In London, everyone is different, and that means anyone can fit in.
Kayleigh Moore intended to repeat the sentence in her brain until her heart stopped threatening to push out of her chest. So far, unfortunately, her strategy hadn't worked at all, no matter how reassuring Paddington Bear's words were.
Moving to the city was a big, bold move. Kayleigh knew that. And Kayleigh wasn't a big, bold person. She knew that too, of course. But she also had a dream. And dreams only happened to big, bold people.
The girl stared at her reflection in the full-length mirror of her new apartment. Her apartment. It was a tiny, reasonably-lit, studio flat; utterly empty save for the most basic furniture. But it was completely hers for the next three months. She never had a place all to herself before and, without the sound of the TV coming from the living room as her father watched football or the consistent clattering coming from the kitchen as her mother bustled about, or even without the unwelcome quips from her big brother, the eighty-square-metred dwelling almost felt too big for her.
So, Kayleigh stared at the mirror and repeated the words, craving reassurance. She concentrated on her lips as she spoke, plump and rosewood-coloured. The corners of her mouth twitched. The fifty quid Chanel 116 was worth it, even if she could barely afford it.
Then, she focused on her eyes. Blue. Pale. Lashes long and liner slightly smudged. She fixed it easily with the pad of her right thumb. Then she studied her hair. Long, brown curls slightly ruffled from her trip. She had just carried her suitcases up three flights of stairs. Kayleigh ran her fingers through her locks, smoothing them out and fixing her bangs to cover the sides of her face.
Systematically, she widened her scope of vision and scanned her clothes. She rolled down the sleeves of her grey cardigan. They were slightly wrinkled but at least she hadn't stretched out the light fabric. Stretched-out sleeves were her signature look when she was a little girl, always pulling on them. They were the main reason she hated her childhood photos. They made her look scruffy. And Kayleigh wasn't scruffy. She was anxious. Shy. But not scruffy.
Her striped t-shirt and ripped jeans hugged her curvy body. She pulled her cardigan down over the swell of her bum. She didn't mind her figure, but sometimes, she thought her full backside made her look bigger than she actually was. And that would have been absolutely fine if she didn't have slight shoulders, stick arms and was not a centimetre over her metre and a half in height.
She breathed in... and then out.
Anyone can fit in. Even short girls with bigger bums.
Kayleigh turned away from the mirror with a loud sigh and turned to the living area. It was quite pretty, really. Just, empty. Her brown suitcases clashed with the red brick wall, so she needed to unpack and hide those things under the bed. And the room lacked green. And life. There was a flower shop a few blocks away. Kayleigh noticed it on her way over and it was still early in the day. She had plenty of time to buy some lilies. Maybe, they sold plants there as well. That was what this place needed. Plants and coffee.
Coffee first, she thought as her heart gave a particularly strong beat, protesting against the very idea. She'd already beat her quota for the day. But it was a big, bold day. She was allowed an extra cup... or three. Besides, her cupboards were empty. She also needed some milk and cereal for the morning, maybe some pasta for later. She wasn't hungry, but she had to eat.
Kayleigh confirmed the location of the nearest grocery shop and the underground lines she needed to take for work. She opened her suitcases and prepared her outfit for the next day hanging it neatly on her wardrobe door. She set her flat shoes and Louis Vuitton bag underneath.
YOU ARE READING
Designing Abigail Kilton's Dress - #1 The Wedding Dress
ChickLitFEATURED on Official Wattpad reading lists: Wattpad Contemporary Lit and Wattpad Chicklit. Kayleigh Moore made the biggest, boldest move of her life. She moved to London for a three-month internship with Kilton House of Fashion, her favourite Britis...