Thou art beautiful

Chapter 1: The big 3-0

My 30th birthday was coming up and I'll admit I was dreading it. I hated the idea of turning 30, it felt like such an "adult" age. To cheer me up my best friends, Kat and Lara, bought me tickets to see 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' at the Bridge Theatre in London. I fell in love with the play after studying it as part of my English degree so it was a very thoughtful birthday gift.
The best part was that my favourite actress, Gwendoline Christie, was reprising her role as Titania for a limited run. I have a big crush on her too so the thought of just being in the same room as her made me giddy!

We travelled to London by train on a Friday. The girls had booked first class seats because it was a special occasion and we had a couple of glasses of Prosecco during the journey.
"So are you excited?" Kat asked.
"Of course I am!" I said, "thank you so much for this, I'm so lucky to have friends like you".
"Don't go getting all mushy on us just yet. You haven't seen the best part..." Lara said mysteriously.
"Oh? What's that then?" I said curiously.
"You'll see..." she teased, taking another sip of Prosecco. Kat just giggled. I was a bit worried but intrigued.

We checked into our hotel and made use of the in-house spa. We treated ourselves to some facials then sat in the lounge area drinking smoothies in our robes. While Lara went for a massage I quizzed Kat about my upcoming surprise.
"What has she got planned? Nothing embarrassing is it?" I said quietly.
"No! Don't worry! You'll like it I promise!" she said.
"OK I trust you, I just know what she's like".
Lara was the type of person who would purposely book a stripper on your hen night even when you insist you don't want one.
"I can't wait to see your face!" Kat said excitedly. Now I was even more intrigued!