I Thought You'd Care
Chapter 18: The Dress
Chapter 18: The Dress
Nell’s POV
Eleanor had a flat in London for over the summer when she didn’t have university and for weekends and breaks. It was very stylishly decorated, with modern themes and cool wallpapers, and she had already laid out an area in her bedroom where we would do our hair, makeup, and nails. My friends and I never did anything like this: we were more into biking around and causing trouble, or snickering about how much we didn’t like some people, or having our own little inside jokes. It was nice to be with Eleanor, Danielle, and Perrie, and for once actually feel marginally pretty.
That would change, of course. I knew it would. I was going to a party with some of the most famous people in the world, and these three girls weren’t average looking, either. I tried to push that thought out of my mind: I only had to look good enough for myself.
And Niall.
Who would see all the supermodels in the room and realize that he could be doing so much better.
I sighed. Thankfully, Eleanor distracted me by saying, “Alright, ladies. We only have three hours to get ready, and we’d better do it well, because there’s going to be some high-up paps [paparazzi] there! Why don’t we all go one at a time? We’ll all show off our dresses, then we’ll do nails, then hair, then makeup, then jewelry. Does that sound good?”
I smiled at her go-get-em attitude. “That sounds great,” I said. Danielle and Perrie agreed. “Alright, let’s get to it!” Eleanor yelled. “I can go first.” She quickly stood up and grabbed the bag with her dress in, walking over to the bathroom so she could change. After she was gone, Perrie turned to me and said teasingly, “So, honey, how’s Niall?”
I laughed. “Good. I like him a lot. It actually kind of scares me sometimes, how much I do. I’ll just be sitting there and I’ll get this tingly feeling all of a sudden.” I sighed happily. “You know what I mean?”
Danielle smiled. “Yeah, I do. Sometimes I’ll think about Liam and just smile all goofy because I love him so much.”
Perrie chimed in. “Absolutely. Zayn’s great.” She wiggled her eyebrows mischievously in preparation for what she would say next. “So, have you guys, you know…?” she made a gesture.
I widened my eyes. “No,” I stammered. “I mean, when would I have?”
Dani laughed. “I thought when you said that you weren’t a virgin during pass the hat that it had something to do with Niall. It sort of seemed like that.”
That surprised me. “No, I mean, we’ve messed about, but only a little bit. Like a tiny, tiny, little bit.” I gasped as something occurred to me. “Wait, did you all think that?” I looked at Perrie, who nodded. “And the guys?” She nodded again. “They think I slept with Niall? Oh, no. I don’t want to seem…you know…promiscuous.”
Perrie laughed. “I wouldn’t worry about it. I’m sure the guys will ask Niall and he’ll tell them the truth. He’s really honest. It’ll be okay.”
Just then, Eleanor burst through the doors, wearing a black dress that looked amazing on her. “Ta da!” She yelled as she walked over to us. “What do you guys think?” She asked.
“You look, great, Elle!” Dani said, giving her a smile.
“Lou’s going to be drooling over you!” Perrie added with a wink.
“Probably a lot of other guys, too.” I said, teasing, and the girls laughed. “Alright, Dani, your turn.” Perrie said.
Danielle laughed. “Okay, Per. Fine.” As Danielle left to get changed, Eleanor said, “So, I heard you guys giggling! What did I miss, girls?”
Perrie answered. “We were talking to Nell about Niall. And I owe you five pounds, because she and Niall haven’t done the deed.”
I slapped her arm, laughing. “You bet on whether or not Niall and I had sex?”
“I didn’t think you had. Because he was totally eying you like he wanted to, but he wasn’t sure what it would be like. It’s hard to explain.” She frowned. “Which reminds me of something…I think Harry has the hots for you.”
It took a moment for that to sink in. It actually did make sense, though, didn’t it: the kissing me in the car, him being so angry at Niall, the way he looked at me like he always had something to say but couldn’t manage to say it, the way the first thing he would do when he had time was come talk to me. And the slightly flirty texts that he would send me (which I hadn’t mentioned to anyone). “Shit,” was all I said, after a few moments.
“Yeah. He was so broken up about Niall asking you to this. And that’s why he drank so much last night, too. I came out into the living room to get some water, and I saw him standing there, staring at you guys asleep on the couch with the saddest look on his face. He just kept staring and drinking until he had downed a whole bottle, then he grabbed a new one, then he continued. It was bad. I had to stop him after eight. I couldn’t let him go any farther.”
I decided to trust the girls. “I probably should have guessed that, you know.” I sighed. “He’s been sending me some texts that should have given it away.” I pulled out my phone and turned it on, scrolling through my recent messages until I found him. He was simply ‘Harry’ in my phone. I turned it around and showed them a few.
From: Harry
Hey, beautiful! What’s up? ;)
From: Harry
Was nice seeing you tonight :) xx
From: Harry
You looked really nice tonight.
I shuddered. It wasn’t that I didn’t like Harry—I did—it’s just that I knew he had a reputation, that had been confirmed by the fact that he’d slept with over 30 girls. Which was, in truth, far too many. The girls had also whispered to me that he really was bad at holding down a relationship. I would even admit that I had some romantic feelings for him, but I liked Niall far more in that department.
“Wow. He’s got it bad.” Perrie said. “Usually he’s a lot more…sexy when he texts. These ones seem like he had no clue what to say, but he knew he had to say something. And I guarantee that he sat there for ages reading and rereading until he thought it was perfect.”
Eleanor nodded. “Nell, I think he really does like you. Lou was hinting at it last night. But you like Niall, right?”
I nodded.
“Then don’t worry about it. He’ll back off eventually.”
Danielle came out, looking stunning in a fitted gold dress that matched her skin very nicely. Perrie went in, and took only a few minutes putting a white dress with lilac patterns that matched her hair on it.
So it was my turn. I slowly stood up and grabbed the bag that contained my dress, and went into Eleanor’s bathroom.
It was white with navy blue trim. Stylish, just like everything else about it. I stared at myself in the full length mirror that was on the door. I slowly pulled off Danielle’s t-shirt and my leggings. I peeled off my ankle socks, took off my bra and panties, and reached in the bag for the new ones that I had bought.
They were white with lace, and the bra was strapless so it wouldn’t show over my dress. I had considered going without, but this way, if for some reason it was pulled down, I wouldn’t have a picture of me with my boobs out all over the tabloids. I didn’t really want to stare at myself naked that much, so I quickly pulled them on and allowed myself to admire how I looked for a moment. I’m beautiful, I thought, practicing what my counselor had told me.
And for once, I actually believed it.
I pulled on the dress. I had never worn a strapless dress before, and it took me a while to fuss with the top until it looked just right, showing some cleavage, but not too much. It fell about halfway down to my knees, and I fretted for a moment about whether or not someone might get an upskirt shot of me. I decided to see if Eleanor had some white spandex shorts that I could borrow. I figured that I could always take them off when we got back before Niall saw them.
I slowly opened the door to see the three girls chatting. They turned around when they heard me and gasped. “Girl, you look amazing.” Danielle said.
“Niall’s going to be all over you.” Perrie cooed.
“Probably Harry, too.” Eleanor added, but she was teasing, so I only smiled.
“It’s not very tight at the legs,” I noted. “I’m kind of worried it will poof up and people will see my knickers. Do you have any white spandex shorts I could borrow?” I asked Eleanor.
“Lucky you, I do.” She ran over to her dresser and pulled out a pair, tossing them to me. I pulled them on, not bothering to go back into the bathroom. They stopped mid-thigh, just short enough so that they wouldn’t show from under the dress unless someone purposefully hiked my skirt up, but long enough that if that did happen, I wouldn’t reveal too much.
“Thanks,” I smiled. “Now, shall we get to our nails?”
(Nell’s revised outfit is here: http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=76606270)
Nell’s POV
Eleanor had a flat in London for over the summer when she didn’t have university and for weekends and breaks. It was very stylishly decorated, with modern themes and cool wallpapers, and she had already laid out an area in her bedroom where we would do our hair, makeup, and nails. My friends and I never did anything like this: we were more into biking around and causing trouble, or snickering about how much we didn’t like some people, or having our own little inside jokes. It was nice to be with Eleanor, Danielle, and Perrie, and for once actually feel marginally pretty.
That would change, of course. I knew it would. I was going to a party with some of the most famous people in the world, and these three girls weren’t average looking, either. I tried to push that thought out of my mind: I only had to look good enough for myself.
And Niall.
Who would see all the supermodels in the room and realize that he could be doing so much better.
I sighed. Thankfully, Eleanor distracted me by saying, “Alright, ladies. We only have three hours to get ready, and we’d better do it well, because there’s going to be some high-up paps [paparazzi] there! Why don’t we all go one at a time? We’ll all show off our dresses, then we’ll do nails, then hair, then makeup, then jewelry. Does that sound good?”
I smiled at her go-get-em attitude. “That sounds great,” I said. Danielle and Perrie agreed. “Alright, let’s get to it!” Eleanor yelled. “I can go first.” She quickly stood up and grabbed the bag with her dress in, walking over to the bathroom so she could change. After she was gone, Perrie turned to me and said teasingly, “So, honey, how’s Niall?”
I laughed. “Good. I like him a lot. It actually kind of scares me sometimes, how much I do. I’ll just be sitting there and I’ll get this tingly feeling all of a sudden.” I sighed happily. “You know what I mean?”
Danielle smiled. “Yeah, I do. Sometimes I’ll think about Liam and just smile all goofy because I love him so much.”
Perrie chimed in. “Absolutely. Zayn’s great.” She wiggled her eyebrows mischievously in preparation for what she would say next. “So, have you guys, you know…?” she made a gesture.
I widened my eyes. “No,” I stammered. “I mean, when would I have?”
Dani laughed. “I thought when you said that you weren’t a virgin during pass the hat that it had something to do with Niall. It sort of seemed like that.”
That surprised me. “No, I mean, we’ve messed about, but only a little bit. Like a tiny, tiny, little bit.” I gasped as something occurred to me. “Wait, did you all think that?” I looked at Perrie, who nodded. “And the guys?” She nodded again. “They think I slept with Niall? Oh, no. I don’t want to seem…you know…promiscuous.”
Perrie laughed. “I wouldn’t worry about it. I’m sure the guys will ask Niall and he’ll tell them the truth. He’s really honest. It’ll be okay.”
Just then, Eleanor burst through the doors, wearing a black dress that looked amazing on her. “Ta da!” She yelled as she walked over to us. “What do you guys think?” She asked.
“You look, great, Elle!” Dani said, giving her a smile.
“Lou’s going to be drooling over you!” Perrie added with a wink.
“Probably a lot of other guys, too.” I said, teasing, and the girls laughed. “Alright, Dani, your turn.” Perrie said.
Danielle laughed. “Okay, Per. Fine.” As Danielle left to get changed, Eleanor said, “So, I heard you guys giggling! What did I miss, girls?”
Perrie answered. “We were talking to Nell about Niall. And I owe you five pounds, because she and Niall haven’t done the deed.”
I slapped her arm, laughing. “You bet on whether or not Niall and I had sex?”
“I didn’t think you had. Because he was totally eying you like he wanted to, but he wasn’t sure what it would be like. It’s hard to explain.” She frowned. “Which reminds me of something…I think Harry has the hots for you.”
It took a moment for that to sink in. It actually did make sense, though, didn’t it: the kissing me in the car, him being so angry at Niall, the way he looked at me like he always had something to say but couldn’t manage to say it, the way the first thing he would do when he had time was come talk to me. And the slightly flirty texts that he would send me (which I hadn’t mentioned to anyone). “Shit,” was all I said, after a few moments.
“Yeah. He was so broken up about Niall asking you to this. And that’s why he drank so much last night, too. I came out into the living room to get some water, and I saw him standing there, staring at you guys asleep on the couch with the saddest look on his face. He just kept staring and drinking until he had downed a whole bottle, then he grabbed a new one, then he continued. It was bad. I had to stop him after eight. I couldn’t let him go any farther.”
I decided to trust the girls. “I probably should have guessed that, you know.” I sighed. “He’s been sending me some texts that should have given it away.” I pulled out my phone and turned it on, scrolling through my recent messages until I found him. He was simply ‘Harry’ in my phone. I turned it around and showed them a few.
From: Harry
Hey, beautiful! What’s up? ;)
From: Harry
Was nice seeing you tonight :) xx
From: Harry
You looked really nice tonight.
I shuddered. It wasn’t that I didn’t like Harry—I did—it’s just that I knew he had a reputation, that had been confirmed by the fact that he’d slept with over 30 girls. Which was, in truth, far too many. The girls had also whispered to me that he really was bad at holding down a relationship. I would even admit that I had some romantic feelings for him, but I liked Niall far more in that department.
“Wow. He’s got it bad.” Perrie said. “Usually he’s a lot more…sexy when he texts. These ones seem like he had no clue what to say, but he knew he had to say something. And I guarantee that he sat there for ages reading and rereading until he thought it was perfect.”
Eleanor nodded. “Nell, I think he really does like you. Lou was hinting at it last night. But you like Niall, right?”
I nodded.
“Then don’t worry about it. He’ll back off eventually.”
Danielle came out, looking stunning in a fitted gold dress that matched her skin very nicely. Perrie went in, and took only a few minutes putting a white dress with lilac patterns that matched her hair on it.
So it was my turn. I slowly stood up and grabbed the bag that contained my dress, and went into Eleanor’s bathroom.
It was white with navy blue trim. Stylish, just like everything else about it. I stared at myself in the full length mirror that was on the door. I slowly pulled off Danielle’s t-shirt and my leggings. I peeled off my ankle socks, took off my bra and panties, and reached in the bag for the new ones that I had bought.
They were white with lace, and the bra was strapless so it wouldn’t show over my dress. I had considered going without, but this way, if for some reason it was pulled down, I wouldn’t have a picture of me with my boobs out all over the tabloids. I didn’t really want to stare at myself naked that much, so I quickly pulled them on and allowed myself to admire how I looked for a moment. I’m beautiful, I thought, practicing what my counselor had told me.
And for once, I actually believed it.
I pulled on the dress. I had never worn a strapless dress before, and it took me a while to fuss with the top until it looked just right, showing some cleavage, but not too much. It fell about halfway down to my knees, and I fretted for a moment about whether or not someone might get an upskirt shot of me. I decided to see if Eleanor had some white spandex shorts that I could borrow. I figured that I could always take them off when we got back before Niall saw them.
I slowly opened the door to see the three girls chatting. They turned around when they heard me and gasped. “Girl, you look amazing.” Danielle said.
“Niall’s going to be all over you.” Perrie cooed.
“Probably Harry, too.” Eleanor added, but she was teasing, so I only smiled.
“It’s not very tight at the legs,” I noted. “I’m kind of worried it will poof up and people will see my knickers. Do you have any white spandex shorts I could borrow?” I asked Eleanor.
“Lucky you, I do.” She ran over to her dresser and pulled out a pair, tossing them to me. I pulled them on, not bothering to go back into the bathroom. They stopped mid-thigh, just short enough so that they wouldn’t show from under the dress unless someone purposefully hiked my skirt up, but long enough that if that did happen, I wouldn’t reveal too much.
“Thanks,” I smiled. “Now, shall we get to our nails?”
(Nell’s revised outfit is here: http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=76606270)
8/19/13