"This?"

"Too long"

"Ok this?"

"Too short"

"The black one?"

"Too revealing"

"The left most one?"

"tooooo flashy"

"Ok. The we are taking the white one. Come on Sasha, white is just the one for you"

"No. I mean its toooo... hmm you know? It is..."

"Nice. But you don't want to take it because if you decide just yet we have to leave and you don't want that, because it has been what? Three hours that we have been in this mall. That's it Sasha I am leaving, you can buy this dress without any complains or can go shopping all by yourself."

"Oh, shut up Riya. I did not find the one and I will look for it until I find it. Now stop complaining and come. There is another shop I know."

"Noooooooooooooooooooooooo... you can't make me. I can't stand this torture any more I am dying a little every time you reject a dress. I will not..." rest of my agony was of no importance because Sasha dragged me to five other shops and she still didn't find the one. In the end she decided that the dress she bought for her last birthday was good enough.

I really hated her sometimes.

It was her idea to go shopping together. First, we searched for a dress for me and guess what? It was over in half an hour. Because I initially skimmed through the dresses, selected a few, arranged them in the order of their lengths,

Looked. Liked. Bought.

It was a simple black dress that flowed all the way down and covered my feet. The neck, shoulder area was covered in lace and a golden design (looked like fire to me) was printed from the left shoulder to the waist. The skirt part of the dress had many layers. All in all, it was a red-carpet worthy one and I bought it.

But Sasha had other thoughts. She wanted to learn a lot about all the dresses in all the shops in the entire mall, we went to. So, she dragged me to all the shops and tried on a gazillion different dresses, learned their size, material, cost, discount and finally said a big fat no to all of them and exited the mall like she just conquered the world.

"Sasha, you are a horrible person. Trust me."

"I know" she smiled.

"So, are you still coming?"

.

Oh no she heard it. Suffer.

"Riya what the hell is your problem? Why do you keep asking me if I am coming to the dinner? If you don't want me to come, you can just say it to my face. You don't have to keep dropping hints like a desperate girlfriend. If all you what to do is spend time and have fun with your precious friend Mini just say so and I will not show my face. EVER," she was fuming.

On the outside I gave her a bewildered look but my brain was conjuring images in my head of me literally rolling on the floor laughing.

Shut up brain.

What? It is funny. She does sound like an insecure girlfriend to me.

Shut up brain, this all your fault.

My fault? It is the mouth's fault for babbling without consulting me first?

Argh shut up now and do some damage control.

"What? No Sasha no. I was asking if you were still coming to my apartment in the evening. You said we could go together." She took some time to answer.

"No, I don't think I will come. I will meet you in the dinner. I don't want to share a car with that gorgon." Gorgon was now officially her name for Mini.

"We can be fashionably late. I will call you when I start, we can go in together." I really hope this works and I am going to call her late.

Very very late.

"Fine, bye."

We said our goodbyes to each other and made our way to our cars. Mini was to meet me in my apartment in about two hours from now. And trust me when I say this, I have not only my fingers but also my toes crossed for tonight. I really hope no one fights and everything goes off without any problems.

Who am I kidding? It is going to be a disaster (at least for me).

You ask why? Let's see:

1) Mini thinks I invited Sasha and she is mad at me

2) Mini mad at Sasha (god knows why?)

3) Sasha is also mad, but at Mini

4) I don't want Sasha to come to dinner and I can't tell her why

And most importantly

5) Ryan +Dinner +alcohol +late night = Riya's over time the next day + battle with media

Oh joy.

I was leaning my head on the steering and having the talk in my head when a knock on my car window startled me, and the grinning cat like man on the other side of my window was the last person I wanted to see right now.

I got out of my car leaned on its door and nodded curtly and said "Jay"

"Riya"

"What are you doing here?"

"I didn't know you owned this place"

"No one knows, I just bought it" I smiled.

"Will I be getting any discounts?"

"You will be getting a restraining order"

"I won't expect anything less" I simply smiled and mentally patted myself on the back.

"I was around when I saw you with a beautiful girl and... will she be coming tonight?"

"She will, with her " Jay had a way with girls. He was quite a charmer.

But had his worst side reserved only for me. I am touched.

"Damn" he punched my door lightly and scowled. After a minute or two he composed himself and said "anyway the main reason I tapped on your window was because I wanted to say this: don't wear anything black. Or we will match and I don't want that. I have my likes and dislikes and unfortunate for you, you fall in the latter. So, I was just taking some precautions."

"Well you don't have to. I will be wearing the same outfit, I am wearing now, for the dinner too and I don't see any black." I was wearing a white blouse and brown formal pants, no black.

"Why am I not surprised? Anyway 'bad-dress' see you tonight. Bye, have a horrible day."

Well he is in for a surprise.

*************

"Stop moving Riya"

"You are burning my ear"

"Am not, you are just being a complain box" I'm hearing a lot of the word 'complain' today.

"How much is left?"

"A small part on your left and few bangs in the front and then we are done." Thank god.

Mini and I are currently in my apartment getting ready for the dinner and she is threatening my life with the hair-curler. I have long hair that is pin-straight and reaches my waist. She watched some YouTube video and is experimenting with my hair for some 'elegant hairdo'- her words not mine, which required some curling.

I always liked Mini's hair. It was short, in layers, thick and pitch black. All she had to do was just twist it into a knot and it would still look great. We decided to keep our make up to minimum.

After an hour we were ready, all dolled up but ready. Mini was wearing a blue dress and she looked beautiful. Mini lived up to her name and stood at 5 feet. She had a beautiful face and her best feather: her bambi eyes. They were big, brown and innocent. She wore red pumps and had her hair in a bun. I on the contrary had small eyes long nose and a pair of small lips. But I was taller at 5'5 and was considered pretty at times.

I hardly paid any attention to how I looked or what I wore. Sasha and my mom mostly did my shopping and I was very happy with it.

"Shall we go?" Mini asked with her best imitation of British.

"We shall not. I am hungry."

"Nibbles dear, you are always hungry."

"I know but can we quickly grab something to eat?"

We were happily munching on our buggers in Mini's car when I thought now was a good time to ask.

"Mini, why were you so angry when I told you that Sasha was coming?" she tensed and looked away before replying, "I will tell you, but not just yet. I must clear up some things and then I will tell you everything. I will even tell you why I dislike her." That was fine by me. I never forced things out of anyone. I never even asked really. I was a great listener and listened to my friends whenever they had something to share. But Sasha and Mini were different they are both important to me, so I wanted to know.

"Fine, now if you stop hogging and start driving we can go have some dinner."

"You have an endless pit for a stomach."

"Oh, you are just jealous that you can't eat as much as I can without getting fat." She simple huffed and continued our journey towards THE DINNER.

~*~*~*~*~

Just as promised. See Riya's dress in the media. Let me know what you think.

So what do you think is going to happen at the Dinner? Why do you think Sasha and Mini hate each other?

Read. Vote. Comment. Share.