Sparkling Diamonds

"I do have to mention the fact that I am not feeling up to scratch at the moment," I said from the changing room that I occupied with a selection of dresses that Bianca and Eliza had picked out for me. To be honest, I didn't like a single one and only agreed to try them on to please my two friends who I had dragged out into the cold London night for dress shopping. Not like they would have minded, though. "You do know what happened to me today, right?"

"We do, but you can't be cooped up in that apartment of yours for too long moping about," Bianca replied from the changing room next to me. "Dress shopping is the perfect cure for that."

"And besides," Eliza said from her seat outside the changing rooms. "We haven't seen you in a while, especially since Benedict hid you away in his apartment and refused for us to see you."

"Not like you can say anything," I retorted. "Martin's been keeping you to himself a lot recently. I've hardly been able to get in contact with you!"

"Well, it's not my fault that he's attractive," Eliza laughed as I looked at myself in the mirror of the changing room i was in.

I wore a tight fitting black dress stopping around my knees. I tried shifting around to get a good look from all angels but struggled to do so as I could hardly move because of how tight the dress was.

I sighed, saying, "Yeah, I don't think this dress is going to work."

"Lies!" Bianca said as I heard her shifting from her changing room to mine. She slid across the curtain to my changing room, Eliza popping her head over Bianca's shoulder and looking into the changing room. "You look sexy!"

"I have to agree with Di on this one," Eliza said as Bianca glared at her. "Sorry!"

"Fine!" Bianca said, throwing her hands in the air as she went back to her changing room to change back into the rest of her normal clothes.

"How about you try and find something for yourself?" Eliza asked, extending her hand towards me to help me around the store.

I took it, nodding my head in agreement as she helped me through each of the sails that lined the store. It wasn't very large and hard very rich colours outlining the walls. There was a counter in the corner of the store but no one behind it. I remember briefly seeing the cashier standing behind it, completely bored and on her phone, but she had obviously disappeared into the back room and we hadn't seen her in a while.

The dresses that hung off the hangers were nothing that I could have ever dreamed of wearing. They were all something that I could see mainly Bianca wearing, and occasionally Eliza when she felt like it. We had searched the entire store with absolutely no luck whatsoever.

Bianca had joined us as we searched the final rack of clothes against the wall. We were at all different points along the wall as I leaned against the rack as I flicked through some of the clothes.

I let out a sigh as I flicked through the last of the clothes when my eye caught on something. It was a sapphire blue off the shoulder dress, like the ancient greek tunics. It would hang over the right shoulder and flared out down to my wrist. The trimmings were of shining gold and crinkled along the length of the dress.

There was a black belt that would tighten just underneath my bust and the dress would extend to the floor. I pulled out the dress and placed it in front of me, studying it against my body.

Bianca caught a glimpse of the dress that I had pulled out and gasped. She hurried over me, almost knocking over Eliza as she moved down the aisle. Bianca felt the fabric of the dress, holding out the sleeve against my injured arm.

"I knew you had good taste!" Bianca commented as she the hurried me back into the changing room and knocking Eliza over as we rushed back. "Put it on. Now."

Bianca shut the curtain of the changing room and left me alone with the dress. I could hear Bianca and Eliza arguing about how roughly I was being treated and about how Eliza was knocked over. Twice.

I ignored them as I pulled over the unattractive dress that I was wearing for the dress that I had found. When I was about to let myself out of the changing room, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

My hair was tied up in a pony tail but somehow, it suited the dress that I was wearing. The sleeve covered the entirety of my cast, meaning that I would not have to think about getting it removed…although I had though about getting soft cast for the event.

"Di?" I heard Eliza say kindly.

I pulled away from the mirror and left the changing room behind. When my friends saw me, the decision was instantly made that the dress would be bought and no questions would be asked. Eliza picked out a pair of black heels that would hoist me to a more reasonable height beside Benedict, since I was so short compared to him.

After we had found the cashier, hiding out in the back, I begged my friends to at least pay for some of amount that dress and shoes had come to but they heard none of it. They were set on making me look my best for Ben and all in all, I couldn't have asked for better friends -- even after what Bianca had done.

I eventually managed to shoo them away when we left the store finally. It was easier to get rid of Eliza as she was meeting up with Martin for a very late dinner. Bianca, however, managed to stick with me until I set foot in that lift up to Benedict's apartment and said goodbye through the crack in the elevator doors.

I looked up and watched the numbers flick over as I was transported to the top level. When I stepped out of the elevator, an intoxicating smell came from the kitchen and I was drawn to it without a second thought.

I saw Benedict there, in the mess of the kitchen, attempting to make food. I laughed at his attempts, drawing his attention to my presence. He gave a weak smile as I set down the bag containing my new shoes and dress for tomorrow night and made my way over to him.

I took the wooden spoon he was using to stir the spaghetti and started work on the food. I gazed up to Benedict, saying, "I love how you're trying."

Benedict laughed, deep and loving, as he slipped his arm around my waist and buried his face into my hair. It was calming having Benedict pressed up against me as I finished cooking. His stead breath's soothed all the pain and worry that I might have been faced with after the events that had occurred over the last week.

"I'm so proud of you," he said to me as he helped me plate up the spaghetti bolognaise.

"What are you to be proud of me doing?" I said as I sat down on the bar stools in the kitchen.

Benedict settled himself against the kitchen bench, eating at his food as he said, "You've been through so much and you still managed to put on a strong face. I'm proud of you…admire you."

"And you're to sweet," I said with a smile. "Just wait until tomorrow. You better look handsome in that suit of yours because I just bought a dress that will knock your socks off."

Benedict leaned across the kitchen bench, cocking his head to the side, "Oh, I think you're the one that's going to have to bring it."

I leaned in, his sauce stained lips inches from mine, to say, "Bring it. Bring it on."

He briefly kissed me upon the lips, my tongue running along his lower lip to take in all the sauce. I removed myself from him and licked my own lips playfully as I saw a glint of desire creep back into his eyes.

We both finished our food pretty quickly and I helped him clean up, despite his protests. I managed to shoo him off because I said that he needed his hands for the following day and I could afford to extensively use my fingers.

He disappeared from the kitchen after some argument as I put everything back in place and the left overs in small containers in the fridge. I then followed Benedict back into the bedroom to find him stripped down to his boxers and re-arranging himself in the bed to try and make himself look more attractive then he originally was.

He saw me entering the room and blush, trying to explain what he was doing without much success. I smiled, shaking my head as I shuffled into the walk in wardrobe and slipped off all the clothes that I had worn out with Eliza and Bianca. I hid the bag with the clothes for the following night into the far corner of the wardrobe so Benedict couldn't find it.

I stripped myself of my bra and put Benedict's old university t-shirt before shuffling back into the bedroom. All the lights were off, now, so I struggled to get back to the bed. I eventually found the end, but it was the side that Benedict was on. It wasn't like he minded because he pulled me under the covers and slid across the other side of the bed.

Giggling, I pulled the sheets over our heads and found his sea green eyes amongst the blackness of the room. I stretched out my fingers to run over his features, fingers hovering over his lips.

"Do you really love me?" he said suddenly against my fingers.

"I guess you will find that out tomorrow night amounts all your other beautifully dressed friends," I said.

"I guess," he said with a small smile, pressing his head against my chest and letting out a content sigh.

This was possibly the most content, comfortable sleep I have ever had with another man in a very long time -- or ever, once I thought about it. I woke up the next morning refreshed and the sheet still over my head. Benedict was still sleeping against my chest and from the soft light coming through the sheet, I could tell it was barely six in the morning.

Slowly, I woke Benedict up with a groan and greeted him with a long kiss upon the lips. He smiled as we did so before opening up his breathtaking eyes. Slowly but surely, we managed to pull ourselves out of the bed and prepared for the days work.

I was the first to leave the apartment, despite Benedict's protests that I shouldn't be attending work in my state. I ignored him and disappeared off to work. Bianca and Eliza were surprised to see me there but didn't say anything as we worked on the preparation of the set for that day.

They talked about how they were going to leave work a little earlier to get prepared for tonight. Eliza and Bianca had booked hair and make-up appointments but would be heading over to the party separately as Bianca expected her make-up to take a little longer then expected.

Benedict arrived about three hours after I did, obviously caught up with the preparations for his birthday party that night. Various crew and cast members wished him a happy birthday and at the end of the day, a few drinks were shared along with a cutting of a cake.

I stood amongst the crew, close enough to Benedict but far enough for no one to really link anything between us. One of the crew members shouted, "If the knife comes out dirty, you have to kiss the nearest girl."

The rest of the cast and crew shouted in agreement as Benedict agreed, pulling the knife from the cake. It came out dirty. Benedict then swept the group for the nearest girl when his eyes rested on me in which he beckoned me over.

Before I could move, however, Bianca stepped out from the group and settled herself beside Benedict, claiming to be the closest girl to him at the time of the reveal of the knife.

It was clear that Benedict didn't know what to say as Bianca almost forced herself upon him. I moved more quickly then I would have expected across group and pulled Bianca from Benedict.

"Get away from him," I scowled. "You know our relationship."

"It's not like you were going anywhere with him," Bianca spat, looking me up and down with harsh eyes.

"Leave," Benedict said, looking down on Bianca. "Now."

"No," she retorted, moving closer as if to intimidate him.

One of the crew members then jumped in to intervene and by the sound of his voice, he sounded like the man who spoke up before. He then pulled Bianca from us and back amongst the group. I then brought Benedict away from the group as it started to disband, taking the last of the cake as they went.

"I'll make sure she doesn't appear tonight," I said to him as he embraced me shakily. "Otherwise, happy birthday my love."