I Want To Date My English Teacher

Graduation

Graduation

Five Years Later

 

“You’re speaking in ten minutes” I whisper to Alex, clutching my glass of water in my hand. Everyone else is drinking, but I’ve been sober for almost four years, so I’m not. And I’m perfectly fine with it. His arm is wrapped around my waist, and he smiles at me, bending his head to plant a kiss on my cheek.

“Have I mentioned you look beautiful tonight?” Alex charms and I roll my eyes at him, trying to fight the smile on my face, but losing.

“You might have mentioned it once or twice. Do you have the speech that we prepared ready?” I ask him, and he nods, smiling at someone across the room.

The gorgeous hall that Alex’s publicists have hired to use as a party room is stunning. Giant crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and the whole room is decorated in black and red balloons, adorned with decorative silver string.

Tonight is Alex’s party to celebrate the release of his new book, the final book in his already successful series. He’s been grinning and floating around all night like a total social butterfly.

He also looks wonderfully stunning in his tight black suit, and every time I look at him I can’t help bite my lip at how good he looks.

Somehow we’ve managed to colour co-ordinate tonight, as he had already chosen his black suit with red accents when I unknowingly bought my little black dress with red shoes and red nails.

Several different people have told us we make a gorgeous couple though, and who am I to argue with them? Personally I don’t think I’m anything special, but Alex is a God.

I spot my parents across the room and wave at them. They make their way over to me and I step away from Alex to meet them, and Mum is beaming from ear to ear “This room is spectacular Karen!” She praises, like I had something to do with the decorating, even though I didn’t.

“Have you seen your brother?” Dad asks me, and I shake my head. Then I spot him across the room, leaning against a wall and trying to look cool.

Aaron is becoming a teenager, and even though he’s not there yet, he’s making more of an effort with his appearance and how he acts. But poor Aaron is still childlike and awkward at the moment, and it makes me chuckle to see him in a suit.

“He’s over there” I point him out to Dad “I can’t believe you got him to wear that” I laugh, and Mum smiles at me, hugging me. She’s been doing an awful lot of smiling tonight, so has my Dad, and I don’t know why.

But as long as they’re okay, I’m perfectly fine with the excessive amounts of smiling.

“There was a lot of moaning and bribery, but he’s enjoying himself” Mum says, and she is taken up into conversation by one of Alex’s publicists.

I drift back over to Alex, and he loops his arm around my waist, and places a kiss to my lips. “I wonder if I’m too old for this dress” I laugh, trying to pull it down and Alex slaps my hands away.

“Nonsense, you only turned twenty-three last week, you’re perfectly gorgeous and still allowed to wear that dress. And as a thirty year old, if anything I feel old” Alex laughs, and I reach up to kiss him.

“Do you mind Karen? You’re frightening my children” I hear someone say and I turn around to find Tessa and Ed, with mentioned children in tow.

Tessa did have a girl, and it seems so long ago. She’s currently hiding behind Tessa’s legs, shying away from me even though I see her multiple times a week. She’s almost five now. It’s so strange, because Aria and I were by her side when she had her, and it really doesn’t seem that long ago.