Page 50 of The Likelihood Of You

Her golden eyes nearly bulge out of her head. “That’s like asking if Jack Black in the holiday is hot. And he's likethedefinition of the female gaze in that movie. It’s better than good, Flo, it’s ‘I should open a bakery like right this second and sell this forever’ good.” She tilts her head at me as I go and join her on the sofa. “It’s heavenly, Flo.”

I fall against the back of the sofa and wipe a fake sigh of relief off my forehead, careful not to ruin the makeup I’d just spent half an hour putting on while the cake was baking. “I’m not a failure.” I sigh.

“Of course you’re not. You’re a boss.”

I squint my eyes at her. “Like…theCake Boss.”

“I’d say you’re even better than that guy. Like, hello! You did all this without a single rice crispy treator an inch of PVC pipe.”

We both collapse into laughter, our giggles mingling with Dolly Parton, whose dreamy voice was dancing in the corners of the room. I’m starting to think that this part of the night, the sunset calmness before the midnight chaos, will be the easiest. After the distraction of getting ready wears off, all I’d be reminded of is that I’ll have to see Jacob tonight, and pray that things won’t be awkward.

“Right, I’m gonna top up my curls, then we can shoot,” Addy announces, standing up from the sofa and striding to the bathroom, showing off the deep blue cotton dress she was wearing, that fell to the middle of her thighs.

As the sun faded into that fierce orange colour, before it disappeared between the forest of skyscrapers, and while Addy was busy, I decided to get one last look at my outfit. I stood up from the sofa and walked over to the full-length mirror I’d bought impulsively last week.

I’d always been a big believer in retail therapy, and it was the first time since I’d been here that I allowed myself a shopping day. And now my soul was healed.

It was a bugger to carry up the stairwell, but I’d do it ten times over if it meant I got to call it mine. The gold detailing around the edge made it look so vintage and timeless, and the oval shape flattered my body in a way that made me grateful to be a curvy girl.

Just looking around and appreciating how, the longer I was here, the more the apartment felt like me…it felt right that I was here. This was my own space, and I was caring for it in my own way. My little abode was blossoming, and hopefully, that would rub off on me, too.

I take a step back from the mirror, absorbing every detail of every little thing my eyes hopped over, and one thing hit me more than mylove for the new decor. It was that this girl looking back at me, was not the same scared little thing that stepped off that plane all those months ago. She was a woman who was coming to terms with a breakup, trying to deal with the betrayal of her own sister, and wondering what on earth life was going to look like for her from here on out, while trying not to bathe in the scariness of it all, too.

I was so proud of her.

It was so easy for me to cling to the negative parts of my life, and only recognise them and nothing else. It was just as easy to forget how much I’d accomplished during my time here, too. My somewhat turbulent couple of weeks aside, I’d become a whole new person in New York, a better version of the girl I was.

I let my hands drop from my face to smooth out the ripples in the front of my dress. Tonight was probably one of the last nights that I’ll see Jacob. Addy told me when she asked me four days ago that today marked the end of filming. My immediate thought when she told me that was, ‘Fuck, I won’t see Jacob again.’ And then I said yes quicker than I’ve ever said it before in my life.

I know I’d been treating him as though he were invisible, but that didn’t mean my feelings for him weren’t one of the things that got me out of bed in the morning. The last thing I thought about before my eyes fluttered shut at night. One of the reasons why I never saw myself moving back home.

He felt…right. And I didn’t want that feeling to dissolve.

Ever.

The bathroom door creaked open, pulling me from my daydream, and so did Addy’s gasp. “You’re so ethereal, it’s not fair. Satin never falls on my body like that.” She joined me at the mirror and leaned hergorgeous head on my shoulder. “Did you use some of that pixie dust on your skin too? It's so glowy.”

“I don’t deserve you,” I said, patting her cheek softly and squeezing my eyes shut.

“Bake that cake again, and I’ll never leave your side. You’re stuck with me.”

“Thank God.” I laughed, as did she.

We’d truly gotten close since I started working at the production lot, mainly because she’d spend all her off-set time with me, until someone found her and dragged her away kicking and screaming. Up until now, I’d never really had a proper best friend. I’d always had a small group of really good friends, but never a best friend. Part of that was because I used to consider Sydney as the main candidate for that role, but being my sister, I never fully counted it.

Until this little pocket rocket soared into my life.

She was actually filling every missing role I had right now: best friend, mum, sister, and now hype woman/soon-to-be loyal customer. The shiny cherry on top was that she was also a famous actress. She could be resting her head on the shoulders of some other Hollywood starlet, but no. Her precious head was resting on mine.

“You look lovely too, you know,” I said, fixing some of the curls she’d squished as she lifted her head upright.

“I don’t know why I put in so much effort. It’s only Jacob and Nate.” I hide the way I notice how her smile drops whenever Nate’s name leaves her lips. “But Nate drew on about making this night fun, so I dressed up.”

“As you should, because you look beautiful.”

“Thanks, Flo.”

I give her a quick smile before she turns her back to me, while I stay looking in the mirror to have one final check before we head out. For once, my curls weren’t falling at the first chance they got, they still looked bouncy. Mum's locket was sitting pretty around my neck, reminding me to flash a smile to the sky later on. My face looked glowy, and I smelt phenomenal. Okay, we're good to go.

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