Let's Give it a Year

Chapter 24

Astrid had rushed home from work that day, eager to stay away from Hiccup and eager to get ready for her night out with Ruffnut. Due to leaving work earlier than him, Astrid took a taxi home from work and entered the empty house.

Without Hiccup, the house always seemed so empty and huge as though there should be something inside it to fill the space. Whenever she walked into the entrance hall, the room always seemed too big for the two of them, as though it was built for larger people, or perhaps just more.

However, Astrid threw her coat on the coat rack and rushed upstairs, eager to start getting ready. Even though it was currently 6 o'clock, leaving her with 3 hours to pass, Astrid wanted to get herself made up and dressed before half 8 so that Ruff didn't have to wait for her.

Bursting through her door into her bedroom, she threw her things at the foot of the bed lazily and wandered over to her closet. Throwing open the doors, Astrid scanned her eyes over the clothes that rested within the confines of the closet, all waiting to be worn.

There wasn't much to choose from as Astrid had filled her closet with smart, work dresses and ballroom styled dresses that reached the floor. So, she didn't really have anything that could be considered a club dress. Astrid wanted to feel good that night, she wanted to feel wanted by anyone who was willing to look at her, so she needed to find the best dress that she felt good in.

Then, her eyes landed upon a very small, tight-fitting dress that had been shoved to the side and hidden beneath the layers and thickness of all the other dresses inside. Pushing everything else aside and allowing herself access to the dress, Astrid retrieved the dress from within the closet and brought it out into the light for the first time in who knew how long.

Walking over to the mirror, Astrid held the dress up to her body and checked the look of it upon her. It was a bit shorter than the pencil skirt she was currently wearing, and it was smaller in size meaning it was going to be a tighter fit than whatever she was currently wearing. But Astrid liked the look of it, it made her look like the woman she had always wished she could be.

However, tonight she wanted to be the woman who is desired by every guy in the club.

Throwing the dress onto her bed, Astrid took off her shoes and jacket and threw them to the foot of her bed to add to the pile of work attire resting there, and she headed for the bathroom to clean herself up.

3 hours seemed to pass by in a second as Astrid stood before her mirror and admiring her figure in the slim-fitting dress. Astrid thought she looked like a model, and the idea filled her with a wonderous sense of confidence and self-esteem. For just one night, she was going to be single again and Hiccup wasn't going to tell her otherwise.

"No, stop it!" Astrid scolded herself as she thought about him. "Let's just forget about him for tonight, and just have fun." She told herself with a smile at her reflection. "He's a prick anyway, he needs to learn just what he is missing."

Her dress was jet black with a velvety finish to the material. It was sleek and well-fitted enough to show the curve of her hips and her thin waist beneath the dress's material. It was long-sleeved with the sleeves being held together by shoelace design that revealed part of her arms to the world. Her chest wasn't on display very much but the dress had a V-neckline that exposed part of her chest but not enough to be considered revealing and provocative.

Satisfied with her look, and a quick glance at the clock, Astrid grabbed her clutch bag with a long chain that she slung over her shoulder and left her room, heading downstairs. Her high heels clicked against the staircase as she made her way down carefully, using the bannister for balance as she descended to the entrance hall at the bottom of the stairs.