Date: October 14, 2013
It wasn't a party, it was a celebration. They earned it. They earned a night out, to celebrate all that they'd achieved in their lives up until that very moment.
All of the cast from the vampire diaries and the originals (or all the ones that were available) had met up to go clubbing during their time off of work. It was so nice to just let loose. And it was even nice to do it surrounded by the ones they loved most of all.
Especially for Alyssa-Rose.
Speaking of... Alyssa jumped around on the dance floor with Phoebe, Candice, Kristen, Claire, Kat, and Nina, while all of the boys sat down at a table and drank. As Alyssa screamed out the lyrics to the song, swinging her hips and spinning in circles, clearly very drunk, she suddenly stumbled and ended up falling right into Nina.
"Woah!" Nina caught her right before they would've both plummeted towards the ground. She steadied Alyssa. "You alright?"
"Mhmm!" Alyssa nodded unconvincingly.
"You sure?" Candice stepped forward, yelling over the blaring music in the club, and pressed the back of her hand to Alyssa's forehead. "You don't look well at all, Al."
"I'm fine!" Alyssa reassured. "What's with the concerned faces? Dance with me!"
She grabbed Kat's hand and span her around, causing Kat to laugh and go back to dancing. Relaxing slightly, the other girls joined in and also continued dancing.
"Ouch..." Alyssa winced slightly. "Stupid heels!" She pulled her heels from her feet, rubbing her sore feet, before beginning to stumble again, pressing the heel of her hand to her forehead. "Ow!"
"Al, seriously..." Phoebe frowned, worried for her best friend. "You don't look alright..." She turned to the other girls. "I think she's just had a bit too much to drink. I'll get her a glass of water. Come on..." Phoebe took Alyssa's hand and led her over to the table that the boys all sat at. "Sit. Wait here." She headed over to the bar.
"You alright, babe?" Sebastian asked Alyssa, swinging his arm around her shoulder and pulling her into his side.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Alyssa rolled her eyes, sending her boyfriend a reassuring smile. "The girls are just being dramatic. That's a--" But she couldn't finish her sentence. A wave of nausea engulfed her whole, and she could feel it rising in her throat. "Oh god! I'm gonna be sick..." Jumping to her feet, Alyssa dashed towards the restroom, sprinting past Phoebe in the process.
All of the boys exchanged shocked and concerned looks, while Ian got to his feet. He saw Phoebe about to head to the restroom, so he hurried up to her.
"I've got this one, Pheebs."
"It's the girls' restroom, Ian." Phoebe reminded him, but all Ian did was shrug in response.
"It's a one-cubicle restroom. Like anyone would notice."
Nodding once, Phoebe handed Ian the glass of water in her hand that was meant for Alyssa, then turned and headed over to the table.
Ian walked over to the girls' restroom, pushing the door open a tiny bit.
"Are you okay in there, Al?"
No response.
"Al?"
Nothing.
"Alyssa, I'm coming in..."
Pushing the door open further, Ian stepped in to see Alyssa knelt on the ground, her head in the toilet bowl as she threw up everything in her stomach. Including all of the alcohol. That certainly sobered her up.
"Oh, Al..." Ian walked closer, putting the glass of water to one side so he could kneel down and hold Alyssa's hair back for her, putting it into a ponytail in his hand.
It took a few minutes for Alyssa to stop throwing up, and when she did, she was a panting mess. Black trails of mascara had spilled down her cheeks, her eyes were glassy with tears, she looked to even be sweating, and her entire face had gone red with embarrassment when she realised that Ian had witnessed her throwing up.
"Um..." Alyssa didn't really know what to say. Her voice came out dry and scratchy.
"Here." Ian handed her the water, which Alyssa silently took, taking a sip of the cold liquid.
"Thanks..."
"Alyssa, I'm sorry. I have to ask." Ian sighed. "I know that this wasn't because of the alcohol. What has you throwing up everything inside of you? You can tell me anything. A-are you sick? Food poisoning? Did you eat anything bad?"
"No, no, and no." Alyssa replied, placing the glass of water down beside her as she leant her back against the wall. "I-I can't tell you..."
"Why not?" Ian frowned in confusion, going to sit beside her but making sure that there was still some distance between them.
"It's not you--"
"It's not you, it's me? What a classic clichés." Ian joked, hoping to lighten the mood. It was enough for Alyssa to let out a quiet laugh.
"Okay, fine." She smiled a small smile. "Can you keep a secret?"
"Yes."
"This is really serious, Ian. You can't tell anyone."
"I promise to take your secrets to the grave, Al. Always."
"Okay then." Alyssa sighed. "I haven't eaten anything in six days."
"Six?" Ian's eyes widened in surprise. "But... but I thought you were getting better!"
"I thought I was, too. But it seems like it's way harder said than done." Alyssa replied quietly, glancing down at her lap.
"Then what is all that?" Ian gestured to the toilet. "Surely you wouldn't have been throwing up for that long on an empty stomach."
"It's mainly just alcohol. I guess I drank way too much tonight." Alyssa shrugged. "I don't know... I guess I just forget to eat, or something..."
"Well, knowing that, I'll be sure to send you a friendly reminder three or four times a day." Ian said. Alyssa's smile widened the tiniest bit.
"That's what makes you so brilliant, Ian. You can take such a serious situation and turn it into a friendly joke."
"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean--"
"No, it's not a bad thing." Alyssa laughed. "It's refreshing. I don't like when people make it so tense by being so serious about it all. Hearing someone make a joke here and there is so nice. It cheers me up."
"I'm glad." Ian smiled.
"And I am glad that I have you in my life." Alyssa snuggled into Ian's side on the restroom floor, hugging him. "I'm happy I met you."
"Me too, Al." Ian hugged her back. "And I'm going to help you through this. However long it takes."
"I'll hold you to that." Alyssa mumbled, before sighing and rising to her feet, downing the last of the water and pulling out five mints to definitely sort out her puke breath. "We should get back to the others..."
So, after flushing the chain of the toilet, the two exited the bathroom at slightly different times. They looked to their friends.
Charles, Danielle, Matt, Leah, Zach, and Michael T (and now accompanied by Nina, who'd gotten tired of dancing) were all chatting at the table. Sebastian had gone home, simply assuming that Alyssa had already left after she felt sick.
But on the dance floor was what surprised Ian and Alyssa.
Phoebe and Paul were dancing together, as were Kat and Michael M, and so was Candice and Joseph, and Phoebe and Paul. They were all having the time of their lives in their pairs. Even Steven was chatting up a cute guy by the bar.
But the most shocking? None other than Kristen Taylor and Daniel Gillies were passionately making out in a drunken haze against the wall.
"Wasn't expecting that." Alyssa chuckled, looking away from Daniel and Kristen.
"I could see it." Ian smirked down at Alyssa, before outstretching his hand towards her. "Would you like to dance?"
"Never pictured you as a dancer, Mr Somerhalder." Alyssa yelled.
"Well, everyone else is doing it. We might as well fit in." Ian shrugged. "Besides, have you seen my Damon moves? I'm a killer dancer."
"How ironic." Alyssa joked, before taking Ian's hand and letting him lead her towards the dance floor so the pair could enjoy a dance or two together.
Alyssa was definitely lucky to have such an incredible guy like Ian in her life.