The Dress

“OMG! You look phenomenal!”

Meghan exclaimed dramatically as Aira Emerged from behind the makeshift curtains they set up for her to change.

“Thanks, I guess,” Aira responded hesitantly, “I’m still not sure about this, I somehow feel bad about wearing this dress,”

“Why would you?! Didn’t you say that he was worried about ruining your dress and injuring you?”

“Well, he technically didn’t. The accident wasn’t his fault, so him sending an expensive dress like this is a bit too much. I don’t even know his name or how to thank him for it.”

“Nah! Don’t worry too much about it! He probably did this because he liked you and he wanted to do something for you,”

“I have a fiance, Megs, and he knows it,” Aira responded feeling somehow guilty at the thought of Jace.

“Ant that’s why he did this instead of asking for your number!” Meghan said eying the dress wistfully, “Ugh, look at you lucky little boar! Do you know how hard it is to get a dress like that?! The designer who made it doesn’t take orders this season anymore,” Meghan said with an exaggerated hand gesture.

Then she went to the table and picked up a card near the box where the dress came earlier -delivered by a well dressed and too eloquent employee. Then Meghan began talking with the worse imitation of a sexy voice.

“I hope you have a nice evening. If I can get out of the car trouble you left me with and ran away, I would love to stop by. Looking forward to seeing your art. Yours V.A.V,”

“Ugh for the love of god Stop it, he doesn’t sound like that!” Aira said with a shudder, “You’re gonna ruin his voice for me.”

“Ooh, so you admit that you liked his voice!”

“Yeah, well, he has a nice voice,” Aira responded 

“What else was nice about him? How about his face? His chest? Or maybe his arms when he caught you…” Meghan said her eyes sparkling.

She was enjoying this way too much.

“Stop it, will you? I’m trying to keep the little bit of dignity I still have left to face Jace. And you’re making it disappear into thin air,” Aira said

“Who needs dignity when you have strong muscled arms to catch you and a deep husky voice to whisper into your ears,” Meghan said picking up the white lily that came with the dress and flaunting it around as if she was reading some kind of cheezy poetry.

“Okay, time for this to stop, I’m going to end this dress up session early,” Aira sighed as she checked herself one final time in the mirror noting how the cream colored silk dress looked well on her and silently admitting that she liked it.

Not to mention that the one shoulder tilt on the dress not only made it sexy but also made sure to completely cover the bandage.

How thoughtful IS that…

“So you’re gonna keep it?” Meghan asked excitedly

“We don’t have enough time to go buy a new one. And besides, if it’s going to silence you about this then I’m all for it.” Aira responded

“Yay! I knew that I can convince you to do anything!” Meghan said with a gleeful smile.

“You mean like you convinced me to take on this project so that you could get a bonus and a promotion?” Aira teased.

“Oh come on! I barely needed to convince you to do that,” Meghan asked as the two of them made their way outside heading toward the showroom.

“You know you liked the project and besides you would have done anything for me if I asked,” Meghan said and Aira rolled her eyes .

She was partly right. Aira did like the project and she would have considered taking it even if she didn’t if Meghan had asked.

As soon as they took two steps inside, they were swamped with guests congratulating her.

Aira spent the better part of an hour with Meghan by her side talking to the guests, welcoming them, and discussing business deals. She hadn’t even had the time to look at her own art and she felt herself getting tired all of a sudden at the emptiness she was starting to feel.

“Why don’t you take a quick break over there, I will bring you something to drink,” Meghan said motioning to an empty corner hidden from the guests,

“Thanks, Megs,” Aira said grateful to her friend.

Aira headed there taking the time to see her art and look at every little detail, every imperfection she slaved over, and every character she had drawn out of her imagination and into paper. And she felt… Proud, proud of herself and the work she had done.

She was making it, although it had seemed impossible a few years ago, she was glad she hadn’t given up and joined her father’s company. 

She was glad that she had kept trying…

“Well, if it isn’t my little princess,” someone said from behind her and Aira turned around smiling.

“Dad! You’re here,” She exclaimed hugging her father and kissing him on the cheek.

“I am here. Where else would I be?” Her father said with a smile

“I thought you had a business trip in London this week,” Aira said

“I decided to let your brother handle that one,” Her father said looking at one of her illustrations and Aira smiled

“So you decided to let him do his job once in a blue moon. There must be something going on, or a miracle just happened,”

“No miracles there. Just your old dad deciding to let your brother ease a few of his burdens that’s all…”

“You’ve been fighting over this for months. I’m glad to see you giving in and letting him do his own thing,” Aira said

Her father nodded non-committal and just as Aira was about to ask him if everything was okay, her younger sister popped her head between them with a grin on her face.

“Grace, glad to see you here,” Aira said bending down to hug her sister and realizing that she barely had to do that anymore. Grace was almost as tall as her now.

“The little squirt wouldn’t have missed it for the world. She’s crazy about your illustrations,”

“Dad! Don’t call me squirt! I’m not young anymore!” She exclaimed then looked at Aira, “ Mom is looking for you, sis,”

“And that would be my cue to leave,” Her father said with a smile,

“Did you and Mom fight?” Aira asked

“Nope that would be a negative,” her father answered as he slipped something into her fingers and kissed her cheek.

“Just in case you wanted to replace it with something,” He whispered before leaving Aira confused,

Looking down, Aira found her previously empty left ring finger occupied with a small diamond ring in the shape of a small bird drinking from a silver flower. The design was so delicate and beautiful that Aira stood there staring at it for a long time until she was woken from her reveries by another familiar voice.

“What are you doing daydreaming in the middle of your exhibition?!”

Aira found herself looking at her sister and her mother, then her sister whispered into her ear.

“He gave me the same thing. I think he’s getting emotional in his old age…” Grace trailed off and Aira didn’t know whether to be shocked at what her sister just whispered or at the fact that her grandmother was in front of her right then.

“Grandma! Why are you here?! You said that you wouldn’t come!” Aira exclaimed/whispered deciding to worry about her father later.

“Of course, she was coming honey,” Her mother said “She wouldn’t have missed it for the world, isn’t it, Mom?”

“I wouldn’t go that far, but I figured that I could at least take a look at this thing you call art…” Her grandmother said looking around her illustrations critically. 

Aira didn’t miss the appreciation in her grandmother’s eyes as her gaze settled on a particular illustration and Aira made a note to ask Meghan whether it was still available. But then she saw her gaze as it moved on to the next pieces with disdain and her decision crumbled in her mind just like that.

“Ouch, that actually hurt…” Her sister said quietly from beside her making Aira wonder if she wanted to laugh or cry.

Her meetings with her grandmother always left this bittersweet aftertaste. Not that she didn’t love her grandmother, because she did. But it was hard to deal with someone who was too good at what you did because you always keep wondering if you will ever do something that would be nearly as good as theirs, or meet their approval.

Her sister tugged at her arm and Aira looked up to find a few eyes on them.

“Grandma, please be careful, you too Mom. You’re very well known and no one can know I’m related to you,”

“Yeah yeah, whatever. You and your ‘I want to make it on my own' policy,” Her grandmother said

“Of course, honey,” Her mother said,

Her grandmother waved them off and walked away and her mother gave her an encouraging smile.

“She’s proud of you, she just doesn’t know how to show it,” She said

“I know mom,” Aira answered with a smile as her mother followed her grandmother, Grace on their heels.

Aira exhaled and pasted on a smile as people drew curious stares at her after spotting her mother and grandmother. Her mother was a famous sculptor and her grandmother was a very well-known painter.

Usually, they wouldn’t get that much attention even if they go out together, but since this was an art exhibition, it was filled with art connoisseurs who would recognize her family as easily as they would any celebrity and Aira hadn’t wanted that…

“Aira,” Someone called from behind her.

Meghan was approaching her a tall man in a three-piece tailored suit following behind her. The man had soft features. They were only accentuated by the glasses perched on his nose.

Steeling her nerves, Aira smiled at them as they reached her expecting Meghan to introduce her to the famous Vincent Valory. 

She had looked him up online before coming there, but there was no time to look at pictures…

The cutthroat businessman who was worth billions of dollars. The stubborn man who was willing to go as far as to host a exhibition to get her to work on his project.