A Thousand Storms

06 villain

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Six unproductive hours later, we finally got serious about finding a dress. It wasn't a difficult decision though, seeing that I only had two.

Rhia held up the resplendent red satin dress. It was my favourite color, and I had been feeling pretty wild at the time of purchase. It was a middle-cut, stopping just above the knee, and the straps fell to form a heartline neckline.

I had never worn it before.

"Uh, I think not," I said.

"Uh, I think yes," she responded, her eyes bright. "Try it on!"

I sighed, taking the dress from her to slip on. It fit snugly on my chest, because my boobs weren't exactly small, and hugged onto my waist. I looked into the mirror.

"Damn, girl," Rhia said, zipping up the back. "You look gorgeous."

I felt it, at least. It was the type of dress that made you feel gorgeous, despite everything. "I'll wear it, then," I said, a soft smile on my lips.

Rhia pulled my hair into a tight, low bun at the nape of my neck, and I gave her free access to my make-up bag that definitely wasn't as extensive as hers.

She went a little crazy with the highlighter, and I was sure that I'd be lighting up the dark with my cheeks and the tip of my nose.

I slipped on black heels with thin straps. It was the only other pair I'd brought with me, and after nearly breaking an ankle with the other pair, I didn't trust it anymore.

We did it all in an hour, and when I stared in the mirror, I saw myself–obviously, but something had changed. I looked happier. Rhia's company was uplifting, and her makeup wasn't half bad either.

Actually, that was an understatement. It was downright fantastic. Rhia did a little round of applause.

"How are you this good at make-up?" I asked her.

She shrugged it off. "I took a 3 week course once. I ended up learning more on YouTube and spending a shit ton of money doing trials on myself. Do you know how expensive make-up is?"

"Grossly," I admitted.

Rhia's phone buzzed. She unlocked it and read it without expression. She sighed.

"Hey, I gotta go, my dad wants to take me out for some quality time," she said, quoting the words with her fingers.

"Cute," I said. She didn't know how lucky she was.

"Yeah, yeah," she said. "See ya later! Hope you get some smoochy time with Valdez and ruin my 50 dollar red lipstick."

I laughed. "Bye!"

When she closed the door behind her, the idea of what she said had me sweating like a pig.

Smoochy time?

I was going to combust. I could already feel myself heating up, the palms of my hands glistening with fresh perspiration. I dried them on a paper towel.

Suddenly, I regretted everything. I should have at least asked Rhia to come with me. She would have groaned about third wheeling but came anyway. What was I thinking, agreeing to this date? I had zero expertise.

Fifteen minutes later, I'd managed to calm myself down by watching a math video proving why 1 plus 1 equalled 3, there was a knock at my door.

Heart racing, I walked over and opened it, coming face to face with Caleb Valdez.