“Okay, yeah.I’ve got to go...”
The call ends.The apartment is quiet again.I stare at the dress.
“I’m being dramatic,” I mutter to myself.“It’s just a dress.People wear uncomfortable things all the time.It’s fine.”
I’m repeating that to myself when there’s a knock at the door.Two women stand there when I open it, both with rolling cases and professional smiles.
“Hi!We’re from Éclat Beauty,” the brunette says.“Here to get you ready for the gala.”
I step aside to let them in, that flutter in my chest tightening into something complicated.I rush through a shower and then for the next hour, I sit in a chair in his bedroom while strangers clip and curl and paint me into a version of myself I barely recognize.My hair ends up in a glossy, loose wave that looks like it belongs in a magazine instead of under a ball cap.My freckles have disappeared under the foundation, and my lips are painted a deep, sultry red.
One of them holds the dress up against me and beams.“This is going to be stunning on you.Very Old Hollywood.”
I fold my arms over my stomach and nod like I agree, but inside, part of me is whispering:
This isn’t you.
This isn’t you.
This isn’t you.
But another part counters:
He thought this would make you feel beautiful.
He’s trying.
This is what loving someone whose world looks like his means.Compromise.Stretching.Meeting in the middle.
When they finally leave, I stand in front of Nate’s full-length mirror and stare at the stranger reflected back.The dress fits as if it were sewn directly onto my skin; the neckline dips lower than anything I’ve ever willingly worn, and the back is mostly missing.My legs look a mile long in the sparkly nude heels they coaxed me into.
I look… good.Objectively.I also look like I’ve been air-dropped into a life that isn’t mine.
I swallow hard, grab the tiny clutch from the white bag, and step into the hallway before I can talk myself out of it.
Chapter 33 - Tessa
The event is at one of the big downtown hotels, the kind with chandeliers the size of a horse and too much marble everywhere.The second the car door closes behind me, my stomach knots.Spotlights slice across the front of the building.People in gowns and tuxes move in and out like it’s a movie premiere.A step-and-repeat backdrop with the team logo and sponsors’ names lines one side of the foyer; photographers cluster like vultures.
I feel stripped naked walking up the steps alone.
A PR assistant meets me with a polished smile.“Tessa!You look gorgeous.Nate’s just inside.Here, let me quickly walk you through the media line.Just a few photos, everyone’s dying to see you...”
Before I can refuse, I’m being guided into the glare of lights.Flashes go off even though I’m alone.Someone calls my name.Someone else calls,“Where’s Nate?”A microphone appears near my mouth.
“How are you liking the season so far?”
“What’s been the biggest change for you, dating the captain?”
“Are we going to see a ring soon?”
"Why haven't we seen you at recent games?"
"Tessa over here."
Flash after flash blinds me, and the headache that was building makes itself known.
My laugh comes out brittle.“I’m just here to support him,” I say.“And the charities.That’s what tonight is about, right?”
