Echoes of Unrequited Love

Chapter 83

Chapter 83 | glanced at the clock and casually asked, “Hey, Darren, can | swing by here and pick you up at seven tomorrow evening?” Darren looked at me like | just grew a second head, then after a brief pause, he chuckled and said, “Sure, let’s roll with that.”

| mean, | felt kinda bad always bumming favors off him. Just got myself a new ride, so playing chauffeur was really no biggie, just going with the flow.

But there was something off about Darren’s tone. After leaving the Youth Hostel, | immediately called Wallis. As soon as she picked up, | heard heavy breathing on the other end. “What’s up, Xaviera?”

Realizing | might have caught her at a bad time, | plucked up the courage and said, “I need a full set of threads, the battle-dress kind.”

“Whoa there,” Wallis’s voice spiked, “With who?”

“Professor Yearwood,” | spilled the beans. “I'll be at the soirée tomorrow night too.”

“Nice.” Wallis let out a thrilled yell, “Leave it to me, oh.”

Aweird moan leaked through the phone.

| froze for a sec, then tactfully hung up.

Was this what they call the ‘thirsty thirties“?

Wallis showed up at the office the next day, looking like she was glowing.

| teased her, “Get a good night's sleep?”

She shot me a flirty glance and in a sing-song voice said, “You naughty thing, you should be asking how many times | scored.” What a saucy line.

Rolling her eyes, Wallis said, “Xaviera, you seriously need to stop playing the nun. You know a woman's eggs start to feel their age past thirty, right? Time to spice things up, embrace the sweet side of love, ya know?”© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

| was blushing head to toe.

“Don't live like a saint all the time. It's been ages; you should switch things up, try a new flavor.” Images | had no control over flashed through my mind, setting my face on fire.

Nearly got derailed by Wallis’s banter there.

So, | changed the subject, “When are we going shopping?”

Wallis flicked her hair and giggled, “How about now?”

She took me to her ex—hubby’s three-story villa he left her in Forest Whisper.

| was floored by the variety of chic dresses in her walk-in closet.

Suddenly, it struck me that even though her ex was a bastard, he sure didn’t shortchange her on the financial front. “Money or a pretty man, darling, gotta have one.” Wallis quipped about money and looks.

| mulled over those words, then it clicked.

Wallis then handed me an ivory satin slip dress, “I ordered this at a Bulgari event two years. back, never wore it. It'll look fab on you.”

The dress was simple but made of top-notch fabric, felt like feathers on my skin, definitely

haute couture..

Wallis even called in a stylist and makeup artist to do house calls. And voila, dressed in the white gown, hair up, with subtle eyeshadow and lip color, accessorized with a ruby necklace and bracelet from the same designer, and strutting in nude stilettos, | was out the door.

“Xaviera, | can almost see the hordes of guys that'll be lining up at our office after tonight,” Wallis patted my hand, “See you at the party.”

| drove to the Youth Hostel to pick up Darren.

Dressed in a black suit and still sporting those silver specs, he looked a bit more solemn, but weirdly, it added a hint of a rakish charm.

“Doesn't fit right?” he adjusted his glasses, “Too‘ formal?”

| awkwardly looked away and muttered, “Looks good.”

For some reason, Wallis’s words about ‘trying a new flavor” popped into my head. ngan

My bad.

Clueless, Darren gave me a gentle smile, “Well then, Ms. March, shall we head out?”