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“I was sixteen,” Lucero mumbled, clearly uncomfortable.
“And he was four years older. He wasn’t an old man, Lulu. I assure you that he must have noticed you.”
“If you say so…”
“I’m sure of it.” Noelle gave her a smile.
After she finished with the eyeshadow, she applied the mascara before taking Lucero to her closet.
“Let’s try this,” Noelle suggested, pointing to a mid-thigh, skintight, black dress.
She looked awkward and a little unsure, and Noelle was sure she was going to put up a fight. But to her surprise, she reluctantly accepted it, slowly changing into the dress.
Noelle knew she was self-conscious of her scars. But for the first time, she didn’t dive behind a screen to change, removing her long dress in front of her. It was also the first time Noelle saw the full extent of her scarring.
Like Lucero had said, it wasn’t pretty. But it wasn’t the worst either. She was still beautiful and Noelle wanted to make her see that for herself.
Discarding her old dress, Lucero put on the new one, sliding it up her body and feeling the material hug her skin.
Noelle was shocked at the transformation, her lips tipping up into a smile as she led Lucero to the mirror.
“Look,” she murmured, her hands gently massaging Lucero’s shoulders. “What do you see?”
Lucero’s mouth was hanging open, her eyes wide as she took herself in.
“I… I look like a woman,” Lucero whispered.
“A very beautiful woman.” Noelle smiled.
She’s always thought it odd that her friend saw herself as a young girl still. But as she’d heard more of her backstory, she’d realized that her trauma had frozen her forever in those wretched years, when she’d been made to feel worthless for rejecting the advances of a man four times her age. Since then, she’d been living as a pariah, and slowly, she’d started to see herself like one.
Just like she told Lucero, Noelle didn’t believe for one moment that the man she spoke so fondly of hadn’t taken note of her beauty—everyone around did.
That they didn’t act on it was only a result of her status within the hacienda and the fact that Lucero had managed to protect herself all of these years.
“Thank you,” Lucero choked on her words. “Thank you… I…”
“You don’t have to say anything Lulu,” Noelle spoke softly, a genuine smile on her face. “I know.”
And shedidknow. Because she’d been like Lucero once too. Awkward and with no confidence in the real world—only in her virtual one.
“But that doesn’t answer my question. What are you getting ready for?”
“Nothing,” Noelle lied smoothly. “Can’t we have a girl’s night?”
“Please tell me you don’t plan on going to see him again.” Lucero turned, narrowing her eyes at her. “He’s dangerous, Noelle. He can hurt you.”
“Of course I won’t. I just want to have a little fun with my best friend, what’s wrong with that? Can’t we just dress up and have fun? It doesn’t have to be related to Raf.”
Lucero didn’t seem convinced in the least. But as Noelle removed a bottle of tequila from her drawer, waving it at Lucero, she eventually caved.
Noelle filled two glasses and they both took a seat on the floor, drinking and chatting. It was a while later and with some help from copious amounts of alcohol that Lucero finally loosened.
“I know you’re going to see him,” she slurred, pointing her finger at Noelle. “It’s why you put on perfume. You want to do things with him, don’t you?”
Noelle was by far the more sober one, but she was still giddily tipsy.
“Of course I want to do things with him,” she giggled. “A lot of things.” She blushed.
