Oh.
Oh no.
I sag back against the wall and whisper, “Oh shit.”
They explode into action.
Emmy suddenly appears in front of me, hands on my shoulders. “Okay. First of all, breathe.”
Celeste is grabbing a dress off the chair. “Second of all, this is good.”
“It doesn’t feel good,” I mutter.
“Not everything ends badly.”
Emmy nods. “You don’t get to pre-ruin something because you’re scared.”
They’re both looking at me like I’m fragile, which I don’t appreciate.
“I am not fragile,” I inform them.
“No,” Emmy agrees. “You’re just human.”
Celeste thrusts the black dress into my hands. “Put it on.”
“I’ve already worn it.”
“Put it on.”
I obey because I don’t trust myself to make decisions.
It slides into place like it always does. It’s simple, but the red heels will do the talking.
“There,” Emmy says. “You look incredible.”
There’s a knock at the front door.
All three of us freeze.
My room looks like a bomb went off. There are clothes everywhere and hangers on the floor.
“Leave it,” Celeste says. “We’ll tidy up.”
“I can’t just—”
“Go,” Emmy orders.
I grab my coat, slide my feet into the red heels, and pick up my bag.
I should have taken a second to prepare myself before I opened the door. I should have taken a breath.
Sweet Jesus.
Beckett is wearing dark slacks and a crisp shirt with the sleeves rolled up, because of course they are.
His expression shifts the second he sees me. His eyes drop to my shoes and slowly travel up my legs to my waist, my shoulders, and then finally meet mine.
The look on his face isn’t helping my heart rate.
