“Not that way, Mrs Mower,” Maria says. I tilt my phone on the dresser so she can have a better view of what Mum is doing to my hair. “A little more to the side will be perfect.”
Since Maria won’t be here, she insisted on being part of the process. I sense her frustration when Mum lets my hair down against her instructions. It tumbles down in waves over my shoulders to frame my face.
“Well... You don’t look so bad.”
“She doesn’t look bad at all,” Mum retorts.
I laugh. These two. They cannot agree on the same thing. Mum thinks she knows what’s best for her daughter. Maria thinks she knows what’s best for her best friend who also happens to be in her age group. I flip my hair over my shoulder, loving the effects of the curling iron.
Mum pins the hair to one side and sets the curling iron down. “I love it,” I tell her and she grins. Maria rolls her eyes. “I love you too, bestie.”
Her frown disappears and her game face is back on. “What’s the colour of your gown?”
“Champagne?”
It is a handmade sequin, shining champagne dress. Thinking about it makes me smile. My boyfriend will have to work his way around the soft material to get to the promiseland. The dress was an early graduation gift from Mum.
“What’s Ben wearing?”
Butterflies swamp my belly. Oh, Ben. “A tux?”
Maria frowns. Her whole face occupies my phone’s screen. Mum settles down on the dresser and Maria massages her forehead.
“What makeup do you have?”
None? But my mum showed up for me. We lift the pallets of eyeshadow, primer, bronzer and other fancy things. Mum doesn’t joke with her looks and I’m thankful for that.
“Mrs Mower, can you do a smoky look?” I turn to Mum. Maria need not ask me. I am shit at makeup except for applying mascara and my lipstick. On some great days, I draw the perfect eyeliner. Mum picks up the pallet to show her the colours. “Gold and black will do.”
On Mum’s instructions, I tilt my head up and allow her to get to work. She hums under her breath as she draws my brows. I burst into laughter when it’s time to apply my mascara.
“Theresa,” she warns but she’s also smiling. My eyes water a bit when she tries to use the eyeliner. She offers me a rechargeable hand fan. “Beauty is pain,” she sings. And this is another reason why I’m not a big fan of makeup. Minutes later, I hear, “All done.”
I stare at the ceiling for a few more seconds till the urge to cry subsides. Cool air blows my face as I continue using the hand fan. Mum is watching with a grin. I am not sure she tears up while applying her makeup. I look in the mirror and my breath seizes.
Oh, my God. I look so pretty.
The gold eyeshadow blends with the black, making my brown eyes appear bolder. I look sexy. Sexy and confident and deserving of the attention my interview with Vogue got me. I granted Mum access to my account and she has taken over my schedules.
She’s like my manager till I can navigate this new lifestyle on my own. With the unending requests for an interview and photoshoots, I am glad I have her, Daddy, Hayden and Ben. And Maria too. She calls ahead to give me ideas on how to strike a pose or dodge questions. She’s horrible like that. My best friend forever. Leah, Mira and Calum also help when they can.
“Don’t you dare cry, sweetheart,” Mum says. I close my eyes, fighting back the tears. My heart slows to a calm rhythm and warmth surrounds me. It’s not just the feeling of contentment, it’s the knowledge that I have them and they have my back too. Always. “I am almost done. Don’t ruin your makeup.”
“Okay.”
Mum finishes my makeup in silence. I video call Maria to have a look at the final effect and her scream has me plugging my ears.
“You look like a princess,” she says. I do. I love everything about my look, even the false eyelashes that helped to create a bolder, edgier Tessa. “Turn around for me.” Mum takes my phone and switches the camera so I can spin. “You did a great job, Mrs Mower.”
Finally, they agree. The call ends and Mum takes my hands. Her eyes shine with tears and she smiles.
“You’ve grown so much, sweetheart.” I have. Not only physically but in other areas of my life. “And I am so proud of you. Come, let’s get you dressed up.”
Holding my hand, we walk to the bed where my gown is sprawled. My fingers play with the sequins, I hold it against my chest and smile at my twin image in the mirror. A thrill of excitement bursts through me. I put on the floor-length gown and turn my back to Mum so she can help me zip it up. Ben will have to worry about taking it down later.
I take a seat on the bed while Mum helps with my shoes. I am wearing actual heels. Stilettos. I practised walking on them all night yesterday. Mum hoists the duffel bag on the floor to the bed.
“You got everything you need?” Mum asks. I nod. Standing akimbo, her eyes narrow. Ben and I are going away for the weekend. He is planning a surprise for me. He won’t tell me the place but I have been asked to pack up for the weekend. Mum seems to be aware of the location, she wasn’t bothered by the lack of information from me. She and Ben have gotten close. “You will be back by Monday?”
“Yes.”
Our eyes meet again, she smiles widely and engulfs me in a hug. “Have fun, okay?” She swipes her hands on her gown and looks away as she says, “No grandbabies for me just yet.”
“Mum.”
Her laughter follows her out of the room. I sit alone for a while before taking some selfies. Ben texts me to know if I’m ready because he is. I reply with a selfie and he responds with two heart-eyed emojis. They are just emojis but my pulse jumps. My Benny. I smile sheepishly when my phone pings.
Ben sent me a picture.
A picture of him grinning.
My boyfriend is the most handsome guy in the world. I send him another text, then tuck the phone into my clutch and leave the room before he replies.
The sound of my heels meeting the stairs breaks the quiet. Mum appears when I am almost downstairs, she grabs the duffel bag from me and stretches it to someone behind her. I stop at the foot of the stairs and courtesy for Daddy. His jaw slacks. He won’t stop staring.
“My baby girl looks so pretty,” Daddy coos. I swat his hand reaching forward to pinch my cheeks. He chuckles and draws me in for a hug instead. A camera dangles from his neck, of course I knew this was coming but I still groan. He matches my groan with a grin. “We need something to remember today.”
“Yeah, sure.”
I take a step down so we are all standing on equal ground. Mum guides me to the wall so I can pose comfortably. The flash of his camera goes off. I change my pose and he clicks away. Mum joins in on some of the pictures, Daddy continues without a break till his ringtone interrupts us. Walking over to us with a grin, he hands over the camera to Mum.
“Your brother,” he says. He turns his phone and my brother’s face comes into view. “She is here.”
“Heyy, princess,” Hayden says.
“Hi, non princess.”
Hayden laughs. I have missed him. I can’t wait for him to be back so I can tell him to his face that he was wrong about my relationship with Ben. Me and Ben will last forever. We might have our differences but they will only serve to make us stronger.
“Where’s your prince charming?” he teases.
I whip my hair like the princess I am pretending to be and bat my thick lashes. “On his way to pick his beautiful princess charming.”
Our chat continues for a few more minutes till Mum takes over the call. The doorbell rings. Everyone tenses, then Mum scrambles to the door. She opens it without letting whoever it is enter and my heart pounds hard and fast. My prince charming is here.
Mum steps away from the door and Ben walks in. I know he’s wearing a suit but I am still taken away by the sight of him. He looks so good. So yummy I want to eat him up.
His tux fits snugly to his frame, gel keeps his hair intact and out of his face. His blue eyes rake over my body and he nods. He even trimmed his brows like I would have. I giggle before he says a word. Smiling hard, he bridges the gap and kisses me.
“Hey, hey,” I murmur, shy and conscious of my parents. I smoothen the invisible creases on his jacket and wink. “You look hot, Benny.”
“You look hotter, babe.”
Daddy clears his throat. Ben grins and knots the flower bracelet he got around my wrist. We are forced to stand behind the wall and pose for a ton of pictures. My cheeks hurt from smiling too much but when Ben slides his hand into mine, I only smile harder.
After what feels like hours of posing and smiling, we are released. Ben slings the duffel bag over one shoulder and laces our free hand. Once we are out the front door, he kisses me properly, stealing my breath away.
“I wanted to do that as soon as I saw you,” he says. “You look so pretty, Gracie.” And he looks super handsome tonight. The breeze is a caress against my face, I nudge him to the limousine parked in front of my house. He rented it for tonight. “Can we skip prom and go somewhere I can stare at you?”
“Ben,” I say with a laugh, covering my mouth to hide my dentition. He pouts. Maria will have my head. Mum will lose her mind after her efforts. “We have all night together, you can do the staring then.”
We stop by the car and he holds the door open for me. Before I slide in, his hand slides around my waist and he whispers against my lips, “I love you very much, Grace Mower.”