To Color Your Life

More than half an hour had passed, and Emily could not move away from the mirror. She has seen programs many times where ordinary girls, accustomed to dressing up like gray mice, were transformed by stylists into elegant ladies who are ready to perform on the runway.

She had an excellent figure, despite two or three extra kilograms (noticeable only to her, according to Kelly), but Emily did not love bright clothes. Well, she kind of stopped loving them.

And now, she was looking at her new image and could not believe her eyes. She was so beautiful in this lavender dress!

But in her first year at university, she once dyed her hair exactly the same color and walked like that for a whole month!

The girl ran her hand over the soft flowing fabric. Fitted top, knee-length loose skirt. Yes, she is ready to sleep hugging this amazing dress!

This surprise awaited her last night when Emily got home from work. As soon as she crossed the threshold of the apartment, the bell rang. She opened the door and first saw a tower of boxes, and behind it peeped out the top of the head of the courier who delivered it all.

"Miss Emily Hayes?" he specified.

"Yes," Emily said, feeling confused. She did not remember ordering something on the Internet. Moreover, in such an amount!

The courier put the boxes next to the door (five or seven, as far as Emily could count), bowed, and left.

On the topmost box was a postcard with a "humble" signature [No need to thank me. J. Evans.]

Of course, Justin Evans, who else would do that?!

"Again he came up with something without even asking my opinion," she chuckled and, like a squirrel would quickly grab her nuts, dragged the new trophies into her hut.

The first thing she noticed when she got a closer look at the packages were expensive labels. She did not yet know what was inside, but she was already afraid to open it when the inscriptions of Prada, Gucci, Chanel, Valentino lined up in a long row of cardboard covers of different sizes.

Emily opened the Valentino box which was the closest to her and gasped. Inside was a stunningly beautiful lavender dress. Hands immediately reached out to touch the fabric, and as soon as she touched it, the girl realized that she wanted to wear it!

Other boxes contained matching shoes, a purse, several pairs of sunglasses, eye contact lenses, and even glasses!

"He's crazy," the girl said with a smile, pulling new gilded glasses from a black leather case. Mrs. Parkinson's glasses were nothing compared to this work of art - thin, graceful frames, almost weightless!

Emily went to the mirror and put them on. Who would have thought that glasses can transform a person so!

"Awesome...," she whispered, admiring her reflection.

The girl turned to the bed, where other gifts were laid out. It was so unexpected and so pleasant that she didn't know how to react.

The inner dragon happily wagged its tail and growled, rejoicing in new things like gold, and her mind was not ready to accept such generous gifts.

She took her phone out of her pocket and dialed the already familiar number.

"Oh Miss Hayes, you are calling me for the second time this day. I'm starting to like this trend," Justin's jocular voice answered after a couple of beeps.

"Mr. Evans, thank you for the gifts, but I can't accept them," Emily got down to business immediately, while her mind was stronger than the greedy dragon pondering where to put new things. One of the top shelves in the closet was just empty.

"Is there something you didn't like?" the boss's voice immediately became more serious.

"I liked everything!" hastened to answer Emily. Not even so: she liked everything so much!

For a person indifferent to such things, she was surprised how Evans' gifts conquered her at first sight.

"Hmm, well then I don't see any problem, Miss Hayes," the gaiety in the man's voice returned.

"It's all very expensive," Emily used the last argument, which sounded hesitant.

"God, Miss Hayes, are you serious? First, the concept of expensiveness is quite elative. It depends on the income of the person. Second, who said I bought this for you?"

"Eh?" What? Emily opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.

"If it's easier for you, then consider that I made all these purchases for myself," the boss chuckled, feeling the girl's dismay.

"Do you like to wear Valentino dresses, Mr. Evans?" Emily crossed her arms. Ha! He bought them for himself. Aha, right.

"Hmm, I haven't tried it yet. I will have to check it out," Justin said with deliberate seriousness. "The first impression can only be made once. Don't you want your grandmother to be subdued, what a caring, attentive, generous, handsome, sexy boyfriend you have?"

"You forgot to add shameless and insolent," Emily couldn't help smiling at Evans's self-praise.

Okay, so be it. We will accept gifts from this generous and attentive one. Why spoil the boss's image? As a responsible employee, she is ready to comply with company policy. Shocking and unpredictability are the key features of the Pharaoh.

"Why doesn't mine suit you?" justin was surprised. "As you noticed, I fixed the light on it a long time ago."

Damn, Emily has already forgotten that she owes big to this man for the broken light! And now she also accepted his gifts, which are enough for buying two of such lights!

Hayes, your brain kind of began malfunctioning, the girl sighed, but neither she nor her dragon wanted to give up a luxurious dress.

"Your car is too conspicuous, Mr. Evans."

The grandmother will be surprised anyway by her granddaughter's outfit, and if she comes to her house on Maybach, she will be stunned! Knowing her grandma, she will begin to ask a ton of questions, on one of which they will definitely get busted.

"You're a strange girl after all, Miss Hayes. So be it, I'll have to take some of the old pieces of junk from my grandfather in the garage. Will this option suit you?" Justin asked with a touch of sarcasm.

"I think so," Emily agreed a couple of seconds later. The boss threw out the white flag suspiciously quickly. Didn't even argue.

"That's agreed. Good night then. I'll pick you up at nine," the man warned in a stern tone and hung up.

And so Emily was standing in full dress in front of the mirror. She had never seen herself like that... yes, never! Although her last "never" turned into a scandal with Kevin, but this time granny will definitely appreciate her outfit.

The girl glanced at her watch, it was five minutes to nine.

Emily picked up a new purse, put on new shoes, put on new glasses over her eyes and left the apartment.

The elevator counted down the floors. Her heels barely audible clatter on the tiles of the entrance foyer. She went out into the street and froze in place, not daring to go down the last steps.

He turned around and looked at the girl with a warm smile.

Light faded jeans, a snow-white shirt with sleeves rolled up to the elbows. His hair, usually sleek, was now slightly careless. And in all this outwardly apparent negligence, there was a become, style and an impeccable sense of dignity.

"Good morning, Emily," Justin held out his hand to her, inviting her to come downstairs.

The man's gray eyes captured all of her attention.

Emily put her hand in the outstretched hand and took a step forward.

At that moment, she finally realized one thing.

Many years later, even when she gets married and gives birth to children, she will remember the warmth of this man's palm.

His hair, black as a desert night, would flow into her fingertips as she closed her eyes.

She did not yet know how it felt, but she was sure that she would soon find out that too.

In the race which is called love, where the heart is always at stake, sometimes there are no winners.

But did that stop anyone?