Muffin was thrilled to see her, acting like they had been separated for months and throwing his tiny furry self all over her like a hyper-rodent on heat. His small pink tongue attacked her hands and face ferociously when she tried to sit on her bed. She barely had time to get ready for something to eat before she needed to start getting ready and realised her answer machine was flashing with many messages.
Every single one of them was from Abby.
Checking in. Sharing excitement. Confirming eight pm at the front car park. Describing her final choice of dress and finally wishing her luck. Every call ended with ‘Don’t need to call me back. I’ll see you there’. Rose laughed.
She figured Abby was as restless as her, and today's lack of physical contact turned her into a phone stalker. Rose pulled out her mobile, realising it was switched off with a dead battery, and threw it on her bed.
Ok, so she had to get herself together.
She had plenty of time to relax, do her hair and makeup, and pull out her new dress, which had arrived a few days ago. Locals had told her that the dance was formal, with evening gowns and black bow ties. It was all rather exciting.
She had chosen a long, pale dress in ivory with layers of puffy chiffon. It puffed out just enough to look beautiful but not so much that she looked like a cloud. The bodice was fitted and studded with pearls, crystals, and embroidery, subtly along the sweetheart neckline in matching ivory. Its straps were wide, forming little cap sleeves but leaving her shoulders bare. An over-the-knee length skirt, giving it an almost fairytale princess feel.
Abby gasped in awe when she tried it on for the first time. She worried it was too bride to be, but Abby assured her that her tanned skin and dark hair tumbling down from a romantic style would make it look perfect. She had pale shoes in a darker shade with high heels and peep toes, made from a similar satin to the bodice on her feet, making her long legs look amazing. The look was finished with a matching clutch bag and her newly polished pearl-coloured toenails and manicures.
Abby had helped her practice simple up-dos on her hair, and her makeup was pure nineteen-fifties glam tonight. Black-winged eyeliner, subtle blush, and rose-coloured, almost nude lips, pouting at full capacity. Her hair, although mostly loose curls, was pinned up at the nape of her neck with a small vintage crystal clasp and had let small tendrils fall and hang prettily around her face and ears. She looked every bit like the princess from a romantic fairy tale. She suited romantic vintage clothes. Somehow, they made her look even more beautiful.
Pulling on a cream cashmere coat her mother had given her for her last birthday in London. She looked every bit like Audrey Hepburn.
She took a few deep breaths, checking the time and putting her purse and invitation into her bag. She had decided to drive to the dance, but Abby had promised a taxi to return, leaving her free tonight to get merry and dance the night into drunken oblivion. Her stomach was doing a crazy Rhumba and churning with nerves when she pulled into the long manor road. Other cars were coming and going, with lots of hustle and bustle on the road and the huge wide car park at the doors. Ushers were signalling for vehicles to park and deposit guests, and others were driving cars off the wide space onto a sectioned-off lawn as a makeshift car park.
Fairy lights were hung in all the surrounding trees. The centre fountain had floating candles and magical lights draped all over. A small orchestra was set up at the entrance, welcoming people with soothing music. It was so opulent and classy that it was breathtaking, and she had not even ventured inside. Rose parked off to the side of the house in the area Abby had described to her. That way, her car would be out of the way for an overnight stay and close enough to the house to leave her coat for later.
As soon as she exited her car, Abby was by her side, screaming with delight and twirling her around, swarming her with compliments on how beautiful she looked. When she slid her coat off and dropped it into her car seat, Abby began wolf whistling, spinning and turning Rose while she admired her dress. She was caught up in her enthusiasm and started giggling with excitement.
‘You, my beauty, will knock men’s eyes out tonight.’ Abby giggled and once again twirled Rose under her arm.
Abby was dressed in a long satin gown in gorgeous emerald green. It was slinky and clingy in all the right places and swept the floor as she walked, opening a slit from floor to thigh on her left leg. Its draped neckline revealed her modest cleavage and thin straps on her dainty shoulders. It made the girl's pale skin and raven hair even more stunning. It made her look much older than her nineteen years and tugged at Rose’s heart a little to see the woman before her. And she complimented her friend with the same enthusiasm she had received. Rob had been accurate with his ‘revealing or outrageous’ prediction; this was certainly revealing but still classy, and Abby looked stunning.
‘Talk about me...Look at you, Ab’s. You are the belle of the ball.’ Rose beamed, looping their arms and excitedly toddling on heels towards the bustling entranceway.
‘Aww shucks, you make me blush,’ Abby jested and squeezed Rose’s arm tighter. ‘All ready for a night of schmoozing and boozing, Miss Turner?’ Abby’s eyes twinkled merrily.
‘Definitely, I need a good night more than anything.’ Rose was swept up in the excitement now, and her nerves tingled.
As they entered the grand stone stairs past the orchestra, Rose could see that even the green of Abby’s eyes seemed darkened by the dress's colour. Her peachy, almost natural lipstick made her seem so much more seductive. She could not tell her enough how beautiful she looked and how every young man’s head turned as they walked through the hall into the main ballroom. Unaware, the glances were not just for Abby.
The air was buzzing with excitement and chatter. Groups of over-excited happy people at every turn, a huge turnout already. Grand chandeliers hung low, illuminating the room with a magical glow, tables set up with crisp linens at one end, luxurious lilies, and rose centrepieces. A vast dance floor with glittery lights and floral arrangements dotted all over on stands and a wide sweeping buffet table full of delicious-looking hors d’oeuvres. It was the most elegant room she had ever seen, and she mentally tried to work out how much money they could raise for the charity when spending so much on the decor, music, and food.
Another orchestra was set up in one corner on a stand, playing vaguely familiar songs with a classical twist. The entire atmosphere brought goosebumps of excitement to Rose as she explored the food table with Abby, admiring all the delicious morsels. There was everything from seafood, delectable meats, and cold pasta to bowls of salads with dressing and chicken wings. There were rolled pastries and things on sticks she could not even identify and a huge mountain of champagne glasses beside an array of miniature desserts.
Abby nudged her as handsome men in black bow ties, and crisp suits walked by, winking at the girls; giggling girls in puffy dresses and tightly pinned hair dos followed with friendly grins. There were more people here than Rose knew even lived in this area, and half of them were completely new to her. Rose’s eyes wandered around the room, taking in the people, the beautiful clothes, the sparkly accessories, and the elegant setting. She was aware of how her eyes searched every dark-haired male face as they jumped from one to the other. No matter how much she told herself to stop it, it was like she had little control, and the urge to seek him out carried on regardless.
When her eyes met with a tall, straight back of a tailored black jacket over wide shoulders, a male with cropped black hair and a strong, tanned neck, her stomach fluttered, and her heart skipped a beat. She could recognise him from the back and at a distance, which only disturbed her more. Rose kept glancing toward him, unsure how to react. Abby was chatting at hyper-speed in her ear and handed her a champagne glass filled with slightly pink bubbly liquid, unaware of her friend’s sudden silence.
To avoid? To go over? To pretend she had not seen him?
As she contemplated what to do, he turned away from the group of people he was with, and Rose got to see his face properly. Unable to look away. A slight change in her heartbeat.
He looked out onto the sea of people with a smile; someone was still talking to him, and his attention was wherever they were pointing. His handsome face looked chiselled in the dim lights, and his white shirt, black bow tie, and jacket made him more like James bond than Laird of the manor. He looked so effortlessly at ease. He suited the whole bow tie and dinner jacket setup, and Rose could barely feel her knees anymore. Her breath had caught in her chest and suddenly made her feel lightheaded.
God dammit.
How could she be so stupid? How could she not realise that every time she reacted to this man in this way, her body was trying to tell her something obvious?
She had a huge stinking crush on him!
Like a hormonal teenager who followed around the high school heartthrob, suddenly being aware of this resounding fact made her feel immediately vulnerable, confused, and emotional all at the same time. Like a light being switched on in a dark room, only to find you’re naked on a stage in front of strangers!
She was shocked at her discovery and inwardly groaned at how incredibly dumb she was. She winced, turning herself to the buffet and trying to reel in the crazy thoughts spilling all over her dress and table like a severed artery.
Jesus!... What the hell?... How could she be so blind?
Abby was lost in conversation with an older woman to her side over crab sticks and was oblivious to her friend’s sudden life-altering realization. Or the sheer crumpling effect it had had on her posture and state of mind. She glanced back, trying to catch sight of Rob again to be sure he did cause these flutterings, lack of breath, and insane light-headedness. This crazy need to beat him around the head anytime he appeared charming stopped her in her tracks.
Surely that was her mind’s way of highlighting how irresistible he was to her?
Rob was still in the same spot as he had been seconds ago, looking like he was bathed in divine light. If it were possible to have rainbows indoors, she would have seen one arcing over him. She was pretty sure she saw stars already. Maybe that was just the lack of oxygen, as breathing was near impossible.
He turned slightly and revealed that, latched most purposely to his arm, was a tall, curly-haired redhead with a supermodel body poured into a figure-hugging cream dress. Slit in all the right places, leaving nothing to the imagination.
Morag Spencer, an overly sexed museum curator, was possessively spilling over Rob in an obvious way!
Rose felt the last of her breath escape her. A sudden thud to the chest and prickling tingles ran the length of her body, and deer in the headlights sprang to mind.
Rose dropped her glass of champagne, seemingly removed from the actions of her limbs, and it snapped her back to reality.
Abby cursed and jumped away from the shattering glass, as both girls then swept down to start mopping the mess with napkins rather frantically. Rose felt her bottom lip tremble as her eyes welled up, but they were ushered aside by two waiting staff in uniforms and handed a new glass of champagne. She had lost control of her faculties in the most juvenile way, aware she was losing her calm facade and turning into a bowl of melting jelly.
‘I need to go to the bathroom and clean this.’ she couldn’t look Abby in the eye, afraid the tears would start tumbling, so she kept her gaze fixed on the dampness on her floaty skirt and tried so hard to behave normally. Abby took her hand and dragged her off in the direction of the bathroom
‘Come on, babe. I’ll help!’. Abby smiled warmly, and Rose could only allow herself to be pulled along. She felt numb and distraught, all at the same time.
Rose panicked as she realised their route took them directly into Rob’s path. His eyes met hers. His expression changed from a cheery guy at a party to sudden recognition and something else. Something she couldn’t fathom. An instant moment passed between them as eyes locked. She was fighting back every emotion any hormonal woman had ever met, trying to keep a straight face while being dragged by an overzealous, slightly tipsy teen. Trying to keep her face blank to get past a guy she had only just discovered she had a massive almighty longing for.
For the love of god!
Rob reached out and caught hold of her by the waist in a lightning-flash move, halting her abruptly. Something he seemed to love doing was putting his hands on her. His halting them stopped Abby in her tracks, who almost ripped Rose’s arm off.
‘What happened?’ Rob’s eyes flitted across Rose's dress, alarmingly close and still holding onto her. She could barely formulate a response.
‘We had a little spill, that’s all.’ Rose tried sounding light and upbeat but could not bring her gaze to his. She focused on the hot hand across her abdomen through the thin satin material at her waist. No longer bringing fury to her body, but instead making her melt into a puddle and causing an inability to function. She liked it better when she thought his touch irritated her. He had moved close enough that she could feel his breath on her hair, and his aftershave surrounded her senses. It was as if the whole room had ceased to exist, and they were alone in a little-cocooned bubble.
‘Abby, use one of the en-suites upstairs. You know how busy the ladies' room will be right now.’ his voice was sliding over her like toffee sauce on hot apple pie. She heard Abby reply in agreement before his voice turned back to her above her head. She did not want to move or speak. Or even look up.
‘You look really beautiful, Rose...Really... Just amazing.’ He almost whispered those words in her ear as her brain manically realised it was the first time he had said her actual name.
‘Not Penelope?’ Were the only words she could formulate with him this close to her face. Almost brave enough to meet his gaze, she lifted her chin to focus on his bow tie. Aware that now her forehead was almost touching his chin, the closeness sending goosebumps in every direction. It was practically impossible to breathe normally, her hands trembling once again. He did turn her into a nervous wreck with very minimum effort.
‘Not tonight.’ There was something softer in his tone; he sounded breathy and seriously affected her breathing ability. ‘Tonight, just Rose.’
As though sensing something unjust going on, the tall, slender Morag appeared, pulling at his arm, thus releasing his hand on Rose and pulling him away from her.
‘Rooooobb baby, come dance with me. I want to be wrapped up in these beefy arms already.’ She crooned in a sickly-sweet baby voice, and for a moment, Rose thought she saw Rob grimace. It was so fleeting that she almost missed it and couldn’t be sure she even saw it.
Sudden chill where warmth had once been, Rose looked away and then back, catching his eye as he turned her way for a brief glimpse. Something translated between them instantly, in that mere second. His normally light grey eyes were dark and loaded, but she could not fathom the message or the look. Then he was turning and gone, and Abby was pulling her towards the hall; her emotion caught in her throat, threatening to choke her. Looking back at him as she was dragged away by Abby and he was dragged away by Morag, she watched him disappear into the crowd. Taking her heart with him.