𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓-𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐄𝐃; arthurtv

twenty six

Evelyn Bradshaw spent a good hour upon her apartment arrival picking out an outfit, changing, brushing her hair, and applying some light make-up. Due to her constant repeating of matching clothing and getting ready for her modelling jobs and recent sudden change of plans, the blonde was used to getting ready under time constraints. It helped that the adrenaline fueled by excitement and utter nervousness pushed her to straighten her hair faster.

She booked a taxi to get there on time. The entire ride there she was checking her phone. One minute. Two minutes. It switched into double digits, and her leg resided to bouncing. She let out a shaky sigh as she glanced out the window at the British citizens rushing through the city streets. Some were in suits, some were staring at their watches, some were racing past on bright green bikes. An old couple held hands. A young couple argued. A child fiddled with a doll as they walked beside their parent. All these people, all these lives, and Evelyn just drove by, watching them for a split second, only to forget a moment later and never see them again.

Arthur would find that interesting, she thought. He would. He found her interesting.

The ride took sixteen minutes and thirteen seconds; she'd counted. She thanked the driver as she got out, her shoes scuffing the cemented sidewalk as she shut the door. The car sped off, ready to collect another person, another life, and forget about the blonde that'd just exited the vehicle. Evelyn watched the car turn a corner, leading it out of sight. With a short breath out and a convincing of her brain, she forced herself forward, alone, into the bottom floor of the towering building.

She took the elevator up to the top floor. On her way up people had stumbled in and pressed random numbers before regaining their conversation with one another. Evelyn just mindlessly listened, eyes latched onto her white shoes, as they spoke of a man named Nick. He sounded like a douche, but then again, as soon as they walked out onto the fourteenth floor, Evelyn forgot about it all. The thoughts of everyone upstairs with drinks in their hands, dancing, overpowered every other emotion and sound present in and around the blonde, alone, in the elevator. 

She walked out at the top floor. It was all one giant room full of bright lights, loud music, banners, inflatables, and both unfamiliar and familiar people. The blonde gravitated towards the first person she saw that she could recount, the woman having been standing at one of the two bars built into the twenty-seventh floor. She moved over, alone, to a place where she wouldn't feel so alone anymore.

"Freya?" Evelyn asked, her voice almost getting carried away by the sound of Beyonce's powerful vocals. The woman in question swiftly turned around, glass full of alcohol in hand.

"Oh, darling, hi!" She said sweetly while wrapping an arm around the girl in greeting. Evelyn immediately started to smile, her anxiety retreating.

"Is everyone here . . . you know . . ."

"With us?" The woman suggested. Evelyn nodded. "Yeah, bit surreal, isn't?"

"Very surreal," the blonde nodded as she admired the crowd from afar.

"I'm pretty sure I just saw Arthur walk over there with Chris and . . . God, someone else. If you were looking for him, obviously," Freya smiled welcomingly. Evelyn gave her shoulder a quick squeeze.

"Thank you so much, I didn't know if it was rude to ask. I'm so glad I bumped into you," she said.

Freya grinned as a soft spurt of laughter passed through her lips. "Anytime, darl. I'll see you later, yeah?"

"Of course," Evelyn nodded before watching the woman leave. She quickly turned around, ordering a drink with an extra shot. There were too many people for a sober Evelyn to handle, so she downed a shot of sambuca before sipping her alcoholic drink of choice. She left the bar, alone, for the first time that night. She followed the direction Freya had appointed her to with a hand wrapped tightly around her glass, searching for a certain brown-haired, chess-loving man.