Sonya kissed Kiri’s cheek, and Kiri kissed hers in return before leaving.
Sonya stayed a bit to wash her undergarments, which she then took back to her room to set them out to dry. She covered them with a thin bit of fabric so they weren’t out in the open, then sat down on her bed, pulling her legs up.
The room was still messy and cluttered, but she could clean it tomorrow. She hadn’t taken in much last night, when she’d thought she was only there for a few hours, but now that she was staying, at least for a while, this was her room. It was small, but she would make it her own.
Sonya smiled to herself, getting under the covers. Moonlight streamed in through the window as she pulled the blanket up to her chin. She felt such pure joy to be alive, then. It had only been one day but so much had happened and so many things were still to come. There was an endless stretch of possibilities ahead of her.
As she fell asleep, her thoughts turned to the feel of Azam’s hands on her waist.
7
The next morning, Sonya accidentally slept in.
When she woke, she was sore all over, every inch of her body aching. ‘God,’ she muttered, trying to sit up. Her limbs felt like jelly. She had half a mind to go back to sleep when her eyes fell on the back of the bedroom door.
A jolt shot through her, and she gasped. She got out of bed, ignoring the pain in her legs, and headed straight for the hanger hooked onto the door.
The dress.
She hadn’t looked at it much last night, too distracted by Azam taking her measurements. It was a truly lovely dress; light pink with tiny white flowers across the fabric. It laced in the front and had puffed short sleeves with a square neckline.
Sonya immediately pulled off her nightgown, then reached forher undergarments, which were clean and dry now. She put on her chemise and drawers, then put on the dress, squealing at the feel of the fabric over her skin.
Before she even laced the dress up, she knew it fit perfectly. She turned to a standing mirror in the corner of the room, moving aside some boxes to get a full look, and the final effect was wonderful: the dress fell down to mid-calf and accentuated her body beautifully, without being uncomfortable.
She noticed a shawl hanging on the hanger as well, and she reached for it, wrapping it around her shoulders. It was simple and heather-gray, soft and warm. She twirled, smiling wide, watching the dress lift and fall.
Sonya put her socks on, pulling them up over her knees. Now that the house was mostly clean, she didn’t need to put on her shoes. She didn’t wish to track dirt through the house, and she had noticed that the others walked around in socks or barefoot as well.
After freshening up in the bathroom, Sonya skipped down the stairs. She couldn’t stop admiring the dress. Azam had done a splendid job—he must have been up late working on it! A slice of guilt cut through her, but the dress was so pretty, she couldn’t feel too badly. It was her most treasured gift now, along with the drawing Dania had made her.
It was a part of a stitch-witch’s magic that they could sometimes imbue clothing with emotion. She could almost feel how much care he’d put into the dress; she touched the fabric, fondness bubbling inside of her.
She entered the living room, where Kiri was sitting on the chair by the fire, knitting a yellow scarf. She had a beige shawl wrapped around her shoulders.
Azam was giving Dania a piggy-back ride around the room.When Sonya entered, he stopped, his focus homing in on her, his brown eyes intent.
‘The dress,’ he said, voice soft. Sonya twirled, and when she turned back, there was a smile spread across his face.
Since he had stopped running, Dania had lost interest in the game, and she climbed off his back. He helped her down, and she ran over to Sonya.
‘Pretty!’ Dania said. Her hair was down today and she wore a periwinkle-blue dress with a white collar.
‘Thank you, sweet.’ Sonya smiled, then looked up to meet Azam’s eyes. ‘I love it.’
His expression was soft.
‘You look splendid,’ Kiri said, standing up. ‘But we’ve got to do something about that hair.’
Sonya tucked her hair behind her ears. It was brushing low against her collar but unevenly, and she was sure it was a bit shorter in the back. At the very least, it was clean from her bath last night and had dried into nice waves, no longer frizzy or unkempt.
‘I would do it myself but these hands aren’t quite as steady as they once were. Azam, why don’t you give her a trim?’ Kiri asked. She turned to Sonya. ‘Don’t worry. He’s well practiced. He cuts Dania’s hair.’
‘I can fix it,’ Azam said, though he looked a little nervous. He paused. ‘If you’d like.’
She nodded. ‘But I don’t want to delay breakfast,’ she said. ‘I know I’m a bit late.’
‘Not to worry,’ Kiri said. ‘Monkey and I have already eaten.’
