Page 102 of Scattered Glitter

Before he can respond, Levi reappears, his face twisted in disapproval. “She’s right. No way she’s wearingthis.” He shakes his head. “That’s not sexy enough. That body needs to be shown off.” He takes the green dress from my hands and puts it back on the rack, then grins as he hands me another dress. A long black one with no sleeves and a high slit up the thigh. “This. This will turn heads.”

I swallow and, almost subconsciously, rub circles on the silk between my fingertips.

It’s beautiful, daring…just my taste.

“You like this better?” Koen asks, searching my gaze.

“I like both of them. They’re so… expensive.”

Levi huffs a laugh. “Girl, you have no idea what expensive even means.”

Koen takes the dress from me and touches my elbow again to guide me toward the fitting area.

I look between the two of them, curiosity getting the better of me. “How rich are you guys, anyway?” I ask, trying to keep my tone casual. “Millionaires?”

“We are very rich,” Koen shares, tilting his head with a smirk. “… inlove. And that is the most important thing.”

“Yes, that,” Levi adds, rolling his eyes dramatically, then reaching out and tapping my nose. “And Little Bird, your guess is way off.”

So even more than millionaires.

Fuck.

I scrunch my nose at him, batting his hand away. “Okay, even if you are… you shouldn’t spend so much money on me.”

I’m not worth it.

“You know,” Koen says after hanging the dress in a fitting room. “I don’t want to leave any money behind. Why should I? I don’t want kids, so I have no one to think about. When I leave this earth, I’d like my bank account to read a big, fat zero.”

Levi nods in agreement, a grin spreading across his face. “Or a negative balance. That would be even better.”

“Well, that won’t be a problem for me,” I mutter, making them both chuckle.

“Come on.” Koen nods toward the fitting room. “Try it on.”

I give them both a wary look before stepping in and closing the curtain behind me, taking a deep breath. The dress is beautiful, and I slip it on. It hugs my curves perfectly. The slit cuts very high up my thigh, almost to my hip, and the neckline dips just enough to be suggestive without being too much.

Looking at myself in the mirror, I almost don’t recognize the woman staring back at me. The dress is beautiful and sexy, but also…

I lookexpensive.

Then my eyes fall on my burn. The scar stands out against my skin, and my breath catches in my throat as the unease starts to rise again. The dress is perfect, but the scar is a reminder that I’m anything but.

I’m so damn stupid. I should have covered it with glitter.

I hadn’t even thought about it.

Clenching my jaw, I shake my head. I can’t do this. I can’t step out there and show them this part of me.

I’ve already exposed enough of my trauma to them.

Before I can decide whether it would be that bad to pull the dress off, stuff it into my bag, and tell them it mysteriously vanished before I walk back home, Levi’s voice echoes through the fitting room. “You done, Little Bird? Come on, let’s see it!”

I squeeze my eyes shut, taking a deep breath.

Get a fucking grip, Nova.

It’s a scar.

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