“I’m almost sorry we invited the boys now,” Lucy says in a natty little silver cocktail dress. “These threads are too good for them, man.”
“They look like dorks in their prom suits anyway.” Megan laughs, looking so cute in the full-length red backless number, and Rani has teamed the dress with a pair of ruby-sequined slippers for her.
“We don’t have to talk to them,” Poppy says. “We can just dance with each other and they can thirst after us.”
They collapse in a heap of hysterics on the bed, and Rani and I can’t help smiling at each other.
Rani is already dressed in an emerald green, silver-trimmed sari, and she looks absolutely stunning. I’m still wearing a dressing gown.
“So,” Megan asks, “what are you going to wear, Ava?”
I look at the four dresses that Rani has put out for me, and still, I can’t decide.
“I don’t know,” I say. “It’s got to be therightone.”
“Any one of them is the right one,” Rani says. “Trust me, babe.”
“No, you don’t understand,” I say. “It’s got to betheright one.”
“What’s going on?” Rani asks. I look pointedly at the tangle of girls on the bed.
“Hey, girls,” Rani says. “I’ve got my whole makeup trolley up for grabs in my room. Go and take a look and use what you like as long as you treat it with respect.”
“Have you any false lashes?” Lucy asks.
“Honey, I’ve enough lashes of all lengths in there. Go and choose a pair. I’ll be in in a bit, and I’ll help you put them on.”
The girls scramble off to Rani’s room, and she pushes my bedroom door shut.
“What’s occurring?” she asks.
“I’m kissing Hal at midnight,” I tell her.
“Wow,” Rani says. “Right, are you sure this is what you want? You want your first kiss to be with a robot?”
“He’s not...”
“Yes, whatever.” Rani cuts across me. “But he’s not a human, is he?”
“No.” I shake my head. “But he is almost human, and the answer is yes. I do want to kiss him, Rani. It’s just a kiss, and he makes me feel safe. He’s the perfect man for the job.”
“A kiss is never just a kiss.” Rani looks like she might not entirely agree with me, but she decides to let it go and I’m grateful. “Okay, well, you know what’s right for you. And we’re talking about a masked ball in a castle, so obviously you should wear this dress. It has waited seventy-five years for this moment. And you know how the song goes, ‘When you wish upon a... moon, your dreams come true.’”
She sings the last part.
The dress that Rani is talking about is a pale powder-blue gown, with a gorgeous over-the-top ballgown tulle skirt that falls to just above my knees, boned silk bodice, and a Bardot sweetheart neckline. It really is giving serious Cinderella vibes. If only I had some friendly mice to do my hair, but anyway. It is, of course, far too much and, at the same time, exactly the right dress.
Artie would love it, and Forrest would certainly think I have lost my mind. If he has ever thought me even a little bit cool, that delusion will soon be gone the second he sees me. Why should I care if Forrest thinks I’m cool, anyway? At least it will make it much easier to concentrate on the really important matter in hand: my perfect midnight first kiss with my brilliant AI boyfriend.
Also, I kind of want to dress up like a fairy.
“Rani”—Megan sticks her head round the door—“Poppy’s glued her eyelid shut.”
Rani looks at me.
“Okay, this is the one,” I tell her.
“Good choice.” Rani nods. “I want you to know, Ava, that I trust you. I trust you to make the right choices for yourself.”
