Are You The One?

*****

The VanGuardian affair was being held at the Atlantis Ballroom on Friday night. Tara and Brit had begged Stefan for the night off and had to promise to be an hour early for the next few days to help with cleaning. It was all ridiculously unfair but at this point Brit would have promised anything to be able to go. She joked that she was Cinderella and Stefan was her evil stepfather. On Thursday Brit could finally sleep after work. She lay in bed wide awake, excited about the party.

Finally, the alarm went off on Friday morning. Brit had already been up for an hour. She turned on the coffee maker and jumped into the shower. By the time she got out Tara was just waking up and pouring herself a cup.

“Good morning,” she yawned.

“Go get ready!” Brit insisted.

“What?” she asked groggily.

“We have nail and hair appointments. Waxing appointments and then come home and get dressed,” Brit reminded her.

“Okay. Don’t rush me,” Tara said as Brit gently nudged her with her hand.

The women spent the morning getting groomed, buffed, waxed, polished. Tara had a huge lunch of a giant double cheeseburger while Brit insisted on just a smoothie. She sighed jealously and stole one of her best friend’s french fries.

“You should eat,” Tara insisted.

“My dress is already on the snug side. I’m saving that room for champagne and shrimp cocktails,” Brit half-joked.

“I told you the dress fits great. The lady at the boutique just laced the corset up too tight,” Tara said munching on her burger. 

 After lunch they went home and showered before heading to the salon for their makeup and hair appointments. By the time they got back all that was left to do was get dressed and wait for Cliff and Eric to arrive.

Tara wore her hair long and wavy. She had subdued makeup and bright red lipstick to match her long red evening gown. Brit had opted to have her hair straightened. She wore it slicked back and rolled into an elegant chignon at the back. The stylist had added a giant white orchid, sprayed to hold up, and attached to a clip on one side. The makeup artist had given her a smoky eye complete with lash inserts and a natural matte nude lipstick.

 Brittany’s dress was exquisite. Emerald green it matched perfectly with her caramel skin, light brown eyes and honey colored hair. The bodice was a corset style that hugged her curves and enhanced and lifted her small bre*sts making them look fuller. With its strapless design it highlighted some of her best features, her toned arms and shoulders as well as her long neck. The dress was tight and enhanced her wide hips and voluptuous bottom until it flared out at the ankle in a playful mermaid cut. She had purchased a costume jewelry set with faux emeralds and diamonds. The pendant fell perfectly at the hollow of her neck. The teardrop earrings were not overwhelming and the cuff was exquisite and tasteful. She had paired the dress with silver stilettos that made her appear inches taller than her normal five seven.

Brit wasn’t used to dressing like this nor was she used to wearing makeup. Looking at her reflection she was pleased though slightly taken aback. She had to admit she felt beautiful but the woman staring back at her in the mirror was a stranger. She grinned her usual grin and immediately felt better. She picked up her silver clutch, checked that the lipstick the makeup artist had given her was in there and made her way to the living room to wait. As she reached the door she remembered to go back and put on some perfume. She forewent her usual scent and reached for the Chanel her mother had given to her two birthdays ago. She spritzed it on generously and loved the scent. In fact, she loved her entire look.  Silently she hoped Cliff did as well.

The men arrived looking dashing in their tuxedos and while Tara gushed about how gorgeous Eric looked Brit retained her composure.

“You look very nice,” she said with a small smile.

“Wow. I don’t think anyone will be looking at us when they see you two. You look stunning Brit,” Cliff said.

Brittany swallowed nervously. She had never seen him look so handsome. He wore his hair slicked back, the slight graying at his temples adding to the effect. The tuxedo was obviously tailored to him and fit impeccably.  She had never dated someone who was so attractive naturally.

She wasn’t surprised to see when they stepped outside that there was a stretch limo waiting to take them to the party. It seemed like the thing Cliff would do, especially after the restaurant fiasco.

When they arrived to the gala, it was already in full swing. The couples split up, Tara and Eric heading to the bar while Brit and Cliff went to find their table.  What was surprising was how many people seemed to know who Cliff was. They kept stopping on the way so that he could speak with someone. Brit recognized a lot of the guests, if not by face definitely by name. It was hard to control her excitement. What she didn’t expect was for Cliff to sing her praises so highly.

“This is Brittany Spencer. She is an amazing writer,” he introduced her in some variation of the sort for the umpteenth time.

By the time they made their way to their table Brit had been given seven business cards all from guests asking her to send over her portfolio. It was unbelievable and exciting.

They had cocktails and enjoyed the food which was spectacular. During the course of the evening, as guests stopped by to say hello, Brit collected more business cards. She was entirely grateful to Cliff for inviting her. If he wanted to make up for a bad first impression he had certainly done so.

Cliff asked Brittany to dance and she readily agreed. What she didn’t count on was that his mere touch would send shivers down her spine or cause tiny goosebumps to appear on her exposed arms. As they danced Brit hoped Cliff couldn’t tell how fast her heart was beating. As they danced, everyone around them disappeared, it felt like they were the only ones in the room.

“You really do look amazing tonight. You took my breath away,” he whispered against her ear.  “Thank you. I’m having a great time.”

“I’m glad. Normally I wouldn’t come to this but I figured this would be right up your alley,” he replied.

“How did you even get tickets?” she mused.

“I was invited. I called and told them I accept plus three,” he explained.

“I thought they only invited people from the media,” Brittany responded.