(In)Formal Debut

A Reference Material Verse Story

She goes through three outfits before she settles on a dress she's had since the summer before she met Rick. Thankfully, it still fits, though she distinctly remembers it being longer than it is now. Either way, she has a dress and it's appropriate enough for what Rick describes as being a "little garden party dinner" with some of the people from his publishing company. She's almost certain it'll be a little less relaxed and easygoing than that, but at least she looks the part of the polished significant other to a famous author. She hopes.

Sometimes she forgets that her boyfriend isn't just an everyday guy working toward finishing his degree; he's successful already, accomplished. He doesn't even need to be at NYU – or with her – and the fact that he is… well, suffice to say she has wondered why on more than one occasion. And then she catches him looking at her like she hung the moon after she's agreed to watch some ridiculous "classic" movie with him, and the need for answers seems a little less urgent.

Looking away from her reflection, Kate reaches for her curling iron, hoping it's done heating up. There's no more time for second guessing; she wants this to go well – needs it to go well – but she only has a few minutes until Rick gets here to pick her up.

She jumps at least six inches into the air when her boyfriend's face appears in the mirror behind her, losing her grip on the curling iron and almost dropping it into the sink.

"Rick!" she barks. "Jesus, you scared me."

He grins, leaning against the bathroom door. "Sorry. Your mom let me in, said I could come up to see you."

Taking a deep breath, she nods slowly, already lifting the curling iron again, careful not to pay more attention to him than to the hot object in her hand. She has to move fast if she's going to get this done; she can't let him distract her.

"You look beautiful," he says as she unwraps the last of her hair around the rod and unplugs her curling iron, setting it aside to cool.

Heat rises up her neck, but she doesn't duck her head and shy away from the compliment. Instead, Kate smooths the skirt over her thighs. "Thank you. It's not too casual, is it?"

Her boyfriend steps closer, brushing a hand down her back, settling against the curve of her behind. She snorts at the touch but leans into him.

"It's perfect, Kate," he murmurs, swiping his lips over the rise of her cheek. "You look amazing. I'll be the luckiest person in the room tonight. I already am, but I know you'll say–"

"You're the only other person in the room," she supplies, grinning. She refrains from adding that he'd still be wrong in that respect; at the very least it's a tie between them for who's the luckiest right now.

Kissing her again, he nods.

"You don't look so bad yourself, Rick," she murmurs, leaning into his arms. His lips lift against her cheek.

"I am ruggedly handsome, aren't I? Like a writer by day, adventurer by night."

She rolls her eyes. "Go wait for me downstairs, Indiana Jones. Charm my mom for a bit. I just have a couple of things to finish up, then I'll be ready to go."

He grins, nodding easily. She's going to no doubt regret giving him that order – he gets along with her parents, her mother especially, entirely too well – but it had to be done.

"See you soon," he says, pressing a final quick kiss to her mouth and ducking out of her bathroom.

Kate watches him go, shaking her head in amusement.

She's barely seen him since the semester ended. Navigating her relationship while living at home during summer break has been interesting. Frustrating at times, too, given that she's an adult and she very much feels like she's in high school having to ask permission to see her boyfriend. They've made it work so far, but tonight will be good for them. A chance to be together like adults.

That said, she's glad to have stashed clothes at Rick's the other day so she doesn't have to come back here first and doesn't have to answer questions or endure looks from her parents. She does make sure to grab a few extra essentials on her way out of her bathroom, sliding the vitamins she takes each night and her birth control pills into her purse as she makes her way through her bedroom and heads downstairs.

Her mother's laughter brings a smile to her face. Almost five years after her attack, Johanna still has good days and bad days, days when she's in pain and can barely crack more than a grimace, but Rick always manages to bring her a sliver of joy. Today it sounds like he's managed more than that, even.

"And her face, Rick, you should've seen Katie's expression," her mother chuckles again, making Kate wonder exactly what they're talking about this time. Her, of course, but what.

"Oh," her boyfriend enthuses. "Was it good? I bet it was good. Kate makes the best faces sometimes."

"Priceless. You would think she had downed a shot of lemon juice instead of whatever expensive bottle she'd pulled out of the cabinet."

Rick's laughter bounces over the walls, streaking warmth through her veins. It's utterly crazy how much she loves him, how grateful she is to have him in her life.

"When was this?" she asks, stepping into the room. Rick and her mother are seated on the couch, looking thick as thieves, and she knows this really can't be good.

"The day you insisted you were perfectly old enough to do shots, Katie," her mother says without missing a beat. "Remember? You grabbed the melon liqueur and knocked it back like a sailor in a bar?"

She groans. "I thought we'd agreed never to talk about that again."

Johanna snickers, looking at Rick. "After she made that face, Rick, she turned an impressive shade of green, threw up, and immediately started to cry."

Kate covers her face as her boyfriend throws his head back in amusement. "Ugh, please. I still gag a little thinking about it."

Rick grins, catching her hand. "If it makes you feel any better, the conversation started because I mentioned doing basically the same thing at my first major party in boarding school. It was not my finest moment."

She makes a face. "Okay, on that incredibly gross note, I think it's time for us to get out of here."

Rick checks his watch before getting to his feet. "You're right. As much as I find it important to be fashionably late, we don't want to end up being seated with the boring people."

Kate laughs, conceding that. His definition of boring is always a little interesting, but in this case, she'll defer to his experience and avoid the potential for having to make more trivial small talk than necessary.

Rick twists, gesturing for her mother to sit as he leans over and kisses Johanna's cheek. "It was lovely as always to see you, Johanna."

Johanna pats his cheek. "You too, Rick. And I know you're busy writing, but feel free to come over and work. Even if Katie's not around."

Kate grins, stepping around her boyfriend to kiss her mom goodbye. "I'll bring him home with me tomorrow, just for you."

Her companions chuckle. Thankfully, her mother doesn't comment on the fact that she'd declared her intention to sleep elsewhere for the night. She squeezes her mom's hand. "Dad will be home soon, right?"

Johanna nods, waving her off. "He's on his way from the airport as we speak. Don't worry, Katie. I'm moving better now. This morning was a fluke."

Kate assesses her mother's face for signs that she's putting on a brave front. Johanna lifts an eyebrow, daring her to challenge.

"I'm fine, sweetheart. Go enjoy your party. Let Rick show you off."

Her boyfriend grins, looping his index finger around her pinky. "You have some great ideas, Johanna."

Johanna grins, already lifting her book from the arm of the couch. "I know. Have fun, you two."

Rick squeezes Kate's hand, turning to wink at Johanna on the way out the door. "We definitely will."

She swats at his shoulder as her mother laughs.

Although she thought she'd managed to get a handle on them before leaving her house, her nerves still start to get the better of her as their cab pulls up in front of a brownstone on the upper east side.

Rick's hand curls around hers, giving her fingers a reassuring squeeze.

"We don't even have to go inside if you don't want to," he says, lifting her knuckles to his mouth. "We can go grab a bite to eat at Remy's and see what's playing at the Angelika instead."

"You need to schmooze, Rick," she protests. "I'll be fine, I promise. Just nerves; this part is new for me. I've gotten used to the collegiate side of you, not the writer-sensation side."

He grins, giving her a nod and helping her slide from the cab. "You're going to be amazing," he assures. "Everyone's going to love you. Not more than I do, of course, but that would be impossible anyway."

She leans into him, pressing her lips to the curve of his cheek. "I don't need them to love me, I just want this to go well for you. I don't want to screw it up and have them cancel your contract or something."

Rick's head thrashes from side to side. "You could never screw this up, Kate. If anyone messes it up, it'll be me and my lazy writing habits."

She laughs, playing with the collar of his shirt. "Well, if all you do is quote movies and spout trivia like you sometimes do with me, I don't know if I'll be able to blame them for thinking you don't work."

"I prefer to think of it as providing cinematic education, thank you."

Kate nudges him forward, allowing him to reach back and capture her hand. She squares her shoulders as they round the corner to the backyard, sucking in a deep breath and plastering a smile on her face.

Moment of truth.

The night goes better than she could've ever hoped. Apart from a few guests, everyone at the party is fun and open, welcoming her without batting an eyelash or making her feel inadequate for not being some hotshot writer or growing celebrity making the rounds. They heap praise on her boyfriend, which makes her stand taller with pride. He really is something, and it's so good to hear others recognizing that. By the time she and Rick slide into a cab to head back to his place, the idea that she'd ever been nervous seems far away.

"Good night?" Rick asks, dipping his head, dropping a kiss to her shoulder. She twists, bumping her lips to his, tasting a sweet hint of chocolate from the dessert buffet.

"Great night." Her fingers curl at his ears, drawing him closer. "Really great night, but I'm ready to go home and make it even better."

He grins under her lips.

"Done."

Thanks for reading! Other stories in this universe (in chronological order):

Late Night Study Break
Reference Material
TGIF
A Persuasive Argument
(In)formal Debut
Extracurricular Activities
Make it So Easy
summa cum laude
Always Right

and more tagfics and drabbles, which can be found on my tumblr at bunysliper dot tumblr slash reference - material!