gold rush.
The crunch of the gravel under my heels felt so loud. In fact, everything seemed like it had been turned up 1000% - my heart felt like it was going to burst out my chest; the sun seemed too bright, the grass too green. I had done this so many times and yet never felt any less nervous in the moments before. I casually glanced behind me to see if anyone was looking. Thankfully no-one else was there, and I had seen the valet sneak off for a smoke with the doorman after I handed him my keys. The coast was clear. I stopped for a moment, smoothed down my dress and caught my breath. I can do this, I repeated as a rythmic chant in my head. I. Can. Do. This. I reached into my purse for my pocket mirror for one last visual check. Not a hair out of place, nor a single smudge in my makeup. I was ready. I. Can. Do. This. One, two, three, four, five more steps through the gravel and I was onto the solid stone stairs leading up to the chateau. I straightened my back and relaxed my shoulders. The i