Bab 11: Chapter 11: Preening

The next evening, Alessa found herself staring critically at her own reflection in the full-length mirror that was affixed to her closet door. It'd been over a year since she'd last devoted more than minimal effort to her appearance, and unfortunately one enthusiastic hour of preening could not quite make up for all that neglect.

Alessa stepped closer to the mirror, thinking about Nikhil and his dark almond-shaped eyes and warm smile, his broad shoulders and honeyed voice and unmistakable air of confidence. For the first time in months, she felt slightly giddy.

She had spent much of the day replaying her short conversation with Nikhil over and over in her head, grimacing at her lack of charisma. She wanted to feel confident tonight, and she'd hoped she would feel better if she looked better, so she had spent the last hour conducting a mini-makeover to boost her spirits.