Fully English

CHAPTER 25

Otis has been calling me non-stop but I refuse to answer for I am scared what will slip out when we talk. Frieda, now conscious and discharged from hospital after her emergency surgery, had sworn me to secrecy about her hospital say. I'm not allowed to say anything to anyone about her condition.

We are nearing the end of semester and I have one last piece of coursework due before my tenancy is complete. One more week is all I have left at UWL before I return to London to see my mother and I am living it up whilst I can. Reece has been dragging me along to his many classy networking dinners and balls with other budding lawyers and I have played the dutiful role of arm candy.

Tonight is the final and biggest event of the semester for law students all and we already have on our outfits: mine being a mauve floor length gown that is off-the-shoulder and he in a black tailored suit. Right now I am parading the length of my small room, practising keeping my balance in these unbroken shoes as Reece fixes his collar in the mirror.

He stops to observe my white-tipped toenails. "Nice pedicure."

"Thank you," I smile coyly.

In order to look the part of Reece's plus one I'd been going to the utmost lengths – including a trip to an expensive hairdresser in London to get a long straight weave installed, numerous trips to the beauty salon for waxing and nail appointments, regular shopping for new outfits and shoes. Heck I'd even joined Reece at the gym a few times. I should have learned from Tasha that being the girlfriend of a Beaufort required maximum upkeep: it meant always being on point and never missing a trick – it meant being a unit even when I wanted nothing more than to wrestle his arm away from mine and strut away in a huff. And that was a lot of the time. 

I stand up and swivel in the mirror to observe my toasty tanned legs. Less than a week ago, Reece surprised me with a one-week birthday trip to Santorini and my skin was reaping the benefits. I'd managed to go from my usual matte brown complexion to Lupita N'yongo's dewy deep glow. No matter where the light hit I seemed to be glowing in all the right places.

"You look amazing," Reece smiles at me dazzlingly. He too was sun-kissed and sporting a healthy glow.

"As do you babe," I respond charmingly and gesture for him to come closer. "Let me redo your collar."

Reece seats himself in the desk chair and remains remarkably still as I reposition his collar and blazer lapels as he stares at himself in the mirror.

"How will I eat?" he asks me incredulously. "Better yet, how will I breathe?"

The Greek cuisine had been so irresistible, we'd both gained a few pounds from our holiday. Fortunately my loose dress meant my stomach was camouflaged. Reece on the other hand only owned slim fit suits so there is little space for him to breathe when I finish buttoning his shirt to the top.

"Do you want your sunburn to be on show?" I grin, take my diamante clutch and throw my essentials in before spritzing some perfume onto my body. I watch him watch me as I top up my lips with complimentary shades of liner, gloss and lipstick to perfect the most glowingly bold pout.

"Good point."

On our way to the exit, I lace my hand around his bicep and we stroll to the door and hop into our scheduled Uber.

*

We step out of the vehicle and venture up so many steps I immediately regret wearing these heels. The door is flanked by two burly looking security guards and we show them our premium invitations and IDs before being granted access into the brightly lit hall. There are spotlights and people and in the middle is an empty stage. We've missed the main attraction of speakers telling their stories and arrived in the crux of the mingling phase and there are connoisseurs dotted all about: partners of law firms, associates, managing directors and other high-profile businesspeople.