[Neither of them promised forever, yet it hurt all the same.]
River Hamilton cannot afford to fall for just anyone. To continue the legacy of her family the only way she can, she must eventually marry someone she may not want to spend the rest of he...
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R.HAMILTON
River wore a nude sparkly dress that her mother had worn the very first time she went to the theatre with River's father. Strange as it may sound, the occasion was their first date, the night where her father decided to marry her mother. It made her smile to now wear that exact piece, a present from Natasha to her one and only daughter.
It was difficult to touch up her make-up in the orange lit bathroom of the theatre but River managed. Bright red lip. Subtle brown eyeshadow. Darkened lashes and eyebrows. Juliette materialised in the reflection, just over River's shoulder, as she existed the toilet stall, the door now in place with a soft click.
River placed her lipstick back in her clutch, and took a turn to face Juliette. Black material curled around her slim body, a sweetheart neckline emphasising her bust. Three rows of genuine pearls decorated her delicate neck. Shimmering highlighter accentuated her collarbones. Ever the princess she was raised to be.
Except for the fact that she was busy cleaning up her nose from whatever she snorted behind the privacy of closed doors.
Juliette refused to back down from the eye contact River initiated, but she did end up breaking the silence as she asked, "Atlas after this?"
"As usual," River responded. "I can't stay long tonight as I have a flight in the morning, though that shouldn't hold anyone else back."
The woman in black nodded and reached for the paper-towels to dry her hands. "That's a shame."
Perhaps it was. For River and Juliette partied like the next day would never come. Every time. The two women were the farthest from being friends, yet the moment they were in the dark, lights brightening their visions, alcohol coursing through their blood whilst trying to make peace with other substances they enjoyed from time to time, none of that mattered.
"Next time," River made the flimsy promise, then left without another word.
Truth be told, she only wanted to measure Juliette up before her date arrived. The woman in the bathroom seemed taken by Harry Styles, and although River couldn't blame her, she was much too fascinated by what would no doubt unfold before her.
It is certainly not every day that someone from a lower class catches the attention of a woman whose inheritance could potentially feed the whole of the country.
River made her way back to the hallway of the theatre, her steps purposeful yet delicate as they landed on the red velvet floor. Chatter surrounded her, and soft laughter, the gentle kiss of glasses as people toasted for whatever reason, and—there. Someone sneezed, which immediately cleared the radius around them.
"You'd think the person has a contagious deadly illness by the way people react to a sneeze," the comment came from River's left-hand side, somewhat funny until she recognised the deep rumble and associated it with the manager of the Hamilton Clubhouse.
