The Suburbs

Chapter ten

The last couple of days were spent venturing back into the head office in London. It was nice to see everyone again and have a little catch up. A few friends asked to come over for an evening to see the new house and have a few drinks, of course I would love them too, I miss them all a lot. Living here is the only drawback, my social life has majorly plummeted but I still know it was the right thing for me right now. I almost missed the hustle and bustle of those busy city streets though, almost.
In all honesty it's been the best decision arranging to work from home part time, I'll always love London, but the older I'm getting the more impatient I am with it. The thought now of sitting in traffic or commuting on busy trains with no space to sit and forced to be pushed up against someone's sweaty armpit is far too much to bare now.

I'm quite lucky really that I have this option. I find that I work more productively from home too, I don't get caught up in office gossip or feeling forced to drown myself in coffee's just to keep me alert after the draining commute. Yes, things in my work life have definitely improved.

But for right now, work is the last thing on my mind as I sit here waxing my legs and preparing for Elle's party tonight. The dress arrived yesterday and I absolutely love it, it looks better than it did in the pictures. It was quite pricey but it'll be worth it.
I got Elle a gift too whilst I was back in London, it was tricky finding something. I mean, what do you buy someone who already has everything?

I nearly bought her a journal, I thought maybe Elle could use it to write down her thoughts and feelings and it may possibly help her offload some of those stresses and perhaps even help her feel a bit better so she wouldn't feel the need to drink so much. But after hesitating over it for nearly twenty minutes I decided to put it back. I'm not close to her enough to know if she would appreciate something like that or whether she would feel patronised. Plus, I'm not sure if I can picture Elle writing much.
So I played it safe and chose a nice pamper set, I think it's a nice gift albeit quite boring. But I haven't known Elle for very long and hopefully she'll still appreciate it.

I have a quick shower to rinse off after waxing my legs and once I'm back in my bedroom, I sit and focus on my hair and make-up. I put a few loose curls through my short blonde hair and style my side fringe back to give it a bit of height. It feels very twenties and I'm proud of how well it came out. The make-up from the twenties is probably my favourite part, the eye make-up was very dark and smokey and it was always finished with a bold red lip. I absolutely love playing around with my make-up and achieving this look. I admire my reflection in the mirror, the red lipstick is sexy and it's boosting my confidence.

I carefully take the dress from the hanger and step into it. I adjust my breasts with some tape and make sure they're sitting nicely with not too much cleavage on show. I finish my look off with some black stockings, stilettos and costume jewellery.

My stomach feels as though it's doing flips, I am definitely getting nervous but I'm determined to go and have a good time and show Jacob that I couldn't care less about him. Although, one quick whiskey and Diet Coke for Dutch courage never hurt anyone.

Actually, two whiskeys and Diet Coke's never hurt anyone.

Before I know it, it's gone eight o'clock and I'm walking towards the party. Armed with Elle's gift and a smile painted on my face, I'm ready for the night ahead. No matter what, I'm here to have a good time.

"Oh my god, Mia!" Elle squeals excitedly as she pulls me in for a hug as soon as I walk through the front door.
"You look so good! I love the dress!"

I'm so pleased Elle loves my look although she did gawp for a split second, perhaps it is a little revealing, but I guess it's too late now.
Elle has gone for a floor length gold sequin backless dress and her beautiful red hair is all brushed over and clipped back to one side with tight curls, very classy.