Virgin Lips

11. If you sleep with a pig, you get what comes with it

After a few seconds during which Valerie's smile went from uncertain to sweet, to finally grateful and proud, she nodded. "You're right, I'm sorry." Does this mean I can avoid dresses? She took a few steps, and entered the dressing booth behind me. She then reemerged with all the dresses she'd told me to try on and I hadn't. "Take that off, I need to rethink this entirely."

I obeyed without a word, glad I could finally get rid of that absurd dress and that none of them had even looked at my ugly chubby thighs and crooked legs, not to mention my giant flat feet. As I undressed, I could hear them talking lowly.

"You should have been a stylist." This was Valerie. "Or a personal shopper. You've always had incredible eye for these things."

Ben laughed. "You know it's not my thing."

"But you're so good at it!"

"Not really. It's just ..."

"What?" She inquired, and I instinctively leaned closer to the curtain, in order to better hear what he was about to say; that, unfortunately, almost made me fall, but I kept myself miraculously, yet not without thumping against the wall behind me.

"Everything alright in there?" Ben asked, his tone latched with concern.

"Yes!" I nearly screamed, afraid he'd enter. I was halfway through taking off the dress, that's why my balance had been unsteady. After a moment of silence, they restarted talking, and I heaved a sigh of relief. I wanted to hear their conversation if it resumed on the same note as before, but I needed to focus on a) taking off that blinding trap Valerie called a beautiful dress; b) avoid making a fool of myself again. However, one thing was certain, I this insane attempt at a "makeover" will not end well for me.

--

"Starting with dresses was a mistake." Valerie claimed as she handed me a pile of clothes whose colors were various nuances of black and white but also a couple of navy blue and bordeaux (the only two colors outside the rainbow that I actually can recognize, despite what they say about women and their ability with colors). "We need to work our way up, step by step. Hell, this might actually be a job that requires multiple sessions!"

She was even too excited for my liking, but I would have done anything to get things moving and go home as fast as possible, at this point. Hence, I tried on the various outfits she'd handed me: all jeans with different kinds of shirts and tops. Ben and Valerie approved of half, which were placed onto the small couch where Ben sat, waiting for me to parade before him every time.

When Valerie disappeared again, this time to take care of a couple of customers that needed her, I stepped out of the booth, to take a deep breath.

"Tired?" Ben asked, smiling faintly, to which I nodded. He glanced at this watch, "no wonder, we've been here 3 hours already."

"Three hours!" I exclaimed without being able to restrain myself, "no wonder I'm starving."

Ben chuckled. "You wanna go grab something to eat?"

"But ..." I nodded towards Valerie, who was all smiles and giggles with the customers she was helping.

"Oh, she'll be away for a while, might as well take a break. It's a long process, remember?"

"How ... long, exactly?"

He stood up, and after having typed something on his phone – a text to Valerie, I assume, since she received one immediately after –, he pocketed it, and walked up to me. "As long as it takes."

"But why ..."

He started walking towards the exit of the shop and gestured for me to follow him. "Because you need it," Ben claimed.