APARTMENT 143

13

I stand in front of the mirror, putting on a silky navy dress with a deep cut v down the middle, throwing half of my hair over my shoulder as the rest half flows down my back.

It had been a while since I last dressed up like this, but then again it wasn't like this was new to me.

The memories of when my dad used to hold parties to have me meet a potential husband suddenly appeared in my head, I hated those parties considering I always had to pretend it was what I wanted. However, this time I was pretending for something that wasn't even real.

Why did I agree to something like this?

I continue looking in the mirror to see a piece of myself I thought I'd never see again. How did Riven manage to talk me into something like this and how did either of us believe this would work?

The doorbell rings and I let out a sigh making my way out of my room and to the front door.

Riven stands before me tapping away on his phone, he wore his typical attire but in a more casual way. A stunning navy blue sports jacket with one of his basic white shirts was his signature look, we had both agreed to wear matching colors which was why I skipped work yesterday to hunt for a dress.

He looks up at me shoving his phone into his pocket, his eyes widened and mouth nearly dropping to the floor. I felt a bit awkward with him staring at me, as I already felt insecure as is but the thought of him not liking my outfit made me feel even worse.

"Do you not like it?" I mumble softly holding the one side of my arm.

"No! I mean yes, I mean..." Riven stumbles with his words causing me to laugh, he runs his hand through his hair and looks back at me with an innocent smile. "You look great."

I let Riven into my place and saw him looking around, it must have still felt strange being in here but I couldn't blame him.

"So are you ready?" Riven turns back looking at me.

"Uh yeah," I nod happily. "Let me just get my purse and we can head out."

Walking over to the couch and picking up my bag throwing in my lipstick and phone, I look up and notice Riven looking at the window. He approaches it and looks outside at the city lights in the night sky, it was almost as if he was in a completely different world.

"There isn't really much to look at you know," I say as I go to stand beside him looking outside. "We have the same view after all."

"Yeah I know but..."

He pauses.

"It's the memories, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Riven sighs. "You never know what you have till it's gone."

"I know," I say softly. "But it just means something better is waiting for you."

Riven lets out a slight chuckle, "You think so?"

"Oh absolutely," I playfully wrap my arm around Riven's. "We are a so-called couple after all, who would have thought?"

Riven looks over at me as a look of guilt washes over his face.

"I know I'm asking a lot from you but the last thing I want to do is play with your feelings Violet," he says sadly. "If you're having second thoughts then it's not too late to back out..."

"Riven if I didn't want to do this I wouldn't have agreed to begin with," I pull my arm away from him and turn him to look me in the eyes. "Fake girlfriend or not, I'm still your friend and I want to help you in whatever crazy plan you have cooked up. I still wish you would tell me what's going on but for now, I trust you."