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Once Upon a Lifetime – By Kazza Part 30
The gushing sound of hot water pouring out of the tap filled the room. A heady smell of peach and passion fruit bubble bath circled in the air. Switching on the CD player in the bathroom, the sound of Westlife drowned out the sound of water. Turning off the large metal taps, she gently slipped off the cream silk robe that was covering her naked body. Placing her foot tentatively in the water, she tested the temperature to make sure it wasn’t too hot. Adding a small amount of cold water to make it easier to get into, she stepped into the hot mass and allowed her body to be swallowed up by the pile of bubbles that had formed. Sighing as she relaxed her body, she allowed the hot water to wash over her, making all her fears and worries about that night wash away. There was only three hours before she would make her entrance at the party, blowing the secret she’d been carrying around for what seemed like an age completely away. As she thought about it, butterflies congregated in her already churning stomach. She’d been looking forward to this day for the previous couple of weeks, but now that it was upon her, she couldn’t stop the nervousness she was feeling. Trying to calm her stomach and clear her mind, Liz concentrated on the music filling the room. As she listened to the words, she found the song was almost perfect for that very moment. Dreams are there to show you the way (better take a look inside) Close your eyes, find out what they’re trying to say (you gotta take a look) Only for a minute Just to make a start Imagine what you wanna see Doing as the words instructed, she closed her eyes and tried to imagine how perfect the evening would be. In her dreams, Max was there to hold her every step of the way; everyone accepting the love that flowed freely between them. Wake him up, the wizard Sleeping in your heart Just imagine what you wanna be Don’t you know that ………… Taking a breath and moistening her lips, Liz couldn’t help but sing the chorus to the song that was doing a wonderful job of making her calm and relaxed. Dreams come true they do Dreams come true From all of us to all of you they do Don’t you know that dreams come true She couldn’t help but make a wish as she laid in the bath. A simple wish, but so very important, all she wanted was her dreams to come true that night. After all she had been through not only over the previous few months but also with her parents, she deserved a change of luck in life. True love is just a second away (better take a look inside) Make that magic rule, let the miracle stay (you gotta take a look inside) Only for a minute, it’s not a fantasy Just imagine what you wanna be She wished that she could float around the dance floor, held tightly in Max’s arms, her hair flying around along with her wonderful dress. She dreamed she was completely free, no restraints or restrictions, no need to worry about what people felt about them, just she and Max. Her deep brown eyes staring back at him, overflowing the immense love that coursed through her veins and gave her the will to live each day. Eventually pulling herself out of the self induced daydream, Liz started to wash her skin with luxury peach body gel, lathering it up as far as it would go and coating her legs one by one. She enjoyed the feeling of pampering herself, making her skin soft and subtle for her evening exploits. Eventually, after soaking in the bath for a further fifteen minutes, Liz reluctantly left the sanctuary of the now cooling water and headed into her bedroom. Her eyes caught upon the dress that was encased in clear plastic, hanging on the door of her wardrobe. A moment of crisis, Liz panicked that Max wouldn’t like it, perhaps it was too sophisticated for her. Sitting down and taking a few deep breaths, Liz tried to calm her racing heart, telling herself Max would love her no matter what she was wearing. ***** Music congregated in the air as the bathroom filled with steam from the hot water. The only sound apart from the music, was a chirpy voice singing in tune to the bouncy song. “Waiting
for the aliens, hanging out in Roswell. I
sit outside and stare at the sky, and wonder when they're coming.
Waiting for the aliens, and according to statistics, a hundred guys might
get a ride. Tonight it could be my
turn.” She sang out loud and proud as the warm water rushed over her body. “Beam
me up, I want to be abducted tonight. Beam
me up, I'm not afraid to fly that high. Beam
me up, I want to be abducted tonight. And I was wondering before you take me home again.”
She continued. She didn’t care how loud she was singing, there wasn’t
anyone who could hear her. If
she admitted it to herself, Maria’s choice of happy music and loud singing was
only masking one thing, how edgy she was about the party.
She’d kept up a mask in front of Liz, pretending that she couldn’t
wait to meet her date, excited to meet someone new.
But in truth she knew in her heart she was doing it all for the wrong
reasons. No matter how handsome,
wonderful or special her date would be, he would always be second best in her
heart. However
hard she tried to block out Michael since the shooting, it was all a farce.
She couldn’t forget him, she couldn’t ignore how she felt when he was
around, how her heart skipped a beat each time she heard his slightly gruff
voice and how each time she closed her eyes at night his face would jump into
her mind. She couldn’t get the
way he looked at her when he’d caught her the day he came back to the office
out of her mind. His strong hands
had stopped her from meeting the floor, scooping her into his arms despite the
injury he was carrying that was still healing.
He’d held her for a few moments, looking down at her, his face
softening and for a moment she was convinced she’d seen some love in his eyes.
Despite
what she thought she’d seen, nothing had come of it, he had hardly said a word
to her that wasn’t work related. In
the end she just decided she’d read the signs wrong, she’d done it before,
hey she was a Teflon babe, emotions just rolled off her with no effect, or at
least that’s what she wanted people to think.
Instead she’d come home each night and cry, wondering if she’d ever
be happy again. So,
with the party, she was determined have fun, determined to not think about
Michael even once. She knew it
wasn’t going to be an easy feat, he was going to the party too, no doubt with
a beautiful young lady, but she wasn’t going to let him ruin her night. “Could
I fly your ship, I wanna fly your ship, Fly your ship, I wanna fly your ship.
One time around the sun, one time around the moon, one time around the
Earth, stars, Venus and Mars. Baby
I'll be home soon.” She
continued, keeping her happy, positive mood up. ***** Rubbing
the excess water from her wet hair, Isabelle switched on the radio by her bed,
and then immediately wished she hadn’t. The
song that flooded the room, was one she really didn’t need to hear at that
moment. I
just want to feel safe in my own skin, I just want to feel happy again I
just want to feel deep in my own world But
I’m so lonely I don’t even want to be with myself anymore As
her brain processed the words floating around the room, she wondered what on
earth she was doing. It was her
Christmas Party, and she felt depressed. There
was no reason to be, she countered, she was after all going to the party with a
very eligible bachelor. Persuading
the sandy haired Cameron Masters to be her escort for the night was an excellent
achievement, even by Isabelle’s standards.
Word of her split with Brad had travelled fast around the grapevine, and
it hadn’t been long before guys were calling her and asking her out on dates.
She hadn’t accepted any of them, but when Cameron had called she’d
said no to the date but suggested the party instead.
Cameron had been more than happy to attend with her, and at the time it
had made Isabelle very happy. Yet,
as she sat on her bed reflecting, a nagging voice inside her head said it
wasn’t right. In effect she was
‘using’ him as statement material, rather than potential boyfriend material.
There was, after all, only one person who filled the mould of boyfriend
material at that moment. For
some reason, although they were doing well at being friends, Isabelle couldn’t
bring herself to go with Alex to the party.
It was too public and would give people the wrong impression of their
‘friendship’. Instead she
preferred to go with someone who would make a good impression, rather than
someone she genuinely cared about. On
a different day, if I was safe in my own skin, then I wouldn’t feel lost and
so frightened. But
this is today and I’m lost in my own skin. And
I’m so lonely I don’t even want to be with myself anymore. I
just want to feel safe in my own skin, I just want to be happy again. Shaking
her head, she tried to rid her mind of the question it was repeatedly asking
her, “why can’t you be yourself?” But
she didn’t know how to be herself, she’d been the high powered,
sophisticated Isabelle Evans for so long, it was second nature to her.
She didn’t know how to not be the centre of attention at parties, it
was something she just slipped into without even knowing it.
Alex had been the only person to question who she was, that night back at
Tom Whitman’s party. He had told
how false people were at the party, and how they all put on a front for everyone
to see. He hadn’t blatantly spoke
about her, but he all but implied it. “God,
why can’t I just be myself?” She shouted at herself.
The feeling of being lost inside her own body engulfed her as she tried
to keep her emotions in check. A
wall of tears threatened to spill out, as she took deep breaths to regain
control. Clicking over the radio to
a more cheerful song, she regained her composure and continued in her quest to
obtain perfection for the party. ***** Sitting
in front of the large mirror on her dressing table, Liz scooped some of her
freshly dried hair up, in an attempt to decide what to do with it.
She didn’t often go to parties, but when she did she normally pilled it
up, to make herself look sophisticated. Yet
that night, for some reason she didn’t want to portray sophistication, she
wanted to be herself. She wanted
everyone at the party to accept her for who she was, not who she aspired to be.
Taking
her brush from the dressing table, she brushed it straight down, allowing her
brown hair to fall against her bare back, the dark strands reflecting in the
light of her room. Heading into the
bathroom, she started to apply her make up, not too much, just some powder, eye
makeup and some dark plum lipstick. It
was just the right amount to accentuate the bone structure of her face. Returning
to her room, Liz glanced at the clock by her bed and knew the time was upon her.
She had about thirty minutes before Max was due to collect her, it was
time to make the night a bit more of a reality.
Lifting her dress off the door of her wardrobe, she placed it carefully
on the bed and slipped it out of the confinements of the plastic covering. Unzipping
the back, Liz gathered up the dress, put both arms in the small straps and
allowed the soft, cool material to slip down her body and over her skin. Stepping
towards the full-length mirror, Liz felt a shiver run down her spine.
The reflection staring back at her was strange, the girl had an air of
self-assurance, elegance and looked amazing, that wasn’t her was it?
Blinking
away tears that sprung to her eyes, Liz slipped her feet into the sandals
she’d bought for the party. They were black strappy sandals, with diamonds stuck on the
band that went across her foot, completing her dazzling outfit. ***** “Owww!”
She cried out, blinking away the tear that was about to escape down her
face. “God
swear these contraptions are instruments of torture!”
Maria complained as she tried to curl her other eyelash.
Once she was happy they were curled sufficiently, Maria delved into her
makeup bag for her black mascara. Carefully
coating each set of lashes, Maria stood still for a moment and waited for the
liquid to set on her lashes. After
coating her lips with a dark red lipstick, she glanced at the clock on the wall. “Damm!
If I don’t hurry up I’ll be late!”
She cursed, picking her dress up from the bed and climbing into it. She
struggled for a few moments trying to do the zip up, putting one hand behind her
back, struggling to get the leverage to pull the zip. “God,
I so need a man!” She muttered as
she finally managed to pull it up. Adjusting
the dress so it sat right on her shoulders, Maria looked at herself in the
mirror on her wall. “Ok,
I think I’m presentable enough, time to meet this mystery man.”
She said to herself as she grabbed her bag from the bed.
As
she carefully walked downstairs, she heard the doorbell ring.
Knowing it was the taxi to take her to the party, she grabbed her jacket
from the peg and opened the door. Stepping
outside, she knew there was no turning back now, what ever happened; she was
determined to have a wonderful night. ***** Taking
the next few strands of hair, Isabelle twisted them around the curling tongs in
her hand and waited for thirty seconds. Her
hair was nearly done, she thought, and it looked pretty amazing.
She’d pilled it up and allowed some strands to fall down her face and
back to be curled into ringlets. Her
eye makeup made her eyes took bright, alert and sparkly, her lipstick making her
already full lips look even more kissable.
Allowing
the last curl to fall out of the confinements of the tongs, she reached for her
favourite necklace. It was a large teardrop shaped cut diamond that her parents
had bought her for her eighteenth birthday.
It was a perfectly sculpted piece of diamond that just screamed beauty
and perfection. Clipping it behind
her neck, she reached for the matching earrings before applying her favourite
perfume, Liz Claybourne’s ‘Curve’. After
dabbing some on her wrists and neck, she stood up and admired herself in the
mirror. Her dress, a beautiful
midnight blue full length gown, sparkled in the light, the lowness of the neck
accentuating her full bust, the slit up the back showing her long legs.
Regardless
of her earlier doubts, when she was fully made up, Isabelle couldn’t help but
feel in control once again. No
matter what had happened with Alex, or her feelings for him, this was who she
wanted to be, Isabelle Evans the exquisite and powerful lawyer. Slipping
on her shoes and picking up her evening bag, Isabelle checked her appearance
once more before heading out to the lounge to await the arrival of her escort. Part 31 Putting his hand into the jar of wax, Max rubbed the substance in his fingers before running them through his hair. Wiping his sticky hands on a towel he foraged for his comb before brushing his hair in to place. “Mmm, not bad.” He thought to himself before heading into his bathroom to shave. As he lathered the foam up, he wondered what Liz was doing at that moment. There was about an hour and a half before he was due at her house, and he really couldn’t wait to see her dress. Despite all his attempts to persuade her to tell him even the smallest detail, he still knew nothing about it. That, of course, made it very difficult for him. He had bought her a present, partly for keeping their secret for so long, partly to say thank you for all the work she’d put into the party, but mainly because he wanted to show her how much he truly cared about her. He’d deliberated over it for the previous few weeks, and in the end he’d decided. Walking past one of the jewellers near the office, he’d seen the perfect gift. It was a ruby cut in the shape of a diamond, on a gold chain, and he just knew he had to have it. It was simple enough so Liz wouldn’t think it was fussy, but expensive enough so Max could spoil her. He’d already put it safely in the jacket of his tuxedo; afraid he might forget it otherwise. He couldn’t wait to see Liz’s face when she opened the box. Carefully dragging the razor across his face, Max hoped he didn’t cut himself, the last thing he needed was bloody razor cuts on his face. Removing the remaining foam, he splashed warm water on his face before patting it dry. Returning to his room, he sang away to the radio as he pulled the shirt from the hanger. “You give me strength, you give me hope. You give me someone to love, someone to hold. When I’m in your arms, I need you to know. I’ve never been, never been this close.” As he sang out the words, he realised how perfect they were for that very moment. So perfect he wished Liz was around so he could sing them to her. She had given him strength, strength to believe in his feelings. She gave him someone to love wholeheartedly without reservation, and someone to hold tightly in his arms. He couldn’t ever remember having such overwhelming feelings for a girl before. Liz was just so different, so perfect for him in every way. She didn’t make any demands on him at all; she just gave all she had to him. In return, he knew she’d captured his heart, and couldn’t imagine life without her. She was his other half; put together they made the perfect whole. Close enough to see it’s true; close enough to trust in you. Closer now that any words can say. And when I’m in your arms, I need you to know. I’ve never been, I’ve never been this close. ***** “God what is wrong with you?” He yelled at the mirror. “Why tonight of all nights?” He added. No matter what he did, Michael couldn’t get his hair to go right, there always seemed to be a bit sticking up in the wrong place. “Of all the days to have a bad hair day, it had to be today!” He exasperated, plastering more gel on the part that stuck out. “Now just stay!” He instructed, before heading into his bedroom. Michael couldn’t help but wonder how he’d managed to allow Max to talk him into the blind date. Dates were tedious enough unless you had the right girl, but to not know the girl before? That just seemed like a waste of time to him. He really hoped Max’s choice in girls was good; Tess had certainly left a lot to be desired. He could remember the time when his best friend was head over heals in love with her. She’d been a very annoying person, a squeaky voice and always seemed to find something to whinge about. Michael hadn’t gotten on with her at all, and had often did everything in his power to keep away from the girl. The day Max had told him they’d split up had been like a godsend. Max had looked upset, and Michael did his best to console him, but secretly inside he was elated. He was intrigued as to who Max was taking to the party though. He hadn’t heard his friend mention any new female acquaintances, except for the ill-fated Sabrina and he knew for sure Max wasn’t bringing her. ***** “Here
you go honey, you’re shirt’s been ironed.” Samantha Whitman said, walking
into her son’s room unannounced. “Now,
are you happy?” As she watched her son disappear into his en-suite bathroom, Samantha couldn’t help but wonder where the years had gone. It seemed like only yesterday she used to enjoy bathing Alex and reading him bedtime stories. Yet here he was a tall, strapping 24 year old lad who was to be a fully-fledged lawyer inside the year. Suddenly she realised she didn’t really know her son at all, what he liked, or more to the point who he liked. She’d got an inkling that there was someone who had a special place in his heart, but he hadn’t had any really serious girlfriends in a long while. “So honey, who are you taking to the dance?” “I’m just going with one of the secretaries in the office, Sally Wright. It’s nothing special, she didn’t have a date and neither did I, so we just thought it would make sense to go together.” “Oh, ok.” “Now,
if the third degree is complete, could I get some privacy to get changed?”
He asked. It wasn’t that Alex meant to be rude to his mother; he was just a bit wound up over the party. He’d really wanted to go with Isabelle, even if it was just as friends, but he’d overheard her conversation with Cameron Masters, and knew he couldn’t compete. He may have had the famous father, but Alex knew he didn’t have a patch on the cute Cameron Masters. He knew it would be hard to see Isabelle parade around another guy on her arm, it was something he hadn’t quite built up a resilience against just yet. Why do the birds go on singing Why do the stars glow above Don’t they know it’s the end of the world It ended when I lost your love I wake up in the morning and I wonder Why everything is the same as it was I can’t understand No I can’t understand How life goes on the way it does Putting his black bow tie around his neck, Alex stood in the mirror and proceeded to tie it up. “How
could I even think Isabelle could have feelings for someone like me?”
He thought as he stared at the reflection. Why does my heart go on beating Why do these eyes of mine cry Don’t they know it’s the end of the world It ended when you said goodbye ***** Slipping his jacket on and checking the small box was safely in his pocket once more, Max opened his bedroom door and headed out to the lounge. He was surprised Isabelle was ready, she had nearly twenty minutes before her date was due. “You look amazing Is.” He said, kissing his sister’s cheek. “Thanks
Max, you look really great too. Have
you got your speech ready?” “Ooh I don’t think so, that’s what big brothers are for.” She replied. “Hey I’m only older by five minutes.” He countered. “Oh but that five minutes is so important.” She replied smiling. “So Max, when are you gonna tell me who she is?” “At the same time as everyone else, you’ll meet her at the party and not before.” “Oh
come on Max, I’m you’re sister, I deserve preferential treatment.” “Wow,
you make her sound special.” “Uh
oh, I sense my brother might be falling for this mystery woman, am I right?”
Isabelle probed. “Yeah, drive safely.” She replied watching him open the door and step out into the night. ***** Splashing on a dash of aftershave, Michael grabbed his shoes and headed out to his living room. Sitting down on the sofa, he laced up his shoes and paused for a moment to catch his breath. “Well this is it I guess, can’t back out now.” He thought to himself as he pulled on the jacket to his tuxedo. The beeping horn of the taxi signalled his lift to the party had arrived. Picking up his keys, he stepped outside and walked down to the car. Climbing inside, the taxi sped off down the road. He was meeting his date on the steps to the hotel, he just hoped he’d know who she was. ***** “I’m off now.” Alex said as the driver pulled around the front of the house with the car. “Ok,
well have a great time honey.” “No, you’re staying at the hotel, I haven’t forgotten.” Samantha assured him. “Ok, well then, I’ll just get going then.” He said, reluctant to leave the comfort of his house. Normally he couldn’t wait to leave the suffocation of the huge mansion, but this was one night he wished he could hibernate inside and not come out till morning. “Take
care sweetheart.” She called as
he strode down the marble steps.” ***** Pulling up outside Liz’s house, Max couldn’t wait to see her. Earlier that day at the office seemed like an age ago, and he felt like it had been weeks and not hours since he last saw her. Touching his pocket once more to check the present was safe; he walked up the steps to her house. Inside he couldn’t wait to see what she was wearing, knowing that no mater what it would blow him away. This was the night he was going to announce to everyone the identity of the beauty who had stolen his heart, and he couldn’t wait. No matter what the reaction he got, he loved Liz too much to care, and he wanted the world to know she was his and his alone. TBC ……………………?
Just in case you were wondering, the songs used in this part were ‘Dreams come true’ by Westlife, ‘Waiting for the Aliens’ by The Toyes and ‘Honestly Ok’ by Dido Armstrong, ‘Close’ by Westlife and ‘End of the World’ by Vonda Sheppard
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