Fade Into You

Chapter 5

Faye's POV

"Hot pink? Or aqua blue?" I held up both dresses, turning to show them to Kaycee, who was sprawled lazily across my bed, tapping away on her phone and popping her gum.

She barely looked up at first, her eyes narrowing at the sight of the dresses before shifting her gaze to me.

"Wow," she said, dragging herself up and swinging her long legs over the edge of the bed. "You know your colors better than you know fashion."

I frowned as she stood, took the dresses from my hands, and tossed them unceremoniously back into my closet.

"I'm about to lose it. Jonathan's gonna be here in an hour. He texted me earlier saying he was on his way, and I still have nothing to wear."

Kaycee ignored my panic and began flipping through the hangers. Suddenly, she paused, eyes widening as she pulled out a dress.

"What's this?"

I glanced at it and ran my fingers through my hair. 

"Mom bought that for me last Halloween. Wanted me to wear it to the party, but I was like, 'Are you kidding me, Mom?' That dress screams slutty. And you know me—I don't do slutty."

Kaycee kept staring at the dress like she hadn't heard me.

"If you want it, you can keep it," I said casually. "I honestly don't even know why I still have it."

"This one," she said, holding it out. "You're wearing this one."

I did a double take. "You're joking, right?"

She shot me a look before shoving the dress into my hands. 

"Nope. You're the one who's joking if you think you're wearing one of those grandma rags you picked out earlier. Girl, this is what you wear to dinner with Jonathan, not a fashion color wheel disaster."

I opened my mouth to protest, but before I could get a word out, she spun me around and nudged me toward my changing area.

I had already showered before she got here. She'd done my makeup and hair, now all that was left was the outfit. I slipped out of my fluffy white robe and held up the dress, trying to figure out the maze of straps. It was a bit frustrating, especially since they were doubled and twisted in weird places.

After wrestling with it for a minute, I finally got it on and stepped out from behind the divider.

Kaycee gasped.

"What? Is it that bad?" I asked, worried.

She shook her head quickly. 

"Bad? Bitch, if I thought it was bad, I wouldn't have picked it! Are you kidding me?"

She grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the full-length mirror beside my vanity.

"Look at yourself."

I turned slowly and stared at the reflection. The dress hugged every inch of me, showing off curves I thought I'd lost thanks to all the intense training Dad had me doing. 

My hair flowed in soft waves down my back, and the delicate double straps framed my bare shoulders and exposed back. It was bold, sleek... and undeniably hot.

"You just need a pair of hoops," Kaycee muttered, rummaging through the vanity drawers. 

I stayed frozen, eyes on the mirror. Confidence surged through me like a wave crashing into shore.

It had been so long since I'd felt like this—like I could own the world, like I didn't need to worry about who was watching or what they might think.