AllFreeNovel
Share Us
* * *
By the eveningof the event, I was in a great mood. The best mood of my life, possibly. I’d now had an entire week’s worth of proper, restful sleep, and I was feeling like I’d unlocked some secret to wellbeing. Except, of course, it was common knowledge that you needed sleep to feel good. I’d just been a fool and ignored that before.
I got ready early and made sure I was in enough time to pick Ria up personally from her home. I wouldn’t be driving, of course, I’d be in the back of the car, but it was still a nice gesture, I thought.
Before I left my apartment, I checked myself out in the mirror. I looked a little stuffy, as usual, and I wasn’t feeling particularly in the mood to be as stuffy this week. I ditched the tie, but it still wasn’t quite right, so I undid the top button on my shirt. And then, the second button. Absolutely scandalous. Still needed a final touch... I ran my fingers through my hair, mussing it up from its usual combed-through look.
Then I scanned myself again. Yes, this was Forest 2.0. No longer haunted by constant nightmares of my half-brother, working all hours and sleeping at my desk. This was casual Forest, play-it-by-ear Forest, who didn’t have to plan for all eventualities and worst case scenarios. And go-with-the-flow Forest had a slightly unbuttoned shirt and slightly messier hair. It was a start.
I decided to use a car I rarely used because it was too flashy for day-to-day. But we were attending an event together for the first time, and I figured Forest 2.0 was flashier than old Forest. So I messaged my driver and asked for the limo, and to make sure it was stocked with iced champagne. Gauche, sure, but you could be a little gauche when you were actually filthy rich.
Ria took some time to come outside after I messaged her saying I had arrived. When she did, she looked incredible. She’d selected her outfit for tonight, and it was quite a little bit more showy than I or Mrs Jamroz would have selected, but once again I found myself dazzled by her.
The dress was floor length and a dusky mauve, with sequin embroidery, a corset bust, and floaty lace sleeves. I could name a handful of women that could pull off a dress such as that, and Ria was amongst their number. And even then, even if just in my imagination, she pulled it off best.
She’d matched her makeup to the dress, having gone for a shadowy brown eye look and a beige-coloured lipstick that made her look slightly unearthly. Forest 2.0 wasn’t so cheesy as to tell her she looked ‘out of this world’. But in a few days, I might be at that level of high spirits. Who could say?
I opened the door for her. “You look quite frankly breath-taking, Ria Moon.” Okay, that was a little too honest and intense, even for Forest 2.0.Dial it back a bit.“Thanks for humoring me and accompanying me to this thing tonight.”
She didn’t respond immediately. She was looking a little pale.
“Are you alright, Ria?”
“Yeah, I’m good. Just feeling a little under the weather. I see you pulled out all the stops for us tonight, huh?” She gestured to the car as she climbed into it. “Oh wow. Champagne too.”
“Would you like a glass?” I poured one for myself, and waited for her answer.
“I... probably shouldn’t. Just in case I’m coming down with something.”
I frowned in concern. “Do you still want to come? If you need to rest up, I don’t mind.” I would be disappointed, but it was uncouth of me to say that, obviously.
“No, it’s okay. I’ve had some painkillers, I think I’ll perk up.”
“Alright, just let me know if you feel any worse, and I’ll get a car to bring you home.”
She seemed to cheer up during the journey, so I assumed the painkillers were kicking in. We spent some time laughing at the people on the street gawping at the vehicle as we drove through her neighborhood and then into the heart of the city, where we rarely got more than a second glance.
Eventually, we pulled up to the event. I opened the door for us, again, to the head-shake of the driver, who was very stringent about his duties.
I turned to Ria. “You ready?”
“Excited to meet the famed Brock brothers.”
“Alright, let’s go.”
It wasn’t difficult to find my brothers inside. They were always seated in a similar-ish area in public places – private booth area, off to the side of the main crowd. Since it was his wife’s event, Jude couldn’t pull his usual trick of arriving five or ten minutes later than everyone else, so I was the last to arrive.
“Forest!”
“Long time no see!”
“Glad to see they’ve finally gotten you back out of cryostasis.”
I waved off their greetings. “Yeah, yeah, thanks, everyone. Good to see you too. I want to introduce you to someone. This is Ria, my girlfriend.”
I gestured to Ria, who was lagging just a step behind me, and everyone went silent.
Sylvester burst out first. “Thisis what you’ve been doing the whole time?”
