Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 61900 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61900 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
She exhales. “You’re right. Fine, I’ll let you take me shopping but there is no promise I’ll wear it.”
I clap my hands. “This is going to be fun.”
She grumbles something, but she lets me drag her out of the expensive store and we go into the kind of stores I’d like to shop in. I don’t shop in them, because even on my wage they’re too expensive, but if I had the money, I most certainly would. Trendy, sophisticated, and super stylish, these clothes are epic.
I’m sure for her, they’re considered cheap, but for me they’re not and I know I can make her look incredible with what we can find in this shop.
“This place?” she asks when we walk in.
“Oh yes, this place. Trust me.”
I go around the shop as she stands with Star in her stroller, watching me. She looks uncomfortable and horrified, but she lets me do what I need and when I’ve picked an outfit, I hand it to her. For a minute, she stares at what I’ve chosen and then looks back up at me, nose scrunched. “Just try it,” I say. “I promise, once it’s on, you’re going to be shocked. Please?”
She exhales, and then takes the clothes and walks into the change rooms.
About five minutes later, she opens the door and steps out, her face slightly shocked.
She looks incredible. She’s beautiful in every single way it counts, gorgeous and fresh, her delicate features outstanding to anyone looking at her. This outfit only defines that. I’ve picked her a gorgeous flowy skirt that comes up around her waist and is paired with a simple but pretty tank and a waist belt. The shoes are closed in, not the sort you’d usually pick to go with a skirt, but my word, does she look trendy.
“I hate to say it, because I stared at this outfit for a good minute wondering how I was going to tell you that I would never put these on, but ... I look good.”
I laugh. “Of course you look good, you’re gorgeous and that outfit really brings out a personality you’ve long since hidden.”
“I mean ...” She runs her hands down her body. “I kind of look like I belong at some gorgeous outdoor concert, with a big hat, sunglasses, a drink in hand, laughing freely as I sway to the music. But, I actually like it. It makes me feel ...”
“Like yourself?”
She nods, almost as if this is the first time she has actually met the real Delilah.
“All the ladies are going to lose it if I show up in this. They’re all going to be wearing expensive dresses and heels, their hats so perfectly designed to cover the sun and make them look rich as hell at the same time. If I walk in wearing this ...”
“They’ll carry on, make up stories and wonder what happened, but do you really truly care what they think?”
She exhales. “Sadly, I do.”
“Well, here’s what we’re going to do then. We’re going to get you this outfit, and you’re going to wear it one night when you and I go out but I understand you have to be a certain way for the event, so I’ll let you pick for that, but only if you promise me to pick something that actually stands out to you, not something you think will make everyone else happy. Do we have a deal?”
She smiles. “I think I like that deal.”
“Good, now for Star.”
We spend the rest of the day shopping, talking, and it’s the first time I’ve actually seen a glimpse of the real Delilah. The one that lies deep within the surface of the rich girl who has everything. She’s funny and easygoing, she laughs and jokes, if Hugh had seen this side to her, I wonder if things would be different. I wonder if he would have fallen for her, because I can see how easy it would be to do so.
Guilt swallows me up when I think about that, because I feel like I’m taking something from Star, from her, from Hugh, by not letting him see this side to her. If I wasn’t around, perhaps he would have. If he hadn’t had feelings for me, maybe he would have caught the great girl inside of her. Maybe if I go ...
“Can I ask you something?” I say, cutting my thoughts off because they’re really worrying.
“Sure,” Delilah says, as we load everything into the car.
“Why didn’t you ever let Hugh see this side of yourself? I want you to be honest.”
Delilah pauses, and then turns. She thinks on it for a moment, then exhales and says, “To be honest, I knew deep down Hugh and I would never work. I knew it, and even though part of me wanted it to and a bigger part wanted that for Star, I just knew that our worlds would never blend together. Even if he saw what I keep hidden, we still wouldn’t have mixed together in the right way. We both deserve someone who works for us, with us, not against us.”