Chapter 252: Why didn't you tell me?

CHAPTER 252

Why didn't you tell me?

MILLY

Darcy stands in front of us in a dazzling strapless, sleeveless satin dress. It is a floor-length dress with pleats. It looks beautiful on her, but something is missing.

“What do you think?” The attendant asks.

Mom, Rose, Florence, Pandora, and I share a look. The dress is gorgeous, but it is not quite what we need.

“I think I’ll try another. I don’t really like this one.” Darcy decides, and I nod.

The next dress she tries on is pink, covered in gemstones, with a high slit. It is also sleeveless, but it hugs her curves perfectly. I smile, knowing she will reject it because of the slit. Finally, she tried on an elegant beaded dress. The sleeves are beaded, and it curves her hips beautifully. She stares at herself with a huge smile.

“I’ll take this.” She says, running her hands over it.

“Of course you will. It is breathtaking.” Rose agrees, and I smile.

While her dress is being packed, Pandora decides to go next. Unsurprisingly, she is inclined towards a black dress. I want to tell her to try other colours, but I don’t. The first dress she tries on is the most beautiful black dress I have ever seen – it has a corset top, and is embellished with beaded flowers. It dazzles against her skin, so different from Darcy’s dress, but sharing similarities too.

“Do I even need to try more?” She runs her hands over her hips. The dress catches on to the light, sparkling, as if it were dipped in a sea of constellations. I’d never seen a more beautiful black dress.

“Oh, wow.” Even my mom is stunned.

“Is it too daring for a Prom?” She asks, glancing at the cleavage.

“You’re going to be Prom Queen, Pandora. This is a dress fitting for a Queen.” Florence expresses passionately, and she flushes.

“The dresses you’re getting today will be classics, dresses you can always refer back to, you can always cherish, and this is stunning. Now, Milly, what are we feeling like?” Rose nudges me, and I stand.

I walk down the aisle, staring at the dresses, trying to find something just as breathtaking. I do not want a black dress. I want something different, something beautiful. Ordinarily, I would have chosen a dress I can hide in, a dress I can be a wallflower in, but I am not meant to hide, not anymore. I was never made to hide, and I am done hiding. I am made to shine. This is my first Prom. First Prom. My heart will always ache for all the experiences I missed out on, for all the times I turned down Kai’s offer to take me to Prom because I was worried Poppy would shove my head down the toilet again. There is no point crying over spilt milk.

I almost decide on a satin dress, but stop when I see the sequin dress carefully tucked away between two dresses. Perhaps that can be the team – sparkle. I pull it out and stare at it. It is exactly my size.

The attendant helps me try it on. There isn’t a price tag on it, which I am grateful for. The dress has to be custom made for me. The straps are soft, and somehow, the sequins are softer. I stare at myself in the full-length mirror, and almost send a picture to Romeo before changing my mind. I’ll wait till Prom to see the look on his face.

“What do you think?” I ask, walking out of the dressing room.

They stare at me, stunned.

“I know it shows a little bit of cleavage. I can cover it with a scarf.” I say when no one talks.

“You will not cover it with a scarf. You look divine!” Darcy gasps and walks to me. She turns me around slowly, and I giggle.

“Guess you didn’t need us to come dress shopping with you after all, considering you picked a perfect dress.” Rose smiles at me.

“Oh, you look so beautiful, Milly.” Mom whispers, blinking away tears.

“We need to take pictures and start practising our makeup. I can already imagine the finished look. You’ll pin your hair back, and I’ll do a smoky look for you. We’re going to have so much fun!” Pandora squeaks, and I laugh.

We spent the next hour shopping for shoes and jewellery. This is my first Prom, and it is about to be the best.

Afterwards, we head home. Mom, Rose and Florence have their own special plan for the evening, and we had to leave them. I do not mind. I am glad they’ve found each other. I’m exhausted by the time we walk into Romeo’s home. It is quiet, which means the kids are asleep, and as expected, I find them in their bedrooms.

Pandora and Darcy head to the kitchen, while I head upstairs to Romeo’s room.

His door is ajar, and I can hear the passionate sounds of gaming.

Then, “Have you told the girls that you are not going to Oxford?”

I freeze, confused. Who’s not going to Oxford?

“Not yet,” Kai responds, and my mouth parts in surprise.

Oh.

I walk closer, and he stiffens when he sees me.

“Hi,” I say slowly.

“Did you hear that?” He winces, getting off the chair. Romeo and Jordan have guilty looks on their faces. Kai looks wrecked.

“Yup.” I nod, trying to sound normal, to pretend as if I do not care.

“I was going to tell you.” He walks to me. “I want to go to Cambridge, Milly. It has the depth I want in Mathematics, and we won’t be apart from each other. It is not a big deal.”

“Then, why didn’t you tell me?” I whisper, hating how the heat is spreading through my body. I am not surprised. I have known for a while that he’ll choose Cambridge, but I wanted him to tell me himself.

“Tell you what?” Pandora and Darcy come up at the most inconvenient time.

“I’m not going to Oxford. I am going to Cambridge.” He blurts, and she frowns.