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She smiled. "You didn't have to."
"Of course, I did. Sorry for giving them toothache, though."
"They love you for it." Ana grinned, then said. "Thank you. See you tomorrow?"
"All right. Take care."
She nodded and left.
Giselle opened the box, removed the tissue paper, and smiled. A dress lay folded inside.
She pulled it out and it unfolded elegantly to the ground. It was a floor-length dusty-rose shimmering silk maxi. She stared at it for a few moments, then squealed and quickly proceeded to get ready.
Two hours later, Giselle gave her makeup a few final touches and smiled at her reflection. She wore her hair in soft waves, pinned toward one side, adorned with a small branch of fresh baby-breath flowers. Her diamond earrings sparkled whenever she moved. Her makeup was light, skin glass-like, and she wore gloss over her mauve lip color.
She'd never worn a dress so beautiful. The long-sleeved gown had a daring slit on the left side that revealed her leg as she walked, the low V-neck transformed her instantly from looking like a girl into a woman, and the delicate strips adorned her back in a criss-cross, barely covering her skin.
She twirled once, admiring herself. The dress hugged her curves and caught light every time she moved. She wondered how Chris knew her exact measurements, for it fitted perfectly. She'd never felt prettier.
Her phone rang with his ringtone—Please Don't Stop The Rainby James Morrison, his favorite song.
Knowing he'd arrived, she quickly wore her heels, grabbed her clutch, and headed out of her room, down the stairs, toward the main door. Ana gave her two thumbs up as she opened the door for her, revealing Chris.
Her cheeks burned at the sight of him. He wore a black tuxedo that looked custom-made for him, a white button-down shirt underneath, adorned by a black bow. His usually wavy hair was styled into the perfectly textured pompadour. She noticed his pocket square matching the color of her dress, and also the most gorgeous assortment of flowers in his hand.
Chris looked at her and froze, his face drained of any emotions. Then slowly, his eyes traveled from her face down her body to her heels and then up. She felt the weight of his gaze in every pore of her body. Biting her lower lip to keep it from stretching into a smile, she waited for a few more moments.
He stared at her some more.
"Hey." She smiled.
He exhaled audibly, and butterflies erupted in her belly.
"Hey..." His voice was hoarse.
"I love the dress," she said, twirling once for him. "Thank you."
He licked his lips, gulped, then let out another breath. "Wow." He softly shook his head. "You look..." She grinned, waiting for him to finish his sentence, but he never did.
"Are those for me?" she asked.
"Uh, yeah." Chris gave her the bouquet. "They're for you."
She took the flowers in one hand, smelled them in a cliché routine, smiled, and said, "Thank you, they're beautiful." She handed them to Ana with a request to please put them in her room.
Chris offered her his hand. She placed her hand in his, letting him lead the way toward his car. They walked in silence. She wondered what was different about him today. He always had a comment, always a way to poke fun at her. This time, it seemed he was rendered speechless.
"You're oddly quiet," said Giselle.
Chris opened the door for her as she got inside.
She glanced once at the guest house where Xavier was staying. The curtains were shut. She was grateful he hadn't seen them leaving. As much as she was trying to convince everyone else, at this moment, they didn't look like 'just friends' even to her.
Chris started driving, and soon they were on the road, a few other cars here and there.
"Chris," she called from the passenger's seat.
"Hmm." He didn't look at her.
