Manipulate

Chapter Seventeen

Alia leads me down the hallway. Her face creases with every step she takes.

"What's wrong?" I question.

Alia stops and turns around. "I'll tell you when we get to my apartment," she says quickly.

Alia guides me through the adult's quarters and up multiple staircases. She stops at her apartment and takes out a key. The key is a card with a barcode on the back. The scanner chirps happily when Alia puts the key up to the scanner.

"Come on in Abhaya." Alia motions toward me.

I follow her. "Is this where you live?" I ask in awe.

"Yes, this is where I live. Did you think that I live under a bridge or somewhere irrational?" Alia asks with a smile.

"No," I say, shaking my head with a smile.

Alia leads me into the kitchen. "Abhaya, I need your help. Max asked me out and I have no clue what to wear," Alia whispers.

"If you're asking for help, I'll gladly help you," I state.

Alia breathes a sigh of relief. "Yes, that's what I was going to ask you. Thank you, Abhaya."

"You're welcome," I return.

It takes Alia over an hour to find something to wear, to do her hair and makeup.

"How about this?" Alia asks.

She holds a white pressed long-sleeved shirt with a black pencil skirt up. I tap my chin and click my tongue. I wave my finger.

"Perfect. I saw a pair of shoes that would go perfectly with that outfit," I state.

I rummage through Alia's closet until I find a pair of black two-inch heels. Alia's face lights up.

"Those are perfect!" She exclaims.

Alia goes into the bathroom and changes. She comes out with the white shirt tucked into the black pencil skirt. Her smile is bright and her brown eyes glow. The heels make her legs look longer and more defined as she spins around in a circle.

Alia plugs in her curling iron and waits for it to heat up. While she's waiting, Alia grabs a pallet of eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara and lipstick. I sit on the closed toilet seat and observe her as she brushes the eyeshadow over her eyes.

"The red looks stunning. It brings out your eyes," I blurt out.

Alia smiles and glances at me through the mirror. "Do you want me to do your makeup?" She asks.

"No thank you," I decline as politely as I can.

"Okay. But one day you'll have to let me do it though," she says and she goes back to applying the rest of her makeup.

Alia picks up the curling iron and starts wrapping her medium-length brown hair around the wand. When she releases the hair, her hair falls graciously around her shoulders. In the end Alia's hair is curled and half of it is pinned back with a triangle pin. Her makeup is red eyeshadow with pink lipstick. The black eyeliner and mascara make the red look darker than it really is. I stare in awe at her beauty.

"Max will love it!" I exclaim as I do a quick check over of her outfit.

Alia blushes at my comment. "He's always impressed when I show up in sweatpants and t-shirts," she mutters.

I laugh at her comment.

There's a knock on the door. Alia smooths out her skirt and takes a deep breath. "Good luck," I whisper.