Life is... Beautiful?

Chapter 15: Fashion? Passion?

Today was the day. Paru woke up quickly, having been unable to fall asleep the night before. Worrying about her dark circles, she immediately got up, going to go do her skincare and brush her teeth before meeting up with her stylist. y/n was still sleeping, knocked out from the day before. 

You can do this, she told herself. Ever since her mother died, Paru's one and only goal was to become Miss India. Everything came after that - studies, friends, love - everything. And now, she was taking a step in the direction of her goal. Taking a deep breath, she braced herself for what the day might bring. 

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You stirred, the sunlight forcing you to wake up. Stretching, you sat up slowly, then checked the time on your phone. 8:48. Shit. You were late to help Paru, who probably didn't want to wake you up. Throwing the sheets off your legs, you sprang into action, quickly getting ready. Frantically grabbing your essentials, you called Paru, who was already in her makeup room, preparing for her interview. Before you forgot, you also called Padhu to wish her good luck and let you know if she needed anything. 

Arriving at the makeup studio, you haphazardly put your things down, and made your way over to where Paru was sitting. 

"How're we feeling?" You asked, finding a chair and sitting down next to her. Paru glared at you through the mirror, already nervous as hell. You raised your hands up in response. "Okay, okay, I get it. Is there anything I can get for you? Water, food, Abhi?" She threw her used makeup wipe at you and you dodged, amused. 

"Just help me for this interview, okay? I only have fifteen minutes until I have to go." You stopped joking around and actually helped her, going over the points she wanted to highlight. Soon, it was time for her interview.

Paru got up, hands shaking. You noticed and grabbed her hands, squeezing them comfortingly. "Hey, you got this. The judges are going to see that you are a genuinely nice, kind, and beautiful person, and they're going to get to know the best parts of you." You gently gave her a hug, not wanting to mess up her outfit, hair, or makeup. "Now go. Good luck!" Paru smiled, before taking a shaky breath and going outside. You wouldn't be able to talk to her after this, since the competition would've officially begun and only her chosen stylists could be with her. You watched her go, letting out a deep exhale once she was out of sight. You had complete faith in her, and believed that Paru would crush this, but you couldn't help but feel anxious from the tension in the air. 

As you left the building, your phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey y/n, where are you?" Rakesh asked. 

"I just sent Paru off," you replied.

"Okay, okay. We're all going to go get lunch, can I come and pick you up?"

"Sure."

"Okay then, I'll be there in about ten minutes. Bye baby," Rakesh added cheekily, cutting the call quickly before you could reply.

Baby? How cringe. You shook your head. You were definitely going to tell him off for that, you thought, as you waited outside the building. 

"y/n?" You looked towards the voice. 

"Oh hi guys!" It was Srinu, Lakshmi, Nagaraj, Abhi, and Satya. "Are you guys seeing off Padhu?"

"Yeah, her interview is pretty soon so we went to go say all the best," Nagaraj replied.

"Yeah, I messaged her in the morning but didn't want to disturb her too much. I also just came from Paru's room," you said. Rakesh and the other guys arrived at this point, breaking up the conversation. Getting out of the car, Rakesh scowled, pulling you to his side.