Lover's Masquerade

Chapter 2

[8 hours later]

By the time Molly returned home from her highly-priced excursions on Oxford Street, it was nearly 4:30 in the evening and she was absolutely exhausted, however there was still much to be done with the remainder of time left in the day, and what a day it had already proven to be.

Though every shopkeeper had been extremely kind in helping her with her endeavors, she was completely drained from galavanting about London for hours, scouring multiple shops for not only a dress, but more importantly, one of a certain green hue. And, to add insult to injury, she did not in fact find her gown at Lipsy, but instead, at her sixth and final boutique nearly seven streets over from her original location, so by the time she made it to her appointment at Illuminata on the complete opposite side of the city, she was so mentally spent that she had no objections to anything her stylist deemed worthy of doing to her precious locks. It had also taken nearly three people to corral her into a cab, given that she could only muster enough strength to tell the cabbie the correct street address, and when she did finally arrive at her building, he was kind enough to wave the fare and "let the pretty lady keep it on account of fatigue".

What an afternoon.

So, now here she was, standing in front of her flat and breathing into herself as she placed the key nonchalantly into the lock (which she noticed Sherlock had fixed), and she turned the bronze knob, stepping inside with her bags in hand, only to be met by a terrifyingly enthusiastic Sherlock on the other side. Molly stifled a groan.

"Oh good, you're back!" He exclaimed quite eagerly, taking her things from her and coaxing her toward the loo with haste, her tired body walking haphazardly as he led her toward the sound of running water in the near distance.

"The car will be here at any moment, so I will take your things to your room and give you some space to prepare yourself for the evening. I would imagine an hour would be more than sufficient considering you have already had your hair and makeup done for the occasion?" His questioning formed more like a statement , making her shoot him a cutting glance, but even if Molly did protest the time constraint, he was too stubborn to listen, so without argument, Molly allowed him to shove her into the now steaming room, closing the door behind her and causing her to slump back onto the wall.

Who knew that social events could be so taxing?

Slowly, Molly began to undress herself, peeling away her now sticking clothing and throwing it to the floor as she reached for towel, placing it on the rack as her nude form languidly moved into the shower with slow motions. She maneuvered herself carefully under the steady stream, keeping her face away from the faucet as she let the warm liquid splash over her skin, pouring down her shoulders and back like tropical waters which threatened to pull her into a deep sleep, but also bringing her into a state of relaxation that washed her exhaustion away, refreshing her again as the smell of lavender lifted away into the hot air. Her body wash always calmed her down, and lavender was known for bringing life back into tired feet, so she closed her eyes, breathing in the scent deeply as she began to feel her senses almost tingling, rejuvenating her entire body while she stood feeling totally decompressed and alive again.

She leaned forward, shutting off the water with a quick turn of the silver handle, her other hand pulling the curtain back as she reached for the white towel that hung just beyond her reach, the cool air hitting her body like a jolt of needed energy. She wrapped the cloth around her torso, stepping out of the tub and placing her feet on the soft rug beneath as she walked over to the mirror, checking to make sure her hair was still perfectly in place, and she then walked to the door, peeking through the crack to make sure she was completely alone. She knew it was unlikely that Sherlock would be waiting for her just outside the door, but then again, she had heard stories from John, so, with a quick peek, she scanned the area, taking in the glorious sight of her empty room.