I wasn’t shaking. And that kind of surprised me.
In fact, I looked calm, too calm, as I sat in front of the mirror with a cotton pad pressed gently to my cheek, wiping off the blush that had smudged slightly during the dancing.
My dress, now loose at the back where I’d unzipped it halfway, slid from one shoulder. The bathroom smelled like jasmine, burned tea lights, and the faintest hint of my vanilla body lotion.
I wasn’t shaking.
I was alone, but for once, I didn’t feel lonely.
Instead, I felt… suspended.
Behind me, there was a soft knock on the bedroom door.
“Tara?” Jess called. “You’re good, girl?”
Yeah, I’m just… breathing,” I called back. “Taking it all in, you know?”
“You’re good, girl?”
There was a pause. I could almost see Jess, my best friend since college, leaning against the door with her eyebrows furrowed as she decided whether to come in or not.
“I’ll give you a few more minutes, T. Just holler if you need help getting out of that dress. I won’t be far.”
I smiled, though it didn’t quite reach my eyes in the mirror. I heard Jess’s soft footsteps down the hall.
There was a pause.
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