Lila's POV
Saturday mornings were usually slow.
The art store didn't open until ten, and Lila cherished the extra hour to herself. She sat by the window with a mug of coffee, her sketchbook resting on her lap. Instead of drawing landscapes or strangers in the park, she found herself sketching the dress Elise had brought over the night before.
She frowned at the page.
Then she erased it.
"I can't even draw a dress properly," she muttered.
A knock sounded on her door.
"Lila, sweetheart?"
Mrs. Holloway.
Lila smiled as she opened the door.
The older woman stood there with a basket tucked under one arm.
"I baked blueberry muffins."
Lila laughed.
"You bake every other day."
"And somehow you still look too skinny."
"I'm not skinny."
Mrs. Holloway glanced at her curvy figure.
"No, you're certainly not."
They both laughed.
As they settled in the kitchen, Mrs. Holloway noticed the invitation lying on the table.
"So..."
"Have you picked a dress?"
Lila sighed dramatically.
"I don't even know if I should go."
Mrs. Holloway folded her arms.
"Oh, we're not doing this again."
"But—"
"No."
"Lila Hart, you are attending that exhibition."
"You sound like Elise."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Lila smiled into her coffee.
"You know what your problem is?"
"What?"
"You spend too much time worrying about what could go wrong."
Mrs. Holloway reached across the table and squeezed her hand.
"Try wondering what could go right."
The words lingered in Lila's mind long after Mrs. Holloway left.
By noon, Lila was standing outside Belle Maison Boutique, shifting nervously from one foot to the other.
Elise had insisted on meeting her there.
"You made it!"
Elise appeared carrying an iced coffee in each hand.
"I almost didn't."
"I know."
"That's why I came fifteen minutes early."
She handed Lila one of the drinks.
"Come on."
The boutique was elegant, with soft lighting, polished wooden floors, and racks filled with beautiful dresses.
Lila instantly felt out of place.
"I think we're in the wrong shop."
Elise looked around dramatically.
"Nope."
"This is definitely the right one."
A cheerful sales assistant approached them.
"Good afternoon! Looking for something special?"
Elise answered before Lila could.
"My best friend is a featured artist at the Blackwood Foundation Charity Exhibition."
The assistant's face lit up.
"Congratulations!"
Lila immediately shook her head.
"It isn't a big deal."
Elise stared at her.
"It is a very big deal."
The assistant smiled knowingly.
"I think we have just the thing."
For the next hour...
Lila tried on dress after dress.
One was too tight.
Another was too sparkly.
One made her look like she was attending a royal wedding.
Another looked suspiciously like a curtain.
Elise laughed so hard she nearly cried.
"You look adorable."
"I look ridiculous."
"No."
"You look expensive."
"I don't want to look expensive."
"You don't."
"You look elegant."
Lila stepped out in a deep emerald-green gown.
The room suddenly fell silent.
The assistant clasped her hands together.
"Oh..."
Elise's mouth slowly dropped open.
Lila looked down nervously.
"What?"
"You..."
Elise smiled.
"You look breathtaking."
Lila turned toward the mirror.
For a moment...
She didn't recognize the woman staring back.
The dress hugged her figure perfectly without feeling revealing. The rich green color made her hazel eyes seem brighter, and for the first time in years...
She didn't immediately notice her flaws.
She noticed herself.
"I..."
She smiled softly.
"I actually like it."
Elise threw both hands into the air.
"Finally!"
As they left the boutique with the carefully wrapped dress, they decided to stop at a nearby street market.
The air buzzed with music, laughter, and the smell of roasted corn.
A street musician played the violin while children danced nearby.
"This is nice," Lila said.
"It is."
Elise linked their arms together.
"You've been smiling more lately."
"Have I?"
"Mhm."
"I think you're finally believing that good things can happen to you."
Before Lila could answer, a little boy ran past them, chasing a bright red balloon.
"Wait!"
He stumbled over the pavement.
Without thinking, Lila caught him before he could fall.
The balloon floated into the air.
"Oh no..."
His tiny face crumpled.
"My balloon..."
Lila looked up just in time to see a young man selling flowers nearby.
She walked over and quietly bought another balloon from his stand.
Returning to the little boy, she knelt in front of him.
"I think this one likes you even more."
His tear-filled eyes widened.
"For me?"
She nodded.
He wrapped his little arms around her neck in a quick hug.
"Thank you!"
His mother hurried over moments later.
"I'm so sorry!"
"He's always running off."
"It's alright," Lila said warmly.
"He wasn't any trouble."
The woman smiled gratefully.
"You have a kind heart."
As they walked away, Elise glanced sideways at her best friend.
"You know..."
"What?"
"You never even think before helping someone."
Lila shrugged.
"It just felt like the right thing to do."
Elise smiled to herself.
That's exactly why your art touches people, she thought.
Because your heart does first.
That evening, back in her apartment, Lila carefully hung the emerald dress inside her wardrobe.
She stared at it for several moments.
The exhibition was only days away now.
There was no turning back.
Her phone buzzed.
It was an email from the exhibition coordinator.
Dear Miss Hart,
We are delighted to confirm your attendance. As one of our featured artists, you are invited to a private reception before the exhibition opens to the public.
Lila's heartbeat quickened.
A private reception?
With collectors...
Artists...
Sponsors...
And the board members of the Blackwood Foundation.
She swallowed hard.
"This is really happening..."
She closed her wardrobe gently and rested a hand over her racing heart.
The exhibition she had once dreamed of from afar was no longer just a dream.
It was waiting for her.
And although she didn't know it yet...
Someone else was counting the days until that evening, too.
Someone whose life was about to change just as much as hers.