My best friend... h.s

21

Acceptable in the 80's - Calvin Harris

*

Every Friday night, my mother, father, Anne and Robin would get together for a wine, dine and cards night. It's so happened that tonight, it would be hosted at our house. This was okay, because I usually made plans to go out or enjoyed the free wine and endless chatter about the gossip of the village. Tonight, however, it was slightly different. My brother was home, so we had a full house on our side, and Anne said that Gemma and her boyfriend were over for the weekend. This made my mother and father insistent on me and my brother staying at home tonight for this card/wine/dine evening. So, at five o'clock, I got in the shower in order to be ready for seven that same evening. I had my shower, and got dressed into a simple black dress and silver earrings, as even though we had known these people our entire lives, this special kind of evening was one we always dressed up for. I let my blonde hair fall behind my shoulders in its natural waves, enhancing a few strands with my curling wand. I put concealer under my eyes, and swept some bronzer and highlight over my cheeks, to give my face some depth. I coated my lashes in mascara, making my eyes bigger and giving a sultry look to the dress. I finished by covering my lips in a pale pink lip gloss, even though I knew it would come off with all of the wine I would consume this evening. It was six thirty when I had finished, so I popped downstairs to help Mum set up. We put the newly bought wine away in the fridge and the plates in the oven to warm through. I laid the table and put napkins at every place setting. I set out our best wine glasses and water glasses next to each place. Once I had finished, I lit a few candles and placed them in the middle, even though they would have to be moved once the games commenced. I lowered the lights to give the room some ambiance, and went to help Mum finish the meal. Tonight was Mexican theme, so we were having Nachos and Chili con Carne for our meal. I stirred the pot as Mum dashed up the stairs to get changed, last minute as always.

Dad came downstairs just as the door rang, meaning he could let in our guests and I could continue with the meal. I overheard the brief chatter of the welcome, before the footsteps came into the kitchen. I stopped stirring the dinner, and went to get the wine and beers from the fridge.

"What would everyone like to drink?" I heard my dad ask just as he was entering the kitchen. I was already pouring some glasses of white wine, as I knew Mum said to always start on white, them move to red depending on what you were having for tea.

"White for me." I heard Anne, behind my dad.

"And for me, please." Another female voice from behind Anne. Gemma

"Oh, Florence! Look at you!" Anne exclaimed happily, coming over to me with open arms. "You look more beautiful every time I see you!" She said, squeezing me tightly.

"Thank you, Anne. It's lovely to see you." I said, matching her happy tone.

"Florence, this is Micheal, Gemma's boyfriend." Anne introduced, the boy behind Gemma giving me a small wave. I waved back, saying a small 'hi' as I did so. Once I had giving Gemma a hug, my Mum descended the stairs in all her glory, freshly glammed up for the evening. She greeted each of our guests with a hug, a kiss and a compliment, before coming over to me and taking over the wine pouring process. I realised my phone was upstairs so excused myself to go and retrieve it. Checking it and going over my makeup to check it was in place, I turned to go downstairs when there was a knock at my bedroom door.

"Come in!" I called, thinking it would be Mum coming to retrieve me for dinner.

"I've been told to come and get you." A deep, husky voice pulls me from my reflection in the mirror. Holy shit. He looks hot. He was dressed in his usual black skinny jeans, black leather boots and a white button up, rolled at the sleeves, as to not avoid our smart dress code for the evening. His recent tattoos peeked through, colouring his tanned skin with swirls of green ink. His curls were unruly as ever, although I could see his attempt to tame it into a quiff, and were his hand had run through it several times. His skin in his face was clear and perfect, and his green eyes pierced through mine as always. "Are you going to come down, or just stand there and ogle me all evening?" He said, a cocky smirk plastered his features as he leant against my door frame, arms crossed over his chest.