Celeste

"Ta-da!" Celeste cried as she threw open the door to her bedroom, stepped into the hall and struck a pose in the dress she was going to wear to the Christmas Tree Ball.

The dress was bright red, with a sweetheart neckline, three-quarter sleeves, and a full A-line skirt. She had paired it with glittery gold heels, a bright red lip, and a sprig of real holly in her copper curls.

Alicia was sitting on the couch with thick curlers in her own hair, waiting for the style to set. When she looked up, her eyes were bright with hope... But her hopeful expression immediately fell. Her features went stiff like she was trying very hard not to make a face.

"Oh," she said. "You look... nice."

"Nice?" Celeste echoed, sashaying into the living room and twirling around so Alicia could get a proper look. "Are you serious? This dress is only 'nice'?"

"I mean, you look pretty," Alicia said. "It's just kinda...."

"What?"

Alicia shrugged. "Meh."

Celeste came over and flopped down on the couch next to her friend. "That is not the reaction I was hoping for."

"I'm sorry," Alicia said. "I just thought you were gonna wear something a little more, I don't know, exciting."

"How is this not exciting?" Celeste asked, tossing up the edges of her skirt as she slumped against the cushions. "I bought this special for the ball. It wasn't cheap either."

"When did you buy it?"

"Last month," Celeste said. "Black Friday sale."

"That's it! That's the problem," Alicia said, nodding sagely. "You bought the dress before Jared broke up with you."

"It's a break," Celeste corrected. "And what does that have to do with anything?"

"Because the dress you bought is safe."

"Safe?"

"You bought that dress for a man you already had," Alicia explained. "Not for the guy you are trying to get back."

"Huh?"

Alicia sighed. "You need a dress that will make him notice you. A dress that says something."

"Doesn't this dress say something?"

"Sure, it says, 'Hello, I'm sweet and nice and and forgiving and I will be waiting for you whenever you're ready,'" Alicia said, putting on an over-sugared tone that sounded a little like Rebecca.

Celeste frowned. That wasn't the message she wanted to make. "Then what should my dress be saying?"

Alicia had to ponder that. "It should say 'come and get me,'" she said, "'or you'll lose me forever.'"

"I guess that would be nice," Celeste said, thinking about it. "Only none of my dresses say anything like something like that."

"Maybe yours don't," Alicia said, grinning wickedly. "But mine do."

She grabbed Celeste by the wrist and hauled her off the couch. Celeste tried to protest but Alicia wouldn't let go. She dragged Celeste down the hall and into her room.

Alicia's room wasn't exactly messy, but it was chaotic. It was a swirl of twinkle lights, gauzy curtains, and plants. Her overstuffed walk-in closet—the whole reason she had chosen this room in the apartment, even if it was smaller overall—was messy, though. It looked like it had been recently rifled through by a pack of rabid raccoons.

Alicia pushed Celeste onto her bed and went over to the closet. Several dresses were piled on the floor just outside the door as if she'd already sorted through them while searching for her own outfit.

"So, what sort of style says... whatever you said?" Celeste asked as she leaned back on one of Alicia's pillows. It was fuzzy, and Celeste found herself stroking it like a cat. "What was it... 'Come and get me'?"

For a minute, Alicia didn't answer. She was too busy throwing clothing out of the closet door. When she finally emerged, she had something sequined in her hand. She held it up to assess it against Celeste and then tossed it aside.

"Something vampy, something daring," she said, gesturing wildly into the air. "Something will burn into his memory and haunt him forever if he doesn't come to his senses and make a move."

Celeste tilted her head. "You want me to... haunt Jared?"

"Right. Jared," she said, shaking her head like she'd forgotten his name. Then she smirked. "Or whoever."

"Who else would it be?" Celeste asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Who knows?" Alicia said with a shrug before quickly changing the subject. "Are you 100% set on wearing a bra?"

"What?" Celeste asked, her eyes going wide. "Why?"

Alicia reached into the closet and pulled out a white sequined dress that seemed like an impossible sparkling handkerchief with a lot of strings attached. A chill climbed up Celeste's back at the thought of wearing something that revealing. To Celeste's relief, Alicia only considered it for a moment before she shook her head and dropped the dress to the floor rather than put it back.

"Very much yes to the bra," Celeste called after her as her friend disappeared back into the closet.

"Ugh, that complicates things!" Alicia called back. She came back out with a smoky-silver silk dress. She debated it for a moment before putting it aside. "Nah, I think I'll wear this one."

Celeste just nodded, thankful that it wasn't for her either. It looked a little too tight for her liking.

"You know, if you forget about Jared," Alicia said, returning to her search of the closet, "you might find someone better...."

"It doesn't matter," Celeste said, "because it's Jared that I want."

Alicia poked her head out and pouted at her. "It's already Christmas Eve. Weren't you hoping to have him crawling back by now? It's cutting it a little close, isn't it?"

"I'm not on any sort of deadline," Celeste said, now twisting patterns into the fur on the pillow. "Now that I won't be alone on Christmas, I'm not worried. I'm okay with waiting for the New Year for Jared to, uh, come crawling...."

Suddenly, Alicia got serious. "What if he doesn't?"

"Huh?" Celeste looked up.

"Come on, you had to have thought about this," Alicia said, leaning against the door frame. "What if Jared doesn't... come back?"

"But it... it's just a break," Celeste muttered, stopping her stroking of the fuzzy pillow. She began to pluck at the hairs.

"What if it's not?" Alicia said, wincing as she said the words. She didn't want to hurt Celeste, but it had to be said. "When are you going to stop waiting for him?"

Celeste swallowed. If she was honest, she hadn't really thought that far ahead. For once in her life, she didn't have a plan. In the blur of the holidays and heartbreak, she hadn't thought of anything beyond New Year's Eve. She'd just been trying to survive.

But Alicia was right. If Jared was so jealous, why hadn't he made a move?

And what if he didn't?

What if he was never going to?

When was she going to stop holding onto hope?

"I know how you feel about him," Alicia reminded her. She held up a gold lame number, only holding it up for a second before tossing it aside, too, "but you can't wait forever..."

"You're right," Celeste said.

"I am?" Alicia said, shocked at first before her eyes brightened. "Of course I am! There are so many other guys out there, like—"

"So, tonight is his last chance," Celeste continued, cutting Alicia off.

"W-What?" Alicia sputtered.

"If Jared wants me, he better make his move tonight," Celeste said, sitting up straight. She was determined now. "Otherwise, that's it. So, yeah, you better choose a good dress. I want to make an impression."

Alicia just blinked at her, then she sighed and rolled her eyes as she ducked back into the closet. "If you say so."

Then she gasped.

"Oh yes," Alicia said. "This is it. This is the one."

Her friend leapt out of the closet and held up the dress, triumphant, for Celeste to see. Celeste took one look and swallowed hard.

Well, she thought, I did want to make an impression.

🎄