Page 64 of What Comes After

It’s not that she didn’t ever look nice—hell, I’d fallen for the girl who wore jeans and T-shirts, rode bikes, and climbed trees with me—but this was different.

Apparently, I was going to have to give my mom a call at some point to thank her for going out shopping for Devyn, because now this woman was standing in front of me, wearing a dress and looking breathtaking.

“Wow, you look incredible,” I said, marveling at the sight of her.

The dress she had on was a deep navy-blue color with a bright pink patterned band around the middle. It had an overlapping V-neckline, which offered a nice view of her cleavage without it feeling raunchy. The short sleeves were slightly oversized, and the dress stopped at mid-thigh.

Over the years, I’d seen Devyn’s legs on display, especially in the summer when we’d be hanging out together. And I’d noticed the curves she did have before this very moment, but somehow, seeing all that I’d seen before in this way was like seeing her for the first time.

She was beautiful.

Surprise washed over her as she looked down at her body and back up at me. “Really? This feels awkward, but you said I needed to dress fancy.”

I nodded and moved toward her. “I promise. You don’t look awkward at all, even if that’s how you’re feeling right now. You look very nice, Devyn.”

As she smiled at me, something warm and sweet stole over her expression. She took in my appearance and replied, “You look distinguished, as always.”

My lips twitched. “Let’s hope I’ve nailed that look down by now. I’ve had enough practice.”

I could have sworn I saw her wince, but it happened so fast, I questioned whether I’d imagined it. Even still, feeling concerned, I asked, “Is everything okay?”

“What? Yeah, it’s fine,” she assured me.

“You made a face that looked like you were in pain,” I noted. “Nothing is hurting you, right?”

She stared at me briefly before she answered, “Sometimes, I feel pain, but I promise I’m alright.”

Not wanting to start the night off on the wrong foot, I accepted her explanation and gave her a nod. “Okay. Are you all set to go?”

“I think so. Now will you tell me where you’re taking me?” she asked.

“We’re going to a dinner theater to eat while we watch a show,” I told her.

Devyn’s face lit up with surprise. “Really?”

“Yeah. I wanted to do something that would be fun, but I didn’t want to go too crazy since you’re still healing,” I explained.

Shaking her head with a smile on her face, she said, “Are you kidding, Theo? This is going to be incredible.”

I was so glad she thought so. Seeing her excitement, knowing she was looking forward to our night ahead, meant everything.

With that, the two of us left and made our way to the theater. Iris was a small town, and while there were some fun things to do, it really wasn’t a popular tourist attraction. For that reason, we had to drive about forty minutes outside of the town’s limits into one of the bigger cities in the Smoky Mountain region. There were a bunch of tourist attractions there, and one of the best places, in my opinion, was one of the oldest buildings in the town. It was an upscale dinner theater that was said to have served delicious food.

The drive to the theater was comfortable, and the conversation was easy.

“Can I ask what we’re seeing tonight?” Devyn wondered.

“Of course. We’re watching a show about Blackbeard and his adventures.”

“Blackbeard? The pirate?”

I twisted my neck, taking my eyes off the road briefly, so I could look at her with a cocked eyebrow. “Is there another Blackbeard you know about?”

She shook her head. “I don’t even really know much about this one, other than that he’s a pirate.”

“Then I think you’re going to love this,” I told her.

“Have you seen it already?” she asked, her tone a bit hesitant.

---