Graceful Deception

19. So It Turns Out You're Not My Brother After All

 Chapter 19

So It Turns Out You’re Not My Brother After All

 

 

“So if this thing isn’t until this evening, why are we starting to get ready…five hours before?” I asked Stella.  It was just the two of us in her room, which suited her perfectly.  It wasn’t bright colors or anything, just pale gold and cream colors.  I was lounging on her king-sized bed, tempted to bury myself in the piles of pillows. 

“Because,” she called out from inside her closet.  “You’re no use with your hair and makeup, so I’ll be doing both of ours.  You can lounge around for the next hour or so while I do mine, but then you’re up.”

I might or might have not fallen asleep while she was working on her own hair and makeup.  After not going to sleep until almost five o’clock that morning, it would do it.  I blamed John, who just wanted to lie there in the bed and talk.  Even after I halfway fell asleep on top of him, my head buried under his neck and against his chest, he was still questioning me.  He finally got the hint after I fell asleep in the middle of answering one.

When Stella walked back out of her bathroom and woke me up, her makeup was finished and her hair was still setting in rollers.  The smile on her face…made me just a little uneasy. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked, eyeing her warily. 

“Because,” she grinned.  “Now, it’s your turn.  And I’ve always wanted to really dress you up, especially since you never really do!”

I groaned, imagining just how much she was going to do to me. 

“Come on.  Don’t be such a baby.”

Thank goodness, she didn’t spend that much time on my makeup.  Though, when she came at me with the red lipstick, I flat out refused at first.  Nevertheless, I let her do it…since she guilt-tripped me into it. 

As for my hair…I closed my eyes when she plugged up the curling iron, fearing the worst.  Like big hair that was totally not me.  But no, she was just emphasizing my already wavy hair, pulling half of it up, teasing the top of it, and pinning it at the back. 

“A dress?” I asked as she practically skipped out of her bathroom.  I was having trouble looking away from the mirror…at the person who was definitely not me.  I wasn’t used to having a lot of makeup on, not that she put much on besides the lipstick.  But still, I looked…okay, I didn’t look half-bad.  Pretty even.

“I told you that you’d looked good,” Stella grinned, coming back in with a garment bag in hand.  “And you thought it was going to be awful.”

“No, I…”  Okay, Emmy.  Turn around and talk to her.  “Sorry…but yeah.  It does.”

“No need to thank me,” she laughed as she unzipped the bag.  “Now, here’s your dress.  Why you were thinking that you wouldn’t be wearing one, I don’t know.  This is one of my favorites, though.  Very Audrey Hepburn, though with longer sleeves since it’s freezing outside.  Oh, and there’s more tulle underneath to make it a little more poufy.  Yeah, and you’re going to have to go strapless with your bra.  The back is low cut, but no so low that you can’t wear one.”

“Thank goodness for that,” I muttered, helping her pull it out of the bag. 

It was definitely poufy, that’s for sure, but it was one of those classic little black dresses that you could never get wrong.  Very Audrey Hepburn, just like she said, though the sleeves would come just past my elbows.