How To Not Lose Your Dog

XXXII. REAL LIFE

HOW TO NOT LOSE YOUR DOG.
( chapter thirty two, real life )

As soon as the limousine car door swung open, Effy felt her heartbeat increase rapidly.

She had imagined this moment repeatedly for days on end. While washing the dishes; while watching the latest episode of Gogglebox with Beau (but not really paying attention), and even on the phone to her mum back in England. But now it was actually happening right in front of her eyes, everything was way more intimidating, to say the least.

She wasn't a celebrity. Nor was she special enough to be in a place full of professionals and people who deserved this life, through their art and their jobs. She was a dog-walker - and not a great one at that. But, still, a commoner. Not made for a red carpet and fancy dress.

"Oh my Jesus Christ of Nazareth," Mona whispered in awe, staring at everyone towards the entrance.

Dashes of gold, silver, purples, browns, blacks and reds sped past the girls' eyes as their senses tried to take in everything at once. Women elegantly stood in gowns of the finest silks and velvets, while men accompanied them in designer suits fit incredibly to their bodies. Effy almost felt ashamed of her £20 black dress from Primark.

"We definitely shouldn't be here," Effy chuckled as they stagnantly stood by their car.

Mona nodded slowly. "You know, some dogs when they run off find sticks or dead squirrels... But ours bought us to a fucking Red Carpet." Effy slapped her upper arm as the pair shared a laugh, which relieved them a little. "Cheers Beau."

"What do we do now?" Effy mumbled uneasily, gazing around. She hadn't quite gotten a step-by-step book on what to do when getting to a red carpet. Sure, she'd watched a few videos on Youtube, but there wasn't much of a guide.

Mona discreetly nudged her side. "Oi- Tommy boy and hot-fucking-assistant guy approaching at 10 o'clock."

Effy swiftly turned her head, and low and behold, Tom was indeed approaching them. He had a stupidly wide, boyish grin on his face and sported a plain, but incredibly-looking black suit. A devilishly handsome man in his early 30s followed behind him, Mona eyeing him down with a lovesick gaze. He had a short stubble and his dark blue suit sculpted his strong figure, a notepad in his hand. Effy guessed he was Tom's assistant for the night.

"Eff!" Tom yelled happily as he opened his arms and Effy happily accepted the embrace. He smelt like expensive cologne and clean laundry, which Effy quickly sank into, her nerves slowly clearing away. As he pulled away, he slid his arm down to hold her lower back, gesturing to his lavishly gorgeous friend. "Eff, this is Niklaus. He's my assistant for tonight. Niklaus, this is Effy and Ramona Clarke - the girls I was telling you about."

"Nice to meet you," Effy smiled as she shook his hand. Mona cleared her throat and shook his hand, her cheeks burning a bright red. Niklaus then proceeded to lift her hand to his plump lips and pressed a small kiss on her knuckle, making Mona's whole face glow pink.

"Anyways..." Tom awkwardly continued. "Niklaus, I think Effy and I are okay from here on out. We're going to head down to the carpet if you'd like to go elsewhere. Mona, you okay to go with him?"

"Yep- yep. I'm very happy to do that. Yes. Go for it you two. Have fun! See you! We'll go somewhere else. Bye!" With that, Mona grabbed his hand and strode off towards the entrance of the building.

Tom and Effy stared at the retreating pair with a mixture of confusion and astonishment. "I don't know what it is, but there is something so profoundly disgusting about seeing your older sibling all mushy." Effy cringed as Tom let out a loud laugh.