Free Harvard Hottie by Annabelle Costa Page B

would pay $350 for a white shirt.
    Irene emerges from the back carrying what appears to be a simple black dress, but Irene announces is, in fact, “an Oscar de la Renta metallic floral lace gown.” It looks pretty unexciting, but Luke seems to like it, so I try to seem enthusiastic.
    “It’s fab,” I say. Fab? Where did I come up with that word?  Even Luke is looking at me with a bemused expression on his face and mouthing “fab?”
    “You two can go in the back so she can try it on,” Irene suggests.
    “Um,” Luke says. “Actually, we’re not… I mean, Ellie should just go herself…”
    I can’t help but notice the twinge of a smile on Irene’s face on confirming that Luke and I aren’t actually a couple. Does she like him?  And why does that thought fill me with…. I don’t know what… jealousy? Nah, not jealousy.
    I go into the changing room, shrug off my jeans and sweater, and slide the dress onto my body. There’s a mirror in there, which is great for making sure I don’t look like an idiot before I go back outside.
    Except I don’t look like an idiot at all. In fact, I look absolutely amazing. Like a movie star or something. I always made fun of people who shopped at expensive stores, and I said you could get the same clothes for a quarter of the price. But I was wrong. This dress is gorgeous. It transforms me from a dowdy software engineer into… well, someone beautiful. I can’t stop staring at myself.
    My elbow brushes against something and I realize it’s the price tag. I look at it and my heart sinks. This dress costs over $5,000. How is that even possible??  I’ve never owned anything that cost that much, even a car. I can’t let Luke buy this dress for me. I can’t. It’s out of the question.
    I emerge from the dressing room. Irene and Luke are chatting and he says something that Irene thinks is funny and she slugs him in the shoulder playfully. I have to admit, I’m still wearing the dress. I can’t seem to take it off. I figure, just a few minutes longer and I’ll say goodbye forever.
    Luke’s jaw drops open when he sees me. “That’s the dress,” he says. “We’re taking it.”
    “But Luke…” I get closer to him and lower my voice, hoping Irene won’t hear even though I know she will. “It costs $5,000.”
    He doesn’t even flinch. “Yeah, so? That’s how much dresses cost.”
    “That’s actually one of our cheaper dresses,” Irene adds haughtily. I’m really beginning to dislike this woman.
    “I’m just not sure I feel comfortable…”
    “Don’t worry about it,” Luke says. He glances at his watch. “Come on, we still need to get you shoes.”
    ***
    I feel slightly ill as I think about how much money Luke just spent on me as we drive to his apartment. I didn’t know it was possible for shoes to cost that much money. We also had to buy a pair of black pantyhose, since mine all have rips. I generally just wear slacks to work.
    Luke seems entirely unconcerned though, as he sends out an email on his iPhone. I still haven’t figured out how much use he has of his hands, so I have to admit I’m staring a bit. Finally, Luke looks up at me and says, “What?”
    “Nothing,” I say quickly. “Just… it’s hard to hit the buttons on those things, isn’t it?”
    Luke puts down the iPhone and lays his hands out in front of him. “All my cervical nerves are still working,” he says. “So I can still bend and extend my fingers fairly well, although not perfect. But I’m missing my T1 nerve, which means I can’t really spread my fingers apart. It looks worse than it is, honestly. Mostly, it’s just that my dexterity sucks. But I’d be screwed if I couldn’t answer emails on my phone, so I adapt. The iPhone is pretty sensitive to touch.”
    “Oh,” I say, feeling slightly embarrassed for forcing him to explain.
    He shrugs. I guess this isn’t the first time someone has stared at his hands.
    I clear my throat, desperate to change the topic. “I