Different

Chapter 1

"Charlotte c'mon, we're late !" My best friend shouts, standing by the door, her arms folded. She looks absolutely stunning in her red dress, with her long hair braided.
I grab my handbag and apply a little bit of lipstick in a rush before joining her.

"It's fine, we have time !"

She rolls her eyes and goes downstairs to the street to call a cab while I lock my flat.

"Thank you so much Hanna for getting me into this charity ball" I tell my best friend, once we're sat in the cab.

She drops her gaze into mine and shakes her head.
"It's really not a problem, and you should thank my aunt, she's the one who got us in."

I nod and give her a gentle smile before changing the subject abruptly.
"Do you think I will finally see him ?"

"Well, I hope so Char' "

We spend the rest of the ride without saying a word, contemplating over this beautiful city which is London through the window.

Ten minutes later, the cab parks in front of a beautiful and old building. About twenty paparazzi are here, taking pictures of every guest, including us, as soon as we get out of the car.
Lots of young girls are waiting behind barriers, probably here to see the famous people who are invited.

"It's good to be on the other side for once, I mean to be the one under the spotlight" Hanna whispers next to me, her hand in front of her face, probably dazzled by all the flashes.
I smile and we both step towards the building.
When we enter, there must be hundreds of people. The women are all very beautiful, wearing sophisticated hair styles and make up, long dresses and expensive jewels. I feel almost poor in my H&M dress and my fake necklace and I nervously adjust the curly strand falling from my bun.

"Relax, you look stunning Char' " Hanna whispers next to me, reading my thoughts about how nervous I am.

"Hanna, Charlotte !" We turn towards the voice shouting at us. It's Julia, Hanna's aunt.

"Hiii Julia" We both say at the same time and step towards her to hug her. I love Julia, she's an amazing women, always so energetic and caring.

"Thank you so much for letting us come. I'm so excited to be here"

"You're welcome Charlotte, it's a pleasure to have you here. And I'm always invited to these kind of events so it's not a big deal for me to get you in "

She grins and gently shakes my shoulder then turns towards Hanna.

"Well have a nice evening girls, see you later"

Once she's away, Han' grabs me by the arm and leads me to the buffet.

"The food looks so good"

"Taste this" I say, handing her a small cake. She takes it hesitantly and puts it in her mouth. Her eyes widen as she chews it.

"Hmm it's delicious ! What is it ?"

"I have no idea" I giggle and grab one too. It tastes really good actually. It reminds me of the food my mum used to cook. She was a very good cooker and made the best cakes ever. I miss her so much...