Ａ ＮＩＧＨＴ ＩＮ ＰＡＲＡＤＩＳＥ
- Eleventh of August, 2014.
ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀʀᴛʏ ᴡᴀꜱ already in full swing, with the music blaring and the drinks flowing freely. Bodies swayed to the beat, and the air was thick with the scent of alcohol and sweat. But as the night wore on, the atmosphere grew increasingly charged, as if a storm was brewing on the horizon.
Lou sat back, ankles crossed, a flicker of irritation washing over her face. The rowdy ambiance of the place only amplified her frustration. She got another drink, swiftly downing it in one gulp, as if hoping the liquor could quell the fiery anger simmering within her, longing to be released. Seeing Debbie with that guy sent Lou back to her reality. She is not yours anymore. You two were over a long time ago.
"You know what? You're right; why don't I enjoy this party?" Lou turned to Daphne before she rose from her seat, a heaviness settling in her chest.
"Lou!" Daphne called.
Lou did not wait for Daphne's response, as she walked away. The hope of winning Debbie back gradually withered away, leaving behind a painful acceptance. She glanced around the vibrant party, the pulsating music and laughter filling the air. Determined to find solace elsewhere, leaving behind the remnants of her shattered expectations.
Lou stepped into the kitchen, with the desire to come across something.
The kitchen counter boasted an array of drinks, and Lou momentarily mulled over the idea of consuming them all, yet she knew it wouldn't be enough to make her forget about tonight's telenovela. She laughed; her life is like a parallel of telenovelas, growing tired of the constant twists and turns.
Suddenly, someone coughed, jolting Lou out of her thoughts. She felt a surge of indignation at the interruption, questioning how anyone could dare to disrupt her personal telenovela. Silently, she chuckled in her thoughts.
Of course, twisted turn of events are part of a telenovela, and Lou could curse all the saints for playing games with her life. The moment she looked up at the person, it seemed like her soul was snatched away by some devil and threw into a fire of nemesis she couldn't defeat.
She desperately tried to speak, but her words failed to materialize. Danny Ocean, the legendary figure, sat beside her on the kitchen counter, dressed in his signature black suit and fedora. Lou's eyes widened in disbelief, and all that managed to escape her lips was, "Bloody Mary! Fuck me dead!"
"Oh, no thanks. I'll leave that to my sister." He sat upright and leaned on the counter, reaching for the displayed drinks, while Lou remained frozen, unable to move or even blink. She wondered if this encounter was merely a figment of her imagination, a dream that could easily slip away.
"Fuck. Tell me this is not a joke or some hallucination. I might have drank too much!" Attempting to gather her thoughts, Lou tapped her forehead and ran her fingers through her hair, hoping to ground herself in reality. No, this is definitely not a dream. Danny Ocean is a tangible presence before her.
"You are not, Lou Miller." Danny Ocean exudes an air of effortless confidence as he perches on the kitchen counter, his casual posture exuding a relaxed charm. With his dark, neatly groomed hair and a mischievous glint in his eyes, he possesses a timeless allure that captivates those around him.
"You really are Danny Ocean, right? And how did you know me?" Lou has seen Danny in pictures Debbie has shown her before, and even after how all those years, gone by the wind, have changed the man's face, she can still recognize him. Her conviction was unshakable—she was sure as hell that this man was undoubtedly Danny Ocean.
"I am well aware of who you are," he replied casually, taking another sip from his drink. People went in and out of the kitchen. Couples danced with abandon, their bodies pressed together in a frenzy of desire. The room pulsed with energy, the very air seeming to vibrate with the wildness of it all, but it didn't distract Lou from contemplating how on earth Danny Ocean is suddenly, like a ghost of time, in front of her.
Lou paused for a moment, processing the whirlwind of emotions. "Give me a moment to take in all of this," she said, gesturing toward the displayed drinks. People laughed and shouted in the background, their inhibitions cast aside by the heady mixture of booze. But Lou kept ignoring it as her mind seemed to have been blown away. Malibu is a place of paradise, and it is a place full of surprises for Lou.
"Sure thing," Danny responded, his gaze fixed on her. Lou couldn't quite discern it, but there was undeniably a hint of resemblance in Danny's smile to the way Debbie smiled. Could it be termed an Ocean smile? Lou brushed off the notion.
"Okay, Danny..." she began, then hesitated. "Should I call you Danny? Dan? Mr. Ocean?"
He laughed. "Danny's fine," he assured her.
"Danny, well, then, please tell me how the fuck did you get here, who invited you to this party, and since when are you still alive? Does Debbie know you're here?!" She bombarded him with questions. Lou still could not believe she was seeing her ex-fiancé's brother for the very first time, and she hadn't anticipated their meeting to happen in such a manner, with them sitting face to face, two feet apart.
"Sweet. That's a lot of questions." He drank. "Where should I start?"
Lou raised her gaze, her eyebrows arching in uncertainty, as she fixed her eyes upon the man before her. A sense of curiosity and eagerness filled her, as she awaited his response, the weight of her anticipation palpable in the air.
Danny's laughter filled the space. "Debbie has no clue that I'm here," he revealed, an amused undertone accompanying his words. "She doesn't even know I'm alive."
Leaning in slightly, her voice laced with a mixture of surprise and skepticism, she posed the question, "You didn't receive an invitation, then? You just crashed the party?" Her words hung in the air, the weight of her words demanding an explanation, as she awaited his response, her eyes never wavering from his face.
"Exactly," Danny confirmed, maintaining his calm demeanor. Her eyes narrowed slightly, searching for any signs of deception or mischief in his expression. She couldn't fathom how Danny was brave enough to crash such an event, especially one where Debbie, his sister, was present. And yet, after all, he was brave enough to leave Debbie.
"Oh, dickhead!"
Danny chuckled, his amusement evident as he responded to Lou's warning. "Easy, mate! Do Australian people curse regularly?"
His laughter filled the air, and there was a lightness in his expression that contrasted with Lou's bristling frustration. He leaned back slightly, his posture relaxed, exuding a casual charm that seemed inherent to his being. "I have been keeping an eye on you and my sister for the longest time, and yes, I know that you two broke up five years ago, and that's because you are the dickhead between us."
Lou's irritation simmered beneath the surface, evident in the tightening of her jaw and the intensity of her gaze. "Don't tempt me to harm you right now," she warned.
"Let's keep things civil, my almost sister-in-law," Danny replied coolly.
Lou's irritation intensified. "I genuinely want to harm you right now. Do you realize how much Debbie despises you?"
"Yes. Please don't tell Debbie I'm here." The man drank again, he seemed calm, Lou noticed. As if his presence suddenly showing up after hiding from somewhere for the longest time won't freak someone out.
Lou scoffed at the notion. She narrowed her eyes, studying Danny intently as if searching for any trace of inauthenticity. Yet, amidst her skepticism, a part of her couldn't help but be intrigued by his arrogance. She hesitated for a moment, contemplating her next move, before deciding on her response. "Trust me, I can't even talk to her. She's out there, talking to some guy."
Danny playfully probed, "Why do I sense jealousy, mate?"
"Stop faking your Australian accent. She rolled her eyes. "And who's jealous? Jealousy is for weak dickheads."
And then it happened. Someone turned up the volume, and the beat grew faster and more insistent. Bodies collided in a whirlwind of movement, arms flailing, hair flying, and sweat streaming down faces. From the kitchen, Lou could see how the room erupted into chaos, a symphony of sound and motion that seemed to stretch on forever.
"I can see why Debbie broke up with you."
Did he just?!
"Excuse me?!"
Danny persisted, teasing her with his knowing gaze. Sure as hell, the woman is head over heels in love with her sister. He smirked. "Come on, Lou Miller. Your eyes say otherwise."
"Does Tammy host a chaotic party every year? I might gate crash from now on." Danny took something out of his pocket, and Lou realized it was a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Holding it delicately between his finger, the slender cylindrical shape stands out against his grip. The tip of the cigarette, wrapped in thin paper, awaits ignition. Danny looked back at Lou, offering her one but she refused.
"You know what? Why are you even here?" Lou asked. Danny took time lighting his cigarette as he inhaled deeply, the smoldering tip glowing brighter with each drag.
"Why are you asking?"
"You disappeared, Danny Ocean. You disappeared from her life and it broke her. You can't just show up and pretend everything is fine." He chuckled and nodded.
"I know. Like you did, Lou, you disappeared too, from her life." Lou's heart ignited with a fiery impact as his words pierced through. Had she vanished? Yet it was Debbie's desire for her to vanish. Could she have resisted? Fought on their behalf?
He drank another shot, letting the cigarette dangle casually between his fingers and he continued, "It's been years, and I can see why you can't get over my sister. She's the best thing that happened to your life."
A bitter laugh escaped Lou's lips, laden with a tinge of sadness. There was no denying it—Debbie had been the best thing that had ever happened in her life, and now she was gone. The weight of that reality settled upon Lou, leaving behind a mix of longing and resignation. After all, Danny and she had one thing in common: Debbie's no longer in their lives.
Lou looked at the man; the corners of her lips turned up. It was not a smile of bliss but rather one that carried a sense of melancholy. Knowing that somewhere in this room, Debbie is laughing and drinking and talking, as if everything meant nothing.
As Lou's gaze rested upon Danny, she took a moment to observe him closely. Behind the mask of arrogance, he projected, she sensed a glimmer of gloom etched upon his features. Deep within, she was convinced that there existed a hidden sorrow within him—a sadness that he carried with him, concealed from the world. Danny's disappearance remained an enigma, a mystery that lingered in the air. There was a time when Debbie used to speak of him as her pillar of strength, but as days passed, his name ceased to grace her lips, leaving behind an unspoken void.
"And you broke her heart," Lou said.
"I did." Danny nodded. He looked down, observing the empty glass in his hand and thinking how everything has changed since then. Danny had made the difficult decision to depart from Malibu, turning his back on his family and the life he had known. It was a departure that came with a heavy cost—the disappointment he had inflicted upon the person who needed him most during that time: Debbie Ocean.
A heavy silence settled in the air, laden with unspoken emotions, wrapping around them like a suffocating shroud.
"Why did you leave, Danny Ocean?"
— short update. ;)