Partie Traumatic - Black Kids
"Hugs and kisses from the girls and the boys, we get automatic."
ISABELLA
The day of a party is always the longest of them all. Time seems to grow increasingly slower. Making the wait before the actual party a million times longer than it truly was. That was how today had felt. From the moment I woke up, it felt like time was ticking by slowly.
Yet, regardless of how slow the hours took, it was my birthday. I was officially, finally, twenty-three.
All the hype that I had put into this age over the past twenty-two years of my life seemed ridiculous now. I didn't feel older. I didn't feel wiser or any of that sort. If anything, I felt the same. It was, in fact, just another day. Another year. It was almost heartbreaking. All of this excitement that I had put into this year, for reasons that are still unknown, has gone to waste. At least there was still a party.
The morning was as lazy as it comes. Natalia and I had spent most of the morning sleeping and watching cooking shows on the television. We had managed to eat too, which was still a mystery since Jaz and I hadn't gone to the market in days. As the morning floated away, soon it was the late afternoon.
By the time it was four o'clock, I had showered and shaved. My hair was a wet mess on top of my head. The soft fabric of my fluffy dressing gown felt cozy against my skin. I had been sitting at my dressing table for the past half hour looking at all of my makeup. Usually, putting on my makeup for the day was no hassle. I generally kept everything neutral and as natural as I could (considering I was still wearing makeup on my face). But today was a special occasion and special occasions deserved special makeup. It only made sense.
"Red lips or pink?" I ask Nat who is sitting on my bedroom floor curling her hair.
"Neither. Do a coral. That would look pretty."
I pick up my coral lipstick. Hesitantly, I bring it up to my lips but am quick to pull it away. "Are you sure? I feel like the colour washes me out."
"Not at all!" Nat shakes her head. "It compliments your skin tone perfectly."
Hesitantly, I slowly apply the lipstick to my lips. After careful application, I bring the tube away from my face and place it back into my makeup drawer. I study my face. The colour was pretty, I'd give it that. I was still unsure whether or not it would look nice with my dress. God, why do I care so much? It's just bloody lipstick. I mentally roll my eyes, deciding that this would do.
My hair stays down in neat, loose curls. A section of hair is pinned to the side with a gold clip. Everything looked good. I was nervous yet excited for Harry to see me tonight. I hoped that he'd like it. Was it bad that I was worried about what a guy thought about my appearance? It shouldn't, really. But, I was still excited. There was something exciting about getting dressed up with someone in mind.
The moment the silky fabric touches my skin, I am overwhelmed with even more excitement. I forgot how soft the fabric felt against my skin. Or, the way it perfectly hit my curves and accentuated my legs. I wasn't one to be excited about a dress. Especially a dress that made me feel like this. Nor was I one to become overly excited about attention. But, it was a new day and special occasion.
Perhaps, twenty-three meant a more confident Isabella Maxwell. A woman who felt comfortable in her own skin. Who felt beautiful. Maybe that was the difference I was supposed to feel. The difference that had happened to me. I was becoming confident in my skin and my body. This dress was just the door opener for this new found confidence that I was hiding all this time.
"You look beautiful!" Nat squeals from the floor. I turn around to face her. My cheeks growing warm with the small blush that touches surface.
"Thanks," I say bashfully. Maybe I wasn't as confident as I thought I was after all. A simple compliment still brought a wave of uneasiness. I take a deep breath. My shoulders are pushed back and my head held high. Confidence isn't something you fake. It's something you claim and I was going to claim mine.
-
The sweet voice of Alex Turner filled the outside space. People were mingling about. Each hand holding a glass full of some type of liqueur. Everyone was happy. Eyes ignited. They danced with a sheer glow of happiness. This party was far from the stuffy get togethers of the Upper East Side. It lacked in the dignified class that my mother and her friends carried around with them. Noses weren't stuck up in the air. Shoulders were far from being uptight. Instead, each person seemed to be relaxed. Laid back. A simple reenactment of my home away from home in Brooklyn.
Harry's arm was holding me tight against his side. Our bodies relaxed against the outrageous printed couch that Ben somehow dug up. I sat back against the couch. The cold glass of the mason jar touching my lips as I watched Harry laugh. It was amazing to see him comfortable, relaxed. Blame it on the few glasses of brandy that he had drank in the past hour. But for once, Harry was enjoying himself.
I found myself smiling at him. I was admiring the way his eyes scrunched up with he laughed. How his head will tilt back and his hand would hold on to his knee. Best of all, the dimple that would appear with full force. My favourite. Ben must have said something to enlighten this sense of pure joy.
Even though I didn't know about ninety-nine percent of the people who were here for my party, I was enjoying myself. This was the epitome of everything that I enjoyed. I found myself feeling quite thankful in this moment. Thankful for a friend like Jaz who would put so much effort into throwing me this birthday party. I knew that she didn't have to do this. At least to this extent, but she did and she did it willingly. It was amazing how close we had become over this past year. I was beyond thrilled to be able to call Jaz my best friend.
I was thankful for the man that was holding me close. Harry. Harry. I still couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that Harry was mine. That he was here with me. We were in love. That fact in itself was mind boggling. The adventure that we have been on so far has been the best adventure of all. Falling in love with Harry has been the best adventure of all. I didn't want this time to end. I couldn't help but worry that something was going to happen to shake the foundation our relationship was standing on.
Lastly, I was also thankful that Nat, wherever she was in this moment, could be here on this day. It broke my heart that in thirty hours she would be boarding a plane to go back home. These past few days had gone by quickly - too quickly. I was beginning to feel myself grow sombre. Even though we still have over a day to spend time together, I know that she's going to be leaving me again. As much as I hated home and disliked the uneasy atmosphere that our family created, I had missed them. Scratch that, I missed Natalia and Ty.
Where is Nat? I look around the patio in search for a perky brunette. I had seen her the first hour we had walked up here, but she had seemingly disappeared since.
"You alright, love?" I am broken from my thoughts and manhunt by Harry's soothing husky voice. His hot breath touches my ear sending a wave of goosebumps to take over me. My senses have been heightened by the few glasses of alcohol I had consumed earlier this evening.
"Have you seen Nat?" I answer his question with a question.
Harry scrunches his forehead. His lips pursed as he thinks. "Erm- no. I haven't." He shakes his head.
"Strange. I wonder where she went," I sigh. I'm beginning to grow worried. Knowing Nat's lightweight tendencies, I begin to fear that she is unconscious somewhere, maybe even laying in a ditch. Added in the tight dress she was wearing, worst case scenarios flood my mind.
"I should find her." I tell Harry. I begin to stand up, but I loose my balance and quickly fall back onto the couch. Harry chuckles beside me. I shoot him a withering glare only causing him to laugh louder.
"Mm, babe. I don't know if you should be gettin' up so quick." I notice his speech grows increasingly slower the more he drinks. His accent becoming prominently thicker as well.
"Sister. Need to find her," I try standing up one more time. I feel Harry's hand hold my back, guiding me up.
"Mm, don't like you walking alone in this dress." He mumbles into my ear. "Too sexy."
I shake my head, burying my head into his chest. I hold back any comments I have about my dress. The alcohol deliberately taking away from any incoherent thoughts. "Don't be an ass," I playfully swat his hands away from my back, where they've slowly been reaching down and towards my butt.
"Just admirin' my hot girlfriend is all." His lips brush over my lips. His grip on my hips growing a bit harder. Instinctively, my hands reach up for the base of his neck. Fingers intertwining with the curls that are there.
"Your hair is so long," I comment. His lips leaving kisses along my neck.
"Don't like it?" He asks, chuckling.
"Mm, you look like Tarzan." I quip back, quoting Nat from earlier.
Harry pulls back. His eyebrows are raised as he looks at me questioningly. "Tarzan? Babe, didn't know you were into jungle men."
"Oh yeah. I'm all about the lion cloth."
"Duly noted." He begins to kiss me once again. This time with a bit more force than before. His tongue tastes like brandy and mint. I taste the lingering remnants of alcohol he had drank before. He bites on my lip causing me to gasp.
"Get a room." Ben yells from the couch across from us. I pull away from Harry, my cheeks heating up quickly.
"Gladly." Harry smirks. He begins to pull me away from the group. "G'night," he yells towards Ben, Jaz and Tiff. I shrug my shoulders which only causes them to laugh and joke even more.
"Use protection!" I hear Jaz yell after us. I raise my hand at her, my middle finger pointed towards her. I can hear her laugh behind us.
Harry pulls me through the crowd of people. Wishes of "Happy Birthday" are thrown my way. I yell out rushed thank you's to each one. I am laughing as we run across the courtyard. All previous intentions of finding Natalia long forgotten. It becomes a blurred memory along with the alcohol. My fingers are interlocked with Harry's. His grip on my hand tight as he manages to maneuver our drunken bodies through the groups. He is laughing as he runs. This is a side of Harry that I haven't truly experienced before. It's playful and light. Simple. I find myself falling more in love with him and we run about.
The moment we enter the building, it's a lot quieter. The loud, thumping noise from the party above is suddenly shut out the moment the door is shut. I hadn't realized how soundproof these walls were until this moment. There are less people in the hallway.
We walk through the hall and towards my apartment door. As we walk, we suddenly are blocked by a couple making out. I notice her dark brown, curly hair and tight white dress. Even in my drunken mess, I realize who it is.
"Natalia!" I yell, my hand grabbing onto her arm. She breaks free from the unknown stranger her lips are assaulting.
"Ah! What the hell-" She turns around her eyes ablaze. They soon soften once she realizes it's me. "Oh! Hey Izzy!"
Her lipstick is smeared and her hair is a mess. I look at her shocked. I then look over her shoulder to see who she had been kissing. I am met with warm brown eyes. He looks down, his dark skin tinting pink. "Who are you?" I ask him. I am shocked by how strong my voice is.
He looks up at me, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "Aiden," he answers smoothly. His eyes are trained on Nat, his lips quirking into a smirk.
"Care to explain to me why you're making out with my eighteen year old sister?" Nat gasps beside me. She shoots me a warning look. Embarrassment clearly on her face.
"She's a lovely girl." He answers simply.
"You look a little old to be kissing teenage girls." I feel Nat hit my arm. I ignore it. Harry grabs my wrist, pulling me away.
"No. I'm only nineteen."
"Right..." I grab onto Nat's wrist pulling her away.
"Izzy, stop it!" She struggles to break free from my grasp. Unfortunately, the alcohol inhibits my ability to keep a strong grasp on her and she manages to get away from my grasp. "Seriously. You're not mom," she hisses.
"Well excuse me but last time I checked you still had a boyfriend!" I snap at her.
"We broke up." My face suddenly falls. Guilt washing over me.
"Oh."
"Yeah. So if you excuse me, I'm going to go."
"Nat, wait." I grab onto her wrist once more. "You don't know this guy.
"No. I do." She sighs, running a hand through her messy hair. "We've actually been talking the whole time I've been here. He lives on the floor below. So if you excuse me, I'm going to go spend time with Aiden before I have to leave tomorrow.
"Let's talk about this first," I try once more. Harry's grip on my wrist doesn't loosen as he pulls me back. I glance over at him. His jaw is locked and eyes narrowing on Aiden. I don't say anything about it, shaking it off.
"We can talk about this tomorrow. Please," she begs softly. "Go and be with Harry." I wait a few moments, pondering it over briefly. Sighing, I shrug my shoulders, muttering a defeated, "Fine."
"Thank you," Nat kisses my cheek before she turns around and grabs Aiden's hand. He smiles gratefully at me before they walk towards the elevator. I don't say anything as they step inside and go down to the floor below us. I begin to kick myself for not noticing her talk to this guy before. Hell - how had I not even noticed he lived in this building in the first place?
"Let's go inside, yeah?" I turn to face Harry, briefly forgetting that he was there and that we were still standing in the middle of the hallway.
"Yeah." I follow him inside the apartment. He shuts the door behind us, locking it. We make the way towards the bedroom. His hands guiding me to the bed. He shuts the door behind us once again, a crooked smirk on his lips.
"Happy birthday, baby." He says to me once before he crashes his lips on mine.
Yeah. Happy birthday to me.