Page 16 of A Kiss From Death
Stumbling over to the vanity, I plop down in the oversized chair fit for a queen. “So, where do we start? I need all the help I can get in the fashion department. I go more for practicality over style. I only brought a few things with me, but I’m sure we can muster up something presentable…right?” I look over at her anxiously, and for some reason, I want to make a good first impression. Normally I couldn’t give two shits about what I look like or how people perceive me.
Des smiles back at me, and it’s the first genuine emotion I’ve felt since Theo’s passing. I’ve known Des for only five minutes, and I can already tell she has a heart of gold.
“Let’s take a peek at what we’re working with.” She winks at me, all the anxious nerves inside me draining away to nothing.
She flings open both doors to the armoire and gasps, dramatically throwing the back of her hand over her forehead. “What in all Lunaria is this, Nyxi?” She turns around to face me with raised eyebrows.
“So we may be a little more limited with options than I initially let on…but you did call yourself a fashion prodigy, did you not?” I make an innocent face and pray this girl lives up to her bold accusations.
“Limited… Girl, there are four things in here, and half of them have holes. Not to mention, you don’t have a single dress. This all has to go. It’s decided: we are starting fresh and holding a sacrificial ritual to purge these monstrosities.” She goes to snatch my clothes up, but I whip my arm out, halting her in her tracks.
“Wait, you can’t take that… It’s my boyfriend’s.” My voice cracks, and the darkness starts to dig its nails into my battered heart again.
“Boyfriend!” Des wiggles her eyebrows in a playful manner. “Please tell me he’s an absolute hunk. I mean, who am I kidding—this jacket is massive, so of course he is. Do you have to climb him like a tree? Is his branch big? Just tell me when to stop.” She startsslowly moving her hands out in a measuring motion. “Tell me when to stop because this is starting to get into ‘needing to see a healer after’ territory.”
A single tear slides down my face, and I’m shocked at my raw emotions taking hold of me in front of this stranger. Des doesn’t feel like a stranger, though; she feels like Theo. She feels like home.
“Shit, what did I say? Was it the tree climbing part? Hanz always tells me I’m too forward, but who has time to live a boring life, right?” She grips my hands and wipes the single tear I shed off my face in a motherly gesture.
“Do you want to talk about it?” It’s a simple sentence, but it holds so much power. I know in my heart she truly means it. Theo is the only person who has ever cared for me in that way, and I never thought anyone else would fill that void.
I let out a long sigh through a wobbly smile and squeeze her hands back. “Theo, hewasmy boyfriend. He, uh—he passed away recently. He was my only family, and now, all I have left of him are these scraps of cloth.” I release a massive breath from the depths of my soul.
It feels like a heavy weight has been lifted off my shoulders at this admission. Sharing this burden with someone makes it a little more bearable.
Trust is not something I give lightly or easily, and for some reason, I have this deep rooted feeling that I can trust Des. I think she might even be my very first friend.
“I am so, so sorry, Nyxi.” Her voice is filled with raw emotion, speaking from similar pain, as if she has an intimate relationship with loss and heartache.
“I know what it is like to lose someone who made you,you. There is no getting over it, just through it, one day, one smile, and one regained laugh at a time. That is all we can hope for—abetter tomorrow.”
She speaks with such wisdom, like she’s lived a thousand life times, and maybe, mentally, she has. I know right in this second, Des and I are cut from the same coin.
“Thank you, Des, truly. That means more than you will ever know.” I smile at her, and I think it’s the first true smile I’ve openly given in a very long time.
“Okay, now that the waterworks show is over…do you think you will be able to help me find something presentable to wear to dinner tonight? I know it might sound silly, but I think I would like to feel beautiful. Maybe wear a dress? If that’s possible… I don’t want to be too much trouble.” I fidget with my hands, and my palms start to sweat.
A childish squeal assaults my ears. “Oh my Empress, we are totally breaking out the rainy day closet. This is just perfect!”
“Umm, what exactly is a rainy day closet?” I ask, hoping I haven’t gotten myself in too deep.
Her immediate response is a smile that could rival the devil’s in mischief. “First, let’s work on your face and hair, and then, we will get to your wardrobe.”
“Problem: I have no makeup, and I’m not sure there’s any luck of turning this bird’s nest I call hair into anything suitable for an Empress.” I lay the news on thick.
“Hush, child. Let the professional work her magic. I was made for this.” She smiles at me while lifting her hands. Little white glowing orbs dance off her fingertips.
What the heck?
“Have you ever heard of a Luster?” She prods me while simultaneously moving her hands in front of my face like she’s conducting a symphony.
“No. Should I know what that means?” I ask wearily.
“I’m gonna pretend you didn’t just say that to keep my fragile ego intact. But, any whoosies, Lusters can enhance someone’snatural beauty, basically making them glow brighter,” she states with sheer certainty.
“A swipe of my hand here, and suddenly, your eyes are lined a little darker, making the gray pop brighter than any star could.” She slides her hand lower. “A dip of my hand here, and your lips soften to a brighter pink, making your porcelain skin brighter against them. A flick of my wrist here, and your lashes darken and curl. I like to call myself an artist.” She’s beaming at me, and I can feel the pure joy and passion radiating off her.
“I can tell you love what you do, Des.”
