Elle bit her lip. ‘Um, Ciara. I don’t think you’ll want to wear those.’
She sat up, feeling the squeeze around her hips and bum, and had to agree. But she loved these trousers and hadn’t had a chance to wear them yet. She saw this as motivation, if nothing else.
‘It’s too late for that now, we have reservations. My top hides how much they choke me anyway.’ She pulled on a loose fitting flowery smock that came down to her hips, grabbed her bag and slipped on her gold flip flops.
Elle pressed her lips together and her eyes watered like she was trying to stop herself from laughing.
Ciara gritted her teeth. ‘Don’t you dare, Elle. I mean it. I feel crap enough as it is!’
Having gorgeous, skinny friends was a curse. She stormed past Elle, through the massive corridor and down two flights of stairs until they were at the ‘ground’ level. Or at least the level with the cars.
‘Just don’t reach up and you’ll be fine,’ Elle said from behind her.
‘What took you so long?’ Gem asked. She was tapping her pink flip flops against the gravel. ‘It’s usually Elle we have to drag out kicking and screaming.’
‘My trousers shrunk and my arse got bigger. Can we go now?’ Her cheeks flared with irritation and a lot of mortification. So much for all the exercise she’d done.
‘I really think you should get changed,’ Elle said, tugging on her arm. ‘You have dresses—’
‘No way,’ Gem butted in, grabbing her other arm. ‘I’m starving. We’re leaving now.’
Elle might be bossy but Gem was fierce when she wanted to be. Winning the tug of war, her friend probably gave her a bangle of bruises round her wrists but she didn’t argue much. She was starved too.
On the way, Elle kept looking at her stomach and irritation flared again. ‘Stop looking at me like an alien is going to burst out of there. It’s fat, nothing else.’
‘It’s not that I’m looking at. Your trousers. There… Um… very tight.’ Elle’s cheeks scored pink and she was back to pressing her lips together.
‘I know that!’ Feck, if she’d laughed at Elle for this she’d be one friend down. Permanently. She stared out of the window, ignoring the ache in her jaw from more teeth clenching. She was even struggling to appreciate the pretty scenery with the mood she was in.
‘Elle that’s bitchy, even for you,’ Gem said.
‘I’m being a friend, not bitchy. But it’s okay, her top covers it.’
The fat. The new fat she’d acquired from comfort eating everything she could stuff into her face their last day in Paris. Served her right, really. But she was paying for it now.
‘What are you talking about?’ Gem asked as they pulled up in front of the restaurant.
Ciara let herself out of the Land Rover, not wanting to hear what she knew was the truth but Elle didn’t make an effort to whisper.
‘She’s got camel-toe.’
Freezing mid-step, she tugged her top right down until the cups of her bra were on full display. Speechless didn’t cover it, and it wasn’t the first time a Muir had done that to her was it?
‘Oh shit. Ciara turn around and let me see!’ Gem said.
There were people all around on the street and she swore every set of eyes zoned in on the spot between her thighs. Her face burned hotter, adding to the humiliation.
‘Ciara!’ Gem said, louder this time.
She climbed back into the car, ignoring her friends. ‘I’m going back. Right now.’
‘Don’t be a little girl. I told you, your top hides it,’ Elle said.
She scowled at her prettiest friend. ‘You could have told me!’
Elle scowled back. ‘You told me not to, remember? Now get your arse out of here before we drag you out. We’ll enjoy dinner and the show and no one will know what’s going on under the table.’
Gem snorted out a laugh, then quickly covered her mouth with both hands. Ciara turned her scowl on her until she mumbled out an apology.
‘Fine but I’m not staying all night and I’m not getting up for anything.’ Ciara said.
Elle told them that after the meals had been served the performers encouraged the customers to get up and dance. No matter how drunk she got, she’d never risk putting herself on display that way.
‘Deal. Now come on, you’ll love the food,’ Elle said, taking her arm and tugging.
She stumbled out of the car, pulling at her top as she went. ‘Food’s the bloody problem! I should be doing more laps in the pool and munching on lettuce instead.’
***
Elle was right, she did love the food. After her chicken with aubergines and feta, she swore she could never go back to plain old chicken and broccoli. And with every course and act put on, her mood lightened to the point she could almost laugh at herself.
The restaurant was pretty and rustic, with huge arched walls filled with lights aimed at the stage in the centre of the room. The food was traditional Greek too, and the dancers, who wore different coloured outfits, put on a fabulous show. Right after everyone’s deserts had been cleared, the performers started pulling people up for a round or two on the dance floor.
This was the part she’d been dreading. Thank god there was lots of wine left.
‘We should dance,’ Gem said. ‘It looks fun!’
‘I’m sure it will be hilarious if I get up,’ Ciara grumbled. ‘I’ll be the entertainment for the rest of the evening.’
‘You’re a crabby shit when you want to be aren’t you?’ Elle said.
She shook her head then sighed. ‘I’m sorry, it’s not your fault I ate all those croissants and now I’m bursting out of these trousers.’
Gem, obviously well on her way to sloshed, said, ‘Can you really put on weight on your vag? I mean, I get hips and arse and even stomach but down there?’
Ciara didn’t know if it was the honest to god curiosity in Gem’s tone that pushed her toward the edge of madness or whether she’d just hit the point of cracking up, but she laughed so hard her eyes watered and her ribs hurt.
Elle joined in, and soon Gem too but she still had that burning need for knowledge glittering in her eyes.
After pulling herself together, Ciara said, ‘I don’t think so. I just had to tug them up too high to get them fastened.’
It wouldn’t be a problem for long. First thing tomorrow she was starting her new get fit and skinny routine which meant lots and lots of exercise. Maybe even enough so she could come back here every
