Danika puts down her brushes and steps away from me, clapping her hands. The girl looks absolutely giddy which isn’t a word I ever thought I’d use to describe her.
“Dress time,” she declares, spinning the desk chair around and urging me out of it.
Glancing at my phone I see that I have twenty minutes to spare. She’s finished in the nick of time. There’s a text from Teddy saying he’s on his way. No shock there. The boy is shockingly early for everything.
It’s an effort not to sneak a peek at myself in the mirror in my bedroom, but I manage to hold strong. The dress slips over my body, the silky material gliding over me like water. The dress feels expensive, and I’m glad it came without the tag because I would probably choke if I knew how much it cost. Certainly, more than my tips from The Burger Palace could handle.
“Hurry up!” Danika encourages from outside the door. “I want to see!”
“Almost!” I call back. “Putting the heels on.”
Sitting down, I slip my feet into the shoes and make sure the straps are in place. I was worried my thick calves might look like they’re suffocating, but it’s a perfect fit.
Opening the door, Danika waits right outside of it with her hands clasped beneath her chin. Her jaw drops as her eyes take me in from head to foot. “Girl, if I was a le-dolla-bean I’d be all over you right now.”
“Le-dolla-bean?” I repeat, confusion written on my face.
“It’s a Tiktok thing.” She twirls her finger through the air. “Now turn. Show me the full picture.” I spin and she claps giddily. “So hot, girl. Teddy is going to lose his ever-loving-mind when he sees you, and if he doesn’t, I’ll slap him upside his head.”
“Can I see myself now?”
“Oh! Right!” She drags me into her bedroom. “Close your eyes.” I do as she requests while she positions me in front of her full-length mirror. “Okay, open.”
I don’t have to be told twice. My eyes pop open and I gasp. “That’s me?” I blurt, marveling at how the gorgeous creature’s lips move in the mirror to match my question. “Holy shit.”
My eyes are done in varying shades of green with a hint of black, smoking out the edges. My lips are candy apple red and my face glows from whatever magic she worked. Something glimmers on my cheeks and collarbone, and she was right about the blush. It’s settled into the skin giving me a sun-kissed look and not the clown one I was worried about.
“I told you,” she says proudly.
“You did.” I touch my hair, the brown nearly black color of it looking shiny and glossy from the blowout, falling in perfectly voluptuous waves down to my breasts.
The dress is the cherry on top—hugging every curve and extenuating my best assets, aka my boobs. I turn to the side, and then the back, peeking over my shoulder.
Is my body perfect by media standards? No.
But who gives a fuck?
It’s perfect for me. I’m beautiful—in body and soul.
We’re all just skin sacks anyway. Each and every one of us. Why should we listen to what some invisible person spits out in an article? How I feel about myself shouldn’t be determined by what someone else thinks of me anyway. I’m not saying I haven’t had moments of insecurity, but I don’t do it nearly as often now that I’ve realized how others perceive me is on them and has no bearing on me or my life.
I can still be overweight and beautiful at the same time. Beauty is not synonymous with the word skinny.
“Thank you.” The words come out sounding a little choked up.
“Don’t you dare cry and ruin your makeup,” she warns me sternly, quickly passing me a tissue in case any treacherous tears leak out. “And you’re welcome.” Her smile reflects back at me in the mirror. The knock on the door signals Teddy’s arrival. “You ready?”
If I was spending the evening with only Teddy I’d reply with an enthusiastic yes, but that’s not the case.
“I have to be.”
She squeezes my shoulders. “I’ll get the door.”
I appreciate her giving me a moment to catch my breath before I have to face my … well, boyfriend.
The low murmur of Teddy’s voice is followed by Danika saying, “She’ll be out in a second.”
Inhaling a deep breath and choosing to focus on the enjoyable part of this evening—Teddy—I square my shoulders, chin held high, and step out of Danika’s room to meet him.
He smiles as soon as he sees me, that smile quickly turning to a look of lust and wonder. His eyes rake my body like a lover’s caress, eyes shining with the promise of what’s to come when he takes my dress off. My nipples harden in response, and I pray to God it’s not noticeable in my dress. From the smirk that grows on his devilish mouth I’d say luck isn’t on my side.
Bowing at the waist, he takes my hand and places a kiss on my knuckles. In a dramatic British accent, he says, “My lady, you are breathtakingly beautiful.”
I can’t stifle the giggle that escapes me. Playing along, with an even more horrid fake accent I reply with, “Why thank you, kind sir.”
Danika fake gags. “Ew, you guys are sickeningly sweet. It’s making my teeth ache. Now get out of here.” She shoos us closer to the door. “Romeo brought you flowers.” She points to a bouquet of pink peonies.
“You brought me flowers?” I beam at him.
I swear he goes red at the ears. “It’s not a big deal.”
“Mhmm,” I hum, wrapping a hand around his wrist and kissing his cheek. “Thank you.”
“We really do have to go.”
“Right. Bye, Danika!” I call over my shoulder.
I loop my arm through Teddy’s, taking careful but sure steps so I don’t trip in my heels. A few girls hanging out in the open area of the floor openly gawk as we walk by. For once, I don’t feel embarrassed. If I saw a girl leaving the dorm looking like me, I’d stop and stare too.
We’re the only ones in the elevator and Teddy immediately pushes me into the wall, a low growl rumbling in his throat when he sweeps his nose against my neck. “This sounds so fucking cliché, but you look ravishing.”
I laugh at his cheesy line, the sound cut off when he kisses me. The feel of his mouth on mine is a welcome pressure, but I know I have to stop him. I push gently at his chest.
“Don’t mess up my makeup.”
He buries his head in my neck. “How do you expect me to keep my hands off you when you’re so fucking hot?”
“I don’t know but you’re going to have to try.”
The elevator opens, and he leads me outside to a waiting black Escalade idling in front with a driver.
“You’re not driving?”
“Dad sent a car.”
“Interesting.”
We slip into the back, the doors barely closing before the driver is pulling away.
Teddy reaches down, messing with something I can’t see. He sits up holding two shot size bottles of whiskey. “Bottoms up?” I take one of the bottles from him, clinking it against his. I don’t normally drink this, but the liquid courage is necessary on a night like this. We down the shots, both wincing from the alcohol. “Burns so good.”