Page 66 of Well, That Was Unexpected

She shrugs, not looking sorry in the slightest. “I’m just being romantic.”

“Stop fooling around, please,” my makeup artist says. She hadn’t been impressed when Kiki and I battled over my phone. I glance up at the mirror and pause.

“Whoa.” Kiki was right about getting my makeup professionally done. I’ve never seen my skin look so glowy before. It looks poreless and dewy, like a K-pop star. And she’s done some shading on strategic parts of my face so that my nose looks more defined and my cheekbones are popping. Speaking of popping, my eyes look incredible—huge and alluring andimpossible not to stare at. “Wow, thank you,” I manage to say after a while.

“Stop talking,” she murmurs as she paints my lips. She narrows her eyes at me. “You’ll have to take small bites when you eat so you don’t spoil my handiwork.”

I widen my eyes at Kiki, who’s shaking with silent laughter.

The hairdresser, in the meantime, has swept my hair into a complicated side braid twined with ribbons and flowers. Once my hair and makeup is done, I’m squeezed into a dress that Kiki’s prepared for me—a floor-length lilac gown made of the softest chiffon. The waist is cinched with a beautiful traditional jeweled belt and the skirt flows down as smooth as a waterfall. When I walk, the chiffon moves silkily, brushing my skin like a soft cloud. I feel like a fairy princess come to life.

When George arrives, I answer the door and am rewarded with the sight of George standing there, openmouthed as he takes me in.

“Hi.” My voice comes out small and foreign. I don’t recognize the sound.

“Shar—”

The click of a picture being taken distracts us both, and I turn around to see Kiki taking photos of us with her phone.

“Look, I got his expression,” she says, scrolling through the photos. “Ah, if this isn’t love, I don’t—ow, ow, ow!”

I shove her while pinching until she stomps away, yelling, “I just wanted to help!”

“Oh, here’s the food.” George hands me a stupidly heavy bagfilled with takeaway boxes. Kiki rushes back, snatches the bag from me, and scampers away, yelling, “Thanks, Prince George!”

“Sorry,” I say, desperately searching for an excuse. “She’s just…she’s. Yeah.”

One corner of George’s mouth lifts into a wry smile. “I could get used to being called Prince George.”

I roll my eyes, and just like that, we’re back to our usual selves. Though I can’t help but notice that George is stealing a lot more glances at me than before, which makes me self-conscious as hell. I touch my face lightly, feeling how crazy smooth my skin is. “Does it look okay? I’ve never had my makeup professionally done.”

George hurriedly nods. “Yeah, I mean. Yeah, you look good. Really good.” He scratches the back of his neck and glances away, but not before I catch the blush coloring his cheeks. “Anyway, I should get going. We’re having a rehearsal for the launch, and uh. Yeah.”

“Oh yeah.” I hadn’t thought of how busy his day must be, given he’s the face of the new app and everything. “Sorry, if I had known you’re so busy today, I wouldn’t have asked you to get me and Kiki breakfast.”

He shrugs. “It was nothing.” He turns to go, but changes his mind at the last minute and turns back to face me.

My heart goes, “AAAAH,” or maybe it’s my mind? Well, some part of me is going, “AAAAH,” anyway. When I swallow, my mouth is bone-dry. What does that even mean, bone-dry? And why am I thinking about things likebone-drynow? What is it about George that makes my thoughts zip around like they’recaught in a hurricane and my heart pound like…uh, like a mallet being pounded into a vat of glutinous rice to make mochi? Okay, clearly I need to work on my analogies.

“Yeah?” I squeak. I didn’t mean to squeak. I’m not the type of person who squeaks.

“I—um.” He licks his lips quickly, like his mouth is as dry as mine. “I have something to tell you.”

“Oh?” I squeak again in the squeakiest squeak that ever was squeaked.

“It’s just—you know how we met? Online?”

Oh shit. Oh god. Oh no. All the butterflies that were fluttering inside me just a second ago turn into lead and drop dead with a heavy thump. He’s going to tell me that he knows all about my lie. He’s found out somehow. Maybe he’s figured it out. He’s not stupid, he would’ve figured it out at some point. “George, I’m so sor—”

“I didn’t think I’d like you, but I do,” he blurts out.

“—what?”

“I really, really like you, Sharlot,” he says, and his voice is so earnest that it makes tears spring into my eyes.

“I really like you too,” I whisper in a hoarse voice. This moment is both beautiful and terrible. How can one heart be filled with so many emotions at once? I’m torn between spinning and laughing with giddy joy and curling up and crying with crushing guilt.

The relief on his face is palpable. Since when did his face become one that I’m so fond of? How did that happen? I reach out for his hand and practically smile with my entire body when hecatches it. The feel of his fingers around mine is at once comforting and familiar, like our hands are meant to hold each other’s.

---