Together

I Feel Pretty

Hi kiddles! Long time no see, wow. I have been crazy busy, which is really just a common theme of my summer haha. I hope you're all having nice summers though! Here's a fun little squad update for you all. Enjoy/comment/vote xxxx
-ab

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April 26, 2026

Harper

Nessa and Katherine swing by my flat on the morning of the dinner. We are going to go out to the salon and have a fun little girls' day. It's been so long since the three of us have spent time together, doing nothing but having fun and being girls in our twenties. Especially in the career area which Kath and I have dedicated our lives to, we don't get lots of time to do that.

That's what makes today so special. It's time to ourselves, relaxing, gossiping, and getting all prettied up for tonight.

"We've got some time," Nessa says once we are out of the flat, "so how about we stop at a Gail's before our salon appointments?"

"That sounds lovely," I reply. I do quite enjoy the bakery's pastries, especially their chocolate croissants, when I get the opportunity. When I lived in Hampstead, there was frequently a line out the door of the Gail's in the mornings. I would pass it every day when heading to the tube, during my days at the Royal Academy of Music.

Once we reach the bakery, we find that it's quite a long line, but we are happy to wait, as we have the time and each other to talk to. That keeps us occupied as we wait to make our orders.

I order a scone, Nessa orders a chocolate and almost croissant, and Katherine gets a bagel. All of us top off our orders with a takeaway cup of English breakfast tea, then we are back to the tube so that we can make our appointment in time.

On the tube, we munch on our pastries, in spite of the fact that we aren't really supposed to be eating on there. We don't talk much, as that's not quite the atmosphere that the tube fosters. It's really more of a 'strangers sit on a train car in silence' atmosphere.

It isn't too long before we all reach the salon where we have booked appointments to get our nails done, and Nessa is getting her hair done as well. I'm just going to straighten mine for tonight, and Katherine is already amazing at doing fancy-looking buns and updos on herself, from years of ballet.

Each of us pick colours for our nails that will nicely compliment our dresses. I decide on a sparkly purple ombre, which is different than the light pink colour of my dress, but will look nice. Of course, it will probably have to come off for tomorrow's show, but at least it can be pretty for one evening.

Katherine goes with a pretty light pink colour, and Nessa picks out an orange shade that matches her dress, or at least a picture of her dress, almost exactly.

We make small talk with the ladies who do our nails for us, and when we are sent to put them in the drying machine, we are finally able to have a moment to just talk, between the three of us.

Nessa looks at Kath and I at one point, and I can tell that she's got something important to say. "I have a question for you guys... can we keep it just between us?"

Katherine and I exchange a glance. "That depends..." Kath says.

"Seriously, promise? Not even Patrick, Harper."

I frown. "Ness, what's going on that's so secretive? Is it something bad? Because if it is, then I can't promise-"

"No, it's not like that. It's something good, I think. I just want your opinion on something, and I don't want it to get around."

"Oh," Kath says. "Alright, I suppose that we can do that."

"Okay," she says. "What do you think it means, when somebody gives you a promise ring? Is it different from an engagement ring?"

Kath and I look at each other before I start to speak. "I've always thought of a promise ring as being 'we are in secondary school so I can't actually propose to you.' And the promise always is reversed when they graduate secondary school."

Kath snorts. "I mean, Harper isn't wrong, but it can be for adults, too."

"Okay..." Nessa replies, "but what does it mean?"

"I don't think it's quite the commitment that an engagement is, but the 'promise,' so to speak, is that one day, there will be that sort of commitment there, and even a bigger commitment of marriage."

Nessa lets a small smile creep onto her face as she carefully removes her hand from under the drying lamp and pulls a chain out of her shirt. "He gave me a promise ring last night."

"Gabe?" I ask.

"No, Zac Efron," Nessa rolls her eyes. "Of course it was Gabe."

"Wow," I say. "Congrats."

"I was really touched by it, but I'm also feeling a bit overwhelmed by it, in all honesty," she admits. "I mean, we have been dating for around four months... that's not too long, considering that he's making these sorts of promises."

"Don't worry about it, Ness. You've said it yourself: you want to marry him someday, and it's really good that you have that feeling from early in the relationship. That's the feeling that I had with Patrick. Wanting to wait for a bit longer is completely normal, though. Most people do. I think that he's just giving you reassurance that he's willing to wait with you, until you're both ready to make a commitment to marriage, whether that be in two months or two decades."

Nessa smiles at me. "Thanks, Harper."

"It's a really lovely ring," Katherine remarks.

"Isn't it?" Nessa replies. "I put it on this chain for today because I didn't want to risk nail varnish getting on it, but it looks even more lovely on my finger."

"You'll have to show us tonight," I remark.

"I will," she replies.

Suddenly, a lady comes over to us. "Are the nails all dry?" she asks.

All three of us nod.

"Excellent. Now, I have Nessa scheduled for a hair appointment, correct?"

"That's me," Nessa nods.

"Perfect. Right this way."

Nessa stands up and follow the lady, and Katherine and I follow suit. We are going to stick around and chat with Nessa as she gets her hair done. After that, we are going to go out for a light lunch before heading back to our flats to put the final touches on getting ready for tonight's event.