Kate Watson

Young Redhead in Evening Gown           

She didn’t think she looked her best, but it would have to do for tonight. She smoothed out her raven black, hourglass hugging dress and adjusted her stiletto straps before tossing the driver money and stepping gingerly out of the cab.

Scarlet wanted so badly to hop back in the car and be whisked away to her apartment and spend the rest of the night eating ice cream out of the carton and watching Friends reruns but she took a deep breath and one step forward. And another, and another. “He’s just an ex,” she thought aloud, “just an ex who’s getting married… to a woman you failed to be.”

She bit her crimson stained lips to fight back tears as she continued walking toward to the unfamiliarly familiar apartment building of Mark, or as he would henceforth be called, Mark&Melanie. Didn’t that have a nice ring to it? Mark&Melanie. It was as if the air around the aparment was already buzzing with excited tidbits about Mark&Melanie, the soon-to-be bound forever couple.

Scarlet, by no means of her own consciousness, walked to door 302. Her hand hovered above the door as she wondered for the thousandth time that evening if she should turn away while she had the chance when the door blew open and she was scooped up into a bear hug by Mark or Mark&Melanie himself.

“Bit!” exclaimed Mark, using the endearing nickname he used to call her. Derived from “little bit”, It didn’t so much mock her five foot three frame as it did his own six foot three self. It felt so good to be wrapped up in his arms, even it was just for a second at his engagement party. She could smell the masculine scent of his slightly musky shirt, she could see his 5 o’clock shadow turn into an 8 o’clock shadow and she could almost taste the hint of salt that was inevitably left on his lips.

“H-h-hi, Mark,” stammered Scarlet. She shifted uncomfortably under his weight and he released her.

“I’m so glad you could make it! Gosh your hair looks great! New color?” asked Mark enthusiastically.
Scarlet mumbled that yes, she had done a bit of work to her normally orange hued hair and had recently died it a dark crimson color to match her lipstick just for the occasion. Brash, she knew, but desperate times called for desperate hair and this was definitely one of those times.

“Well you surely remember Melanie!” exclaimed Mark as his fiancé scooted in behind him from the crowd. He wrapped his massive arm around her dainty waist and Scarlet instantly wished she had been to the gym in the past… lifetime.

Part 2