Paily Week Day 4: Prom
You fix the collar of your shirt for the billionth time and you then proceed to smooth your coat. After mentally checking your list of things to not forget to do or take, you finally exit your bedroom.
Both your mom and dad are waiting for you downstairs with camera in hand. Your mom starts crying and gushing about how much her baby has grown and your dad tries to calm her down. After what feels like an eternity, but in reality it was just 10 minutes of photos, they finally let you leave.
"Don't forget to ask the Fields a copy of the photos!" your mom shouts as you run out of the door and you just laugh
It takes you ten minutes to get to Emily's house, but you spend ten more inside your car trying to calm yourself down. No matter how true you know this moment is, you can't still believe it. Because, this is you: the one and only Paige McCullers about to take the girl of your dreams to your senior prom. There's no more Alison, no more denial and no other girlfriends that can ruin this.
Bouquet in hand, you gather up the courage to ring the bell. You are taken aback when it's neither Emily nor her mom who answers the door. It takes you ten second to understand that the man who's looking directly in your eyes is Emily's dad. You swallow loudly and finally take the extend hand. His grip is strong but it doesn't hurt you in any moment.
"I'm Wayne, you must be Paige, right?" he asks after realizing your hand and you are surprised by the warmness in his voice
"Yes indeed, sir. A pleasure to finally meet you." You answer with a hint of a stutter in your voice
He takes a step back and you take that as a sign for you to come in. As he closes the door, you follow him to the bottom of the stairs.
"Are you nervous?" he asks you bluntly and before you can answer a 'Stop harassing the poor girls' can be heard all the way from the kitchen
You both chuckle lightly at Mrs. Fields reaction.
"I admit I am, sir." You answer him in a whisper and he smiles in a way that reminds you so much of Emily that you smile back
"Emily said she'd be down in a minute. But we both know that's not going to happen." He jokes and you both laugh loudly
Once the laughs have died down, Mr. Fields looks at you as if waiting for you to say something.
"Mr. Fields, I-"
"Call me Wayne." He interrupts you with a little smile tugging at his lips
"Wayne, I just wanted to say that… I love your daughter; I have loved her before she even knew of my existence. And I want you to know that I'll never ever hurt her, at least not intentionally; and if I ever do hurt her, I'll do everything in my power to make things right."
The house is silent for a moment, and you think maybe you just fucked everything up; but then, Wayne is smiling widely.
"I'll have you know, that I've never seen my little girl happier. You make her happy, Paige. And I know you'll never mean to hurt her, so I know my Emmy is in good hands." He states grinning
The conversation ends as you hear her walking down the stairs. Turning around, your eyes take in the most beautiful girl in the whole world. She's got a light blue dress that fits her perfectly and her hair cascades down her shoulders.
"You are perfect." You whisper softly and blush the moment you realize everyone heard you
Emily giggles softly and Mr. Fields excuses himself.
"Hey." You greet her with a shy smile
"Hey to you too." She whispers against your lips kissing you softly
"I heard everything." She adds as she pulls away and you blush once more, "And I love you." She continues with a smile
You hear Mr. Fields clear his throat and you pull away. After they take hundreds of photos you finally leave with the promise that you'll bring her home safely.
As you turn on the engine, Emily takes your hand and you realize you had nothing to fear for.
You meet with the girls and their dates at the entrance. Caleb, Toby and, surprisingly, Ezra pull you aside as the girls start a conversation.
"McCullers, why haven't you given her corsage?" Toby questions and you almost slap your absentminded self
You look into your pocket for it and you shush the boys when they snicker when you struggle to take it out. The four girls turn around immediately to the sound and the boys all point at you when they do.
Both Emily and you are shoved by your friends and you smile nervously. When your eyes meet, you place in her hands the box you were frantically looking for. She does the same to you and you both smile like if it was a cheesy romantic movie.
"Oh, come on! Just open the boxes, you goofs." Hanna urges you rudely and she yelps when both Spencer and Aria elbow her in the ribs
It's a boutonnière that matches both her dress and the corsage you got her. You lift your gaze only to find her looking at you. She's already using her corsage, so she takes the boutonnière and places it in your lapel.
"Finally." Hanna mutters with faked anger
Laughing it out, you take her hand and head into the school.
Everything is perfect. You are having a good time joking with the boys as you watch Emily dance with her friends. The punch is spiked, so you sip it slowly not wanting to make a fool of yourself like in Jenna's party. Suddenly, the whole mood changes as the music changes radically from pop to ballads. The four of you gulp as the girls immediately make their way towards you.
"Gentlemen, it was an honor." Caleb says as he's taken away by Hanna
Emily stands before you in all her glory and you can't resist yourself.
"Can I have this dance?" you request with a big grin plastered across your face
"I'll die if you don't." she answers cheekily and it takes you all your willpower not to claim her in front of everyone
You park in front of Emily's house and waste no time in exiting the car to open her door. As you walk her down the steps towards her home you think how perfect everything was. The way she looks at you say far more things than words could in this moment. So as she kisses you goodnight and her hands thread through your hair, you think that if you could live in a moment forever, this would be it.