"I can't believe you invited her." "I can't believe you didn't," Scarlett said back to me. We have this annual charity event every year. Robert mentioned that I should invite Nell at her birthday but I didn't because well I wasn't ready. "She's not even accepted yet." Scarlett has asked her to go as her plus one for the evening as Colin can't make it. "When did you ask her?" "Hung up about 10 minutes ago." "What did she say?" "She said she'll think about it. Are you annoyed at me?" "A little." "Why?" "Because you've slept with her and you're open with her and you're not worried about what people will think and you asked her to a big public thing like it's casual to do so." "We're friends." "You slept together!" "Then you take her." "I'm taking my sister."
My phone rang interrupting our small argument. "Hello?" "You free to talk for a second?" I looked at Scarlett before excusing myself. "Yes?" "Scarlett asked me to go to this charity thing with her." "Okay." "Two things." "Go for it," I say, letting her talk as I closed the door to the meeting room. We were in the offices today getting briefed on the new Marvel stuff. "I wanted to run it by you before I agreed to go because of the whole, well everything. And secondly, I really don't want to go." "Then why are you asking if I care if you go with her or not if you don't want to go?" "I don't know, it just felt like the right thing to do. I didn't want to just say no and she brought it up with you and you had no clue it just didn't feel right. Like I was hiding something from you." "I appreciate it." "So I'm going to tell her no." "You should go." "I don't want to go." "You'll have fun." "No, I won't. I don't like sitting still, we went to the movies last week and we left halfway through because I couldn't sit there. I only sit still at home." She wasn't wrong when she's out and has to sit still without her camera or laptop she fidgets and it's so frustrating. "I take pictures I don't like my pictures being taken and I only get dressed up when I'm taking you out somewhere nice." "I'll be there." I tried. "Lizzie, you know how everyone tells us I don't say no to you?" "Yeah?" "This is one of those times where I'm saying No." "What if I took you as my plus one." "Still no." "It'll be fun, you and Scar." "You two are arguing about this aren't you?" "I just wasn't happy she asked you." "And now you're pushing me to go?" "I just don't want to be that type of girl you know." "I really don't want to go." "I won't make you." "Thank gosh! I and MK are going to the club." "Rude!" "I'm staying at her place so you can deal with my drunk ass when you get home." "No." "Yes. I gotta go my clients are finishing changing." "Okay." "Call me when you're out of your meeting. And tell Scar I don't want to go." "Tell her yourself." "She scares me." And she hung up.
I went back in. "Is everything okay?" "Yeah, she told me you asked her." "And you said?" "She should go with you." "And?" "She's going clubbing with MK." "I need a date." "Go with Brie." "Good shout."
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"You look great," Nell said, she was sitting on the counter in her kitchen facing the lounge area that I have taken over with my team. She was sweet enough to let me use her place to get ready. Ash was coming to pick me up in an hour. "You think?" "Yeah, stunning." I smiled at her and walked over to her and she opened her legs so I could stand between them. "I want to kiss you." "You have your lipstick on and it's bright red and I've already showered." "I hate make-up." "Me too. Let's burn it all." She joked with me.
"I wish you'd come tonight. I have a dress for you and Ash wouldn't mind." "I don't want to baby." I pouted. "This is your world." "And you're going to be part of it eventually." "Eventually, when you're ready for that and I know you're not ready for that right now and that's okay and to be honest I don't think I'm ready for all of this. As beautiful as you look I prefer to let my hair air dry and throw on a dress and leave." "You're not ready for this?" I felt the panic begin to bubble up inside of me. "That doesn't mean I won't be ready... We have time. We're still dating, then we date around our friends and family." "My family already know." I point out. "Yes I know but mine don't partly because my sister will freak out. I wonder if she'll start calling me the queen too. You know because you're apparently the literal queen so now that I'm dating you I should get a title too right?" "You're getting distracted from your point." I remind her. "Right, when, we're out of the dating stage and starting to go public then I'll have to be ready. It's not that I'm not ready for you and me to be together or that I don't see a future with you so please don't think that." I nodded really taking her words in.
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"I thought I told you to invite Eleanor," Robert says as we gathered at our table for dinner. "She had plans," I say adjusting my dress. "Plans? She practically fainted when she met me and she had plans. Did you tell her I was coming?" "I did." "Well." "She was busy what can I say?" He pulled a face. "What's the fascination with her, you hate all our friends." "She's sweet and I was a fan of her father's work. I want to know if the talent has been passed on." "It has, she's great." "Perfect. Susan wants her to take our anniversary photos next month." "December is her busiest month," I tell him remembering how busy she was last year. "I assumed so much that why I was hoping you and Scarlett could put in a good word." "You should have called her." "But since your personal friends, it can be your anniversary gift." "Call her, make an appointment like a normal customer." "Fine."
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I unlock the door to the apartment with the key she gave me for tonight and I kicked my heels off and look up seeing the TV on and my... Nell, on the sofa wrapped in a blanket with a pint of ice cream. "I thought you were out?" "I ditched." She shrugged. "Why?" "Wanted a night in." "Was MK upset?" "She told me she hated me and hung up, then called me back and asked me to take her to breakfast in the morning." "You should have called, I would have come home." "It was for charity." She reminded me. "Got us a spa weekend." "When?" "Whenever we're free, bid against Scarlett for it." "Aww nice, I'll try and get a weekend before I got home for Christmas." I stand in front of her with my back to her and she unzipped my dress without me having to ask though my body language told her what I needed.
"Robert and Susan want you to take their anniversary photos in December." "I'm pretty busy that month." "I told him that." "I'll see what I can do. Can you message him and find out dates and times." I turned to face her holding my dress up. "Do I look like a secretary?" "How do you want me to schedule him in if you don't help?" "He's going to call you." "You could have led with that."
I went to the bedroom and hung my dress up and changed into her PJs and come out to her sitting beside her. "Not tired?" "Nope." I took the pint of ice cream from her and ate off her spoon. "Sure help yourself." "Thanks. You're so kind." I say smugly. "Can I have a kiss now?" "You still have all that crap on your face so no." "Please." I puckered my lips she pecked them quickly. "I'll be back." She put the blanket around me and disappeared.
"Where did you go?" I called before eating more ice cream. "Come here." She says climbing over the arm of the sofa and leaning against me. "What are you doing?" "Taking your make-up off." She says simply showing me the make-up removed and reusable pads. "You're cute." "well, I want kisses too." She says. "I was asking for kisses." "I want kisses without getting lipstick all over my face." "So demanding." She wipes my face softly, I smiled as I watched her closely, she was just looking at me carefully wiping at my face.
"When are you going to tell your mum about us?" "When do you want me to tell my mum about us?" "That's up to you." She shakes her head. "of course it is it's your mum." "But it's you. It's still your private life." "I know but I trust your mum." "I can tell her whenever." "That makes it sound like you're completely unbothered." "I don't tell my mum when I'm dating people. I don't date." "So what is this?" "We're dating." "But you don't date." "You're an exception." "So when are you going to tell your mum." "When are you going to tell yours?" She cocks an eyebrow. "Not fair, if I tell mine I have to tell my dad and I can't do that." "Why?" "No." "No?" "You don't want to talk about things, I don't want to talk about this." "Okay." She accepts and went back to wiping my face clean, I kept eating my ice cream. "All done."
She cups my face and smiled at me, the way she looked at me made me feel like I was perfect. She leant in and pecked my lips before pulling away and I tilted my head. She responded by meeting my lips again. "I missed you tonight," I say when we pulled apart. "Miss you too." She says back pecking my lips, I chased hers and she stopped moving from me smiling into the kiss but then responded to me the way I wanted. I pushed her back to lean against the sofa cushion and climbed on her lap still kissing her, her hand sat on my waist holding me in place. One of my hands was pushed against her chest and the other cupped her jaw stopping her from moving from me. She pulled away slightly and left a trail of kisses down my jawline to my neck. "I want our friends and family to know," I told her, she stopped and looked at me. "Are you sure?" I nodded. "I want to be with you and that's not going to change no matter how scary it feels." She kissed me slowly like our first kiss. "You're sure?" I nodded tracing her cheek with my fingers. "I'm sure," I whispered.
I was terrified of being judged. I wouldn't judge anyone for who they dated man or woman who cares but I know other people do care and do judge. But my friends and family they're the least likely to judge me and my feelings aren't going away from Nell they're just growing and I don't like hiding them. Today at dinner, Tom was talking about how pretty she was and Scarlett had to stop him and tell him she was dating someone on the down-low. Despite her trying to set them up a few months ago. And Seb and Mackie were talking about her. Apparently, her Instagram was put in the group chat after she was in an article photo with Scarlett they went shopping a few days ago and there was an article about Scar and she happened to be in the main photo selected and everyone was asking who she was because of the article that was posted a while ago about her being a homewrecker and they recognised her so Scar sent her Instagram and now all the boys are talking about her and I had to sit there and pretend I wasn't seething with jealousy. And I want to be able to brag that I had her to myself. I had feelings for her strong feelings and yes I was scared but she somehow makes it all melt away when I just look at her.
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