I pulled out my dress and slipped it on, struggling to pull up the zipper in the back on my own but managing to do so. I looked at myself in the mirror, assessing myself critically.
The dress was a deep purple and fit perfectly, clinging to each curve of my body. It was strapless with a slight sweetheart neckline and my bra made my cleavage more pronounced than usual. The luminescent silk was gathered for texture and swept up to one side of my waist. The dress ended a few inches above my knees and although the dress wasn't very revealing, it was much less than I usually wore. Sarah had convinced me to buy this dress last year for a fraternity formal we had both been invited to, but I had ended up chickening out and not going so the dress had never been worn.
There was a knock at the door but that was just a formality as Sarah entered before I answered.
"Who are you and what have you done with Caitlin Kile?" Sarah joked, putting her hands on her hips and grinning from ear to ear.
I laughed but gave her a nervous look. "You don't think this is too much? Too revealing?"
Sarah rolled her eyes. "My dress shows way more skin than yours. And I don't think mine is scandalous either. You look amazing, Caitlin."
Sarah was right. Her dress did show more skin but I didn't think there was anything risque about it. Her silver dress had a deep vee at the neckline, held up by thin straps that emphasized Sarah's athletic yet elegant shoulders. The dress was shirred and ended far higher than mine. She looked gorgeous and I pitied Grant for missing his chance.
"You look great too," I said sincerely. Sarah was holding her makeup bag and she made her way into the bathroom adjoining my bedroom, setting it on the counter and opening it.
"Thanks. I'm going to do your makeup." Sarah put her hand up, as if expecting a protest. "You never use makeup, so you're either not going to put on enough or make yourself look like a clown."
I joined her in the bathroom. "Who said I was going to refuse your offer?"
Sarah smiled. "I think somebody's trying to impress a certain someone tonight," she teased.
"We'll see," I said, allowing her to start her makeup application.
Sarah made a scoffing noise. "Simon would like you even if you were wearing a potato sack."
"I'll try rocking that look at the next formal party I'm invited to."
Sarah chattered on about what she was doing while she applied the makeup. She was going to make my eyes pronounced with smoky eyeshadow and plenty of mascara and eyeliner. They were a dramatic contrast to my pale skin and the shimmery pink, almost-nude, lipstick she was applying. Sarah knew way more about makeup than I ever wanted to and I just let her do whatever she wanted, trusting her to make me look my best.
After Sarah was done, she turned me around to face the mirror and I had to admit that she had outdone herself. My eyes looked huge and mysterious with all the shading and my skin looked dewy as if I was barely wearing any makeup, which I knew wasn't true. I had felt Sarah applying a base. My lips were a soft pink that shimmered but wasn't overly glossy. With my black hair falling into a shiny pool around my face and onto my shoulders, I almost looked like a stranger. My mix of Korean and Norwegian heritage blended into something much more exotic and enticing than I felt.
"Are you sure you shouldn't be doing this professionally?" I breathed out, turning my head from side to side to admire Sarah's handiwork. "Seriously. If you can make me look this good, there has to be some magic involved."
Sarah rolled her eyes. "I just enhanced what was already there. One day you'll realize that." Sarah leaned closer to the bathroom mirror as she started on her own makeup.
I put on the small diamond studs that Sarah's parents had given me for my twenty-first birthday and then I had nothing left to do except put on my heels. They were nude colored, making my leg
s look longer than they were, but I didn't want to put them on until the last possible second. I had worn them before so they were broken in and comfortable enough for heels, but I knew I would probably be standing on my feet for a good portion of the night. I wanted to make sure to maximize the period of time I would be able to wear them without wanting to kick them off. I was much more comfortable in flats.
I sat on the bed while Sarah finished getting ready, wondering what Jenny and Marcus were doing tonight and whether any developments had happened between them. Sarah mentioned she had texted Jenny earlier in the day, but Jenny had just said that she had watched Marcus' team lose the soccer match.
Sarah was walking out of the bathroom and slipping on her heels when there was a knock at the door.
"Come in," I called out as I stood. I sucked in a breath of air as I watched Grant and Simon enter. They were both wearing tuxes which made me realize just how formal this party was. But I was breathless by how amazing Simon looked in a tux. He looked approachable and sexy in jeans and a t-shirt, but in a tux he looked sophisticated and dazzlingly handsome.
Simon moved towards me in the tux with ease, reminding me that he belonged to a world that was foreign to me. Where tuxes weren't just for proms and formal weddings. I might have felt awkward by this thought, but all I could think about was Simon's eyes on me as he looked me up and down, his eyes turning a smoldering blue as I could see the desire spark in his eyes. It made me inordinately happy that he seemed to like what he saw.
"You look amazing," Simon said in a husky voice as he grabbed my hand. "I'm going to have to club all the men away from you tonight." He looked a little displeased at the thought and his momentary jealousy thrilled me. Lord knows that I was jealous of all the girls constantly fawning over him, and I garnered a bit of satisfaction from knowing that he wouldn't want the same to happen to me. Not that I thought it actually would, but it was nice that he thought so.
"You look pretty amazing yourself," I replied, surveying him with approval. Simon grinned and bowed deeply. As he straightened he gave me a wink. "I'm glad you approve."
I looked over and saw Grant admiring Sarah as well but she seemed unaffected by it.
"You guys would put James Bond to shame," she said lightly with a smile, but it wasn't directed at Grant but to both he and Simon in general. She said it with barely a look in Grant's direction as she grabbed her small matching purse she had thrown on the bed earlier. Grant didn't look too happy by her lack of attention but he didn't comment.
Simon raised his eyebrows at me, obviously noticing the difference in Sarah's attitude and I just shrugged my shoulders, not being able to explain with them in the room. Besides, how could I tell Simon that Sarah decided she was worth more than Grant's half-hearted attentions because of the way Simon treated me? It would be way too embarrassing to say those words out loud.
I slipped on my heels and took hold of the arm Simon offered. "Are there already a lot of people downstairs?"