Behind Close Doors

Chapter Twenty-Eight

WHILE SITTING AT MY DESK, I opened up FaceTime on my laptop and dialed Malaysia's number. We had been texting earlier throughout the week and made plans to FaceTime each other on Friday. I didn't have to be at work until 6pm, so I planned on talking to Sia for about an hour and a half and then finishing up my homework assignments. A smile stretched across my face when a slightly pixelated version of Sia appeared on my screen.

"Oh my god. I feel like I'm seeing you for the first time in years!" I exclaimed. "How have you been?" I quickly asked her.

Sia smiled at my excitement before  letting out a sigh. "I've been better. School is a pain in my ass as usual, but I made a few new friends when I joined the step team," She said.

I nodded my head in understanding and rested my cheek in my palm. I contemplated telling her about what I've been up to and everything going on with Harry, but figured it was best to keep my mouth shut. The silence only lingered for a minute longer before Sia spoke up again.

"So, how has the preparation for the winter formal been going?" Malaysia inquired, sounding genuinely interested.

Now it was my turn to sigh. "We have weekly check-ins with Mrs. Twist to update her on our progress, and I've been working overtime a lot more to help my dad and Lester with the food preparation. I've hardly been getting enough sleep and can't wait until it's all over to be honest," I answered her.

"Wow, that sounds pretty intense. I'd be stressed out if I were in your situation too," Sia confessed, making me feel slightly better.

It was nice to know she could empathize with my situation. I ran my free hand through my hair and shifted in my chair. "The only thing I've been doing to lower my stress is taking naps which works sometimes. I can't remember when was the last time I properly treated myself," I admitted with a frown.

"You know what I think you should do?" Sia raised her eyebrows at me, sitting up straight. "You should buy something nice for yourself. Perhaps new clothes, or jewelry, or I don't know. Maybe lingerie..." She suggested, pausing to see my reaction.

I felt my cheeks redden at the thought of buying lingerie. "Oh, no. I don't think that stuff is for me," I told Sia. "Besides, I'm saving money for college, and lingerie is expensive."

Malaysia groaned in protest. "Ugh. Flo, you can still save money for college and treat yourself from time to time. Buying lingerie is something every woman should experience at least once in their lifetime. I feel like a boss bïtch whenever I wear it underneath my regular clothes," Sia said, making me laugh.

I playfully rolled my eyes at her and paused to think it over. Given my hectic work schedule, I don't think I will be able to find the time to stop at Victoria's Secret, but it won't hurt to try browsing online. I made a mental note to visit their website once I got home from work and redirected my attention back to Sia.

"Promise me you'll at least consider it," She pleaded while jutting out her bottom lip. "And message me once you reach a decision."

Although I had already made up my mind, I sighed in an overly dramatic fashion and nodded my head. "Okay, I will. Now enough about me. Tell me all about Georgia and your new school," I eagerly requested, waiting patiently for an answer.

The rest of our FaceTime session was spent conversing about the warm weather, the southern accents of all the boys and girls, and the new friends Sia had made by joining the step team. She seemed like she was in a good place and that's all I could have hoped for her. I missed her like crazy, but the fact that Sia was able to find the time to video chat with me showed me that she was just as invested in this friendship as I was. Now I had no doubt that we were going to be able to make this long distance friendship work even after graduation.

§

By the time I made it home from my shift, I nearly collapsed on my mattress in exhaustion. I had to make six deliveries today and was asked to stay late with Lester to close on top of that. He saw how tired I was though and offered to clean up the restaurant and close by himself just so I could get some rest. My heart fluttered at the sweet gesture, and I made sure to give Lester a hug on my way out. But as tempted as I was to surrender to sleep, I forced myself to sit up and trudge over to my desk where my laptop was.

It was on sleep mode, so I just unlocked it and opened a new tab on my internet browser. My fingers moved across the keyboard sluggishly, and I drove the sleep out of my eyes as I waited for the Victoria's Secret homepage to load. In almost an instant my screen was bombarded with images of blonde bombshells with tanned skin and thigh gaps. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat and couldn't help but compare myself to the women on my screen.

They had curves in all the right places and were blessed with bigger breasts. The size of my chest was something I was always self-conscious about, but I forced those negative thoughts to the back of my mind and began searching through Victoria's Secret catalog for lingerie. I wanted something that would create a contrast against my pale skin, so I mainly looked at the black lingerie pieces.

Nothing really caught my eye until I saw one model wearing this matching black bra and underwear set. The black brassiere had silver and black straps and the matching high waisted underwear came up to the model's hips. I clicked on the image and checked to see if they had my size. Once I confirmed that they did, I inspected the lingerie more closely and tried to picture myself in the model's shoes. I closed my eyes and imagined I was staring at myself in my full-body mirror with the lingerie on. I wore a smile on my face as I stared at my reflection. The image I conjured up in my mind was a sexy and powerful woman whom I desperately wanted to be.

When I reopened my eyes, I added the item to my bag and ordered it with my debit card right away. After seeing the maid's outfit Mrs. Twist had picked out for the female waiting staff for the night of the winter formal, I believed this piece of lingerie was going to give me the confidence booster I needed. While I waited for my order to be confirmed, I bit down on my bottom lip and silently hoped that I wouldn't be the only one who got to see myself in the outfit the night of the event.

Keeping to my word, I texted Sia a picture of the lingerie I had purchased and got ready for bed as I waited for her to respond. I was hooking my phone up to my charger when I received her response and couldn't stop a grin from breaking out across my face.

Malaysia: Slayy my fücking life. It's gonna look so good on you. I just know it.

Me: Thanks for pushing me to do this :)

Malaysia: That's what besties are for. Night Flo xoxo

Me: Night Sia <3

Author's Note:

Hey everyone. I hope you've all had a nice week. I'm super excited for the next few hours to come because I'm trying to purchase tickets to see Harry Styles in L.A. at the Greek Theater. So thankful that I became fan verified to be honest. I just hope his concert tickets don't sell out before I have a chance to get them.

As usual, feel free to vote, comment, share this story with a friend, or follow me on wattpad.

Shoutout to @candiedcane for commenting on my newest book and being super supportive and shoutout to @HarlenaxAf for giving this book the votes it needed in order for me to double update.

For a chance to get a shout-out in the next update, keep the comments rolling.

Question for my readers: What is something you do in order to boost your confidence?

I like wearing dresses, styling my natural hair, and putting on a bit of makeup to boost my confidence sometimes. I mainly listen to music though.

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Kaylandia