Pretending (Westshore Series #1)

Chapter Forty-Seven: Happy New Year

I zip up the emerald dress and can't help but admire it in the mirror because it truly is beautiful. It skims my body perfectly and makes my eyes look like the green gemstones themselves. It is also daringly low-cut.

It is New Year's Eve so tonight we are all going out to some high-end club to have some well-deserved fun. After days of studying and pulling all-nighters we were all going to let loose. Or in Abby's words 'get as drunk as possible'.

Looking at the beautiful dress in the mirror I can't help but think back to the moment at the store earlier and how I got the dress in the first place

"The Emerald one. Promise me you'll buy the emerald one." Abby was practically bouncing on her toes as she spoke.

The real issue was the price, there was no way I could afford it. The only money I had was payments from a dad I'd never met and the money I made at my summer job. "I can't afford it."

Abby grabbed my hands, pulling me to her. "Juliet. That dress was made for you. You have to wear it,"

My cheeks heated as Warner's eyes skim down my body. "You look incredible. Abby is right you have to wear it."

He hands over a black credit card to the saleswoman and my mouth drops open.

"What?" he asks nonchalantly.

"Warner that dress costs over a thousand dollars."

"That's it?" Warner says with a tilt of his head, "Maybe you should get some matching heels too then."

Before I could wrap my head around what just happened the dress was already paid for.

"Did he just? - "Abby asks looking just as shocked as me.

"It's already done so there's no point trying to argue with me Jules." Warner waves both our shocked expressions off, glancing at his phone "I'll meet you guys at Starbucks, Kenji is waiting there and he's impatient."

Things have been like that all week. I am beginning to think that Warner is some sort of rich drug lord, or he has a lot more money than I thought. 

It seems as soon as he cut his dad from his life he is free to use his money as he pleases.  And it seems that what pleases him most is buying me things.

I take one last in the mirror satisfied with my appearance for the first time in a while. My hair is curled into loose waves with the two front pieces pulled forward and the rest pinned back with gold clips. I didn't let any of the girls touch my hair when getting ready after what happened with Amy the other week.

However, when I look in the mirror I feel...acceptable.

My collarbones jut out a little more than I would like them to, and my cheeks have a hollowed-out look but it just looks like I did some cheek contour.

You're not skinny enough to have an eating disorder

My mom's words ring in my head as I dwell on my appearance.

Warner steps in breaking me out of my thoughts and he looks delicious in a perfectly tailored black tux, each edge hugging his broad shoulders. He wastes no time giving me a once over from the doorway.

"Jesus Christ. You are fucking unreal." His words are laced with awe like he can't even process what he's seeing.

"Thanks." My words come out unsure, self-conscious because it's how I feel. He hears it, as always, and reaches a hand out to pull me close to him.

His hands push me back once more, just enough to look into my eyes. He stares at me for a long moment, like he's decoding my thoughts and the emotions written on my face. "We are going to work on this."