Just then, their mother appeared at the bedroom doorway, throwing her hands up in exasperation as she caught the flying pillow in mid-air.
“Oh, these girls are going to drive me completely crazy!” she sighed heavily, shaking her head at the absolute disaster of a room.
“Whenever I look at you two, you are fighting! And just look at the state of this room. First, I have to spend my entire day looking after the absolute zoo of pets you drag inside, and now I have to clean up the mess you scatter all over the house too!”
“But Mom,” Panchi whined, pointing an accusing finger at her sister, “she started it first!”
“Uff, it doesn’t matter who started it!” her mom scolded.
“Panchi, you are the elder sister. You are supposed to be mature! I sent you girls upstairs to get ready for the evening party, and instead, you start brawling like toddlers. Poor Piya! What must she be thinking? You two just start fighting out of nowhere, anytime, anywhere!”
Piya stood awkwardly near the closet, pressing her lips together to hold back a giggle.
“I am heading out to the nearby church now,” their mother announced, giving both her daughters a strict, warning glare.
“And it is my direct order that you two will not fight anymore. Pick out your outfits and get ready for the party peacefully, understood?”
With a final, dramatic sigh, she turned and walked down the hallway, leaving the three girls alone in the chaotic pink room.
As soon as their mom’s footsteps faded down the stairs, Panchi and Misha locked eyes.
Misha dramatically rolled her eyes, threw herself backward onto the bed with a heavy sigh, and muttered, “Whatever.”
Panchi instantly ignored her.
“Anyway, Piya, leave her alone. Let me show you the dresses. Whatever you like, just take it, okay?”
She walked over to a different section of the room and threw open another large cupboard door.
Inside hung a stunning collection of glamorous, beautiful party dresses.
To Piya’s surprise, they were completely unworn, with the tags still on, and they all looked perfectly to be her size.
“These are so beautiful. Are these all Misha’s?”
Panchi hesitated for a second.
“Well… yes. But also, no.”
Piya looked at her, confused.
“Actually,” Panchi explained with a small smile, “Dad is always traveling abroad for work, so he constantly brings back these beautiful dresses for her. But…” Panchi gestured toward Misha, who was currently sprawled on the bed in her usual rugged tomboy gear.
“…looking at Misha, I’m sure you can easily understand that she would never, ever wear dresses like these.”
Piya let out a soft laugh, glancing over at Misha’s rugged outfit on the bed.
“Oh yes, I can definitely see that.”
She paused, looking around the room curiously.
“But where is your dad? I haven’t seen him around today.”
“Actually, Dad is out of the country on a business trip right now,” Panchi explained, carefully pulling a few stunning dresses from the rack.
“But he will be back soon. You’ll get to meet him then, and I am absolutely sure he is going to be so happy to meet you.”
Panchi reached into the wardrobe and pulled out a beautiful dress—an elegant off-white bodycon dress that looked like it would fit Piya perfectly.
“Piya, look! How about this one?” Panchi asked excitedly.
“Oh, it’s stunning,” Piya hesitated, biting her lower lip.
“But how can I wear this? I mean, it’s Misha’s dress. Her father brought it for her with so much love, so…”
Hearing this, Misha sat straight up on the bed.
“I am “never” going to wear these kinds of dresses anyway. I mean, just look at them—they give off way too much of a ‘girly’ vibe, which I absolutely hate.”
Misha hopped off the bed and nudged Piya’s shoulder.
“So please, before the spiders decide to build a permanent home in these clothes, do me a huge favor and just wear it!”
“Ah… okay,” Piya finally agreed with a warm smile.
The girls immediately jumped into getting ready for the party.
Panchi slipped into a gorgeous, short red bodycon dress and pulled up a chair in front of the mirror, deeply focused on applying her makeup.
A moment later, Misha stepped out of the inner dressing room.
She took one look at her sister’s intense makeup routine and smirked.
“Oh, please!” Misha teased, leaning against the doorframe.
“With all that makeup you’re putting on, it looks like you’re planning to give Danny a literal heart attack tonight!”
“Oh, please,” Panchi scoffed.
Just then, Piya stepped out of the bathroom wearing the beautiful off-white dress.
Panchi and Misha turned to look at her, and wide, warm smiles immediately spread across both their faces.
“Look at you, Piya! You look absolutely gorgeous,” Panchi gushed.
“And honestly, Piya, you have to compliment my taste. See how perfectly this dress suits you? After all, whose brilliant choice was it?”
Misha rolled her eyes and teased, “Piya, have you ever met someone who loves blowing her own trumpet as much as she does?”