My Bestfriend's Ex

Just One Date

Alana Gilmore looked in the mirror. She was wearing a short red dress that showed off her long, smooth legs. Red was definitely her color. She smoothened her dress with her hands, stepping back to get a full look.

Her curly blonde hair had been styled to perfection, and her winged eyeliner was sharp enough to cut.

She never would have thought in a million years that she would be going on a date with Ethan Rivas. The butterflies in her stomach could not hide the excitement.

Ethan had come to pick her up at 6 pm. His eyes widened once she opened the door. He had seen Alana Gilmore almost every single day for four years since, and while she had always been beautiful, seeing her all dressed up to go on a date with him was unbelievable.

"You look," he sighed. "Perfect." He said to her.

Alana chuckled. "I'm not perfect." She said, hiding his smile with her hand.

"You are perfect to me," Ethan responded, taking her hands and holding them in his. "I can't believe this."

"Ethan. We agreed to just one date." She reminded him.

"I'm afraid just one date will not be enough for me. I want you all to myself every day." Ethan teased.

Alana felt her butterflies doing more backflips, but she managed to keep her cool.

The pair drove to an Italian restaurant, not too far away from campus. They had both picked it out. Dinner was great. They both agreed that the food was perfection, and so was the wine.

Afterward, they decided to get some ice cream. After getting ice cream, they walked a little bit, coming to a stop in front of some benches.

They talked about so much. About their kiss, about Sophie, and about what to do now that they had gone on a date.

"Alana," Ethan started. "I was serious about wanting more than just one date."

"So, what are you saying?" Alana asked, straightforward

"Alana Victoria Gilmore," Ethan said, slipping his hand into his pocket.

Suddenly, he pulled out a small black wooden box. Alana was taken aback. Did he have a ring? She'd known him as soft and a lover boy, but she never imagined he would propose to her after one date.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" He said, opening the box, revealing two promise rings.

Alana burst out in laughter. For a minute there, she thought he was going to ask her to marry him.

"Ethan, I don't know what to say," she started. "Lately, I've been feeling a lot of things I didn't know I could feel." She placed a hand over his.

"I'm really worried about Sophie. She will feel betrayed."

Ethan let out a huge sigh.

"Alana, I totally get that. And you're such a good friend." He said, taking her hands in his. "But we're both here right now. Sophie isn't. And she ended things with me. That wasn't my fault."

Alana stared into his pleading eyes. He was right. It wasn't their fault Sophie hadn't gotten accepted. And it wasn't their fault that she decided to cut them off. If anything, Sophie hadn't been fair to them.

"Fine." She said, stretching out her left hand, indicating for him to put the wrong on her finger.

Ethan's eyes widened. It felt like he was dreaming. For years, he had suppressed all these feelings. But now, he could hardly contain himself.

He slipped the promise ring on her finger. then picked her up and spun her around as onlookers watched.

"I'm the happiest guy today," he exclaimed, placing a soft kiss on her lips.

Alana couldn't help but laugh. He looked so happy as he put on his own promise ring, holding his hand up for her to see.

Soon, they headed back to where they we parked and drove home.

Ethan walked her to her door and gave her a goodnight kiss.

Alana stood in front of the door, reflecting on the night she had just had. It was nothing short of perfect.

She opened the door and went into the room. The lights came on immediately, and Breanne was standing in front of her.

"So... you and your bestie, huh?" She teased, flipping her braids and walking towards her bed.

"You have to tell me everything."

Rachel was also awake and joined them on Breanne's bed.

Alana giggled as she told the two girls all about the perfect night. She realized it was the first time she was dating someone in a very long time.

"Listen, Alana. I love that y'all are finally together. But I gotta say, he dated Sophie for 3, 4 years. You can't just erase that." Breanne said.

She was right. How was she supposed to erase all those years?

"Ethan did say that he'd been in love with Alana since day one. I believe she's got nothing to worry about." Rachel added.

She was also right. The only reason they were not together all those years was because she'd failed to realize what was in front of her all along.

That night, Alana couldn't fall asleep. She kept wondering if she'd made the right decision.