First Love, Take Two

There was a very rare bubble that I’d fallen into when Daniel and I had dated in college. It was a feeling of completeness, of not wanting more, of utter bliss and rightness. I hadn’t felt that way since I left him. All it took was one kiss to slip back into that bubble. To feel safe and secure and whole and protected and right.

Even now as I walked around this magnificent house that he’d brought to life from the designs of our dreams, life felt complete. When I’d first seen the house, the surprise and pain of it all had prevented me from fully appreciating everything, but now? How could I not be in love with this home? How could I deny my love for a man who built our house? It was perfect.

Today, Brandy directed the furniture delivery guys this way and that as Daniel and I approved. Well, I shrugged or nodded. Interior design wasn’t my forte, but everything Brandy had picked out looked very modern and chic.

The living room set was black and white. Mummie’s warning chimed in my head of never having white in the house for fear of staining and the detection of the smallest speck of dust. No white counters or cabinets or rugs or carpets or furniture.

But here we were. Standing in a living room with white furniture and white rugs and black wall art. And it worked beautifully.

“How much did all of this cost?” I asked, coming to stand beside Daniel. “Everything looks so expensive.”

He stood with his arms crossed and a finger on his chin as he studied all of Brandy’s purchases. “When you build a million-dollar house, you have to fill it accordingly. And my sister has expensive taste.”

My jaw dropped. “How much?”

“The private road and land and building from scratch with imported marble and granite and metalwork?” He quirked a brow at me as if my question were serious.

“Did you have to get a loan?” I asked. I knew his family was worth a lot, but that didn’t mean Daniel by himself had millions lying around.

“I don’t get loans. I pay in full,” he responded casually and then ran to the hallway to help a mover before he banged the dining table against the wall. He saved it just in time.

Before I could ask where in the world he was making millions from, he returned and asked, “This place is ready to move in this weekend.”

I frowned.

“Some landscaping left, and the pool will get finished in the new year.”

With forced enthusiasm, I said, “Congrats! You must be so excited to finally move in.” Even if that meant he would be moving out of the apartment. What would we be then? Back to the days of trying to move on? Was this all a fling, or was it really a second chance for him, too?

“Thanks. It’s nice to see this finally come to fruition. Sometimes I still can’t believe that I can create a building from a sketch, you know? It’s wild.” He glanced around, admiring his beautiful work. “I’ll be busy this weekend moving my things in and getting all the plastic off and washing sheets and all that fun stuff,” he added dryly.

If he wanted me to help with that, I didn’t mind.

“I was wondering if you wanted to…” he started, rubbing the back of his neck and watching me as if the words were lost to him. His cheeks flushed.

Move in with him?!

“If you’d like to attend a gala with me next Thursday?” he finished, hopeful, nervous.

“A gala?” I squeaked. Totally wasn’t expecting that. Although the idea of moving in with Daniel was exciting and an affirmation of what he wanted, maybe I wasn’t ready for such a bold move. “That sounds fancy.” And important.

“It is. It’s our winter gala to raise money and thank contributors. The entire family will be there, including my grandparents and Brandy.”

Which meant his disapproving parents, too.

“I know you despise parties, but it would mean a lot to me if you came. Please say you’ll come?” He pressed his hands together like he was begging me. How could anyone deny those puppy-dog eyes and that adorable pout?

I nipped his lower lip and he pulled me into him.

“You better stop that,” he muttered. “Because there are four strangers and a sister in this house.”

“Ugh. You better both stop,” Brandy interjected, and Daniel and I pulled away. “Congrats on the job!”

“Aw. Thank you! I wanted to tell you myself.” I eyed Daniel, who shrugged apologetically.

Brandy said, “Now Dr. Patel has to make her debut appearance as an officially employed physician, right? And what better place than a gala?”

My nerves turned jittery at the idea of being face-to-face with their dad. And parties just weren’t my thing. I didn’t enjoy the noise or forcing myself to converse or getting all dressed up. Parties required a lot of energy that I didn’t have.

But Daniel was practically pleading. “It means that much to you if I attend?” I asked him.

He nodded. “It’s the end-of-the-year fundraiser and it’s work for me, networking and politics and all that fun stuff. But a huge event to show my face, and I can’t imagine anyone else that I’d like to share it with. As, um, a couple?” he half stated, half asked.

We hadn’t discussed what we were doing, where we were heading, or any goals. But at least we were on the same page. I beamed. “I’d love to go as a couple.”

Daniel flashed that gorgeous smile and dimples and swept me into his arms. “Does this mean what I think it means?”

“That we’re getting dressed up?” I joked.

He laughed. “That we’re a couple.”

I nodded into his chest, heat prickling my cheeks. You’d think I’d never fallen in love with Daniel before, yet here I was, feeling like a college kid finding first love.

He pecked my temple and pulled away. “Great! Awesome! Um…hey, Brandy, do you mind taking Preeti shopping for the gala and setting her up?”

Brandy’s eyes lit up as she clapped. “Yay! Can I have the card?”

Daniel didn’t bat an eyelash as he pulled out a card and handed it to her. Before Brandy could take it, he snatched it away and gave it to me. It was very pretty for a credit card.

I tentatively took the shimmering black card with shimmering silver font. It even felt expensive. “How fancy am I agreeing to?”

“Very. Black tie and gown.”

“Shopping!” Brandy squealed.

*  *  *

The following day, Liya arrived in Houston to see family, but of course she wouldn’t leave without dropping by. She lounged around the apartment, admiring the bouquet and all hyped on my recent updates on job, Daniel, and gala.

“Woohoo!” Liya shrieked. “My girl has her dream job and her dream man and we’re going on a real-deal shopping trip!”

“Oh, lord,” I grumbled. The very thought of shopping had me spinning through traumatic flashbacks of being dragged all over Houston for Reema’s wedding outfits with her and the bridesmaids. For weeks, I had nightmares of being left behind in clothing stores with bags upon bags of garments, the store lights flickering off as the employees forgot about me and locked me in, and waking up in a cold sweat.

“What’s our budget? Because this is the gala of the year in Houston. Everyone who’s anyone will be there! You need to look the part, woman!”

“I don’t know. Daniel gave me his credit card and said there wasn’t a limit, but of course I’m going to be mindful of every penny.” I plucked out the card and held it up.

Liya’s eyes went wide with an almost lustful gleam. “Is that an exclusive credit card?”

“I don’t know.”

“I mean…Preeti! Do you realize how elite that card in your hand is? I mean, I knew Daniel came from a well-off family, but damn. Trust him when he said you don’t have to worry about price tags. I have some places in mind.”

“Daniel asked Brandy to take me shopping.” On my phone, I pulled up the list she’d sent me of stores I’d never heard of and turned the screen to Liya. She practically salivated.

“Please tell me that I can come with you guys, because these are invitation-only stores. What kind of money does Daniel really have?”

I shrugged. “Have no idea. Nor do I care, because I will still look at price tags.”

“I’m pretty sure these places don’t have price tags.”

“That sounds illegal.”

“It’s an ‘if you have to ask, you can’t afford it’ type of thing. Where they bring out expensive champagne and gourmet chocolates and caviar and all while you shop.”

“Ew. Caviar?”

“Don’t dismiss it until you’ve tried it.”

I texted Brandy to ask if Liya could join us and she was more than happy to have her. “Great! Brandy’s looking forward to spending time with you. She said you’re going to die when you see some of these designer dresses.”

Liya clapped her hands and beamed. “I wonder if Jay would be mad if I spent that much on a dress.”

“Where are you going to wear it to? I can’t spend more than fifty dollars on a gown that I will literally never wear again.”

“Fifty? Try higher.”

“A hundred?”

She jerked a thumb up to think even higher.

“Hundreds?”

“At least.”

I groaned, feeling unease roll through me. Spending that much money made my eye twitch.

“And shoes! And a purse. I’m thinking a clutch with a strap because you’d probably forget you had a purse to begin with and lose it.”

“What’s wrong with the shoes I have?”

“Heels. You need high heels.”

“Who on this planet started this high-heel trend? And then what sadist decided high heels were classy and to be expected?”

Liya placed a reassuring hand on my arm. “Calm down, granny. It’s just for a few hours. You can break them in. We won’t go too high, okay? Three, four inches max.”

I slouched. “I’m done for. I’m going to look like a fool, like I definitely don’t belong there.”

“Do you not want to go?”

“Parties aren’t on my fun list, but for Daniel, I’m happy to go. Make an effort, meet his friends and colleagues, be the…girlfriend.”

Liya’s eyes lit up. “Is that what this is? I knew it! He’s introducing you to the heart of his social crowd. So they happen to be kind of elite, and pretty sure they’re rich as hell, but this is your first and very public outing. There is no going back from this. The gala is a very big deal, and you’ll have to deliver.”

No pressure!

Liya took my hands and gently shook me loose. “Get out of your head. Yes, this is an important event, but it isn’t the biggest thing you’ve accomplished in your life. You graduated high school early as a top student. You bulldozed through a leading college and made the dean’s list at every turn. You aced the MCAT and got into your first-choice medical school and landed your second-choice residency.

“Girl, you went into medical school thinking you’d be a family doctor and ended up with L&D and surgical assist privileges and snagged your dream job. You are kickass all the way around, up, and down. Okay? This is just a fun party, a chance to get dressed up and blinged out, meet some high rollers, and play yourself up. You are Dr. Patel, not Ms. Patel. There may be a lot of money saturating the air at the gala and lots of well-mannered people who know the difference between caviars, but you are about intelligence. Intellect outplays wealth.”

Yeah. She was right. I was an accomplished, smart woman. I had lots to offer, and Liya knew exactly how to hype a woman up. “You know just what to say!”

Even as I dressed and we headed downstairs to meet Brandy, I couldn’t keep from feeling a twinge of anxiety. But, thank goodness, I now had medication to keep me level just in case. A party shouldn’t set me off, right?

When Brandy pulled up in a sleek black Bentley, Liya whistled and opened the driver’s-side door. Brandy shimmied out in a form-fitting black-and-white abstract-detailed dress and gave Liya a hug.

“What is this?” Liya asked, bending over to check out the interior. “You leveled up in the last year!”

“Oh you know, make a little money and upgrade.” She smoothed a hand over the top. “All right, let’s get some shopping done!”

Liya snagged the very roomy back seat as I crawled into the front passenger seat. Wow. The leather interior and car smell had me wanting a new car myself. “Luxurious” wasn’t an adequate word to describe how my butt felt in this cooled-down, posh seating. And here I thought her Lexus had been exquisite.

“I’m so glad you’re going to the gala, Preeti,” Brandy said and then looked at Liya through the rearview mirror. “And you’re going to pass out when you see all the lovelies.”

Liya wriggled her butt into the back seat and sighed. “I could fall asleep back here.”

“You have my brother’s credit card?” Brandy glanced at me.

“Yes. But I’m going to be conscientious about the price,” I replied as she wove through traffic.

“Hard to be aware of the price when there are no price tags where we’re going.”

“Called it!” Liya said.

“That’s no way to run a store. What about liability?” I asked.

“You worry too much. Listen, Daniel doesn’t give out his card to everyone, okay? If he gave that card to me, I’d do exactly as he says: shop for the gala and not pay any mind to the cost. He knows what he’s saying. And he knows that I’m taking you shopping, so you can bet he knows where we’re going. The gala is elite, Preeti. You must come looking the same. Elite and extra.”

The first place we pulled up to had a valet who took the car from us. All the shops were in the same vicinity, and many of them were in towering buildings. My feet hurt just anticipating all the steps I was about to get in.

Lights were strewn across windows, creating a vibrant, festive ambiance. The sidewalks were wide and clean with a few cafe tables and chairs. Men walked around in nice suits and women toted designer brands. I had no idea this section of the city even existed, but I imagined this was what Hollywood felt like.

A doorman with pristine white gloves opened the door for us and Brandy took us up to the fifth floor. Even the elevators, lined with decadent gold paint and glass, looked more expensive than my car.

The first store we entered was nothing like a department store. It was spread out, far from crowded with racks and sales items and messy displays where customers had thrown whatever they’d tried on and rejected.

A delicate woman with a high bun and manicured nails greeted us, offering to take Brandy’s jacket. She returned with a platter of gold-rimmed flutes, a chilled bottle of champagne, caviar on ice with a gold spoon, and thin toast points. A saleswoman at our next stop offered wine and imported cheese. Liya went straight for that platter, despite having had enough champagne that I would’ve been tipsy by now if I’d kept up.

The women who worked in these stores sized me up and presented me with what they thought I would like, a marked change from my usual experience of silently shoving aside clothes on every rack myself and trying on a million things only to realize that clothes sucked in general. These women were pros. Ninety percent of what they brought out fit like a glove. The fabrics were smooth, sleek, lacy, heavy, light, toned down, sparkly…everything I could ever imagine. It was like the saying that you don’t know what you’re missing if you’ve never had it. Well, I’d never realized how nice something that wasn’t sweats could feel. The right fabric in the right fit for the right style was actually comfortable yet exquisite.

I didn’t have a particular color in mind until we were sitting on soft white chairs at our fifth store and a sparkling red slit of fabric caught my eye.

“The red one?” the saleswoman asked, following my hypnotized gaze. “Ah. That’s a splendid choice.” She brought over the gown almost reverently, holding it like a sacrificial offering.

Brandy and Liya glanced at each other with a nod and Brandy conceded, “That may be the one.”

I tried on the dress, which fit perfectly. I’d never worn anything so comfortable and yet so gorgeous. The corset was folded fabric that fit snugly around my waist and breasts and climbed over one shoulder. It was crimson red, the color of blood, and absolutely decadent. While the fabric around the bust was smooth and shiny, the portion that fanned out from my hips shimmered like a million tiny sewn-in diamonds. There was a slit up one leg that ended halfway up my thigh.

When I emerged from the dressing room, Liya and Brandy went dead silent. Even in midsip, they froze.

“Wow,” Brandy said.

“Damn,” Liya reiterated. “How do you feel?”

I shrugged and spun a half circle. “Like a princess.”

“Daniel won’t be able to keep his hands off you looking like that,” Liya commented.

In another hour, we’d found the right shoes and clutch. Just when I thought we were almost done…

We passed an über-ritzy store, one that put the already swanky others to shame, and Brandy clapped her hands and pulled me in. The place had floor-to-ceiling glass walls around glass cases displaying thousands of glimmering diamonds. The bling from these carats was so blinding I might need my sunglasses.

“Don’t tell me this is one of those parties where I have to sign over my soul to rent out diamonds for a night?” I asked.

“No,” Brandy promised. “Jackson and I are thinking about a wedding and all that, so I just want to get a feel for engagement rings. Not sure what looks best on these little fatties.” She held up her hand.

“Oh, hush! Your fingers are perfect.”

“I know exactly what would look ethereal on those fingers,” the woman behind the counter said to both of us.

“Oh, not me. Just her.” I jerked my chin toward Brandy.

But the woman had already pulled out a tray of dazzling rings and I couldn’t help myself. I had never thought diamonds were pretty, but these diamonds were on a whole other level. I tried on a few rings for the heck of it, admiring the sparkle and feel and glamour against the golden tones of my hand.

While Brandy tried on a hundred rings, I tried on a dozen and Liya browsed. But I knew what I liked.

“Very nice selection,” the woman behind the counter commented, eyeing the ring on my finger. “Just over three carats, round-cut, flawless-clarity engagement ring cushioned by smaller quarter-carat diamonds and sapphires along a platinum band. It comes with a matching wedding band with quarter-carat diamonds along the entire band. If you buy today, we can offer a special price of twenty thousand.”

I nearly choked on the complimentary champagne. “For a ring set?”

She smiled. “No. That price is just for the engagement ring.”

I quickly but carefully took the ring off and placed it back on the cushioned tray.

“You like it, though?” Brandy asked, studying it as if she might go for it herself.

“It’s gorgeous,” I confessed.

“And it feels right? Not too big or heavy?”

“Definitely too big for work, but if I wanted a forever ring, that would be it.” For a woman not considering an engagement ring, I seemed to have stumbled across the perfect one.