Stranger

<SFTC: Stranger by Secondhand Serenade>

Chapter 6

After 2 hours of scowering through countless dresses with none taking my attention, I end up flopping down on my couch, exhausted.

"Taylor, you have to pick something," Mom says. She stands in front of me, holding up a longer beige dress that she's been persistent about it since we got in here.

"I know, I know. Just- five minute break?" I suggest. She sighs, more of a scolding sigh that tells you how frustrated she is with you.

"Okay, fine. I'm going to go grab us some lunch down the street, you'll be alright?" She asks. I nod and pick absently at the seat cushion. "Okay, keep looking."

With that, she leaves and I'm left in a huge, empty room with a wall lining a changing area and racks and racks of the highest acclaimed dresses. I hate being alone in rooms like this, they're empty and quiet and just not my type of room. I need some kind of music or noise, something to keep me occupied. The only thing I have is the Starting Tuesday CD Tanner got for me yesterday, so I place the disk in the stereo in the corner and turn it just enough to echo.

The KCAs were never something I adored to go to, but I'm always nominated and I wouldn't just skip something when the opposition would be to sit on the couch eating icecream. The KCAs were loud. With over 15,000 screaming pretweens screaming from all angles, you can grow to be immune to it. You get to the point where you just think of all of them as your fans and the initial regret inches away.

I finger through the dresses, sparkles, silk, too tight, too loose, too saggy, too much of a push-up for a kids award show. A light pink one catches my eye, slimming, tighter at the top then flowing at the bottom. Appropiate for such a thing but still an attractive dress.

"I like that one." A voice breaks through the music that I immediately recognize as Tanner, smiling widely from behind the rack. I roll my eyes and carry the dress toward the dressing room.

"What are you doing here?" I ask after closing the door and beginning to strip, double checking the lock quickly. I don't think he'd open the door but you never know with a guy like him, he's sweet and all but definitely bold.

"You said you're free after lunch," I can almost see him shrug as if it's the easiest thing.

"It's not after lunch, you dork, it's like 11:30,"

"I ate early so here I am," He says. I swear, he's probably one of the cutest bad boys I have ever heard. "I see you've taken to Starting Tuesday."

"Yeah, they're really good! Why didn't they make anymore, that's so stupid," The songs that I had heard on shuffle were suprisingly surpassing all my expectations.

"I don't know, I-" He stops midsentence as I open the door and walk out, tugging up the dip which doesn't do much. I glance up at him when he doesn't continue and find his eyes reflecting my own self, which I only redirect back to the ground.

"What? Not this one?" I stutter, turning to go back in the dressing room when Tanners' hand is gripping my arm. My breath hitches in my throat at his touch, god, I love when he does that.

"No, you look beautiful.. stunning, amazing. That's perfect," He says, holding my eyecontact, the intensity showing me how blantantly honest he is. Every second I hold his focus, I feel like I'm melting a little bit more and it's driving me crazy. I'm use to being the focus of thousands of people at a time but when he looks at me, I feel like every one of my insecurity is washed away and he views me so differently from how I do. My cheeks tint so deep of a red that it's deeper than the dress.

"T-thank you, you really like it?"

"Definitely. You'll blow everyone away before they even get there,"

"That's really sweet of you,"

"Sooo, can we go?" He trails, swinging my wrists back and forth to the side of us.

"What could you possibly have that could top yesterday?" I raise my eyebrow. I haven't really got the chance to notice his brown leather jacket and black jeans that adds onto my bad boy perception.

"I was thinking maybe a little road trip to San Francisco and icecream and taking a boat ride, and possibly walking on the Golden Gate Bridge to top it all off," He says, the thought almost catching my breath itself.

"That sounds amazing, but you do know that I'm deathly afraid of boats and I'm lactose intolerant," I say, doing my best to keep a straight face as his eyes widen.

"Oh-" he scratches the back of his neck nervously, the gesture pulling his shirt up again. I self-conciously scold myself for staring again, I gotta keep my gaze from falling, this is getting to be a habit.

"I'm joking!" I laugh. He immediately relaxes and lets out a loud, deep laugh, one that you can only help but laugh with him. Laughs like that don't come along every day and I love that he's one of the ones that has that laugh. I finally regain my composure, "I'd love to, that sounds great, honestly, Tanner."

"Of course, Alison. Prepare to have the time of your life," He says.

••A/N

Quick Chapter, sorry!!