WARM EMBRACE

"What do you think?", Sophie came out of the changing room after almost an hour. She was looking gorgeous. The sleeves and blouse were vaguely of a gypsy cut, all done in syrupy brown and shades of purple. The skirt consisted of ruffled tiers of violet satin that ended in a ragged end just above the ankle.

"Oooo. I can feel the temperature rising", I complimented. She truly was a divine beauty when dressed up. "What takes Emma so long?"

Emma stepped out of the room. In a greenish blue gown made of soft, satiny fabric, long and loose, she was looking stunning. A semi-circular, high collar made of velvet headed the ankle length robe. She blushed when all the eyes in the store were focussed on her.

"Wow Em! You look elegant. I bet all the guys will be swooning over you", Sophie said in awe.

"You look beautiful, Em. Okay, are you both done with choosing dresses?" I asked, tired of waiting for hours.

Sophie looked at me surprised. "Don't tell me that you are not going to buy any dress."

"It's just a prom. I will choose one from my wardrobe", I said nonchalantly.

We headed for my place after the shopping. Both Emma and Sophie seemed too excited about the prom, and were talking about their partners. Emma was asked by Shawn, a senior, to partner with him. She also had a crush on him for a long time, and was extremely happy to be asked by him.

"Hey, girls. Long time no see. You seem happy about something", my mom greeted us.

"Wait, you didn't tell her about the prom?" Emma asked me.

My mom looked confused. "What prom?"

"Oh, come on. It's just a prom. Mom, I'll tell you about it later. Let's get in", I said to the girls.

"Hayley, wait. You got a courier from someone named Liam Smith", mom informed me.

"What!", the three of us exclaimed in unison. What would he send me? Perhaps, she read the name incorrectly. We went to our room and were surprised to see a huge box on my bed. I sat down and untied the straps, swung open the lid, and let out a soft gasp. "It's...beautiful", Sophie and Emma said together. I unfolded the dress and draped it over the bed. It twirled down into shocks of midnight blue, whispering silver hiding amongst the indigo. A thin satin ribbon travelled all around the gown's bust line, making it dazzling. It was highly embellished and eye-catching, and being backless made it quite seductive. The jewel laced A-line gave it an exquisite look.

"This... is... so... alluring!", Sophie exclaimed.

"It looks so expensive. I'm sure it's custom made for you", Emma said, eyes fixed on the dress. "Hey, look. There's a note in the box."

I picked up the note and read it. A beautiful dress for the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. Hope you wear it for the prom.

My heart fluttered seeing the message, and I didn't reciprocate Emma and sophie's gazes as I didn't want them to notice my blush seering through my cheeks. I pretended to be unaffected and started folding the dress. "I'm returning this to him", I said to them.

"What? Are you insane? He gave this to you out of love. Besides, it can't be returned since it's custom made", Sophie said irritably.

"What love? We don't have that kinda relationship. And you know I don't accept expensive things from anyone", I replied, irritated by her neuroticism. I looked at Emma hopefully to explain it to her.

But she disappointed me. "Well, I think Soph's right here. It'll be a waste if you don't wear it anyway, and he will be hurt too. Why don't you wear it just for the dance?" she said to me.

They were right, I thought. But I have to tell him not to send me expensive stuffs again.

Sophie took the dress from my hand and started examining it. When she was done, she said to us, "You'll definitely be the prom queen if you wear this."

"She will be the prom queen even if she's in rags", Emma joked.

The next day in school, I saw Liam in his seat and approached him.

"You didn't have to buy me that dress", I told him.

"You're welcome", he said sarcastically. "I bet you weren't gonna accept the dress but your friends talked some sense into you."

He really sees through people. "That's true. Thanks, by the way. And don't buy such expensive stuff again", I warned him. When I was talking to him about the dance, I heard some voices behind me.

"Bae, why didn't you ask me to the prom?" I heard a familiar voice. It was Emily, the girl who slept with my ex. She sounded heartbroken.

"Go away, Emily. Stop bothering me. I have already broken up with you", said Jason. So the jerk dumped her too. "Besides, you aren't my type", he said again, unmoved by her sobs.

It felt awkward to be in the same room as them, so I went out. Liam followed me.

"Hey, Hayley. Wait", I heard Jason calling me.

I stopped abruptly. What was this idiot upto now, I thought. To my surprise, Liam stopped too.

"Hayley, I'm so sorry that I let you down. I should have never done that with you. I have realised that no girl can ever be like you. I know I'm a jerk and that I don't deserve you. But will you give me a chance?" he pleaded.

His pleading sounded so amusing to me, I wanted to shoot the whole thing. Beside me, Liam scoffed. That amused me further. Unable to hold it, I laughed out loud.

Jason was shocked. Perhaps the idiot thought that I would actually consider to forgive him. His state was pitiable.

When I was going to retort, Liam did something that made me freeze. He pulled me closer to him, wrapping his arms around me. His embrace was so warm and intense, and I felt my heart racing. The feel of his body so close to me was soothing, I didn't try to resist. I snuggled in and sunk into the warmth of his chest. The world around me melted as I squeezed him back, not wanting the moment to end. What the hell are you doing? a voice inside me tried to wake me up, but my heart was unwilling to leave his warm embrace. He shaked a little at the gesture, as if he was surprised, but clenched me closer in the next second.

I saw Sophie's and Emma's jaws dropping. Jason was stupefied. So were the other students who were watching us.

"Wanna watch the whole show?" Liam smirked at Jason.

Jason recovered from the shock and stormed off. Sophie and Emma were still gaping at us.

"I understand that my body is warm. We can try this again later, the whole class is watching us now", Liam whispered in my ear flirtatiously.

I pulled away, embarrassed at the fact that we were watched by so many people. Sophie and Emma were speechless. How could I hug him? What was I thinking? I was so reluctant to pull away. What's going on with me?

I caught Liam's hand and pulled him out of the class. The entire class whistled and cheered as we moved out.

"Why the hell did you do that! Did you want to embarrass me in front of all?" I asked him rudely.

"Actually, no. I just wanted to provoke that playboy, but when I hugged you, I was so absorbed that I didn't realise that the whole class was watching us", he said sincerely.

His answer made my cheeks burn. Was he just trying to tease me or was he being honest? I went back to the class and spent rest of the day absent mindedly.