AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I inspect my nails as though they’re riveting, even though they aren’t — which is on purpose. I’m a bit off whacky nail designs at the minute. Beyond the obvious facts, like they’re ugly not to mention the overt imprac- ticalities of obscenely long nails; why everyone is trying to make their hands look like they’re a witch from a Disney film is beyond me. It’s rather made me not even want coloured nails. A fine French tip or perhaps, even more ideally, Nail Glow by Christian Dior. That’s what my manicurist and I have been feeling lately.
“Mayfair,” I tell him without looking at him.
“But really more Grosvenor Square,” Taura adds because she’s a good friend.
I give her a quick smile.
“Are you excited to be staying?” Jordan asks me with a smile. She didn’t seem to need to muster it up or anything, I think it’s a proper smile. What a psycho.
I flick my eyes over to her trying to seem friendly. “I am.”
I need to balance carefully how I treat her. For one, manners are everything. And two, if I’m too mean to her, I’m worried BJ might just cut me out.
“This job is perfect for me,” I offer her, trying.
“Hold on—” Christian frowns. “Does this mean no more free vacations on Tatler’s dime?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Fuck.” He frowns. “Shouldn’t we all vote on things like that?”
“Um.” I give him a look. “You’re not poor. I think you can fund your own holidays for a while.”
He swats his hand dismissively.
“What exactly is the role?” Jordan asks, sounding genuinely interested.
“Style Editor for Tatler.”
“Oh. Cool.” She nods. “That’s massive. Congrats.”
I don’t like her being nice to me. My eyes feel sad but I force a smile. “Thank you.”
I drink my wine very fast and move in closer to Taura, who’s in the very sexy, very colourful rainbow open-back chainmail mini dress from Fannie Schiavoni. She’s intimidatingly beautiful, Tausie is. I was intimidated by her for such a long time. Mostly because of what I thought she’d done, but a little bit because she’s so strikingly attractive in the way that Eurasians tend to be. Her bone structure is completely insane and her eyes are so sparkly.
Do you want to know something crazy?
Taura knew it was Paili who BJ cheated on me with and she let me think it was her anyway. Henry told me so. She thought it would be too sad to lose my boyfriend and my best friend all at once, so she let me think it was her.
She heard Paili telling Perry about it around the time it happened, and that’s when Perry started the rumour that it was Taura.
Without my knowledge, Taura Sax has been a better friend to me the last five years than almost any of my other friends have been.
I raise my hand to Taura’s ear, covering it as I quietly say, “I’m whispering to you to make Jordan feel left out.”
She starts laughing. Whispers back, “Cool.”
“Which boy are you going home with tonight?” Me, whispering.
“TBD.” Taura.
“I’m not going home with anyone.” Me.
“Probably a good thing because you’re in love with BJ,” she whispers and I frown at her, pulling away.
I am, she’s right. Very much so. I stare over at him and notice how his paisley-print short-sleeved Gucci shirt falls open over his chest as he leans to say something to Jo.
He’s got a new tattoo.
