Diamonds Are Not Forever

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Juliette

"What do you think to this dress? Is it too much?"
I turned from side to side in the fifth outfit I'd tried on that afternoon, a silky knee-length maroon slip dress, looking at myself in the free-standing mirror in my mum's bedroom. My bedroom was in the attic, there wasn't much space up there to move around like there was in my mum's room.
Laid out on the bed behind me was Milo, paying me little attention as he clicked buttons and flicked joysticks on his hand-held game console. He barely looked up from the tiny screen as he gave me a half-hearted "No, it's fine."
"Milo!"
"Juliette!" He mimicked my tone, pausing his game and rolling onto his front so he was resting on his elbows to watch me in the reflection of the mirror.
"You're supposed to be helping me get ready." I ground out, turning all the way around so I could see the dress from the back. The last thing I needed was my back rolls on show if I was going somewhere as fancy as The Sky Bar. I know Frankie said it was 'smart-casual', but after looking at the pictures of the venue online, I knew he was under exaggerating.
"Your bum doesn't look big if that's what you're asking, or it does look big - if that's what girls want to hear nowadays?" Milo picked up a throw pillow from the bed and threw it at me to pull my focus from my insecurities and back onto him. "You look great Lettie, don't worry about it."
Picking up the pillow from the floor and throwing it straight back at him, I gave him a goofy smile and sat down on the edge of the bed so that his head was next to my thigh. "Have you eaten yet?" I probed, resting my hand on Milo's head, gently stroking his thick copper curls out of his face.
Our mum had been at work all day on a back-to-back shift at the Café, and wouldn't be clocking off until after 8pm, so I knew the answer was going to be a no. His side-ways glance confirmed my thoughts.
"I'll go make you something before I leave." Jumping up, I patted the top of his head and dipped down to pick up the shoes I'd selected to wear– a pair of cream slip on sandals. No heels again for me any time soon!
"Please don't," Milo shot up from the bed and trailed after me. "Your cooking makes me wonder what pinecones might taste like."

I heard the taxi pull up outside the front of the house as I finished applying the last sweep of my red lipstick, assessing my handy work in the mirror crookedly hung over the fireplace. Milo was sat on the sofa crunching down on my speciality dish – Cheese and Ham Toastie done in the air fryer I'd got my mum for Christmas. When I dashed to the window and pulled back the curtain so I could get a clear view of the street, I spotted Teddy sat patiently in the back of the taxi, he was looking down at his phone when a message came through for me.

Teddy Work: Hey, I'm outside when you're ready. 

Me and Teddy had agreed to share a cab and meet the others at the venue, it made sense seen as Teddy only lived 5 minutes away from my house and the rest of the team were situated on the other side of the city.
I ripped through the living room like a tornado, clutching for my phone, my lipstick, my bag. Milo watched on in mild interest as he chewed – my food obviously tasting better than a pinecone.
"You sure you're gunna be okay until Mum is home?" I stood in front of the TV, a rerun of Friends playing quietly behind me, and placed both my hands on my hips – giving him my best parental stare.  He waved me out of the way with the hand that was holding his toastie, sprinkling a thin layer of crumbs on the carpet as he ushered me out of the door. 
  "Yes! Now go will you, Ross and Rachel are about to go on a break!"
I held my hands up in surrender and made for the door, "Okay! I'm leaving. Be good. Love you."
"Have fun!" He called after me as I stepped out of the door, closed it behind me and headed towards the car.

Teddy didn't engage in much small talk as we rode into the city, he was unusually quiet and mostly stared out of the window right up until we pulled up outside The Sky Bar. He'd spotted Carol and Ashley stood on the stone steps of the entrance, pointing them out to me as the taxi parked up on the curb.
After we had slipped out of the car and all exchanged hugs, the four of us stepped inside the looming tower of a building and rode the lift straight to the top where The Sky Bar was located.
  As the doors pulled open and the bar came into view, the sound of someone on stage murdering 'Livin' On A Prayer' on a karaoke machine assaulted my ears.
The room was packed, a 50/50 split of glamorous looking women and handsomely dressed men.