The First Flight ❀ COLIFER

Chapter 30 ❀ Bring a friend

"Is it what I think it is?" Lana said, turning around and instantly forgetting about the last pizza box.

"It sure is." Ginny had a smirk on her face and she almost danced towards us, which made me wonder if she just got a shot of adrenaline. Or coffee. Probably both.

She caught my eye and started humming as she came over to me. I fiercely shook my head, leaning back on Josh's shoulder, but she grabbed my hand and pulled me up.

"I'll come and see in a minute," I moaned, closing my eyes again. "I need sleep."

"Oh, missy, you get up right now. You're not missing out on this."

I knew that voice. Josh patted me on my head and sent me off with a kiss, but I was dragging my feet when I followed Ginny and Lana outside. I knew what she was talking about, and I had no interest in seeing it.

We walked all the way out of the studios and into the cold night air. I put on the hood of Colin's jacket, which kept me warm until we entered Ginny's trailer.

Lana squealed when she saw it. Ginny squeezed my hand a little too tightly.

But when I saw the dresses for the first time, I couldn't help but feel a sparkle of enthusiasm ignite in my belly.

They were the dresses for Colin and Helen's party tomorrow. When Ginny got her and Josh's invitation, she immediately proposed to arrange dresses for all of us. The only reason why I agreed to it was because I was still in denial about going to the party. I'd wondered for days why Helen invited me in the first place, but after a while it had dawned on me: she just wanted to remind me that Colin was her husband.

Or, less politely phrased, she wanted to rub it in my face.

But the dresses had kept Ginny busy for a month. The last week had been an absolute nightmare, since there were some problems with the sizes and the corresponding masks; my evil part had been celebrating the fact that it could be the perfect excuse not to go.

But they were here. And there were no excuses left now.

I stepped inside. "Ginny, can I just ask... why did they arrive at this hour? It's past midnight, for heaven's sake."

"I know, I know," she said as Lana picked up the dress that was hers and held it in front of her. "The guy at the shop felt terrible about the delay, and he promised me they'd be ready in time."

"The party is tomorrow, that's barely in time."

"Someone's grumpy," Lana said, winking at me before she turned to the mirror. "Ginny, they're absolutely perfect."

"I know, right?" She was beaming as she handed me my dress. It was a deep red, simple and long dress with some lace detailing around the waist and a very low cut in the back, which I'd resisted at first, but Lana and Ginny were able to persuade me.

I walked over to the mirror that was attached to the back of Ginny's door and held up the mask. It was matte black with subtle sparkles around the eyes, and the feathering on the side covered up pretty much half of my face.

Perfect to go unnoticed in the crowd.

* * *

Friday night came around too quickly. Fred was already waiting on the parking lot when we were done shooting, and we drove straight to Josh and Ginny to get ready. I felt a little better when I'd done my hair and makeup, but nerves rushed through me again when I put on the dress.

Josh was the first person I ran into when I came out of the bathroom. He was pounding up the stairs, but when he got sight of me his jaw dropped and he stopped in his tracks.

I smiled as I held up the mask "Do you like it?"

"Jen, you look absolutely breathtaking. And now I know why you haven't been in love yet."

"Why's that?"

"Because there's no guy in the world who would come even close to deserving you."

I immediately got a lump in my throat, but Josh's eyes were shimmering too when he wrapped his arms around me.

"You enjoy yourself tonight, okay?" he whispered in my ear, "Don't think about work for a moment."

"I won't." I squeezed him tightly, and then our moment was over when Ginny called for him at the top of her lungs.

Josh drove us to Colin and Helen's house, just a few blocks away. We could see the lanterns from the moment we turned the corner of the street; the house was decorated beautifully, and people were getting out of their cars to head inside. There were barely any parking spaces left, so we left the car at the end of the street.

I linked arms with Lana, still nervous when we got to the driveway. We all held up our masks as we headed inside, where we were greeted by a beaming Helen.

"Hi, I'm absolutely thrilled you could all make it! You can give me your coats; I will keep them in the cabinet over here."

The smile on her face was real, but I noticed how she avoided my gaze. I wasn't particularly bothered by it, as I was too busy taking everything in; from the decorations on the wall to the round party tables with refreshments in the living room. It was hard to recognize people with their masks, but I saw some familiar faces in the crowd, including Colin's brother and father.

We all continued our way to the living room when the next set of guests arrived. I made sure to keep the mask in front of my face the entire time, simultaneously skimming the crowd.

"I will get us some drinks first," Josh announced.

We all agreed to it and we found a spot in the corner of the room, close to the fireplace. We chatted for a little bit while Josh and Fred were getting us some drinks. They came back with wine glasses and water for Josh, since he was driving tonight.

I took a sip, and then I lifted my gaze. I was paralyzed when my eyes finally found the one person I'd been looking for. 

He was wearing a black mask, but I knew it was him. I followed his every move as he slipped through the crowd, smiling at people and shaking hands. I didn't notice a smile was spreading on my face too until he looked in the direction of our table. 

I snapped out of it and turned back to the others. I tried to engage myself in their conversation, but I couldn't control myself; I looked back over my shoulder. Colin was gone.  

Then someone put a hand on my back. It was gentle but it still made me jump, and a grin spread on my face as I turned around.

"You look ravishing, Jennifer," he said as he leaned forward to kiss my cheek.

"A suit looks good on you," I smiled. I sighed with relief when he pulled me in for a hug. "I'm so glad you could make it, Alex."