1.1 | constellations of you and me ✓

15 | triangulum

I'll stay for an hour or two, she thinks. It'll be fine. And maybe it'll be good: she needs a little break from reality. Needs to forget about her mother's anniversary coming up soon—needs to clear her head. Usually around this time of year, Eloise turns quiet and spends most of her leisure time in her room while Parker writes little notes and tucks them under her door, but she's proud of herself for doing better. She has people to lean on: her roommates, Jonah, and even Adrian (except when he turns bitchy).

She then realizes that Adrian is bitchy most of the time, but she's getting used to it.

And so around an hour later, Eloise puts on black jeans that are tight at the hips and pairs it with a delicate silk cami—she feels prettier than she has in a while. A brush of light rogue layers itself on her lips as it compliments the glittering highlighter on both cheekbones, and her eyelids are decorated with a soft glossy glaze. There are moments where she thinks people regard her as a piece of fine china where she'll shatter if handled without caution, but nights like these remind her that it takes much more than that for her to break.

At least she likes to think.

Lost in her thoughts, Eloise takes a last scan of her reflection and tilts her head to the side as Rory and Parker knock softly on her door frame, gazes a bit cautious. She doesn't blame them—not completely. Especially with this time of year, when all of her internal shit comes crashing down like catastrophic, nuclear bombs.

"God, I wish I had those hips," Parker complains, gesturing to her own lithe body. "I'm built like a twelve-year old boy."

The girl next to her scoffs and rolls her eyes. "Speak for yourself." Rory whines. "I can barely fit into a fucking training bra. Brats in sixth grade have more than I do, so don't even start."

As her composure starts to break, Eloise lets her friends lead her out the door and argue with her as to why she should ditch the usual sneakers for kitten heels (in the end, they eventually gave up). And she even lets them blast sappy love songs on the ride there while they call Chase, who's already enjoying herself at the party, to remind her to always keep an eye on her drinks.

With the windows down, she lets a hand linger outside to catch a whisper of the honey-rose breeze. The city is electrified with youthful energy—neon lights flash on popular bars, restaurants are being filled up with last minute reservations, and even the trendy street food trucks draw their territory on busy roads. She can smell the highlighting vibrancy in the air as the horizon dips low enough for Los Angeles to be bathed softly in soft indigoes and angel-like glows.

To her left, Eloise suddenly feels Rory leaning her head to rest on her shoulder, the ends of her braids tickling the juncture of her elbow. "El," she asks. "How did you even find out about this party?"

The Korean girl fiddles with a cheap ring settled on her middle finger. "You know Jude, right?"

They nod. "We have psychology together, and I guess he just invited me to be nice. Maybe it's because I don't sit with anyone so he doesn't think I have any friends."

Parker taps her manicured nails on the steering wheel and lets out a golden laugh. "Are you sure he's not just hitting on you?"

At that, Eloise frowns just a bit as she recalls their last encounter. How he'd walked her to her car and how he'd been unusually persistent—no, she thinks. He's just really fucking friendly.

"He knows I have a boyfriend," she admits cautiously, tone even. "I told him about Jonah, too, so there's nothing to worry about." At least she hopes. She hasn't spent too much time with Jude to know his real personality, but she didn't get any alarmingly concerning vibes when he'd first introduced himself. Deep inside, Eloise crosses her fingers that her impressions are right and there won't have to be any awkward discussions later tonight.