“Isn’t it?” I said, sounding breathy as I kicked off my sandals. “Help me get it on.”
Chloe lifted the dress delicately out of the box– or dresses, it turned out, because it was actually in two separate parts. The strapless sheath under-layer was made of a deep violet satin that felt buttery soft against my skin, and I felt certain he’d chosen the fabric because of how similar it looked to that other purple dress.
Chloe held out the tulle overdress, which was a slightly lighter colour. She’d loosened the corset lacing at the back, and I dropped down to my knees and stretched my arms up so she could lower it over me. Then I stood and prepared myself to have to hold my breath whilst she laced me up, but it wasn’t necessary; the dress fit perfectly.
The moment I stood and saw myself in the mirror, I felt tears well up in my eyes. The soft tulle was covered in delicate gold embroidery– stars of different shapes and arrangements. There were at least four different layers, each with stars stitched into them, creating a sense of depth, as if an actual galaxy lay hidden in the layers. I gathered part of the skirt and pulled it up to see closer, and I gasped yet again when I realised that the constellations weren’t just any old ones; they were ours, Aries and Gemini. I’d need smelling salts if things kept going this way.
The overskirt was much fuller than the sheath beneath, falling in a big puff over the satin like a princess dress. The corset laced at the back with a long satin ribbon that matched the under-layer, and a swathe of tulle wrapped around my arms and across my chest, creating an off-the-shoulder neckline that made my windswept hair look intentional rather than incidental. Not that I’d be keeping it this way. A dress this stunning needed a stunning hairstyle to complement it.
“I have no idea what to do with my hair or makeup,” I said to Chloe, who had been fawning over me in the mirror, but now she was staring down into the box again.
“Well, I can do them,” she said, reaching in and pulling out something else– something gold and rigid. “But I think Phil’s coming in clutch with the hair.”
She held a gold headband– a halo headband, I was pretty sure it was called, meant to look like a normal headband, but floating just above my head. The outer circle was covered in delicate stars, swirls and gems that perfectly matched the dress. It was a celestial dream.
Chloe slipped it onto my head, and even over my plait it looked phenomenal. I looked like I was made of stars, just like Eden. It was obvious even at a glance how much time and energy Phil must have put into it, despite famously having no time or energy to spare.
I turned on Chloe suddenly. “When did he do this?” I asked. “And why? We broke up weeks ago. This is too much.”
Chloe shook her head. “I don’t know. I only found out about it today because he had Jack pick it up on our way.”
“It was done when we all went over there earlier this week,” Grey said, poking their now completely golden head in, making us jump. “Sorry. Thin walls.”
“But that doesn’t make any sense,” I said, more to myself than to anyone.
“Well, you look fucking incredible,” Grey said, and I smiled at them before they disappeared again.
“They’re right, you know,” Chloe said, stepping back to look over me from head to toe. “You look fucking incredible.”
“I just don’t understand why he did this.”
“What did you guys talk about the other day?” Chloe asked. “You know, when you kicked us all out?”
“Just that we were gonna be friends,” I said, though that wasn’t really true. “I said I was going to be his friend, whether he liked it or not. That he couldn’t freeze me out just because we weren’t together, and I wasn’t going to run away with my tail between my legs like I did last time.”
“Well, maybe this is him saying he accepts?” Chloe said, though it sounded more like a question. “I mean, he’s made outfits for all of us before. Though this is one hell of a dress.”
On one hand, I hoped she was right. It would hurt sometimes, but going back to being Phil’s friend was almost certainly better than being iced out in the name of protecting me. I didn’t need his protection.
But on the other hand, I wasn’t so sure. Couldn’t we have just reconciled in person? Why the dress? Why the note? Why the radio silence?
I decided to put it to the test. I picked up my phone from where I’d discarded it on the bed and typed out a message.
Chapter36
Phil
By the end of the week, I’d made all of the big decisions I’d needed to. For starters, I had a big van with a wheelchair ramp, parked right next to my Ford Fiesta. I hadn’tneededto sell Ethel’s Healey, but when I asked about it and she didn’t even remember that she had it, I knew it was okay to say goodbye. And at least now I got to keep my own car.
Anil had lined up interviews with five different carers he knew for the next week, though I was still trying to convince him to take the job himself, and Jack and Alan would start work on Tuesday. The binder would get a complete refresh once we knew exactly what the new setup would be. I’d gotten a head start on packing up my craft room, having been able to take some time off work after seeing just how big Ethel’s nest egg was. I only regretted that I hadn’t found out about it sooner so I could have invested it; we could have been paying some of our bills off the interest alone. I was still determined not to use it for myself if I could help it– she was still relatively healthy, and her care would only get more and more expensive over the years– but it felt really good to have it there just in case.
Plus, we’d finally gotten a dishwasher, and it was as life changing as I’d thought it would be.
It was the end of the first week of September, still sweltering outside, and the hawthorn berries had started to emerge on the tree out front. It would be a while before they were ripe, but it felt good to see them there anyway, knowing I could harvest them and make something that meant so much to me.
Ethel was having a good day, too. She wheeled herself slowly through the front door and down the makeshift ramp we’d created, parking herself next to me where I sat on the bench soaking up some sunshine. I tried not to rush to help her; Anil had said to let her take the lead on when she needed help. Once she was in place, I let myself close my eyes and enjoy the warmth again.
“Enjoying yourself?” she asked, and I nodded. It was amazing how true it felt, too. I was still just as busy as I’d always been– I’d finished Amy’s dress the night after she’d brought the cavalry, but I’d replaced that workload with getting started on changes around the house. But just knowing what my next steps were had made a bigger difference than I would have thought possible.
