“Uh-huh.” Kira smiled as if she knew better, stepping around in front of me to apply a deep shade of red to my lips. “He just happens to be the one picking you up to attend this thing.”
“It’d be a little odd for his boss to send someone I didn’t know to pick me up,” I muttered as she finished with the lipstick. When she stepped aside, my eyes focused on the girl in the mirror.
From the neck down, I was dressed in a fluffy pink bathrobe, while everything above had transformed into a far more sophisticated version of myself. With my shoulder-length, light brown hair just long enough to be styled, Kira pulled it back into a low bun and twirled some of the loose strands around my face into light waves. She dusted my eyelids with a smoky blend of brown and black, sharpened by the winged liner and mascara, and brought out my facial features with light contouring. I looked older, and far more confident than I let on.
It felt wrong to be getting dolled up considering what happened. I felt strangely detached and nervous all at once.
“Now for the dress,” Kira beamed, walking out of the bathroom with a spring in her step.
I cringed slightly as I slipped off the stool and followed her into her room. “Maybe I could wear something else. Something with a little more...back coverage?”
“Lily. We’ve been over this,” she said, lifting the black dress from her bed and draping it over her arms. “You can’t wear a sundress to a cocktail party.”
“Because you’ve been to so many cocktail parties yourself,” I said sarcastically.
“I went to one and I can guarantee no one was wearing a sundress. Now put it on.” She held the garment out towards me, the black satin fabric shimmering slightly when it caught the light.
I took it hesitantly from her hands, as if jostling it too much might make the entire thing fall apart, and walked over to the mirror as Kira left the bedroom.
The dress was hers, but she hadn’t worn it out. It didn’t fit her properly, so she left it hanging in her closet. It was a floor-length gown with dangerously thin shoulder straps, a plunging back, and a hip-high split down the left side of the skirt. Not one part of it left anything to the imagination once I slipped the soft fabric over my body, fitting into it like a glove as it hugged every curve. Including the bumps and lines of my bra beneath.
“Dear god,” I whispered, looking myself over in the floor-length mirror with wide eyes.
Kira’s voice was muffled by the door. “How is it?”
“It’s, uh, it’s definitely something for a cocktail party...”
The bedroom door slowly opened before Kira peered into the room, dropping her mouth open as she looked at the dress.
“Oh my god, you’re stunning,” but then she frowned, “I don’t think the bra works.”
“I don’t suppose you have a strapless bra or something within your closet too,” I laughed nervously, cupping my chest.
“Unfortunately, no. Your girls might have to go commando tonight,” she grimaced, walking over to stand by my side as she untwisted one of the shoulder straps. “As long as you steer clear of any cold drafts, air conditioners, and sprinklers, you should be fine.”
She was right. It couldn’t be worn with a bra when it ruined the lines of the fabric, so I reluctantly removed the bra from under the dress. Trying not to think about the fact my body was only separated from the world with a thin veil of black satin, I turned away from the mirror and forced a smile.
“This feels wrong,” I said.
“You’ll be fine.”
“What if I trip?”
“You aren’t going to trip.”
“What if the shoulder straps break?”
“They aren’t going to break— Listen.” Kira gripped my shoulders as she smiled warmly. “You look wonderful and tonight will be amazing. I guarantee it.”
I hummed nervously, looking down to flatten out the fabric against my hips. At least my underwear line wasn’t showing. Going full commando downstairs, in public, was definitely never happening.
“One more thing,” she said, holding up her finger as she went to her dresser and opened her jewelry box.
“Oh, no, Kira. You don’t have to do that—”
“Shhh! You rarely ever get dressed up like this so let me,” she hissed happily, returning to stand behind me before motioning for me to turn back around.
I did, finding it harder to look at myself in the mirror with her there.
