Page 17 of Always

“Works every time,” Anika said, winking at Gwen and Hannah.

Calvin went to the window to watch Stella sashay across the parking lot in her stiletto heels.

“Gross!” Hannah said, adding to Anika. “No offense.”

“None taken,” Anika assured her.

“You know she hates you,” Gwen reminded Calvin.

“I know,” Calvin sighed.

“And don’t forget you have a girlfriend,” Hannah reminded him, “who’s actually nice, and way prettier than you deserve.”

“I know,” Calvin said. “It’s a sickness. Blame the girls that bullied me in Kindergarten. I like what I like.”

* * *

Luckily Anika didn’t haveto worry about her sister’s interference on the day of the gala itself. Stella was far too busy with her beautifying preparations, which began at six a.m.: hot yoga, a detoxifying steam bath, hydrotherapy, a face and body mud mask, then down to the real work—a subtle spray tan, fresh manicure and pedicure, seaweed belly wrap to remove the last vestiges of bloat, freshening up of her lash extensions, a final fitting of her gown, and then off to hair and makeup.

Anika’s toilette wasn’t nearly as elaborate, but she did make what was for her an extraordinary effort—she had a glossy dark rinse put in her hair, followed by a blow-out with a few Gatsby-appropriate finger waves.

Marina, her hairdresser said, “Let me do your makeup too! You can’t just wear mascara; you need something more dramatic to go with that gown.”

Anika agreed. It had been a long time since she’d so much as looked in the mirror for a full minute. The success of this gala meant everything to her—it was all she had at the moment, and if looking polished and alluring could bring in even a few extra dollars, it would be worth it.

Having her face cleansed, moisturized, and painted was surprisingly relaxing. When was the last time someone touched her cheek, or even stood this close to her?

“Unbelievable,” Marina said when she finished. “They won’t even recognize you.”

She turned Anika to face the large vanity mirror, studded with starlet lights. Anika let out a little gasp.

The girl looking back at her was the Anika of ten years before: slender, elegant, doe-eyed and full-lipped, creamy skin off-set by thick, dark waves of hair. Without realizing it, the stress of the past few weeks and her renewed interest in running had been working a transformation upon her. She had lost weight, bringing out the high cheekbones and the delicate line of her jaw.

But it was more than that. There was a flush in her cheeks that had been missing for years, a brilliance in the eyes that had been dead and dull.

James coming back to her city had tormented her, stirring up emotions that she had struggled for years to repress. She had felt devastation, longing, humiliation, regret. Yet all that was somehow better than the blank nothingness that had enveloped her before. She had been tortured, but at least she was alive again.

“Don’t cry!” Marina chided her. “You’ll ruin all my hard work.”

“I’m sorry,” Anika said. “It’s just been so long since I’ve felt like myself.”

Marina helped Anika to step into her dress, zipping up the back. The material lay sleek and cool against her skin. She slipped her feet into a pair of silver sandals.

“I hope I remember how to walk in heels,” she said.

“You’re such an Amazon,” Marina laughed. “I forgot how tall you are when you don’t slouch.”

It was true, she wasn’t slouching now. The dress was too beautiful, the night was too important. Anika felt full of anticipation.

“Don’t forget your jewelry,” Marina said.

She helped clasp the silver necklace behind Anika’s neck, the pendant falling to rest between her breasts. Anika hung the teardrop earrings in her ears. This had been her mother’s favorite jewelry: flawless, deep blue sapphires, teardrop shaped and accented with diamonds, a large stone at each ear and an even larger pendant on a spider’s web silver chain.

Stella had been given first pick of their mother’s jewelry. She had chosen the most expensive piece, the 8-carat diamond engagement ring. But Anika had seen the envy in her face when Anika had taken the sapphire set as her choice. It was over a hundred years old, passed down from their great-grandmother. Stella grabbed the majority of the remaining pieces in revenge, but Anika didn’t care. This was the set she remembered her mother wearing most often, the stones the exact color of Eleanor’s eyes. Anika’s, too.

“Do you have a car coming?” Marina asked.

“No,” Anika said blankly, “I usually just take the subway.”

---