Anna let out a prolonged sigh, digging her heels into the carpet as she stared longingly into the open wardrobe, her eyes raking back and forth. It was no use. There was nothing here that would do, not in the slightest.
She was considering throwing everything from the first floor window and collapsing in a desperate heap on the floor, when Gwen entered, placing a fresh mug of tea down onto the bedside cabinet. Despite herself, Anna huffed once more in resignation.
"It's a code red, then? Wardrobe apocalypse?" Gwen smoothed her hand across the duvet before perching upon the edge of the bed.
"It is. The worst there's ever been." Anna walked back over towards the open door helplessly, running her fingers across what was inside. "God, I didn't know I owned so many variations on the same skirt suit. Remind me, I need to clear some stuff out. Though maybe not at this moment, I'd be walking around in just my underwear."
"I don't think people would complain." Gwen laughed as Anna arched her eyebrows. "You should do it though. Chuck everything out, let go. You're a new you, so you need some new stuff that fits that. Do a Julia Roberts." Her face lit up, and Anna chuckled.
"Yeah, it's just a shame I don't have a Richard Gere to let me buy the whole of Harvey Nichols."
"Don't you?" Gwen intoned a little cheekily. "I mean, John certainly looks the part." She held up her hand to the light, examining her fingernails carefully. "How much money does he make anyway?"
"I have no idea. But it's not that much."
Gwen bit off a straggle of nail. "Ahh well, never mind. He's got plenty of other attributes to make up for it." She let out a wicked laugh as Anna's mouth set into a stunned gasp, then moved to a smirk that was a touch bashful but decidedly minx-like at the same time. Gwen sprang off the bed suddenly. "You can borrow anything of mine in the meantime, until I can afford to take you on a shopping spree in maybe, ten years?"
Anna smiled. "I'll hold you to that."
"I'll start saving now. And afterwards, I'll take you to Jez's parents' house, because you know he's sad enough to crawl back and stay there. It'd only take a minute, but it'd be totally worth it."
"Gwen, what the…"
"Hat, gloves, dress – the works. While he looks like a hobo who's escaped from a sewer, and doesn't know what's hit him. Big mistake. Big. Huge."
She shook her head. "You've seen that film way too many times."
Though it had been brought up completely innocently, the shadow of her former fiancé lingered like a bad smell in the room and refused to leave. Sensing the atmosphere acutely, Anna moved to speak about something else, anything else, before Gwen jumped in, prolonging the agony.
"Isn't most of your stuff still over there? There must be loads…"
Anna bristled, bringing a hand up to her temple before squirming and shifting, dropping it to rub briskly against her arm. A whine came from the back of her throat as she bounced down with force onto the edge of the mattress.
"There is. Too much," she groaned, fingering the satiny seam of the duvet cover and cringing to even think, her gaze planted to the floor. "Oh Gwen, I know it's ridiculous, but I just can't face going round there. I mean, it's been what, weeks, months. And it shouldn't even bother me. I mean, it doesn't. Not really. But even thinking about setting foot in there. The smell, the sounds…it makes me want to itch my skin off. It makes me feel completely sick." She ran her hands delicately over her stomach that had begun to get a tiny bit queasy, glancing up hesitantly. "All of it, every bit reminds me how much of a fool I've been for so long."
"I suppose that means you won't be going back then?" Gwen's voice was soft, the expression on her face matching her tone. Her eyes widened as she sat down next to Anna. "Not that I want to kick you out or anything, because you know I don't. Of course I wouldn't."
Anna nodded towards Gwen as her friend wrapped a hand round one of her own.
"But that house is yours, technically. You paid for most of it. You're entitled to go round, storm in and haul his sorry arse out without a moment's notice. It's not right. It's like he's taking something else from you, and it's crap. I just don't want you to be trampled over."
She managed a weak smile, always heartened by Gwen's unshakeable love of principles.
"To be honest, I'm not even bothered about my rights," she admitted. "I'd sell it tomorrow. He can keep it, and the entire contents. It is a bit sad, because it was my first proper house." She looked down at her lap, smoothing a crease out of her trousers. "But it stopped being my home the second I found them there." The acid in her stomach lurched up again and she had to stop her hand from shaking against her knees. "It'd never be the same. I'd never be able to rest. I don't need to go back to know that it would be all I'd ever be able to know, and it'd drive me insane. I wouldn't last five seconds. And if I saw him…" She visibly recoiled.
Gwen nodded, patting her fingers against Anna's hand before releasing her grip. Anna shook her limbs a little, inhaling with a sigh and exhaling with a smile.
"I've started looking for a new place," she announced, with brightness in her voice again. "I haven't got very far what with everything that's going on, but once the launch is done, I can have a proper scout." A little rush of sorrow swept over her as she thought. "I'll use the money I was saving up for the wedding." In the next moment, she let out an almost hysterical laugh. "It was only ever gathering dust anyway, waiting for the twelfth of never."
Gwen's face was a bit mournful, but Anna's growing smile counteracted any possible sadness or regret that she could possibly feel. She was looking forward to it now she'd had time to get over the shock and properly adjust. A new place, a new start. It seemed to be the last piece of the puzzle.
"Don't worry, I won't be leaving just yet," she assured, hoping to coax the grin back onto Gwen's lips as she shot up onto her feet again. "And you'll be paid the rent in full."
"Don't be silly," Gwen shrugged. "As long as you keep baking that lemon drizzle cake, we'll call it even." Getting up too, she smiled as she walked over to stand at Anna's side, regarding the dilemma of the wardrobe once more. "I'll go round after my shift, bag up the rest of your things and bring them here. Absolutely no contact needed."
Anna was a little speechless. "Oh Gwen, would you mind? You're an absolute star. I do have my key somewhere…"
"No worries, I'll find it."
She smiled and threw her arms around Gwen, rocking back and forth and letting out a relieved sigh. Taking a final glance inside and deciding that it really was beyond all hope, she closed the wardrobe when she had let go.
"You know, I'm not sure any of my stuff will do," Anna asserted. "I need something…special. Something that hasn't been worn to a thousand dinners or other events."
"Well, you're going out later, aren't you?" Gwen asked, turning towards the door. "You can find something then."
A smile crept across Anna's lips.
"Maybe."
She was temporarily lost in her thoughts of the afternoon ahead, catching herself just in time before Gwen left the room.
"Oh Gwen, you can leave behind the James Blunt CD. I wouldn't be able to listen to it again without wanting to throw up."
"Welcome to the rest of the world."
Standing in the shop, Anna was overwhelmed by the rows and rows of different silks that lined the walls, confronting her all at once, bombarding her with choice. Leaning up carefully, she unthreaded one coloured ribbon from its rack and studied every thread and hue as she held it up against the plain invitation card.
She breathed out steadily, exhaling with a great deal of concentration as she tried to come to a decision. The light tickle of his breath was playing at the back of her neck, falling so very softly but discernible in a second's notice.
"You know what I think is a good colour scheme? Red, white and yellow."
Anna turned slowly at the waist, the ribbon curled around a finger almost tight enough to cut off her circulation. The intent expression upon her face drifted into a smile when she took the sight of him before her in, so earnest but still with that keen sparkle glowing in his eyes.
"Of course you would," she retorted, letting the ribbon unwind loosely as her whole demeanour relaxed. She tucked it back into the overflowing rack upon the wall and then quickly turned back to John, barely restrained laughter crinkling at his eyes as he edged a little closer to her.
"Well, you did want my opinion. And that's it." He leant his broad frame over, the span of his arms extending quite remarkably. Delicately, he unravelled a bright red ribbon from its resting place, smoothing the silk of it between his fingertips. Anna found herself transfixed once more, this time not by the deliberation of colour schemes. "Look at that. The colour's completely majestic."
Shaking herself out of the stupor, Anna smirked.
"It might be, but I don't really think it says 1920s elegance."
She could hardly keep her giggles in as John frowned, winding the ribbon around his hand. Struck by sudden inspiration, she picked out another from a little lower down the same column.
"I think I'll go with maroon," she announced assuredly, running the newly selected ribbon against the pads of her fingers, "set off by cream and gold."
John smiled, arching up his eyebrows triumphantly.
"That's still red, white and yellow to me."
Anna shook her head softly, unable to take the grin from her face as she went over to the counter with the three rolls of ribbon. She placed the order, along with one for a lot of matching fabrics, and then bounded over to where John was waiting by the door.
"I think that's everything," she said, smiling at him. "We might just have time for a coffee yet."
John smiled back at her and she could have forgotten that anything else existed in the world, when her thoughts unfortunately interrupted her. Her expression dropped, and his brow furrowed in response.
"There is one other thing. Well, two actually." She looked up at him apologetically. "I need to get two dresses. But you know, it doesn't matter. I can always come back another day."
"What's the point in that? We might as well go now, while you're in fully fledged shopping mode." His eyebrows remained high and the corners of his mouth curled, gently teasing her.
"I don't want to bore you to tears."
"You could never do such a thing."
His eyes softened and smiled towards her, and Anna felt completely assured. He held the door open for her, and she ushered herself out, glancing over her shoulder underneath her eyelashes at him, standing like the perfect gentleman, staring until he joined her outside.
"Lead the way, fair lady."
She took them further down the street, her steps hesitating momentarily as she looked over to the left at the road's turning.
"There's a lovely little boutique not too far that way. I've spent many an hour gazing longingly in its window," she giggled, before her tone changed. "I probably shouldn't though."
John fixed her a look that defied her reasoning and also sent her weak at the knees. "Of course you should." His eyes brightened as he regarded her. "And I'm curious to know what has you so entranced."
She smiled as she took them in the right direction, the solid rays of the sun warm against the exposed skin of her neck as it beat down upon them. The afternoon was incredibly fine, too nice to be spending traipsing in and out of shops on the high street. Anna couldn't help feeling a little guilty that she was taking up his valuable free time in this way. Even though she didn't have to make excuses, she still felt she should say as much.
"I am sorry for dragging you round. I know dress shopping isn't most men's idea of fun."
John gave a shrug of his shoulders as his legs strode across the pavement.
"It's fine, really. I've got quite a bit of experience." He chortled, his laughter floating upon the air as he noticed her looking vaguely perplexed. "I used to babysit for Rob and Cora back in the day, when I had weekends going spare. Trailing from shop to shop was the main pursuit of three girls. The hours of my life I must have spent…"
Anna gazed down momentarily at the pavement, a smile stemming from the bottom of her stomach to think. He must have been so adorable, herding round and keeping a watchful eye on three little girls.
"So you needn't worry about a thing. I'm certain that you can't be as picky as they were."
"I wouldn't be so sure." She gazed back up at him and nearly burst into uncontrollable laughter to see the faintest hint of exasperation in his face, hidden well by his pursed lips and content nod. She hadn't yet met any of Robert and Cora's daughters, though she felt she already knew quite a bit about them from hearing Cora speak, as proud as any mother would be. "How old are they now?"
"Let's see…I'd say Sybil must be about 23, Edith 26, and Mary 28. I think that's right."
She was a bit surprised, and let out the smallest of gasps. "Wow. I don't know why I was picturing them as teenagers. I suppose I just don't think of Robert and Cora having kids of that age."
Suddenly, she felt quite strange and incredibly self-conscious. She hadn't really given it that much consideration, and the gap in their ages certainly didn't faze her, but knowing that he used to babysit someone not that much younger than her made her wonder. How did John see her? She never thought of herself as immature, but he must have been used to dating women that were so much more sophisticated, refined, worldlier than her, of that she was certain. They were only just starting out, and she knew he'd dismiss it flat out if she said anything now, but in time would she be enough for him, she wondered?
"Well, they were young. Cora was pregnant with Mary when we were graduating. It caused a bit of a stir, but Cora just said that she was wearing robes, so what did it really matter." He let out another laugh. "It does seem mad to think though, that they're not little girls running round causing mischief anymore. Time runs away with us all."
She thought she saw him looking a little perturbed contemplating the fact, so she gently touched a hand to his forearm, smiling softly as he started, his gaze falling upon her.
"You must have been so cute, keeping guard over them."
He coloured a little, turning bashful at her comment. "It was nice to have them around. I mean, I was always happy to watch them for however long. Their characters were mapped out from right back then. You could never tell them anything, they'd always know before you." He smiled wistfully as he recalled. "I didn't see that much of them when they were teenagers. I went abroad, and they were off at boarding school as well."
"Boarding school?" Anna's voice raised, surprise returning to her. "God, I'm in a different world from them."
John chuckled. "I felt a bit like that when I met Rob. He's from good stock, distantly related to the seventh Earl of Grantham. From what I know about that period, he was a Lord of some manor in Yorkshire, funnily enough. When we ended up working together after uni, Rob never needed the money. His mother still lives in some big country pile in Berkshire, he's never wanted for anything. I was incredibly intimidated at first, but it all went away when I realised he couldn't be further from all that. He's the salt of the earth, always has been. If I didn't know otherwise, I would have sworn he was really from a little village in County Clare."
Anna warmed to see the wave of nostalgia pass over his face.
"God, I always remember the first time he came over to Ireland, not that long after we'd finished uni. My mother made a point of keeping everything just as it was, being stubborn and insistent as always. She said, 'Just because he's well-to-do, don't you go thinking I'll change myself or any of what we have. He can like it, or very well lump it.' And then on the second day at breakfast, I saw her getting out the best china, hiding it under her apron. Rob had her completely charmed."
His laugh was hearty, coming right from his gut. Anna found herself laughing too, loving how free and happy his memories made him. A gust of wind picked up around them, but it was not the presence of that which put a trace of a tear welling in his eye. He turned his face towards her as they kept on walking, and she felt a touch conscious once more, not wanting him to think she was being intrusive by noticing his swell of emotion.
"She would have loved you, you know."
He said the words quietly, almost a whisper carried away on the wind. Anna looked up, her heart fluttering against the walls of her chest. Even if she hadn't heard it, the sentiment playing strong in the dark pools of his eyes couldn't be denied. She thought her heart might cease to beat right then and there.
John's face remained that way for a second, his deep gaze holding her own captive, before a golden ray of sunlight tempered it. In the light, she could see every fleck of shade and colour in his skin, his hair, his eyes.
"Especially as she enjoyed a good scoot around the shops, too."
Anna walked the length of the boutique's floor, having a look for anything she might have possibly missed the four other times she had gone round the rails already. Spying a dark blue mid-length dress over in a corner, she went over speedily to snap it up, even though there was no one other than the shop assistant in there, scanning through a magazine at the till's counter.
Holding it up not quite against her frame, she looked guiltily at the label attached, biting her lip before she decided to put it with the others she had picked out to try. Her eyes lifted from examining the fabric to look out across the shop. When they'd first came in, John had been walking around the edges, looking a little sheepish as if he didn't want to study the clothes too markedly, occasionally bringing his phone out from his trouser pocket and scrolling absent-mindedly. Anna had been quickly absorbed in her task, venturing into the thick of it, and the next time she'd glanced up to check on him he'd disappeared from sight and the shop completely. He hadn't returned, not that Anna had really expected that he would. There was a bookshop not that far along which would be holding his attentions much better, and as soon as she'd made her choices she'd pop along and find him, his nose firmly planted in a book, no doubt. She laughed to herself thinking that she should tell him to leave work behind in the pursuit of pleasure, but swiftly realised she wasn't one to talk.
She shut the door of the cubicle behind her, blinking in the harsh light that surrounded her. Having lifted her top over her head and wriggling the trousers from her hips, she sighed lightly as she scrutinised herself in the long mirrors at the front and both sides of her. Why on earth did they make changing rooms as unflattering as possible? She pulled the skin at her ribs taut with one hand before stroking it over her stomach. She had lost weight recently, and no matter how much she seemed to eat, it refused to go back on. Looking down at her knees, she frowned. She hated her legs. Gwen was always going on about how she'd kill to have legs like hers, but in Anna's opinion they were much too short and even a little bit stumpy. Slipping the first of her selections, a silver-grey strapless dress, from its hanger, she fastened it quickly to her body, gathering her hair up against her neck and twisting herself to acknowledge the fit from almost all possible angles.
After longer than she really needed to decide that it wasn't for her, she pulled down the zip, letting it drop to the floor. She did the same with the blue dress she'd selected last, taking far less time to come to a decision about that one. Eyeing the two remaining dresses doubtfully, she had a feeling she may not be leaving the shop satisfied.
"Haven't you made your mind up yet?"
Her shoulders jumped to hear his voice, near enough purring outside the door. She caught sight of her flushed face glowing bright in the mirror opposite as her arms flew up to cross over and cover her chest.
"John!" she exclaimed breathily, feeling the heat creep up from her calves. "I didn't think you were here."
"I'd read everything on the shelves, the time you were taking," he rasped, letting out a low chuckle. "I did wonder if you'd got lost amongst the rails."
Anna raised her eyes to the ceiling, a smile creeping upon the edges of her lips. She was standing in one small spot awkwardly, her knees knocking together as her hands still lay clamped to her arms. Even though the thick door bolted by a lock separated them completely, her body burned ferociously as if he should have been staring straight at her, his searching eyes raking her almost naked form from head to toe.
"Surely you must have tried on everything in here, twice."
Being unable to see his face, his voice was even more affecting than usual, seeming to penetrate her very soul. She shivered a little, uncrossing her ankles where she stood.
"I can't just make a decision so quickly," she stuttered out, the laugh rising in her voice as she continued to speak. "This is a very important matter at hand, you know. There's a lot to be considered."
She giggled to herself imagining the uncomprehending look that must have been lying upon his face, and she finally found the inclination to move and take one of the other dresses from its hanger.
"Oh, I can imagine." His words followed her as she moved, wrapping around her as she stretched out her limbs to slide into the garment. "It's got to be taken very seriously indeed."
Anna smiled as she curled her fingers around to her back, gliding up the zip at the seam, having to leave it a little undone. "Indeed," she repeated, her voice echoing against the compartment. She heard him laugh again, a little louder than before. "What's tickling you?"
He cleared his throat before his voice started up again, filling the space even though he was speaking in a low register.
"I was just thinking of you in a past life, standing in some grand room, the wardrobe fit to bursting. You'd be one of those ladies who would have several people waiting to dress them, spoilt for choice."
"I wish," she laughed, smoothing her palms down the sides of the dress she was now wearing, it fitting her snugly. She smiled assuredly to her reflection, and then wrinkled her nose. "Although, I'm not really sure if I'd want someone to dress me, not all the time. I'd find it quite strange."
"Perhaps," he assented, his tone rising just slightly and resonating in her ears as she wiggled free of the dress.
"That's one down," she announced. "Let's just hope this next one will fit the bill too."
"Fingers crossed," he said smoothly, every syllable sending goosepimples prickling upon her skin. "Though I'm sure you don't need to get anything new just for the occasion. You haven't worn the same thing twice the times I've seen you."
Holding the final, untried dress delicately in her hands, Anna chuckled, rather impressed at his knowledge.
"And what is it you find so funny, Miss Smith?"
"I didn't think men noticed that sort of thing," she replied, her words lilting. She didn't find teasing him half as fun when she couldn't play off his reactions, but she was still going to give it a good try.
"Oh, we do. At least some of us do."
A blaze of fire rose up in her veins, colliding with her pulse.
"Really?" she threw back, half-toying, half-eager to know more. "I'm sure you're just saying that."
"Not at all. We notice all kinds of things." He gave away no signs that he was playing with her, his voice as measured as it ever was. "The dress you're wearing now, I could pick out each detail."
"But you can't even see it."
Anna smirked, and then flushed to realise the state she was currently in. She still had the dress in her hands and was standing in the cubicle in just her underwear.
There was a sigh in his voice before he began to speak again.
"The neckline doesn't show too much so you don't feel conscious about yourself. It curves around your collarbone and sweeps just below your shoulders. You like your shoulders, and this makes them stand out. It's long so it covers up your legs, and makes you look taller than you really are, which makes you stand up straighter, so you actually are taller in it."
She smiled as she gazed down at her ankles, knowing he'd got all her doubts and insecurities spot on.
"The colour. It's got the touch of the Greek goddess about it."
She giggled to think of him getting so expressive. Not bothering that she was still unclothed, that the air conditioning was starting to chill the blades of her shoulders significantly, she crept further to the closed door. "Go on."
"It shines. It makes your hair look like gold, but it doesn't take away from it. It brings out your eyes, which are even bluer and brighter, and they sparkle across the whole room. And that's even before we get to what it's doing for your smile. You smile all the time when you're in it. It's a smile nobody's ever seen and there's a good reason for that. It takes everybody's breath away, the radiance of it."
He stopped to take in a sharp breath and Anna found herself reciprocating the action, leaning her arm against the door, hanging on his every word as if her life depended on it. She was desperate to hear more of his voice, to get closer to him behind the barrier.
"It's a deadly weapon, this dress," he rumbled, "Completely life-threatening to everyone in the vicinity."
She laughed lightly as he did so too, bracing her hand flat upon the plain of the wood, splaying her fingers out to where she imagined his lay on the other side. A sudden itch sprang up all over her body, wanting to be able to touch his skin, to taste his lips. Instead the lone sense she was allowed access to was amplified even stronger. Her head pressed itself to the door to be able to hear him as he spoke soft and low, his words lying awhile unspoken in the air.
"It doesn't matter though, because it doesn't change what's underneath one bit." His voice dripped like honey over her, bathing her completely, playing every string and note that lay in her chest like an effortless melody. "Your eyes will always be the most beautiful of any. Your smile will always light up a room. You'll look sensational, no matter what you wear. Anna, you could wear a sack and you'd still be absolutely breathtaking."
She leaned her back flush against the door, shrinking just a little in the shadow of his words. Seeing herself again in the full length of the mirror, all of her flaws still remained but somehow they didn't seem to loom as large now.
There was a silence, and she thought he may have gone again, but then she heard the steady rise of his breathing as he prepared to speak again.
"Because you're you, Anna. Just you. And that's what I notice above everything."
Slowly, with his voice all around her, her steps fell across the floor. Raising her arms, she slinked the dress over her frame, and sighed as it caressed her carefully. Looking at her reflection, she couldn't help but smile wide at what she saw.
"How does it look?" he enquired, aware that she'd gone quiet.
"I like it," she said, her words smiling just as much. "But you can't see. Not just yet. You'll have to wait." She bit softly upon her bottom lip as she waited to hear his reply.
The smile could be heard in his voice too. "I look forward to it. Even if I don't need to see it to know."
"That's the last of it," Gwen heaved as she put the final two bin bags down onto the floor of the bedroom before Anna. "Are you sure you don't want a hand going through it all?"
"No, it's alright," she answered without hesitation, opening up another empty sack. "It's best if I do it alone. God only knows what I might come across."
Gwen grimaced a little, and Anna had to laugh.
"It'll be cleansing. Or something."
Gwen tipped her head to the side, taking in the piles that were now covering the floor, before she made to leave again. "Well, just give me a shout if you need me."
Anna nodded, sinking down onto her knees as the door clicked softly shut behind her. A decade's worth of accumulated possessions laid crammed into one small space, what seemed like a whole lifetime, already so foreign to her. She felt suffocated just looking at it all, a heaviness slumping down upon her shoulders. How hadn't she realised the sensation sooner? It was clawing at her insides, washing back and forth over her as she began to pick her fingers through the bags that were nearly coming apart at the seams.
After initial trepidation, for the most part she worked swiftly, dumping most of the contents into the pile that she'd assigned to be thrown away, filling new bags just as rapidly as she was working through the ones that had been carried back. But every now and then, something stopped her in her tracks. A ticket stub, a scruffy little teddy bear clutching a red heart. A few old photos, curling at the edges, of holidays and occasions, of some girl that she couldn't quite remember being smiling fervently at the camera, her arms hugging round a boy who she only now realised looked entirely distracted. She ripped up the pictures into tiny shreds, erasing every trace of herself trapped in that oblivious past.
Digging into the bottom of one of the last half-empty bags, she pulled out a patterned dress that was all tangled up. It puzzled Anna as to why it should have been there. It looked fine, maybe just a little faded, but it was still something that she liked and she thought she could get away with. Unfurling the sleeves, she held it up against her. After a second, a bolt of recognition shot through her.
Seeing it properly she remembered instantly, as if it were yesterday. She'd wore it only once, at a party while they were still at university. The moment he'd saw it, Jeremy had burst out laughing, asking her what on earth possessed her to wear something that awful. It did absolutely nothing for her, he said, especially not its length, which made her legs look even shorter than they already were. Little titch, he used to call her, thinking it was endearingly cute when really it got on every last nerve she had. Up until now, she'd blocked all knowledge of that dress out of her memory entirely, or at least she thought she had. She hadn't remembered being that bothered about her legs before that night.
From across the room, the shiny gold bag caught her eye, one of the newly bought dresses peeking out of the top. The smile eased back onto her face as she leapt up onto her feet, casting the garment she'd found behind her. Opening up the bag, she took out the dress, holding it gently with the very tips of her fingers. Not for the first time since she'd got back, she pressed it against the length of her body, admiring the way it fell against her, seeing it shimmer softly by her skin in the low light. She breathed out as she turned a little to the side, the grin still fitting her face naturally as she kept on looking, and thinking.
It doesn't matter. None of it matters. Not to someone who truly notices.
Still, she couldn't wait for John to see her in it.
A/N: I really wanted to include the dressing room scene, but I don't know, I think it has come off sounding slightly silly. Hopefully John doesn't sound like a big fashion expert or anything :P
Cheers for reading! It's the pre-launch launch next...