[Complete] Noise and Kisses {chicklit}

8

Unsure how to respond, I ignore his text and don't hear from him again for the rest of the weekend. Feeling deflated, but not wanting to be the first to break the silence, I continue to hold out in the hope that he'll crack first and message me again.

The rest of the week goes slowly, and any sighting of Ben is at a distance. As the weekend approaches again, this time it's Sarah who shares plans with us over lunch.

"So, who's party is this?" Kelly asks, dunking a chip into mayonnaise. The thought makes me slightly nauseous.

"Jacob – the son of my mother's close friend. He's having a party at their home in Arkley."

Arkley is quite an elite area, connecting Barnet and Totteridge. It's a top location for celebrities and the streets are lined with fancy cars and even fancier houses.

"He actually knows James and Joseph and a few of the others - they went to secondary school together, so I reckon they're going too." I can't help but wonder if that meant Ben was invited too?

"Are you coming?" She says, looking to me.

"Yeah, sure, sounds good to me." I say, casually. She looks surprised for a second before continuing. "Make sure you dress up, no jeans at this one."

I go to respond but stop myself. "Fine - I'll wear something nicer." I resign.

"With heels!" she says, half joking. Or at least, I hope she is.

I roll my eyes. "Whatever you say, mate."

***

Freshly showered, I decide to wear one of my new purchases, a black tea dress that skims my thighs. I add a killer bra to make my cleavage pop and select an open toe stiletto shoe boot to please Sarah. For my hair, I settle a one-sided messy fishtail braid and go for my classic winged liner but branch out with a red lip.

When I go into the kitchen, I catch my parents making dinner.

"Wow!" mum gasps.

"You look lovely, Hols" my dad adds.

I roll my eyes and blush. "Thanks guys."

"Where are you off to tonight?" Mum asks, tasting the sauce on the wooden spoon.

"Arkley. Sarah's mum's friend is having a get together and she's dragging us along."

"Okay honey, just be careful." she says, before blowing a kiss my way.

Arkley is difficult to get to using public transport, so Sarah has organised a large cab to drop and collect us. As I open the door, the girls wolf-whistle. "Damn! You look hot!" Leila exclaims and I blush.

We make our way to Arkley and as we pass each street, the houses get bigger. I watch in awe as we halt outside a huge white house with statement columns, that looks fresh out of a Hollywood movie. We wait as Sarah kindly pays the cab driver and then follow her to the large wrought iron gates before us. She presses the buzzer and waits for them to open. As we head up the drive, a stuffy looking woman in a pinafore opens the front door and ushers us through the hallway and into the garden. I'm shocked but not altogether surprised they have a maid – first time I've actually seen one in real life though.

Peeling out into the outdoors, I'm overwhelmed by the stretching land I see before me. The garden is decorated beautifully with fairy lights, heat lamps and lanterns as far as the eye can see... and that's quite a distance. We make our way over to the drinks table and grab champagne flutes from the trays in front of us.

"Sarah!" A deep, posh voice rings from behind us and we turn to see, who I assume to be Jacob. He's tall and perfectly turned out, from his side swept strawberry blonde hair to his perfectly shaped jaw. He reminds me of a young Prince Harry. He's wearing a button-down shirt and chinos.