Chapter Nine
Natalie
I stared at the dress Missy had picked out for me. It was a strapless mini dress with an intricate layering of beads worked into the bodice and the hemline of the skirt. The beads were a whimsical silvery blue, and the dress itself was a stunning shade of lilac.
“It’s beautiful,” I said. And, I meant it. It was a gorgeous dress, the kind that you would expect to see on a runway. “But…”
“No buts!” Missy said immediately. “This is your birthday present, which means you have to accept it.”
“It looks expensive,” I pointed out.
“I got a good deal,” she smiled. “In any case, it’s not my birthday present for you.”
I frowned. “It’s not?”
“No,” Missy shook her head. Then she pulled out a card and handed it over to me. Immediately I recognized Mom’s familiar handwriting.
“Happy Birthday, my beautiful girl! I can’t believe how fast time has flown by. It feels like just yesterday we were cutting your first birthday cake. Remember, darling; you’re only young once. Make use of the time you have. Enjoy yourself, get up to some trouble, and break a few rules. You’ve been a perfect daughter and a model student. Now it’s time to live a little. Dad and I are so proud of the young woman you’ve become. Love always, Mom and Dad.”
I blinked back my tears and looked up at Missy. “Mom picked this dress out for me?”
“Well, technically, I picked it out,” Missy admitted. “But your mom paid for it. She just wanted my help.”
“This dress must have cost a fortune,” I said, staring at the intricate details of the design. “How could she even afford it?”
“She said you would ask that,” Missy smiled. “And, she told me to tell you not to worry about the cost. It was worth every penny.”
I reached out and took the dress from Missy’s arms. I was surprisingly heavy, and I realized that that was because of the beadwork.
“Leave it to you to pick something short, tight, and strapless – all the things I specifically told you I wouldn’t wear.”
Missy laughed. “It’s kind of cute that you actually thought I would listen to that. So, are you going to wear it or do I have to force it on you?”
I gave her some side eye as I unzipped the back of the dress. “I can’t very well refuse now, can I?” I said. “Especially knowing that the dress is from my parents.”
“Exactly.” She nodded triumphantly. “But before you put it on, I have some finishing touches to complete first.”
I raised my eyebrows. “There’s more?”
“Of course, there’s more,” Missy said impatiently. “Do you really think those glasses of yours match this dress?”
My eyes went wide for a moment. “No…no way… Missy…”
She whipped out a little contact lens container, and my hands went up to my glasses automatically. “I hate contact lenses.”
“Have you ever actually given them a chance?”
“I’ve worn them a couple of times… they’re annoying.”
Missy rolled her eyes at me. “Remove those glasses, please.”
“Do I have to?” I asked imploringly. “Seriously… I hate putting them in and taking them out… it feels unnatural.”
“There’s no gain without pain,” she said distractedly, as she grabbed the glasses off my face. “Now, come here…if you want I’ll try and put the contacts on.”
“No,” I said quickly. “I think I’ll do it myself.”
“Fine,” Missy said. “As long as you do it.”
I sighed and sat down in front of the small square mirror that we had bought two years ago. Missy had bought it specifically for applying makeup, and this was the first time I was using it.
“These are my contacts,” I observed as I opened it.
“Yeah, your mom dropped them off,” Missy smiled.
“You two have been conspiring behind my back?” I asked, not entirely surprised.
“We should have teamed up sooner,” she said. “I had no idea I had such a resolute supporter in your mother.”
It took me almost ten minutes to finally get the contacts in. I blinked uncomfortably for a moment, but the blurriness faded almost instantly, and I could see perfectly. Except this time, there was no frame around my eyes. I felt strangely naked, and the nerves started building slowly.
“Perfect.” Missy smiled approvingly. “You’re starting to transform.”
“I’m starting to get nervous.”
Missy sat down opposite me and opened up her makeup kit. There was a plethora of different cosmetics stowed away inside.
“I don’t really like makeup.”
“Don’t worry,” she said bracingly. “I’ll be subtle. You don’t need much makeup, anyway. You’re a natural beauty; I’m just playing up your natural assets, that’s all.”
I almost laughed at the natural beauty part, but I knew that would only earn me a glare. So I sat still and let her go to work on my face.
“Nat?”
“Hmm?”
“Relax,” Missy said firmly.
I tried to breathe, but it came out in a short nervous burst. “I just keep over-thinking, I guess,” I sighed.
“I’m only halfway done, and you’re already looking like a different person,” Missy pointed out. “I barely recognize you.”
“Um…okay?”
Missy laughed. “My point is that it’s almost like you’re wearing a mask tonight – a metaphorical mask. Think of it that way and draw confidence from the belief that no one will know or recognize you tonight. So, you can do whatever you want and say whatever you want. You’re free. You don’t have to be conscious of yourself because no one is going to know who you are.”
I thought about that for a moment. “You know what? That actually helps,” I nodded.
“See?” Missy nodded. “I should have become a shrink.”
I laughed, and closed my eyes so that she could apply a layer of waterproof eyeliner. After ten more minutes, she sat back and looked carefully at my face. Then she broke out into a big, satisfied smile.
“Perfect,” she pronounced triumphantly.
I was just about to glance over to my reflection in the mirror when Missy stopped me. “You’ll have enough time for that later. First, I want you to get changed. I’d much rather you see the entire look.”
I was curious, but I decided to listen to her. I removed the oversized t-shirt I was wearing and Missy helped me slip into the dress.
“Oh God, I can’t breathe,” I panted, as Missy proceeded to zip me into the dress.
“That’s the point,” she replied. “It’s meant to be tight.”
“This tight?” I asked.
“You’ll get used to it.”
“I doubt it,” I complained.
She ignored me and produced a pair of nude, strappy, four-inch heels. “Put these on please.”
“Can’t I wear something a little less dangerous looking?” I asked.
“No,” Missy said, with finality.
I had come this far, so I decided to just go with it. I put on the heels and then wobbled to my feet. “Oh, man… I’m going to fall at some point during this night.”
“You’re going to be fine.” Missy waved away all my concerns and looked at me critically. “Now, there’s just one more thing.”
“What now?”
She shot me an impatient look. Then she walked over to me and removed my hair from its usual ponytail. With a comb and a hair curler, she went to work on my hair, and fifteen minutes later she set her tools down and smiled.
Before I could ask if she was finally done, Missy opened up her jewelry box and pulled out a thin black ribbon that appeared to have a clasp at the end.
“For my hair?” I asked.
Missy laughed. “For your neck,” she said. “Trust me, it’s incredibly sexy, and it’ll complete the look. There…you’re perfect.”
I took a deep breath and turned to the mirror. Missy was right; it really did look like I was another person. I couldn’t see the full effect of her makeover in the mirror because my neck and head were the only things visible, but it was enough.
She had ringed my eyes with dark eyeliner, giving me a little winged hook at the end of each eye so that they looked large and seductive. She had applied an earthy nude for my lips and smudged my cheeks with a subtle hint of rouge that almost perfectly matched my skin tone. My hair hung straight and silky, framing my face before ending in slight waves around my shoulders.
The stark black of the choker set an attractive contrast against the milky white canvas of my bare shoulders. I wished that I could see the dress, too, so that I could get the full effect of Missy’s makeover, and suddenly, I was excited as well as nervous.
“You’re an artist,” I told Missy.
She smiled. “Oh, I know,” she nodded.
I turned back to my reflection. I could barely recognize myself, and I knew I had to cling on to that belief tonight. Missy was right – it would give me the courage to put myself out there.
“Ready?” Missy asked.
I took a deep, noisy breath. “I think so.”
“Don’t worry, with that dress and a couple of drinks, you’ll be the most confident girl in the bar tonight.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” I laughed.
Missy’s bar crawl didn’t turn out to be as scary as I had imagined it. I even met a few people I knew from lectures and classes, but none of them recognized me. Thrilled by that, I felt myself relax a little.
I also noticed a few different guys looking at me the way I’d seen guys look at Missy. Missy was no less stunning in a red halter and sky-high black pumps, but somehow, I seemed to be getting more attention. It was a heady feeling, and it gave me a little boost of confidence so that every time Missy handed me a drink, I accepted without putting up a fight.
By the time we made it to Oasis, it was almost midnight, and I was actually having a good time. My “mask” helped a lot, and the alcohol had really calmed me down. Still, when Missy leaned in and told me she had brought me here for my real birthday present, I tensed up a little.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Missy gave me a sly look and then looked towards the bar pointedly. “See for yourself,” she said.
I followed her gaze and caught sight of a pair of broad shoulders that I’d been fantasizing about for the past month. “Oh my God,” I breathed.
I turned back to Missy in shock. “How did you know?”
“Malin’s at this bar practically every night,” Missy told me. “Apparently, professor hottie comes in every Friday and Saturday. Thankfully, your birthday fell on a Saturday, otherwise I would have had to change it the day, and that might have made you suspicious.”
“I… What do you expect me to do, though?”
“Go up to him and say hi?”
“Hello?” I said, waving in her face. “Do you know me at all?”
“Okay, fine,” Missy said. “Then make him come to you.”
I opened my eyes wide in disbelief. “How on earth am I supposed to do that?”
“You look fucking hot!” she said decidedly. “Every guy in this bar is checking you out. Just walk into his line of vision, and I don’t know…bend over or something.”
I gulped as Missy started to walk away. “Whoa,” I said, grabbing her arm. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to go dance,” she said, wagging her eyebrows at me. “If you need me, I’ll be around. But this is all you, kid… Make me proud.”
She gave me a wink and disappeared into the crowd. I turned towards the bar where Chance was sitting and took a deep, measured breath.
“You’re wearing a mask,” I told myself. “Be confident.”
I walked up to the bar and sat down a few seats away from him, but I couldn’t bring myself to look in his direction now that we were so close. I was just starting to panic and bail when I felt someone approach me.
“Hi.”
I turned my face up, and Chance was standing beside me, his hazel eyes were even more mesmerizing up close. “Hi,” I replied, but it came out in a whisper.
“You are stunning,” he said directly, taking me off guard. “Can I buy you a drink?”
It felt a little surreal, but then again, this whole night felt surreal. I decided not to over think. I would surrender to the night and draw confidence from my mask.
“Yes.” I smiled.