful rays of sunlight and now, as Oriana helped her get ready for her date, she could easily peek through the very light and flowy white curtains and out of the window to see the fulgent sun low in the sky and peeking behind a cloud, basking the world below in its serene light as the world welcomed sunset.

Oriana smiled as she watched her friend look down at her dress with a pout before smoothening it for the umpteenth time in the last hour. Emerald did really deserve happiness and if it was Jordan, the Mafia Lord, who could give her such happiness, then there was definitely no law that could break them apart.

Oriana snapped out of her thoughts, walking towards Emerald with a pair of gold thin strapped heels in hand. "Can you just stop? The dress is awfully smooth enough, don't you think?"

"Ori," Emerald whined, surprising Oriana, whose eyes went wide.

"Did you just whine?" she asked in astonishment.

"Oriana, this isn't the time for teases," she frowned before giving up with a sigh, "are you sure Jordan would like it?" she mumbled timidly, wringing her fingers with slight pink dusting her cheeks. Oriana snorted while trying to hold in her laughter, eliciting a glare from Emerald who puffed out her cheeks to cool them down.

Oriana cleared her throat, sobering up. She set down the heels on the bench sitting at the foot of the bed before walking up to Emerald. "Mera, come here," she pulled her up and walked her to the full body mirror. "I don't think Jordan is the problem here. I think it's your insecurities trying to discourage you again and I don't want you to let them. These past few days, I've noticed the changes in you, Mera, and they're all positive changes." Oriana smiled at Emerald through the mirror.

"I mean you actually started using the stereo in the house!" Oriana joked, making Emerald chuckle. "And if it's Jordan who's bringing all of these changes in you, then sweetheart, you have my blessings. Although, you most likely might not need them." Emerald smiled at her, turning around to hug her tightly.

"Thank you so much, Ori," she kissed her cheek, "I love you."

"I love you too, now don't get all mushy on me." Oriana laughed. "Now, take a good look at yourself, Meme. You look stunning!" Oriana squealed. "Or do you still wish to change the dress?"

Emerald turned back to the mirror to assess her outfit. She loved how smooth the tawny colored fabric felt against her skin and how it held her boobs just right. The upper skirt section parted with a flare forming a little V shape as it spread from the sides of her thighs to her knee.

A wide smile spread across her face. "You know, now that I look at it, I do love it."

"I know right? It's really beautiful. Where did you get it?"

"Mom had picked it out when she, Armi and I went shopping for her wedding the other day. She had picked out dresses for both Armi and I." Emerald answered as she moved towards the bed bench, reaching for her heels.

"Well, Aunt Maggie had always had excellent taste in things and people. I mean, look at uncle Luca!" Together, the two best friends laughed.

"True. Lulu is very handsome for his age." Emerald grinned, pride swirling in her chest as she thought about her parents. She would have to give them a call very soon.

"Alright, let's get on to the next segment," Oriana clapped excitedly, skipping in a spot as she squealed. "Makeover time!"

▬▬▬▬▬

With her black purse tightly clasped in her hands, Emerald's eyes remained glued to the clock hanging up on the wall opposite her bed. She sat completely still at the edge of the bed, her emerald eyes following the little hands ticking away on the clock.

Her nerves were eating away at her, but she was too tensed to even pace around her room nervously. Her legs felt like they weren't hers anymore and as much as she was almost in a comatose state due to how nervous she was, she still didn't want to ruin their date by falling from wobbly legs and hurting herself.

She gripped onto the purse even tighter as her stomach roiled, an uncomfortable and foreign feeling settling in the depths of her abdomen. This wasn't exactly her first date with a guy. She had gone on multiple dates with Logan until both of them had come to terms that they wanted to remain as just friends and since then, Oriana, Amari and Aubrey - Oriana especially - had been trying to set her up for blind dates back in Harvard but she never really showed up for any of them, always coming up with one excuse or another or just completely disappearing for that whole day of the supposed date.

This was her first official date with someone she actually felt something strong for and Emerald released a sigh, wondering if she would've been less nervous now if she had gone on one or two of those dates back then. But as soon as that thought appeared, it disappeared. She couldn't quite picture herself on a date with another guy that wasn't Jordan. At least not anymore.

She smiled, thinking of how far she had come from being the standoffish type that paid zilch attention to the opposite sex to someone that held such strong feelings for a man, and not just any man. Her Jordan. Hers alone.

Emerald's eyes widened at her own possessive thoughts, but before she could dwell further on them, Oriana's voice cut sharply through the entire house. "Mera! Jordan's here!"

Emerald froze momentarily. She hadn't even heard a knock or the door bell. She inhaled deeply, giving herself one more thorough scrutiny as she prayed to the heavens that she wouldn't do anything to mess up before walking out of her room. Her steps were cautious and timid as she walked down the stairs to meet a well dressed Jordan, pacing gently around her living room.

She cleared her throat softly, gaining his attention as she reached the last stair and stopped. Jordan had stopped pacing when he heard someone clear their throat softly and all he could do was stand frozen, his chocolate eyes slightly wide as he stared at the woman standing a few steps away from him, looking quite. . .shy?

Jordan, still unable to snap out of it, slowly and subconsciously walked towards Emerald and stood before her, leaving only a few inches left between them as he stared at her. With her heels coupled with the extra height from the stair she stood on, she was of the same height as him.

For a few minutes, all the both of them did was stare at each other, taking in each other's appearances and seemingly subjecting them to the deepest parts of their memories. They gazed at each other like it had been ages since they last saw one another, rather than just a few hours.

More minutes skipped by until Jordan finally whispered, "woah," his actions seeming like an automaton. He finally blinked and met her eyes after taking one more long look at her. "Hey there, gorgeous," he smiled softly.

Emerald blushed before whispering a response. "Hi."

"You look. . ." he took a step closer to her, holding her purse and hands in his. "I honestly don't know what words to use to describe how beautiful you are," he said seriously, staring intently into her eyes and once again, Emerald's cheeks dusted pink.

As he slowly leaned in to kiss her, Emerald anticipating the feel of his lips on hers, they were suddenly interrupted by Oriana who walked into the living room from the kitchen with a tub of ice cream in hand. Her eyebrows rose at the lovey-dovey display of the couple but you could clearly see the way her amber eyes twinkled with happiness for them.

"You guys haven't left yet?" she looked at Emerald's flushed face and wiggled her eyebrows at her with a wink, chuckling softly when she hid her face in Jordan's neck, who immediately wrapped his big, strong arms around her frame with an adoring smile on his face.

An 'awwn' almost escaped Oriana's lips at the beautiful sight before her eyes. She had known Emerald for years now and she had never seen her act like this before. She looked genuinely happy compared to the little smiles or stoic expressions that usually graced her face before. Oriana could only have Jordan to thank for all the positive changes in her friend's life.

"Alright, alright. You two should scurry off now. Stop oppressing lil' single me with your romance," Oriana pouted as she plopped down on the couch, peeling open the ice cream tub.

Jordan chuckled before rubbing Emerald's back softly. "You heard Oriana. Shall we?" he asked Emerald, who nodded in response.

The two love birds made their way towards the door but not before Emerald hugged and pecked Oriana's cheeks, thanking her. As soon as they got to the sleek midnight blue Audi awaiting them, Jordan immediately pressed Emerald's back against the car and dived for her soft, pink lips.

For some moments, they shared a passionate kiss, Jordan's arms tightening around Emerald's hips as her hands wound round his neck, burying her manicured fingers into his raven black hair, feeling his soft strands brushing against the texture of her palms. They kept up the act until they began seeking oxygen.

Detaching from their lip-locked position, they rested their foreheads against each other, breathing heavily as they recovered from their heated make out session. With his heart pounding in his chest at the sight and proximity of the drop-dead gorgeous woman in his arms, Jordan stared unblinkingly at her. Her eyes were closed and her beautifully swollen lips were slightly parted as she tried to regain her breath.

Jordan couldn't stop himself from placing feathery kisses on her closed eyelids as his heart swelled with immeasurable adoration for her. Slowly and sneakily, she had entered his head and had finally managed to gain entrance to his heart. He didn't even know the moment he began caring for her, feeling things for her until now - now that she was his world. The ardent emotion overwhelmed him, but he only embraced it wholeheartedly, enjoying the effects it had on him.

He placed a lingering kiss on her forehead, pulling away only a little before attacking her face with an onslaught of kisses. Emerald burst into laughter as she squealed, trying to move away from him. "Jordan, stop," she laughed.

Jordan finally stopped, a wide grin on his face. "Sorry, I couldn't resist you." Emerald blushed, gaining a smirk from him. He leaned towards her ear and bit it softly, making her suck in a sharp breath, her arms tightening around his neck. "Have I told you how sexy you are?" he whispered huskily, causing a shiver to run down her spine.

He leaned back enough to see her flushed face clearly. With gleaming eyes, he kissed both her cheeks before speaking, "I love it when you blush." Emerald groaned loudly, her entire face and neck red hot as she hid her face in Jordan's neck again, eliciting an amused chuckle from him. He loved teasing her to no end.

"Shall we?" he asked to which she nodded and together, they entered the back seat of his car, heading towards the destination of their date.