Without Him

Chapter 16

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The stress ends tonight. I woke up at the crack of dawn, instantly going to the kitchen to prepare a cup of coffee to scare the small amount of sleepiness that my body still held. Mum would be arriving in about two hours to babysit Mia while I headed out to do my make-up and hair. I prepared everything she would need concerning Mia's stay at her house tonight since as soon as I got back home I had to get ready. Ever since Mia was born, I'd been incredibly grateful for Mum's help. I had very tough times with Mia the first few months but her help made things slightly easier.

After finishing preparing Mia's things, I headed to my room to get ready so as soon as Mum arrived I could head to the city and get ready as soon as possible. Before heading to the bathroom, I picked out a comfortable outfit; a white tee, jeans and black ankle boots, later entering the shower.

I was finishing getting dressed when my phone declared a new text message. I disconnected it from the charger and opened the text.

Max Wilde: Good morning babe! Good luck tonight, see you in a few hours! Love you. Xx

Max's text plastered a smile on my face. It made me feel good knowing he was supportive. We concluded on arriving together to the project launch. Our relationship was no secret to Mr. Kerrington and shouldn't be to anyone else anymore. After he left last night, I decided to invite Bliss, Reeve and Livie, also wanting their support. I included them in a group chat and texted:

So sorry for the short notice but would you guys please come to tonight's project launch?

They all agreed, texting back enthusiastically. I couldn't wait to see them. After getting their responses, I texted them the address of the venue where the launch was going to be held. I was tidying my bed when Mia woke up. I was pleased she was already sleeping through the night. I entered her nursery and got her out of her crib. I fed Mia and changed her diaper before Mum arrived.

As soon as the intercom buzzed indicating her arrival, I grabbed my belongings; phone, purse and keys. I greeted Mum at the front door saying "Hello & Goodbye" and explaining Mia was in her play yard, full from her breakfast and clean. It was already 9:59am and I wanted to be home - hopefully - by midday. The salon I went had a big clientele and if I didn't arrive on time for my 10:30am appointment I would lose my spot and be pushed back, spending more time at the salon than planned.

Luckily, traffic was on my side today. The city wasn't so jammed and the typical yellow taxi cabs weren't interrupting traffic as much as they did. I parked my car near the salon, entered a couple quarters to the car meter and went inside. A couple of minutes after my arrival, I was called. I already had in mind what I wanted so the make-up artist, hairdresser and I didn't have to brainstorm a lot about my look. I sat on the chair and allowed them start their work.

***

It was nearly 7:00pm. I was completely ready for tonight. Makeup? Done. Hair? Done. Outfit? Done. For tonight's launch, I was wearing a skin colored short dress with grey open-toe heels and a grey clutch. For my make-up, I decided to go for bronze eye shadow, light pink blush and nude lips. My hair was styled in a high sleek bun. Right now, I was just waiting for Max to arrive. Mum had left a couple of minutes ago, taking Mia with her. I wouldn't be seeing her until tomorrow morning since the launch ended pretty late and I didn't want to disturb my parents in the middle of the night. I didn't worry though since Mia enjoyed their company and they enjoyed hers.

I was checking my phone for the millionth time while I waited for Max on the lobby of my apartment building when I saw his white Audi R8 stop in front of the entrance. He exited the car with a cocky grin on his face as we walked towards each other. He looked incredibly handsome with a navy blue - almost black-looking - suit, white shirt, a matching navy blue tie and black shoes. His brown hair looked a bit messy, probably from the wind since the window of his car were rolled down. However, he still looked elegant and beautiful.