Chapter 20
Lavender stepped through the door into her foyer, pushed the door to swing shut, placed her keys on a small hook on the wall and stood frozen in place. Her mind was impossibly blank, which was reflected on her wide, unblinking stare into oblivion. Somewhere in the depths of her mind that thought that it was a good three hours until her date occurred. Paradoxically, her mind both did and did not process the fact. Though it felt like eternity, it was just a few seconds later a truly full and coherent thought skittered across her mind like tumbleweed in a ghost town. "I must look perfect tonight!" It was enough to finally spur her into action.
She made her way further into the apartment, removing her plain, low heels as she walked/ she padded past the kitchen, through the comfortably homey den and down a small hall with pictures hanging from the walls. She passed the linen closet, the bathroom, the guest bedroom and finally, further down at the very end of the hall, entered the master bedroom.
At the wall to the right of where she entered, she slid open the door to her closet. It was a walk-in closet, but a modest one; she kept it very neat and organized to allow a much more efficient use of the space. She placed the shoes back on the little rack on the floor and began to strip off her business suit. Without fully meaning to, she restrained her gaze to the one side of the closet as she hung up her skirt, blouse, and jacket. If someone where to call her out on it she would deny it whole-heartedly. But you didn't have to be the next Freud to see that she was avoiding looking at the newly emptied space out of pure fear she'd be refilling that space in the morning with her own belongings.
Determinedly keeping her mind off it, she slid off her pantyhose and stowed them away leaving her in her turquoise thong and turquoise and black lace bra. A single hand reached up and deftly released her dirty blonde hair from its sleek French twist. It cascaded down to rest just below her bra strap. That same hand slid behind her back, unhooked the bra and slid it off to stow away as well. While her nipples hardened in response to the sudden exposure to cool air she slid the panties down her long, shapely legs and tossed them into the dirty laundry hamper stowed unobtrusively in the corner near the door.
Having learned to be comfortable in her bare skin, she unhurriedly stepped out of the closet, sliding the door shut behind her and padded to the other side of the room to open a door leading to a spacious bathroom. It was entirely white except for the stainless steel hardware. She ignored the large Jacuzzi tub elevated up several steps in the corner, and instead slid through a slit in the wall and followed the short circular path into a small shower. She hit a switch causing the water to turn on and fall from the shower head embedded in the ceiling. Lights were inset in the wall and, paired with the steam from the hot water, created a very ethereal scene.
She washed and conditioned her hair with the shampoo that always made Ron sneak not so subtle sniffs of her hair. Using an exfoliating puff, she scrubbed head to toe with the body wash Hermione got her from s muggle store called Bath and Body Works. For some reason it was called Black Amethyst; she could never figure out what the name had to do with the spicy scent, but she always reserved it for those special occasions she wanted to feel extra sexy. Then she grabbed her razor and shaved her underarms, calves, thighs and finally vagina, taking care to use more than enough of her moisturizing shaving cream to avoid nicks while ensuring she got every single hair. When she was satisfied her skin was bare, smooth and razor burn free she rinsed off and shut the water off. She quickly combed her hair and wrapped it in a towel. Using a smaller hand towel, she patted dry her skin, slipped on a fluffy robe and exited back into her bedroom.
Rubbing the towel over her head to dry it, she approached the dresser on the opposite side of the room from her bed and pulled out a black silk thing and matching strapless bra. She tossed them over her shoulder onto her bed and levitated the towel back to the bathroom to hang to dry. Glancing around, her eyes finally fell on the new bottle of deep moisturizing lotion on her nightstand. Quickly, she grabbed it and rubbed a liberal amount into her skin, careful to not miss a single spot. It had a little illuminator in it that appeared shimmery and made her skin glow. She used a simple charm to finish drying her hair so it fell in loose waves. It only took a few minutes to apply a small amount of makeup, just enough for a fancy dinner date. She quickly slipped on her undergarments and slid into a strapless, sweetheart cut black dress. It hugged her curves enough to be sensual without being skanky. Similarly, it fell about mid-thigh, just low enough she could bend and sit without having to worry about giving everyone an eyeful. She slid in a small pair of diamond stud earrings, a necklace of three diamonds progressively slightly larger down in a vertical line, both gifts from her parents, and a simple sterling silver bracelet Ron had given her on their last anniversary.
A glance in the large mirror hanging over her dresser assured her that she looked good. She spritzed on some perfume Hermione also gave her scented the same as her body wash. Strategically, she focused on using just a little on her neck, cleavage and behind her knees. As she placed the bottle back, she shot her reflection a naughty smirk. She knew from past experience that Ron was rather partial to the scents as well, especially when he realized she only used them for special occasions. To complete the look she slipped into high, black, pep-toed pumps that showed her perfectly manicured toes, whose maroon shade matched her nails.
With a powerful stride, she entered the den to grab her vibrant red clutch, a perfect match to her lipstick, and checked that she had everything she needed. Then, with a sigh, she sat heavily on the couch to pretend to read a book while she waited for Ron to arrive in an hour.
Ron did a quick check before leaving his room. Carefully combed hair and black suit with spotless while shirt and blue tie that supposedly matches his eyes… check. Neatly shaven, light layer of cologne, fresh breath and mints? Check, check, check, and… check.
Satisfied he was prepared; he quickly walked outside and apparated to Lavender's apartment complex. His knock was music to Lavender's ears; she moved impossibly fast in her heels to answer the door. She threw it open enthusiastically, startling Ron.
Ron blinked and stared in amazement at Lavender. She always seemed beautiful to him, but tonight she was absolutely stunning. He couldn't decide if he wanted to grab her and make love all night or take her out and show her off to the world and make her smile that beautiful smile more. Unable to make up her mind, he decided to do both. Needing to satiate his desire until after dinner, he cupped her cheek lightly and kissed her slowly and gently.
Lavender's hand rested against his chest as she let the gentle kiss sweep her away. When he finally pulled back, she bit back a disappointed whine. He dropped a light kiss on her forehead making her heart flutter with love.
"Ready?" His voice was slightly husky. Lavender gazed into his eyes and nodded yes. Hands entwined, they paused only long enough for her to lock the door before making their way out to apparate to the restaurant.
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