I look at the sketch I’m drawing, and it just looks boring; I lay my head on the desk and let out a little growl of frustration. This is my twentieth sketch in three days, and I still don’t have the dress drawn for tomorrow’s assignment.
“It’s not bad!” I jump a little in my chair when I hear Aurora’s voice right behind me.
“It’s not good either!” I look at the dress and think that maybe a little color would improve it; I take a dark blue pencil and color the top, immediately crumple the paper, and throw it in the trash. “I’m not going to pass…”
“Yes, you will. You know what I think. We should go to aparty.” I look at her incredulously. “Some boys from Leticia’s course are having a party, and Henry will be there.”
I look at her in disbelief. She raises her eyebrows, smiling amusedly. I take a blank sheet of paper and try to make a sketch. “I think you are forgetting a small little detail. I’m engaged.”
“First of all, I don’t see a ring on that beautiful little hand of yours. And secondly, you haven’t seen or spoken to your fiancé in almost two months. Sorry, Chiara, but he doesn’t seem to be super dedicated to the engagement.”
Her words make me not want to look her in the eye; she’s right; Luca doesn’t seem to have the slightest interest in me, and here I am after two months, still waiting for an answer that will never come. “I still haven’t managed to design a decent dress for the assignment.”
“Excuses. Get up from that chair, put on some nice clothes, and let’s go to the party. Maybe you’ll find some inspiration there.”
“You’re annoying!”
“We leave in an hour. I’ll let the boys know.”
I get up from my chair and walk toward my closet with Amethyst in my arms. She’s right, right? I should have some fun, maybe kiss… I look at my dog, looking for an answer; she looks at me and tilts her head, still looking at me. I take that as a yes and start looking for a dress to wear.
The black Dolce and Gabbana dress is extremely tight on my body, making it look more curvilinear. It hits just above the knee, and its neckline is straight, so you can see the roundness of my breasts. I curly my hair a little and put on very heavy black eyeliner, red lipstick, and 12-centimeter black Louboutin.
“WOW…” I hear Leticia’s voice immediately after I appear in the room. “You look wow…”
“Thanks, I guess.”
I feel the eyes of the guards on me, and they don’t seemtoo happy with my outfit, so I shrug my shoulders and leave the house in hopes that tonight will make me forget the last few days and the contempt my fiancé apparently feels for me.
When we step inside the house, I pour myself a rather generous glass of whiskey. I look around me, and I don’t really know anyone; the girls are socializing somewhere. Paolo and Francesco have slowed down a bit at my request. I don’t want them to realize that I’ve brought my bodyguards to a party; I take a generous sip of the drink and think that maybe I should talk to someone, meet someone new perhaps.
“Chiara, you look stunning!” I don’t have to turn around to know that the voice belongs to Henry. I smile before I even look in his direction. He looks really handsome with his dark blond hair, a little messy white T-shirt, and classic black pants.
“You’re not too bad yourself.” I smile on the outside and beat myself up on the inside for the cliché speech. I’m terrible at this kind of conversation; I feel that if I’m even remotely interested in someone, my brain won’t cooperate with me.
“How about I make you a dirty martini?” I look at him, who is clearly waiting for an answer, and at my half-full glass. I slurp up all the liquid in one go, grimacing at the end, causing him to laugh and pulling me toward the drinks counter.
“Don’t tell anyone, but I have frozen glasses hidden away. It’s the only way to make a good martini.” I see him expertly make the drink and look around before taking the glasses out of the freezer. He pours the drink and offers me one; I take a small sip and feel my body shiver from the cold glass. “So?”
“It’s great; I think I’m going to make you make me drinks all night.” I take another sip, seeing him smile, bringing his glass to his lips.
Half an hour later, my body feels numb, and my head feels light; I’ve lost count of how many cocktails and shots I’ve had with Henry and his friends. I feel the laughter come out easily,and I see the smile Henry throws in my direction. “Cuff it” is playing loudly on the speakers, spreading throughout the house; I stand up smiling and pull Henry into the middle of the room; he smiles also and follows me in a dance, perhaps a little uncoordinated and inebriated.
I feel his arms around my waist, and I lower my body a little; I feel free, light, happy, maybe even a little sexy. I dance and drink with Henry for hours. Every now and then, I feel the looks of displeasure from my bouncers burn on me, but I couldn’t care less; I feel better than I have in a long time.
Someone bumps into me, and my alcohol-intoxicated body can’t seem to hold on. I feel Henry’s hands on my waist, steadying me on the ground. I look in the direction of the person who bumped into me, and my eyes go wide at the shimmering, slightly metallic fabric of her dress, and inspiration takes hold of me.
I look at Henry, and he can’t seem to take his eyes off me; he slowly approaches my face with his eyes focused on my lips, and I suddenly feel nervous.
“Do you have drawing supplies? I need to draw something.” Henry looks confused, and I want to slap my face for interrupting the moment; I keep wishing I could finally have my first kiss, and when the opportunity arises, with an incredible boy like Henry, I pull this stunt.
“Yes… of course, in my room. Do you want to go there now?” He asks, scratching the back of his neck. I wish I could turn back intime.
“If you don’t mind…”
Henry’s room is in dark tones, black and grey, and extremely organized, which seems right coming from him. There are books on a small shelf in the room, and I restrain myself from running there to see what kind of books he reads.
“Will a white sheet of paper and colored pencils do?”
