He gave me adrenaline, passion and thrill. I just didn't know at what cost...
When small town girl Mia Thorpe moves to London to begin a new life, the last thing she expects is to fall head over heels for the charming yet mysterious Grayson Cooper...
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Clothes are sprawled haphazardly in heaps across my bedroom floor. Almost like a lucky dip, I decided on a navy blue bodycon dress with cream heels, picking out my small clutch bag to finish the look.
The state of my room bothers me for a little bit, but then I wave it off and decide I'll unpack properly tomorrow.
With a quick movement, Hailey walks me to her room. She ruffles about in her wardrobe with arms and fingers flailing and then pulls out a little black number, smiling with content. Whilst she scavenges the floor for shoes, I throw a look around her space.
Her bedroom is the complete opposite to mine. Her baby-pink walls are plastered with posters—many of those of shirtless men or old-school boybands—and the carpeted floor is scattered lazily with discarded clothes. Its clear that she likes a good night out because endless rows of empty spirit bottles decorate the top of her wardrobe and her make-up is spread clumsily across her dresser. In my head I laugh—her bedroom back at home is no different.
"What about these?" Hailey asks, her flustered hands holding out a pair of shiny black stilettos. "Will they go?"
I sit upon her bed and nod. I think she knows they match but I confirm it to her all the same.
A smile nearly tears her face when she places the outfit upon her scrunched up duvet. With a breath, she says, "Okay. Great! I'm going to head to the shop. Pre-drinking is key. Any preference on drink?" She stuffs her feet into her trainers with eagerness.
I find myself smirking. "Vodka? Or gin?" My eyes dance with mischief and I briefly wonder why my feelings about tonight have suddenly changed.
Hailey claps. "Yes! I'll see what's on offer!" She wiggles her eyebrows and starts to the front door.
Amongst the sudden silence of the house, I drag myself to my bedroom and flop onto my bed that I managed to quickly make up with my floral duvet and matching pillows. Staring to the ceiling, I take a moment to think about my new life.
In a crazy way, I'm immensely proud of myself. I applied to so many apprenticeships and could barely believe my own luck when this one pulled through. And not just any company—one of London's largest and fastest growing online fashion companies: Saint and City.
The interview was crazy; a powerful marketing director quizzing me on my experience—or lack thereof. My heart beat relentlessly through the whole sixty minute Skype quiz. But they saw something in me, and when I was called and offered the job of a marketing apprentice, I almost passed out in the coffee shop I was working in. Some poor guy was close to having a mug-full of boiling hot coffee tossed into his lap.
Everything after that was a whirlwind. I had two months to get my stuff together and buy everything I needed. Some nights I couldn't sleep because I felt so sick and my body writhed with fear—fear of the unknown. But I knew it would be good for me. If I stayed at home forever I would never have got anywhere, and I needed something to build on. I needed a future, no matter how hard it would have been for me to move on.
