Escapism (CL 16)

1. Distractions

"Anna, please. This is a terrible idea." Laura protested as her friend thrust another drink into her hand.

"Nonsense. You just haven't had enough to drink yet." Anna grinned. "Come on, drink up and get dressed. We are going in an hour."

"I don't have anything to wear." Laura shook her head, catching sight of herself in the floor length mirror in the bedroom of Anna's apartment. "Do we really have to go out?"

"Yes." Anna said firmly, already opening the door to her closet and starting to rummage through the racks upon racks of clothes hanging in there. "Did you really think that I invited you to Monaco just so you could sit around in your pyjamas and mope?"

"If I'd known you weren't going to let me do that I'm not sure I would've come." Laura sighed. "I really don't think I feel like going out."

"I'll say it again, what you need is a couple more drinks, to put on this gorgeous dress...." Anna turned around with a black velvet dress on the hanger dangling from her fingers. "And a night out at Jimmy'z, maybe even find a hot guy to go home with for the night to remind you that you're the best and that asshole is a fucking idiot."

"That asshole is... was... my finance." Laura choked out.

"Oh honey, don't cry." Anna shook her head quickly. "I've just done your makeup. We don't want to have to do it again."

Laura blinked rapidly, trying to dispel the tears before they could fall and ruin what was, if she had as being honest, a work of art from Anna. She barely recognised herself as she looked at her reflection in the mirror, the dark eye make up and bold red lips so far removed from what she would usually wear. Her blonde hair hung in perfectly curled ringlets around her shoulders.

She may not feel like she was ready for a night out, but Anna had more than made sure she looked like she was.

"Come on, drink up." Anna prompted, pointing to the glass in her hand. "We haven't had a night out in ages, and I know you don't feel like it, but trust me when I say it's exactly what you need."

"I've really missed you." Laura sighed. "Why did you have to move to another country?"

Anna chuckled. "I do keep telling you that you're welcome to visit any time. Monaco is great, maybe you can move here."

"Please." Laura rolled her eyes. "We haven't all got a rich, adoring husband with houses all over the place." She loved Anna's husband, she did, but sometimes how sickeningly happy the two of them were together was a little hard to watch, especially given her own situation.

"I bet he's got some friends we could set you up with." Anna smirked, gulping down her own drink. "I'll ask him when he gets home. Now drink up and get your ass in this dress, we're going out!"

"Oh come on, I've barely been single twenty four hours. You're not setting me up with someone Josh works with." Laura shook her head. "I came here to..." she trailed off, looking for the right word.

"Escape?" Anna offered.

"Escape." Laura nodded in agreement. "Not to have you set me up with some random guy as a distraction."

"I think a distraction would do you good right about now." Anna offered. "You know what they say. The best way to get over someone is to get under someone else."

Laura snorted with laughter at her friend's words, downing the rest of her drink. If Anna was that insistent that they were going out, then she was going to need a whole lot of alcohol to make to tolerable.

"Not going to happen, Anna." She shook her head, putting the glass back down on the table and getting to her feet. She stripped out of her pyjamas, getting ready to put on the dress Anna had picked out for her. "I still need to speak to Mike properly about what happened, maybe-"