FIRST LOVE

*CHAPTER FOUR*

'Did I hear you right?' Navya asked me.

'Yes.' I muttered.

'Holy fuck! You are going to Manik Malhotra's party! Is this a dream?'
She asked.

Honestly, I felt Navya was just overreacting to this situation. I know that I was never the one to go to parties but she didn't have to react like this. Navya was really crazy and she was the complete opposite of me. We got along since we were friends since nursery.
'Actually, he invited me. He told me that I owe him for saving me against Madhyam so I couldn't decline.' I said, shrugging.

'Yes!' She squealed as she hugged me.

I smiled looking at her craziness.

'I am really happy for you. This is going to be your first time at a party like this.' She said, excitedly.

'Yeah.' I said slowly.

'And you are not going to wear your normal clothes. I'm gonna give you a makeover and that's final.' She said.

'Well, what's the problem with my clothes?' I asked. I really didn't get the big fuss about dressing up. I never really cared for it.

'No, not a word. I'm gonna give you a makeover and that's final.' She concluded.
I sighed in defeat. Arguing with Navya was imbecile.
***

Navya dragged me to her house to get me a makeover. I greeted her mother whom I had known since my childhood. She was like a mother to me too. She knew about my life and always insisted on me moving in with them but I always declined because I didn't want to be a burden to them. Navya's father had gone to Berlin for a business trip. He was a business tycoon.

I knew him well and he suggested to me earlier many times to complain to my father to the police but I didn't want that either. After all, he was still my father.
I sat on Navya's bed while Navya was searching for an outfit for me in her wardrobe. She took out a wine coloured satin gown which was long and shiny. I couldn't deny the fact that it was beautiful. It had a slit on one side that would probably show the legs of whom it was wearing. The slit was somewhere up to the knee. I loved that dress but I dreaded wearing it because I had never worn anything like that.

'So, how's this?' Navya asked me, showing me the dress.
'It... it's beautiful.' I said.
'Yeah, it is. I've never worn this because it's too long for me. But it will fit you since you're taller than me.' She said.

'But I don't think I can wear it.'

'You can. You have to come out of your shell, Nandini.'

'But...'

'No ifs and buts. You're going to wear this. No more arguments.'

I groaned.

I wore the dress as she demanded. I was feeling uncomfortable because of the slit that ended slightly above my left knee. I almost felt naked in that dress. Fortunately, I didn't have any fresh bruises on my left leg and Navya promised me that she would conceale all the marks that were visible. That was a relief. Another relief was that the dress had a high neckline.

She put on light makeup on my face, concealed my bruises, curled my hair and gave me a matching necklace and earrings to wear. I never left my hair opened and this was the first time I was doing so.

'No glasses.' She said, pointing to my spectacles.
'What? I can't see without it.' I said, scowling.

'Come on Nandini, you're not blind. It will be fine.' She said, taking off my glasses. She was true, my eyes weren't that bad. She also gave me low heels sandals which were quite manageable. I swear I would have tripped over a hundred times if I had worn high heels sandals.
'You look....sexy.'