I looked around me as I was escorted to the room. The front hall was sparse, with just a few portraits hung up here and there on the shiny black walls. The white floor seemed to suggest a monotonous, modern theme, like its exquisite exterior. I noticed there were a few other doors along the walkway, but I seemed to be heading towards the one at the back (the door looked especially fancy?). The well-dressed man held the door open for me.
Wait. In the spacious black-and-white room were 4 leather seats, each with its own mirror and studio lights. This is a.. salon?
"Surprise!" Dylan appeared behind the well-dressed man. I should stop calling him 'well-dressed man'. I looked at his name tag. Leo. Alright. Leo. Dylan appeared behind Leo. Much better. "Figured you probably haven't tried makeup, so I brought you to my family salon to try some."
"Wait, your family owns this salon?" First the convertible, then the dress and accessories, then the limo, and now a salon that looked like a mansion. What in the world. Our worlds were so vastly different. I suddenly felt small in the unfamiliar room.
"Yeah, we only accept pre-bookings though, most of them are my dad's associates." He paused. "What's wrong?"
I blinked as if I just woke up from a trance. "Are you sure I'm supposed to be here?" I looked around me and saw Leo and his line of workers waiting patiently by the door.
Dylan seemed to get it and placed his arm around my shoulder as he came to me. "You're my friend, of course you're supposed to be here. I DID drag you to the party after all."
"You've done more than enough for me, Dylan."
"So one more doesn't hurt, right?" He squeezed my shoulders playfully and ran out of the room before I could reply. I swear, this guy.
"Mademoiselle, s'il vous plaît." Leo said as he passed me a pink glossy book. I guess he wants me to look through the book? I have no idea what he's saying. I took the book from him and opened it. Inside were images of women with various hairstyles.
"Page 17." He pointed to the book. Ah, finally something I understood. I flipped to page 17 as instructed.
On the page showed a girl with a pretty, doll-like hairstyle. Why did Leo ask me to look at this? I turned to Leo for clarification. He pointed to the picture, then pointed to me.
"Me? This?"
"Oui, ce." He nodded. He signalled to the other workers already on standby.
-----------------------------
Hmm, It smells like buttercream and flowers. Somehow, I had fallen asleep in the middle of my session. The last thing I remembered was one of the workers massaging my scalp with some aroma oil supposedly good for my scalp (I read the bottle description). I opened my eyes. A girl seated on an opposite leather chair greeted me. She was really pretty.
Her skin was fair and glowed under the studio lights. Her rosy cheeks matched her tinted lips, and she looked really innocent. I blinked. She blinked too. I started to say something, but she opened her mouth too.. wait. I raised my left arm, the girl raised her right. I smiled at her, the girl smiled back too. That's.. me in the mirror.
"Just one last step." I didn't notice Dylan till he spoke up from behind me. He reached towards me and pulled out the hair tie holding my hair together. Hair spilled onto my shoulders beautifully, just like the picture Leo had shown me.
I couldn't recognise myself. I looked so beautiful.
"Merci, Leo." Leo bowed and took his leave from the room, leaving Dylan and I in the room.
Dylan turned to me and smiled. "Don't get me wrong. You never needed makeup." He looked at the girl in the mirror. "You were gorgeous from the start. This is just something extra to boost your confidence. It was in there all along. I had wanted to tell you this since I saw you at your apartment, but I never got the chance. You look absolutely amazing."
I was pretty sure my face would explode any moment. Not sure if it's due to Dylan's heartfelt words, or out of embarrassment. I quickly turned and scurried out of the room, not wanting to have any eye contact with him. What. Is. He. I cupped my face with my hands as I made my way out. It was burning all right. What's wrong with him?! Suddenly saying such things. I walked out of the main door and saw Joseph still waiting for us outside the limo. I gestured for him to let me into the car, which he did. I quickly climbed in while he held the door for me. Seline. Calm down. I told myself once I was inside the car. It's just Dylan. Just. Dylan.
"You can go now, Joseph." Dylan signalled after he climbed in after me. Joseph nodded his head and the car started moving again.
4 hours. And it'll all be over. I took a deep breath.
--------------------------------