Scarred For Life

Chapter 25

*

To blue or not to blue?

The question plagued Afrah all day long. Even now, as she sat on the edge of her bed and watched the clock slowly moving forward, the decision still hadn't been made.

Her eyes shifted to the dress laying peacefully beside her, watching her eagerly. It was a native blue dress, with rhinestones arranged all over it so they followed the pattern of the designs on it. The bell sleeves stopped just a few inches from her wrist, while the bottom of the dress pooled around her feet whenever she wore it.

A bit too extravagant for a dinner date, if she was being honest.

Her eyes were shifted instead to the closet in front of her, where several other dresses beckoned to her. It was a tough decision, as Afrah had never found herself dressing up for the sake of a man. She had always worn what she liked, never pausing to worry about her appearance or what others might think.

With Adnan however, there was a curiosity that plagued her; the thought of how he would react to each dress she selected. The black gown she had picked at first made her picture him with a comical look in his eyes, which was why she dropped it. The yellow dress made her imagine him joking about how radiant she looked, and she decided to drop that as well.

It was so strange, sitting here and wondering what he would say. Afrah had never known what it felt like to please a man; the concept itself seemed so strange and unwelcoming.

Irritated, she began to pace the length of the room while she tried to make up her mind.

Subconsciously however, she found herself wondering what he was doing at this exact moment. Was he as indecisive as she was right now?

Probably not, seeing as how she'd already told him exactly what to wear. Why couldn't she have done that? Why couldn't she have asked him what his favorite color was, so she could wear the opposite just to spite him?

There were so many questions she wanted to ask him; not just about colors. There were several aspects of him which he hadn't disclosed yet. He kept his cards close to his chest, the way she should have done. She found herself wondering if he was exactly the kind of man she pictured him to be.

Probably not, seeing as how he kept surprising her at every turn.

The comment he made the previous day about being alone still echoed in her mind. The way he said it made her curious about his past. What secrets did he hold, the same way she held her own secrets?

Exasperated, Afrah slumped onto the bed once again and groaned into her pillow. The unease she felt was stopping her from doing anything else. The book she had been reading lay discarded on the bedside drawer, and her laptop was left open on the bed after her failed attempt at watching a movie. Her aunt was out running errands, so there was no one to talk to in the house. Maryam was sleeping, as her mother had informed her when she called an hour ago. There was nothing else to do but sit patiently and wait for the clock to run out.

But time seemed to creep on as slow as possible, mounting her discomfort by the second.

Once again, her eyes were drawn to the clothes lying beside her.

To blue or not to blue?

Her mind was suddenly made up. If the first veil her eyes fell on matched with the dress, then her choice would be made. Bracing herself, she returned to the closet one last time.

As luck would have it, the first veil her eyes fell on was the sheer pink one Amina had gotten her for her birthday.

Blue it is.