Celeste smacked her lips together, blending her nude lipstick with a finger swipe. She leaned into the mirror and squinted, checking for any smudges.
Her leather mini skirt hugged her curves like a second skin, and her sheer black top, paired with a bralette underneath, felt equal parts daring and defensive. She wore a leather boot high enough to her knees, and her skirt dared her to bend if she had enough guts to.
"Girl..." Amara drawled from the bed, one leg crossed over the other as she sipped on an energy drink. "You’re killing right now."
Celeste glanced at her reflection and bit the inside of her cheek. She hated stepping out because she always ended up looking too much.
"I look too much, right?"
Amara scoffed. "You look too good to be going to a party you almost declined."
Celeste rolled her eyes, fluffing her hair, which was coiled in soft, bouncy waves. "You know I wasn’t going to go at all."
She smiled at how beautiful and hot she looked. She knew she was beautiful from a tender age but tonight was different.
"Mmm-hmm." Amara narrowed her eyes, playful. "And now look at you. In that skirt. With that face beat. Looking like every man’s fantasy and every ex’s regret." She half joked.
Celeste smirked. "Shut up."
"Don’t make get up and bow to you."
Amara’s own makeup was smokey and stunning, with silver shadow around her lids and a sleek ponytail that fell like liquid ink down her back. She wore ripped black jeans and a satin corset top.
While Celeste was 5 ’4, Amara stood at a solid 5’ 7, and her height made anything she wore looked like it was fit to be on a runway.
There was a knock at the door.
Both girls froze.
Amara perked up like a erkat. "Did you order food?"
Celeste shook her head slowly. "No..."
"Okay, maybe it’s your secret admirer finally delivering his heart."
"Shut up and go check."
Amara groaned as she slid off the bed and padded barefoot to the door. When she opened it, she gasped so dramatically Celeste nearly twisted an ankle turning to look.
"Oh my God."
"What?"
Amara turned slowly, her eyes wide, holding a sleek black box wrapped with a satin gold ribbon.
"What is that?" Celeste asked, almost sounding uninterested.
Amara blinked at her like she’d just been handed the one ti Darey ring.
"Dom-freaking-inic sent this."
Celeste’s stomach dropped. "What?" Can he just stop? What was he playing at right now? What was he doing?
Amara nodded quickly, stepping inside. "There’s a card. It says ’I felt this was made for your wrist.’ He signed it with a freaking D."
Celeste swallowed hard. Her fingers trembled slightly as she reached for the box. Things were beginning to get more complicated with every second.
"Open it!" Amara whisper-yelled.
Celeste untied the ribbon and lifted the lid carefully. Inside, nestled on black velvet, was a diamond tennis bracelet so exquisite it could pay two sesters of their college tuition. Maybe three.
It shimred like frost in sunlight.
Amara choked on air. "Is that real?"
Celeste just stared at it, speechless. Her heart kept doing little backflips the more she stared at it. "I—I can’t accept this."
"Well, you already did."
"I’m returning it. After the party." Her voice cracked. It sounded barely convincing even to herself.
"You’re returning a Dominic Cross gift?" Amara leaned in. "Girl, do you know how many models would commit federal cris for this?"
Celeste snapped the box closed, trying to regain control of her pulse. "Exactly why I’m returning it."
She stepped back to her dresser, slipping in earrings, as her face turned pale despite the blush. Her eyes darted to the jewelry tray beside the mirror.
She stared at her hand and rembered sothing. Then, she froze.
Her breath caught.
Sothing was missing.
Her fingers searched frantically, flipping through rings and earrings.
"Amara," she said, almost breathless.
"What?" Amara asked, still clutching the box like it was a holy relic.
"My ring." Celeste’s voice dropped to a whisper. "The one Landon gave . The engagent ring."
Amara straightened. "What?"
"It’s gone."
She checked the floor, under the tray, the jewelry dish, and even behind the dresser.
Nothing. There was nothing anywhere. It was just gone. A chill rippled through her. She almost puked.
She felt her stomach tighten and a strange kind of sha rush to her cheeks, hot and prickly.
"Maybe it slipped under the bed?" Amara suggested, already kneeling.
"No," Celeste said, quieter this ti. "I had it there. Right there. I rember taking it off randomly, but I can’t rember when."
Her voice thinned. "I think... I’m not sure I had it on before the knock on the door."
"You think soone stole it?"
Celeste didn’t answer. Her brain was racing, and she thought about every possibilities of Nana having a heart attack if she finds out that the ring was gone. It couldn’t have been Amara.
She reached for the drawer, and paysed when soone crossed her mind. No.
No, not him.
Dominic wouldn’t.
She sat on the edge of the bed, suddenly dizzy. She rembered last night all over again, and how he took the ring off while she cheated on Landon peacefully.
Amara reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Cel... are you okay?"
Celeste nodded, though she wasn’t.
Not even close.
Panic rose in her chest at the idea that sothing that defined her, her future, her commitnt, her safety net, was gone.
Like the last thread holding her to Landon had been snipped. Cleanly and silently.
And maybe, deep down, she’d known it was only a matter of ti.
"I’m okay," she whispered. "Let’s just... go."
Amara hesitated. "Are you sure?"
Celeste stood, collected herself, and grabbed a small black clutch.
"I need the distraction."
"But the ring—"
"I’ll deal with it tomorrow."
Amara gave her a long look but didn’t push it. "Alright. Let’s go and have so fun. Rember, Landon flopped himself, not you."
Celeste nodded once. She lifted her chin, and walked out the door behind Amara.
Reviews
All reviews (0)