chapter one
florence thompson
song: last hurrah - bebe rexha
Birthdays are supposed to be monumental days, ones that you'll never forget even when you're old and worn out. You're supposed to still remember the crazy days of drinking too much and kissing too many people and the feeling you got when everyone sang happy birthday in sloppy unison.
For me though, birthdays have never been a riveting experience and my 20th birthday was no exception to that which explains exactly why I'm currently sat on my best friends overly expensive sofa drinking a mixed beverage and watching TV.
"I'm sorry your birthday wasn't more special, Flo," Aria's voice pulled my attention over to where she was sat next to me, a sad smile lined her full, pink lips. Her blonde hair was thrown up into a messy bun and her face was fresh, no trace of makeup to be seen.
I mimicked her expression, a momentary sadness washing over me but the alcohol in my system quickly let it fizzle out.
"Don't worry about it, Ari. I would rather just hang out with you anyway."
It was halfhearted as I did also wish Rico and Ben could also be here with us but unfortunately they were both pulling the night shift.
"Didn't you plan on going on a date with that Dylan guy?" She asked, absentmindedly flipping through the channels and finally landing on a talk show.
"Yeah," I snorted, shaking my head mostly at myself.
I'd met Dylan on Tinder a few days ago and for half a moment I really thought something more could come from a simple date but the second he asked for a picture of my tits as he so elegantly put it, I knew that fantasy was out the window.
It's almost as if trying to find a gentleman who doesn't ask what cup size you are before your favorite movie is too much to ask these days. All these men children seem to be thinking with the wrong head, if you get what I'm saying.
As a girl who wants to find her soulmate by 21, my 20th birthday has proven to be more depressing than fun. Here I am, a 20 year old virgin who hopes to be head over heels for my soulmate in exactly one year. A sad reality, really.
Don't get me wrong, theres nothing wrong with being a virgin at 20, but there is something disheartening about being a 20 year old virgin who hopes to be married in less than two years.
The whole dating scene is a recipe for disaster when you add a hopeless romantic into the equation.
But nevertheless, the sun will still shine, the birds will still chirp.
Aria scoffing brought my attention back to the moment at hand, I looked to find her gaze glued on the TV in front of us. I followed her lead, glancing over to the station she'd landed on. A woman sat at her desk, reciting the fabricated rundown of the recent gossip.
She had bleach blonde pin-straight hair that was pulled back into a sophisticated low bun, no stray hairs in sight. She was wearing a bright red blazer to match her blazing shade of lipstick, a white blouse hidden under the garment. Her hands were clasped in front of her, her blue gaze locked on the lens as if she was speaking to each and every one of us personally.
"Thank you, Roger. As for recent news in Chicago, you may have heard recently that Vincent De Bellis, the owner of the Ruby hotel chain was spotted with a younger lady. Our sources tell us that this blonde bombshell is 23 year old Julia Kline, an actress and supermodel." A picture flashed on the screen, a ridiculously attractive man with his hand clasping that of a younger woman's.
Like the host had just said, she had beautiful blonde hair that fell somewhere mid back, a texture somewhere between curly and wavy. She was stick thin, and quite obviously very well cut out for her job. She was sporting a tight white tank top with dress pants, somehow making dress pants more casual than they already are. Her heels brought the whole look together making it something between just getting off a plane or just getting out of a meeting.
The man they spoke of was easy on the eyes from what you could see in the paparazzi photo. He had dark hair, his arm covering his face as he pulled the girl through the crowd with him. He was dressed in a stupidly expensive looking suit, and obviously fit the part of model's boyfriend.
"This is hardly news," Aria snorted, rolling her eyes before skipping around to a different channel right as the blonde talk host lady came back on screen.
"Tell me about it," I chuckled, shaking my head.
It's seriously crazy what makes headlines these days. I wouldn't be surprised at this point to see a Kylie Jenner wore sneakers on a Tuesday! article. I would probably less surprised than I should be.
"I think Brandon knows him, big shot that guy," Aria spoke absentmindedly, my brows raising at her words.
Aria is a self proclaimed sugar baby. She has been for the past two years now, hence the ridiculously expensive penthouse she lives in and name brand everything that lives within the walls without even having a day job.
She's gone through multiple sugar daddies but three months ago she met Brandon Smith, millionaire and genius of a businessman. He is one of the most well-known public figures around Genevieve Springs, so when they got together (non-exclusively) it was absolutely mind blowing.
With a groan Aria shut off the TV, grabbing her glass off the coffee table between the couch we were sat on and the television on the other side of the room. She shifted her body so she was facing me more, her bent elbow resting on the back of the couch.
"So, tell me about this Dylan guy." She grinned, mischief dancing in her brown eyes. She just loves hearing about my hunt for my soulmate, and dare I say she even finds it amusing at points.
Hell, even I do sometimes.
"Oh, theres nothing to talk about there," I snorted in a very unladylike manner.
"Oh no." She frowned, puckering her bottom lip out dramatically. "Fuck boy?" She guessed, tilting her head inquisitively.
I nodded, eyes wide as if to say you don't even know the half of it.
I released a wistful sigh, pulling my lips to one side as I swirled my mixed drink around in my cup. "I just don't understand why finding love is so absolutely ridiculously hard."
Aria sighed in return.
"Because you're a hopeless romantic, Flo. You have these crazy expectations of how you're going to run into this beautiful man at a coffee shop and fall in love and two years down the line have his children. I'm sorry, it's just some tough love," she spoke truthfully, a sincerity to her tone that couldn't make me angry at her.
"To be fair, I've given up on the whole meeting organically idea and gone as far to create a Tinder account and even go on two whole dates from Tinder! You know what I've come up with in that time? Two more dates to my tally count and the ability to say I know two more fuck boys than I did before," I exclaimed, waving my free arm animatedly.
The thought alone made me annoyingly frustrated. I just wish that maybe dating in 2019 was a little more practical. I mean, come on, you can meet people right from the comfort of your home these days and all you get is half naked boys asking for tit pictures?
"Maybe you don't need love right now," Aria offered, and before she could even continue I could see exactly where this was headed. "Maybe you just need companionship."
I sighed, throwing my head back.
"I'm not cut out to be a sugar baby, Ari," I grumbled, staring at the lighting fixture on her beige ceiling.
I could count on one hand the amount of times Aria has tried to convince me to try out being a sugar baby, it really isn't that often. But every other time she's planted the seed I've been sober and ready to conquer my quest of finding love.
Tonight though?
Mildly drunk and ready to throw in the towel.
Maybe I'm just not meant to be in love in this life. Or maybe I'm cursed when it comes to love, how annoying that would be.
"No, listen, Flo—" she held up her hand, shifting herself in her seat so she was more comfortable. "You don't even have to have sex with these guys! Some of them literally just want your time in return for money or whatever your little heart desires! You see this bracelet?" She asked, shoving her wrist towards me where a rose gold Cartier bracelet was sitting.
I held my breath, momentarily paralyzed at the thought that if I breathed too hard I might scuff the ridiculously expensive piece of jewelry.
"Yup, I definitely see it," I whispered, still holding my breath as I leaned away from her outstretched arm.
"I didn't even have sex for this! I had two dinners with some guy, and this was how he paid me," she said before taking a large gulp of her wine.
I sighed again.
"I don't know," I said worriedly, staring at the bracelet on her wrist as she placed her arm back down. "I just feel like it's against my...morals."
"Ouch," she teased, a small smile pulling on the corners of her lips. "All I'm saying is that company isn't the worst thing you could have right now. Even if you're still looking for this oh so elusive soulmate all the while. Just someone to pass the time with and get a little extra something something while you're at it."
She definitely has a strong case, I'll give her that. My little drunk brain was eating up everything she said in that moment, the idea that maybe just maybe she had a point was forefront in my thoughts.
"Listen, maybe you're right and maybe I'm being ridiculous in suggesting this for you. But it couldn't hurt to just give it a shot since you seem one more terrible date away from ripping your hair out," she began, her tone soft as if she was afraid to break me. "There's this new app that just came out called Sugar, it's basically Tinder for sugar babies. Maybe just tip your t...wait. Tip your toe? Is it tip your toe or is it dip your toe?"
She pondered the thought for a long moment while I just drunkenly stared blankly at her, radio silence was to be heard in my brain.
"Whatever it is your toe does, do that! Just try it on for size and see if it's anything that even remotely interests you. Who knows, maybe you'll find your soulmate that way." She winked playfully, a grin pasting itself onto her pink lips and causing me to roll my eyes.
"You're ridiculous," I chuckled, sipping my mixed drink again.
Her posture all of a sudden straightened out as she shot up slightly, excitement dancing over her features. I felt confusion lace my expression as I watched her closely.
"Oh my god," she whispered excitedly, a grin now lining her lips once more. "I totally forgot that I got disco lights installed last week, ooh! You have got to see this!" She exclaimed, hurriedly pushing herself off the couch and rushing off to turn on her lights.
I watched, a laugh bubbling in my chest as my best friend drunkenly staggered off to find the switch to her new disco lights.
That was the moment our night really began and for the remainder of my birthday night we danced in her living room to ridiculous music with her crazy disco lights flashing around us.
The night started on a low note, a night I would surely remember but not in a good or monumental way but it ended as maybe one of my favorite birthdays ever.
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woo! first chapter!
I'm going to try to update once a week on the same day.
So, for Sugar updates will be on Saturdays hopefully around 9 am PST and 12 EST :)
thanks for reading, guys! let me know what you think so far, I'm so excited about this book! xx