Page 96 of The Likelihood Of You

I let out a sigh. “Fine, this is the last one, though, Nanna; we’ve got to leave soon.” I rush out, bending down and resting my phone between the bathroom mirror and the gold vintage taps, before straightening myself back up and shuffling down the tulle fabric that keeps riding up my arse.

“Oh goodness, I wish I could be there to see it in person.” She sighed dramatically.

“Nanna, you got home three days ago. Youdidsee it while you were here.”

“Not onyou, though;seeing it on a plastic mannequin is hardly a fair comparison.”

I distracted her from her guilt-tripping and did another slow twirl around the bathroom. “Right, last chance to take it in.”

“Perfection, Flo, that Jacob is a lucky guy.” She gushed, her face taking up the entirety of my screen. “Be..a…utiful.”

Her sweetchuckle echoes off the bathroom tiles, making it feel like she’s still here. The apartment always feels that way after she leaves, like her presence exceeds the laws of the universe, and her personality somehow attaches to the walls and makes the room seem lighter, even on cloudy days. I’ve been told I do the same thing, and it’s no mystery where I inherit it from.

I smile back at Nanna as I watch her bring her screen closer, like if she does it enough, she’ll be transported back here, before swiping down on the screen slightly, checking the time and my stomach dropping into the depths of my body at the realisation we only had six minutes until the car Jacob’s team had scheduled was going to show up. “Right, Nanna, I’ll have to love you and leave you for now; it’s nearly time.”

“Okay, Candy Floss, have the best night; I’ll be on Tweetter looking for updates.”

“You mean Twitte—”

“Oh, so you have time to correct me but not show off your dress anymore? My my.” We both chuckled, our laughter bouncing off the tiles again before settling between us. “Go on, you head out; love you, my darling.”

“Love you too, Nanna.”

We hung up a few seconds later, letting my focus return to my reflection.

It took me, Addy, all eight people on her style team and a month of scouring every designer store in the city to find this dress, and I would do it all over again if it meant wearing this dress to the premiere ofDefenders of Time 2.It felt beyond surreal that we’d finally reachedthe premier night, so of course, a night this special deserved a dress that was equally as.

I took one last look at myself in the mirror, appreciating how the mermaid silhouette coupled with the lavender tulle and droopy off-the-shoulder sleeves made me, rightly so in Nanna Dorothy’s words, look like a lilac cloud princess, with just a dash of sexiness to transform it into a red carpet-worthy look, rather than toddlers beauty pageant worthy look.

It hugged my curves in all the right places, accentuated my boobs nicely, and made me feel like a million dollars. Addy also kindly lent me her glam team for the night, who airbrushed, highlighted and contoured my face to within an inch of its life, and also managed to tame my frizz-bomb hair by pinning my curtain bangs behind my ears, curling the rest of it and dousing it in a fine mist hairspray.

I did a few Sharpay Evans-inspired exercises, and brr brr MAH’d myself into calming down slightly, but not enough to completely slow down my raging heartbeat. I was mainly nervous because this was my and Jacobs’s first red carpet appearance as a couple; sure, we’d been photographed in the park with Bagel and walking home from a Pin’s run, but tonight was a whole different playing field.

In the days leading up to tonight, I’d tried to recall what it was like leaving the lot, having those sporadic camera flashes emerge from behind parked cars, how it wasn’t that bad once I’d got used to them, but was then quickly reminded by Jacob that there wouldn’t just be two cameras; there’d be hundreds, all lined up and ready to capture us at every angle known to man.

“Breathe, Flo. Calm down, for God’s sake,” I whispered to myself, my hand planted on either side of the marble vanity, my chest slowly heaving.

I was treating tonight as my taster into the celebrity world, because if I got through my nerves tonight, dealing with the press day for my bakery,Flo’s, next month, would be a piece of cake.

Pun very much intended.

It’s been a busy few months organising everything. I spent most of my free time finalising the recipes and spent every spare minute in between decorating the bakery with the lavender tiles and marble tables I’d always wanted. Jacob’s Mom’s stopped by a few times to admire our creation, and lend a helping hand with the decor. And thanks to the marketing tactics I borrowed, it seemed like the whole city would be making their way down to opening day.

Just thinking about that day is enough to make my heart melt.

A few timid knocks on the bathroom door made me jump, but I was soon calmed by the voice behind it. “Florence Elora Frances Dayes The Third, are you nearly ready?” He asked, and like his voice was magic, my nerves had somewhat vanished.

I shook myself, taking a few deep breaths before click-clacking my way across the tiled floor and opening the door to reveal Jacob. I felt my breath catch as my eyes drank up every part of him, my heart officially winning the gold medal for tumbling when I saw him wearing a freshly pressed black tux. It was obvious he was doing the same with me, as he took a few steps back and raised his hand to his heart, his mouth parting like he was speechless and couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

He had a habit of adopting this look whenever he saw me. Even if I’d been in bed all day, hadn’t brushed my hair in three days and hadapple pie and coffee stains on my shirt, he’d look at me like I was the most angelic thing he’d ever laid eyes on.

“You look…” He paused, his eyes drifting up and down me one last time. “How did I get so lucky that I get to see you like this? You're breathtaking, Flo.”

The descent of butterflies in my stomach almost made me falter, but I dipped my head and smiled to the floor, which seemed to do the trick.

“Thank you.” I hushed out, my eyes memorising every inch of him as I rose my head back to meet him, taking a few steps towards him as I did. "I could say the very same thing about you.” I managed, gripping the sides of his blazer and pulling him in for a kiss.

I then realised that I’d worked myself up over nothing.

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