Page 25 of Kiss Me Softly

When I opened my door, I got the shock of my life. Frankie stood there – or at least I was pretty sure it was Frankie. She looked so different that I thought I might be hallucinating.

“Frankie?”

She gave me a small smile. “Hi.”

The woman before me looked stylish and elegant. She was wearing a royal blue dress that hugged her petite figure. It was a satin material with a fitted bodice and a sweetheart neckline. The dress nipped in at the waist and flared out at her knees. She was wearing black leather shoes with a Mary Jane strap across the foot and chunky two inch heels. A thin silver bracelet adorned her right wrist.

Her hair was different too. Her normally brown hair had gold highlights now, and it had been curled into loose waves that gave it a fullness it didn’t usually have. Someone had given her a smoky eye, a subtle application of foundation that evened out her skin tone, and dark red lips.

“You look… different,” I said inanely.

She looked a little unsure. “My mom and I went to the salon this afternoon, then she helped me with my make-up.”

“And the dress?” I asked.

“We went shopping yesterday at Nordstrom’s.”

My mouth dropped open. I couldn’t reconcile the woman in front of me with the tomboy in thrift store clothes I was used to.

“Do I look okay?” she asked, a tinge of nervousness in her voice. “For your gala, I mean? My mom said this was the kind of outfit you wear for a fancy event.”

“You’re coming to the gala?” I asked in confusion. “I thought we were broken up.”

She shook her head. “We had an argument, and I know that we need to talk. I’m ready to talk. But first I want to go to this gala with the most beautiful woman in Chicago on my arm. The woman I love.”

When I didn’t respond, she took my hand. I let her.

“I mean it, Aurora. I love you. I’m so sorry I hurt you, but I promise that I’ll do better. I don’t want to lose you.”

I surged forward, pressing my lips against hers, but she pulled back with a laugh.

“We have to save the kissing for later. I have no idea how to get this shit back on my face if we kiss it off. Now are you ready to go?”

“Yes,” I said, suddenly feeling lighter than I’d felt in two weeks.

I grabbed my purse, making sure that I had my key and my phone, and took Frankie’s outstretched hand. We walked downstairs and called an Uber to take us to the hotel where the event was happening. We could have taken the El, but we were way too dressed up to risk brushing against a dirty subway car. Not to mention that with both of us wearing high heels, we would be an obvious target for some mugger hoping for an easy score.

“Did I tell you that you look beautiful tonight?” Frankie asked as we walked into the hotel. “Your dress is very elegant, and I love what you did with your hair.”

“Thank you,” I said, doing a little spin. “I’ve been primping all day.”

The next few hours passed quickly. We joined my coworkers for a cocktail in the atrium, then headed into the ballroom to find our table for dinner. My office mate’s husband was a big Cubs fan, so he and Frankie spent half the dinner talking about everything that had gone wrong this past season.

After sitting through the awards ceremony, which definitely wasn’t the most exciting part of the night, the dancing started. I’d never danced with Frankie before, and I had no idea if she even liked dancing, but as soon as a good song came on I grabbed her hand and pulled her out onto the dance floor. She wrapped her arms around my waist, and I put my hands on her shoulders, and then Frankie and I were swaying to the music, lost in our own little world.

“How long do you think we need to stay here?” she whispered after our second dance.

“Now that the ceremony is over we can leave whenever you want,” I said. “Are you peopled out?”

She nodded. “Yeah, but more importantly, I want to go back to your apartment and have make-up sex. I hear that’s one of the benefits of having a fight.”

“You heard right. Let’s go.”

Frankie

To say that I was relieved that my gamble worked out was an understatement. All week I’d been tempted to go up to see Aurora and talk things through, but my mother had convinced me that showing up at her door and making a grand gesture would be the best way to show Aurora that I was all in.

My mother was right.

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