Chapter 95

Bella-Rose POV

The 'party' that Chris, oh, so easily said is a charity event that auctions paintings to the rich. The money that is accumulated will be used for the education of poor kids.

And Chris asked, no I mean implied that I would be going with him to my family dinner.
It was like waving a red flag before the bull to my family. Mom and Nana's eyes lit up as if he had already made me his wife.

Cinderella had it easy when it came to getting ready for the party. I, on the other hand, had to face an over-excited Mom and displeased Nana. One splashes her bold choices while choosing dresses, and the other tends to lean on subtle, elegant colors.

And I got stuck in the middle of them. It's my fault though to agree to go shopping with both of them. What choice do I have? The trip with Amanda still gives me nightmares. And the only other fashion guru I know is Nana.

However, asking Nana without involving Mom is like signing my own death warrant. Thus, here I'm, standing in front of the mirror in one of the shops in a shopping mall, wearing a horrendous color dress.

I scrunch my nose at what I'm wearing. How could Mom talk me into wearing this nightmare? Of course, to avoid the verbal spat that is slowly rising between Mom and Nana, I decided to grab both of their choices and make a run for it.

Yup, that truce went into the drain when Nana revived and came back with a bang. However, it's not outright warlike before. It is more subtle but ya, getting there. Give it two or more weeks.

The only one who is happy with their revived battle is dad. I guess Nana let him fall one too many times on his head. What else could be the reason for him to feel happy if his wife and Mom fight?

Oh ya, except he will get Mom to himself once again. Men! Seeing them in a dad role, we tend to forget that our dads are also men with urges. Has this happened to you before? You suddenly look at your dad and realize oh ya, he is a man! Ok, I'm getting off-topic.

So where were we? Oh yes, me in a dressing room wearing a puke-colored dress that no one thinks about wearing. I sighed and removed it, changing into my t-shirt and jeans once again.
"This won't do," I said with my dress in my right hand, coming out of the dressing room.

"I agree with that. That color clashes with your contour," Amanda said with a finger on her chin.
"When did you both barge in?" I questioned looking at Amanda and Sarah. Great! I shouldn't have thought about Amanda. It's as if she has sensed through her psychic powers that I'm thinking about her.

And the glares the sales lady is throwing at us are also not helping. Why you may ask? Well, when we entered this shop about a decade ago, the sales lady was very excited.

Hearing my mom’s excited chatter, the sales lady gleefully asked, "Is the dress for her reception?"

Mom burst her balloon by saying, "you are so sweet. But no, this is for her date," and then Mom being Mom, overshared my love life. You can guess what came out of her mouth next.

"It's her first time going on a second date with the same guy. That too after just a week. At this rate, I bet we can beat Stella's daughter at the altar," Mom gushed daydreaming about my 'upcoming nuptials' in her imaginary world.

The sales lady's smile slowly dropped after hearing that. The dollar signs vanished from her eyes as she scrutinized me from top to bottom. Ya, I get that a lot.

However, she 'tried' to help for 15 minutes in dress selection. But once she realized her suggestions were falling on deaf ears, she quickly scrambled to the hole she emerged from, aiming dirty looks at my unconcerned family every 15 minutes.

"Oh please, how could you imagine going on a date without us to prep you?" Amanda scoffed, waving her hand in the air.

"Of course. Mom must have called you," I deadpanned, mentally facepalming myself for not expecting it. After the incident, my friends also became my support system. Amanda blames herself for taking me to the ball where I met James.

Though I explained to her a gazillion times that it's not her fault, James tried to hide things from me, Amanda believes otherwise. And Sarah also feels guilty that she hasn't 'guided' me in the proper direction. However, she still believes James has an explanation for doing all this. Because I opened my big mouth and spilled the meeting I had with James on the street.

Sarah however, thought better of openly rallying 'team James' amidst the troops of 'team Chris', and remained silent.

I sighed and looked at the collection in the hands of my friends and family. Except for 2-4 dresses which I have already tried on, the store is almost empty as all the dresses are piled near us.

I bet the sales lady will add a maintenance fee to the bill. And she did with an evil glint. If not for Amanda, Nana, and Mom for pitching in, I would have to work part-time in the shop to cover the bill.

But the dress is worth it as I checked the finished product aka me in the dress after donning my makeup and hair.

It's a sleeveless halter neck evening dress with a small strip around the waist, emphasizing its small size as the dress then flares at my hips, pronouncing the shape of them.

A slit on the left side that ends at my upper thigh gives a tantalizing glimpse of my legs. And the back, well there is nothing much to say about it as there is nothing left to say. The back of the dress has a huge oval cut on it, ending at the dimples of my back.

This is what comes out of it when I let my family and friends select for me; a combination of stunning and slutty. I sighed as I tucked my hair behind my ear.

My hair is in an elegant up-do leaving a few tendrils in the front, circling my face. It looks plain and simple. But trusts me, it took 2 hours to achieve that feat.

Right in the queue, Chris's voice came from downstairs. Yes, I'm once again at my parents' home. I don't know why but I never invited him to my home. Whenever we met, it was through here.

I feel like if I invite him to my home then I'm making it official that I'm interested in him. I also feel like I would be breaking James's trust somehow. Even though he didn't care about mine. Perhaps, one day my heart would be out of his clutches. One day.

I descended the stairs holding my gown in my left hand. I fear that if I'm not careful with it, I might trip on my own dress, tearing it in the process.

Chris gave a wolf whistle when his eyes landed on me. "Wow! You look stunning Rose."

My cheeks turned red at his compliment. I avoided his intense scrutiny and turned to Mom.
"We will be back before midnight," I informed.

"No need to rush. Take your time," Mom said with a wink.

Dad who stood beside her ignored her comment and said to Chris, "you better bring my daughter before midnight," cracking his knuckles.

Chris slightly gulped and replied, "yes Mr. James."

A slight reaction slipped past me hearing that name. Thankfully, no one noticed it. When will I learn?

This isn't over Bella

"Shall we leave?" I queried louder than intended.

"Of course," Chris said, looping his arm into mine and escorting me outside.

My steps came to halt when I looked at the vehicle, we will be driving in.

"No way in hell am I entering that one," I said pointing towards the limousine parked before me. Instantly as if conjured up my mind replayed a similar situation that happened long ago.

I pinched my nails into my hand to anchor me to the present as I gazed intently at the car.

Chris, who stood unnoticed, shrugged his shoulders and said, "It's just a car, Rose. No big deal."
"Yes, but I-"

I trailed off, unable to finish the sentence that I would feel uncomfortable sitting in.

Chris, who misunderstood my reason, waved his hand and replied, "it's okay if you haven't ridden in a limo before. No need to be nervous about it. It's mine."

I blinked to clear my vision, turned to him, and mumbled, "but do we have to go in this car? We can take mine," I suggested hoping he would accept it.

Chris however, gave a laugh as if I have shared a joke and replied, "Jesus, Rose, sometimes you crack me up like no other. We are going to an auction. We need to show the bling. Image is important for such events. Nice joke though. Helped me loosen up."

I blushed at his misinterpretation. "Ya, funny. That's me," I muttered, not meeting his eyes.
My mind, which is in unrest, compared the two men. HE never refused my request. He never laughed at me.

"Let's go before we are late," I said walking towards the car purposefully, my heels making a click-clacking sound.