Page 62 of Reckless Dare

Ending the call, she stared at the dress in both awe and in nervousness. Finally her admiration won and she slipped it on.

It was perfect.

The dress molded her body making her look classically elegant even without any makeup.

“Oh my God,” she whispered out in awe, staring at herself in the mirror.

She then twirled around, feeling like a princess.

When she stopped, her cheeks were flushed with excitement.

I can’t wait for the masquerade dance tonight.

*****

Later that evening, when it began to get dark, she headed to the dance hall. A smile curved her lips and she shook her head that Simha University was probably the only educational institution that had a building dedicated to a dance event.

She took one of the shuttles because she didn’t want to risk wrinkling her beautiful dress. She still couldn’t get over how stunning the dress was. To make sure the dress got its due, she left her hair in a simple hairstyle and wore no jewelry.

When the shuttle stopped and she got out, she knew the dress was working.

Many eyes turned towards her, especially the female gazes, giving her a sweeping look. She couldn’t read their faces as they were all covered by masks like she was.

“Hello.” She smiled and waved at them.

With brief yet pointed glares, they turned away from her and resumed talking excitedly while getting into the building.

Ava sighed knowing they must be her tormentor’s fan girls. Despite herself, her tormentor’s face flashed in her mind. Her heart raced wondering if he was already inside.

Most likely he and his equally reckless cousins would make a grand spectacle of their entry.

She shook her head immediately.

No thinking about him!

Pushing away the thoughts of him, she raised her dress slightly before climbing the stairs to the dance hall.

I feel like Cinderella.

She smiled at the thought of finding her Prince Charming aka Neeraj Batra in the dance hall.

A gasp escaped her when she stepped into the place. She had attended prom during her school days and even college dances during her first year at Harvard, but she never had seen anything like this.

With the high ceilings, glittering huge crystal chandeliers, the dance hall looked like some regency ballroom in old England. The beautiful dresses and crisp tuxedos made it seem even more fancier. The soft, pop music playing in the background was the only indication that it was a college event. And also a stage at the back of the large hall where a live band was playing the pop music.

She looked around and saw a familiar figure. Recognizing the dress, she went to the small group standing next to the entrance.

“You look great, Nitya,” she said.

Nitya’s eyes widened behind the mask. “My god. Is that you, Ava? You’re stunning. That dress is out of the world.”

Ava’s face flushed with pleasure. “Yes, the dress is very beautiful. Although I’m very nervous that I might not take care of it well.”

Nitya smiled. “Relax. You’ll be fine. Besides, the dress colors are dark enough to hide any stains.” Nitya grabbed one of the long-stemmed glasses kept on a long table against the wall. “Here, get started on the welcome drink. It will relax you.”

Ava took the glass with bubbling gold liquid. Nervousness made her mouth dry and the liquid was refreshingly delicious. She finished the first one and then downed another as well.

“Easy,” Nitya said with a laugh. “The champagne cocktail has a very low amount of alcohol but I have a feeling you have a low threshold.”

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