It's 2 AM and I am sitting in the middle of a Tom Ford store trying on pair after pair of some outrageously over priced heels.
"Which one?" I look up from my place on the lush fur carpet and see Justin holding up his wrists. Both adorned with huge, glittering watches.
"Which ones the cheapest?" He rolls his eyes and then smirks,
"what if I told you that they're both the same price?" He taunts and I shake my head and try to stand as gracefully as possible in the six inch heels I have strapped to my feet.
"But they aren't the same price are they?" I accuse walking over to him in practiced steps that had been perfected from four years of ridiculous costume heels.
"No," he says when I reach him, his eyes bright with mischief.
"So I was right!" He steadies me by the waist and tilts his head a bit to look up at me. The heels have me a bit taller than him and he doesn't seem all too pleased.
"Why don't you pick out some nice flats?" He suggests and I use his shoulder to pull off the skyscraper shoes,
"why? Intimidated by taller women?"
"Just wasn't sure if you were into short men" I look down at my now, bare feet, and hide the blush that has surely taken over my neck and cheeks.
"I like the rose gold watch" I say when I look up, confident that my cheeks will not betray me. Justin hold his right wrist into the air and it catches the store's dim lighting. He twists and turns his arm and this results in several multifaceted prisms to reflect onto his face. Then he nods to himself.
"I like this one too. You've got great taste." I feel another blush going on and move to pick up the copious boxes of opened shoes I had left on the floor in piles.
"Oh no miss! I'll get that! Thank you!" It takes everything in me not to scream when I realize that the attendant from earlier hadn't left. He'd only hidden in the back or something. Well of course he wouldn't leave, dummy. He has to watch the damn store. Justin hands the man both watches and then pulls the guy in to whisper into his ear.
" Are you trying to buy me something?"
"What gave you that idea?" Justin asks smoothly tracing a finger from my elbow to my shoulder. I shiver and attempt to hold my ground.
"Maybe that," I say pointing the the attendant who works hurriedly to box up all of the shoes i'd tried on in elaborate matte black bags with beige and gold tissue paper.
"Seven," Anya a voice in my head insists and I push it all the way to the back of my mind with a firm ' shut up!'
"Justin." I counter and he takes my hands in his and guides me over to the register.
"Let me do this. I dragged you across the country without even a suitcase, I owe you one."
"Flying me out here more than makes up for that!"
"You can argue all you want but you won't win I promise" he taunts handing over his black AmEx without so much as a turn towards the cashier.
"I'll pay you back" I insist but he only waves over his body guards and they come around us and pick up the bags.
"I don't want you to pay me back," Justin says once we're outside in the cool LA air. It's dark save for the random street lights that flicker.
"You want to know how you can pay me back?" My stomach twists at what he's expecting surely he doesn't me-
"you can pay me back by walking into that store and picking out something that you love" I try to mask my sigh of relief as I look at the store that Justin is pointing at.
A group of employees stand dutifully outside of the large, sparkling glass doors of the Elie Saab outlet and I look at Justin with the biggest grin in the world.
"This is Elie Saab" he nods.
"I've only ever seen these dresses on the runway"
"And now you'll see them on you" The employees open up the doors and Justin lets me walk in first. Initially I am overwhelmed by all of the dresses but it only takes a few moments of poking and prodding done by by the workers to get me hype.
"What event will you be attending?" An older woman asks me with a kind smile I turn to Justin who has taken a seat in the waiting area an been poured a tall glass of champagne.
"Um-"
"MTV music awards, nothing too fancy" Justin says and I can tell that he's done this many, many times before. The woman nods and starts to turn away before facing me,
"any color preferences?" I look at Justin and he nods in encouragement.
"My favorite colors are pinks, creams, blues, ooh and sparkles" I say with a timid smile and she grins from ear to ear,
"well we have no shortage of that here. I'll be back in a moment." She leaves and I sit in a chair across from Justin. One of the employees hurries over with a bottle of champagne and an expensive looking flute and pours me a glass.
"The MTV Awards? You were just saying that right?"
"They're this week" he hides his smile behind his glass and my eyebrows shoot up into my hairline.
"You want me to go to the MTV Awards with you?" He nods confidently,
"why?"
"Because I like having you around Seven. We're friends right?"
"Yeah, we are."
"So we can go as friends to an event, but only if you want too." My overall excitement at being asked to go to a major event subsides when I think about the media speculation. I had never been ashamed of my job, of what I did to survive but would Justin?
"I'm a stripper" he raises an eyebrow and I start to explain myself a little better,
"people might have an issue with you showing up to a publicized event with me which is-" Justin rolls his eyes and motions behind me where three wracks full of beautiful dresses are carted into the room.
"If anyone has a problem with you then they can take it up with me. I'm not about to let people who don't even know you judge you"
"that's inevitable Justin"
"maybe, but there's no harm in trying right?" I nod and finish off my champagne Damn Anya, it's only 3 AM.
"Now hurry up and pick a dress we've got to hit up the rest of the strip to get you some everyday clothes" I roll my eyes and stand up. Immediately I am fawned over by various employees complimenting everything about me and holding up different shades of pink.
A girl could get used to this.