oh, anna [-hs]

till forever falls apart

"Consider them a Christmas present."

She worked herself thin on those two little pearl earrings. For two weeks she sat at the dining table, carefully piecing them together, polishing them, letting them dry. They needed to be perfect. And they are. She did such a good job, I'm almost jealous.

He reappears in the doorframe and strikes a pose. "What do you think?"

"Understated. Regal. Gorgeous. Pretty. Handsome. Stunning. Sexy. Beautiful--"

"Way to keep me modest." I sit up when he comes over. He stands before me, letting me brush off the front of his jacket and fix his lapels. Grinning, his eyes wander over the dress again. "Look at us."

I hum and tug at his jacket. My eyes peek up at his face. His hair is falling into his eyes. His legs press against mine as he leans forward, towering over me.

"I love you."

"Alright," I laugh and lean back. He presses his hands into the mattress on either side of me, growing closer, cheekier. He shoves his tongue between his teeth. His smile is contagious. "You know if you kiss me right now, you're going to mess up my lipstick."

"Uh oh."

"You'll get it all over both of us."

"Oh no."

"You don't care, do you."

"Not really," he grins and presses his lips against mine.

I close my eyes and reach for the back of his head. I run my fingers through his hair and hold them in place, keeping him close. One of his hands moves from the mattress to rest on my hip. He kneels against the bed. I pull away and look up at him, my eyes darting back and forth between his. His lips are stained red. The color is smeared across his cheek.

"We both just got all ready and now we're ruining it." I warn.

The doorbell rings.

"Fuck," he whispers and drops his head to his chest. "Why'd we invite people here."

"Because it's a party," I run my thumbs over his cheekbones. He closes his eyes and melts into a soft smile. "We should probably go get that."

He huffs and pulls away, standing up straight. "Probably," he runs through his hair and wipes the back of his hand over his lips. It doesn't do anything.

"You're going to have to wash your mouth."

"You too," he teases.

The doorbell rings again.

"We should go get that," I say again. He turns on his heel and storms childishly into the bathroom. I run after him, setting my chin on his shoulder while he flicks on the sink and wipes off his mouth. I look at my face in the mirror and lick my thumb. In two quick strokes I wipe away the misplaced makeup and reach for the stick to reapply it. He turns off the sink and sneaks out from under my chin. I hear him dance down the staircase to the front door. The bell rings a third time.

"For fucks sake, Mitch, I heard you!" He shouts.

"Then why didn't you open the door?" Mitch shouts back.

"Hello, Sarah," Harry adopts a kinder tone. I hear a muffled response. I slip on my heels, and after a moment of thought, I reach for Cherry. I close the bedroom door behind me, wandering down the hallway to meet them in the living room.

"Hey guys," I call from the top of the stairs. They turn their attention to me. Wow, they both look nice. Black cocktail dresses and suits. Tonight is going to be so fancy and fun. My heart flutters.