The cobbled path would have been difficult enough to walk on in these heels even before the sea of cocktails she had drunk that evening, Rose thought to herself as she struggled to maintain her balance. But despite her light head and unsteady feet, she knew she had no regrets about how the evening had gone. This was the first time she had felt genuinely happy in months.
She felt a strong arm take hers and prop her upright, guiding her to the door of the impressive townhouse that loomed over her. Rose looked up at her new friend who had made all this possible and gave her a sheepish smile.
'Th-thank you Evelyn,' she slurred in her thick Irish accent 'I'm sorry I've g-got so drunk.'
'That's quite alright my dear,' Evelyn smiled back 'it happens to the best of us, now let's get you inside and more comfortable shall we?'
Once Evelyn had unlocked the door, Rose stumbled through into the living room and collapsed in a heap on the sofa. As Evelyn locked up and made her way into the kitchen, Rose lay back and thought over the events that had led her to this point, almost laughing at how insignificant they now seemed.
Her troubles had all started around a year ago, when feeling bored and trapped by her strict Catholic upbringing, she had left the small village in rural Ireland she had grown up in and gone to start an exciting new life in London.
She was so thrilled on that first day as she picked up the keys to her small studio flat and at first everything seemed to slot perfectly into place. The flat wasn't exactly luxury but it would do and within a month of looking, she managed to get a position on a paid internship writing for a well-known fashion magazine.
The job paid enough to cover her rent and for her to start really enjoying living in the big city. Rose was a pretty girl, her pale skin, slim but full physique and natural blonde hair had always been popular with the boys and now was no different. She received plenty of male attention and soon began dating Scott, one of the writers at the magazine. He was handsome, funny and made her feel giddy with excitement. Frankly he was just her perfect man.
Being a talented writer who had years of experience at her local paper back home, Rose excelled and was by some distance the best intern that year. She was seeing a great guy, living in a buzzing, vibrant city and was almost guaranteed her dream job at the end of the internship. Life was looking pretty damn good for her.
But that bitch had taken it all away. That bitch was Jennifer, another of the interns at the magazine. She was nowhere near as talented as Rose and knowing that she wasn't going to get a job at the end of the internship made her incredibly jealous. What Jennifer lacked in ability, she made up for with her looks. She was like a Barbie doll with her platinum blonde hair, huge busty tits and face constantly plastered in layers of make-up. Her flirtatious nature also made her very popular with the men in the office and this is how she made her move.
Two months before the internship finished Jennifer began an affair with the magazine's editor and before long her articles and interviews started to get more and more prominent while Rose was reduced to writing the crosswords. It was no surprise that when the internship came to an end, Rose's dream job ended up going to Jennifer, leaving her devastated.
If Rose thought things couldn't get any worse, she was sadly mistaken. Not content with just taking the job, Jennifer seemed to have developed some kind of personal vendetta against her.
Two weeks after Rose lost her position at the magazine, she came home to find Scott and Jennifer together in her bed. In a rage she kicked them out and slammed the door behind them, but she would never forget the insolent smile Jennifer gave on her way out, leaving Rose in no doubt as to who had come out on top.
Rose was completely heartbroken at Scott's betrayal and cried herself to sleep for almost a week. Eventually though she pulled herself together, resolved to hold her head high and get out there to find herself a new job at another magazine. However to her dismay, she soon found that Jennifer had used her new contacts in the industry to spread vicious rumours about how Rose had stolen HER boyfriend! She completely twisted the facts and pretty much blacklisted her from every major fashion publication in the city.
After months of fruitless searching Rose gave up hope of ever landing that dream job. She even had to take a minimum wage secretarial position at a small financial firm which ate up most of her time and only just covered the rent.
Rose was at an absolute low; her dream had turned into a nightmare and this forced her into a spiral of depression. When she wasn't working her at her mind numbingly tedious job or crying her eyes out at the mess her life had become, she did consider going home. But after making such a big deal of leaving for a new life she couldn't face returning as a failure. Just as she began to give up hope of ever being happy again, she met Evelyn.
At first Rose had been intimidated by her. Evelyn came into the firm as her new manager and initially came across as quite strict. She looked to be in her early 30's, was very well spoken and, though she was classically beautiful, had a large imposing frame that gave her a real air of authority.
Rose was nervous around her to begin with however she soon realised that her first impression couldn't have been more wrong. Evelyn seemed to take a special interest in her and always found time for a chat. She could tell Rose was having a hard time and invited her out for a few drinks to cheer her up.
After being starved of human companionship since Scott had left, Rose eagerly accepted and was grateful for the chance to let her hair down. One Friday after work they headed down to a local cocktail bar and a couple of drinks soon turned into a full blown night on the town. As the drinks flowed the conversation soon turned to their personal lives and, spurred on by five or six cocktails, Rose burst into tears and poured out her heart to the first person who had shown her any kindness in months.
Evelyn sat and listened to all of her problems, allowing her to vent her frustrations and occasionally touching her arm or commenting reassuringly. When Rose was finished Evelyn took her hand and calmly assured her that everything would be OK, she was there for her and would help in any way she could. Evelyn told her that she even had some connections in the fashion industry so would be able to vouch for her and maybe give her another shot at her dream job.
At last Rose could see light at the end of the tunnel. She was no longer alone; finally she had a genuine friend in this unfamiliar city and even a possible route back into the fashion industry. After months of hell things were finally looking up for her and she couldn't be happier.
Rose celebrated her new-found happiness with another round or three of drinks, all generously paid for by Evelyn. As she didn't make any of the orders herself she had no idea what she was actually drinking but she enjoyed it all the same. Strangely Evelyn didn't seem to be affected anywhere near as much as her even though she matched her drink for drink, but Rose just thought she was imagining it and carried on enjoying what had turned out to be a perfect evening.
Once the bar closed, Evelyn decided that Rose was far too drunk to return home by herself and insisted that she stay the night at hers. She was always so considerate, Rose thought to herself. That was how she had found herself here; reclining on a comfortable sofa, finally feeling good about herself and looking forward to seeing what the future held. Her thoughts snapped back to the present as she heard Evelyn calling from the kitchen.
'Would you like another drink dear?'
'Err yeah, s-sure,' Rose slurred in reply.
She heard a drink being poured and a moment later Evelyn returned, handing her a generous glass of clear liquid with a single ice cube. As Evelyn sat down next to her she noticed that she hadn't poured one for herself.
'Aren't you having one?' Rose asked in confusion.
'Goodness no, I've had far too much already,' Evelyn chuckled 'but please go ahead.'
Rose shrugged, put the glass to her lips and sipped deeply. She felt a familiar burning sensation as the spirit passed down her throat. As she drank it down Evelyn looked at her and chuckled.
