The night begins

The bell was ringing. It must have been Nikol. No, it really was her. She'd been leaning on the bell for the last 5 minutes, even though Lauren told her she would be down in a minute. Well, a long minute. Lauren stood in front of the mirror to check herself one last time before leaving. She kind of felt silly for trying to look her best for a friend, but who knew. She could stumble into her future husband that night. So she had nothing to be ashamed of.

She was wearing a black skirt that showed her legs with matching black high heels. On top, she had a white button-up silk shirt and a black blazer - from the same collection as her skirt. One would think she looked too dark, but the shirt and her little accessories balanced it out. She was the epitome of a mature, independent, sexy woman. She had just had her hair done after work, but she probably would have done that anyway. Probably.

As she stepped out onto the street, she saw Nikol waiting for her.

Nikol's outfit was the exact opposite of her look at work. She was wearing tight jeans and a white halter top that showed a lot of midriff. As casual as anyone could be. The contrast between the two women was obvious, but from what little Lauren knew of Nikol, she was certain she would be more than happy to get out of her formal attires. In fact, she was glad she hadn't tried to outshine her. Not that she ever could.

"Get off the bell, you imbecile! You are pissing off all my neighbours." said Lauren, while shaking her fist menacingly at her friend.

"Took your sweet time. Wanted to look really good for me, eh?" asked Nikol teasingly.

"Har har." Lauren replied, "You got me. One day I might reach your oh-so-high standards." she shot back.

"Ouch. You know that for you, honey, I could always lower my standards."

"If I were you, I wouldn't dare lowering it any further." she shot Nikol a serious look, implying the end of their little teasing.

"So," started Nikol, "what do you want to start with?"

Lauren felt a bit nervous, not knowing what a girls' night out actually involved. "I think I'm gonna make your dream come true," she shot Nikol a smug grin, "and let you take the reigns. How about it?"

"It'd be a tremendous honor, Your Royal Highness." smiled Nikol while doing a mocking curtsy.