The North American leg of the Illuminate tour was over, and I had some time in Toronto before heading to Rio. Then I had two more months off before I'd travel to Oceania and Asia.
During this first break, I'd moved into my new condo. My mum had undertaken the task of furnishing the place, though she'd been great about consulting me before each purchase. The condo was sleek and modern so the furnishings fit that look. It wasn't a huge place, but it had three bedrooms, a kitchen and dining area, and a living room. What set it apart from every other place I'd considered was the view of the Toronto skyline. I'd spent the last few nights sitting out on my terrace just staring at the CN Tower while I tried to absorb the fact that this place belonged solely to me.
I had my family over for dinner a couple nights ago, which meant my parents brought all the food while I provided the drinks. The Burroughs came, too, though Ceci hadn't been able to make it because she was a mentor for incoming freshman and had training for that job. It was never the same when our families got together and she wasn't there.
Today, for Labour Day, I was having a party with my closest friends. I bought a ton of alcohol, which was the key ingredient for a good time. My mum insisted that I serve food, so I'd taken the easy way out and had a local restaurant prepare a bunch of unhealthy but delicious appetizers.
The guys came early, insisting we needed to pre-game before everyone else showed up. This meant taking multiple shots in a short period of time. I'd learned my lesson last month when I'd woken up hungover with a stranger in my hotel bed, so I was pacing myself better than my friends were.
Within hours, my condo was packed with friends, as well as friends of friends who wanted to party with me. You could tell who those people were because they were constantly pointing their phone at me to take a picture when they thought I wasn't looking.
I was out on the terrace when I saw Ceci through the window. I hadn't seen her arrive, but there she was standing in my kitchen drinking something out of a red cup, smiling at Matt as he told her something. She looked gorgeous in a pair of white frayed jeans and a pale pink t-shirt. It had been a month since she shut me down at my birthday party and that still stung. I hated that I had no idea where we stood anymore. Of course she was still my best friend, but we hadn't had much contact lately, other than when I'd texted to invite her to come tonight.
She turned and made eye contact with me, and I felt my cheeks turn red with embarrassment from the fact that she'd caught me staring, but I didn't look away. I gave her a smile and she returned it before saying something to Matt and walking towards the sliding door to the terrace. My heart started to race slightly.
"Hi," she said as she sat down next to me. "This place is incredible. I really love it."
"Thanks. I'm happy with it. Have you had a chance to look around?"
"I've only seen the kitchen, dining, and living rooms. I'm not one to snoop behind closed doors."
"You're welcome to snoop all you want, but ignore the boxes in the guest bedroom and studio. I haven't gotten around to them yet," I told her.
"My mom said that you had a little help with the decor."
"Ha! Well, you certainly can't see me coordinating lamps and pillows, can you?"
"I bet you've got a stronger sense for aesthetics than you give yourself credit for," she insisted. "You always look incredible on stage and on the red carpet."
I laughed. "You're talking to the guy who struggled with giving up his flannel shirts. I depend on other people to dress me now, because I honestly have no idea what looks good. And do I need to remind you that the last time you saw me, you criticized the outfit I had picked out for myself?"
"It certainly didn't stop you from getting lots of attention. Or giving it."
I leaned closer to her. "You're cute when you're jealous."
"You are completely delusional," she said before getting up and going back inside my condo.
We didn't talk much, though I did catch her looking my way several times, usually when I was talking to some overly flirty girl. Brian hovered around Ceci without interacting with her, because he had no idea how to be smooth, especially when he was drinking heavily.
The party went on for hours, though unfortunately a thunderstorm forced everyone inside. Brian ended up insanely drunk and puked all over the hall bathroom, which cleared out the crowd really quickly. Matt and his girlfriend took him home with Ian's help, because they knew I was pissed about the mess and wouldn't want him crashing here.
I was standing in the hall looking in at the vomit-splattered floor and toilet when Ceci pushed past me with a bucket, sponges, and cleaning solution.
"Where'd you get that stuff?" I questioned.
"It was in your hall closet. Come on...I'm not cleaning this up by myself."
"Did you stay behind to help me?"
"Yes, because I knew you'd probably shut the door and leave it until tomorrow, at which point you'd call your mom. Karen, being the sweetheart she is, would come and clean it up for you. I love her too much to have that happen so we're going to take care of this like proper adults."
"It smells really bad. What if I puke?" I asked as I wrinkled my nose in disgust.
"Try to make it in the toilet." Ceci filled the bucket with hot water and handed me one of the sponges. "Start cleaning. Once we get all the chunks up, we can use this bleach product to disinfect and kill the smell."
"First, please don't say the word 'chunks' again. Second, you seem to have experience with this."
"I'm a college student," she said as if that explained it.
We knelt side by side and followed her plan. Once the grossest stuff was up, I stopped gagging. She was right that the cleaner helped with the smell, but it still lingered. I turned the exhaust fan on and shut the door, with hopes that would take care of it.
We then stood outside the bathroom door, both of us filthy from the task.
"This will be a lovely ride home, if an Uber will even take me. I think I absorbed most of the stink," she said.
"Let's throw our clothes in the washing machine. You know how to work one, right?"
She rolled her eyes. "You don't know how to wash clothes?"
"Not really."
"We can't wash our things together because your shirt is black and my pants are white. We'll have to do two loads. Do you have something I can wear?"
I went into my closet and grabbed a t-shirt and sweats which she changed into in my en suite bathroom after washing up really well. I changed into something similar before we put her clothes in my washing machine with a load of towels. I was happy to see my mom had bought laundry pods.
"It's three in the morning. We're going to be up all night, aren't we?" I asked after yawning.
"If we can get my stuff washed and in the dryer, we can then sleep awhile. You have an extra bedroom, right?"
"I do, but the bed is covered in boxes. You can take my bed and I'll take the couch. How long will the wash take?"
"An hour."
I sat down at the upright piano that was against the wall in my living room and started to move my fingers across the keys.
"I love that song. How did you know?" she asked as she sat beside me on the bench.
"I didn't know, but I love it, too. It speaks to me."
She rested her head on my shoulder. "Sing it for me."
I sang the beautiful lyrics softly while I continued to play the piano, making mistakes here and there in my fatigued state.
"Lights will guide you home...
And ignite your bones...
And I will try to fix you..."
When the song ended, the familiar tension was so thick that I felt I could reach out and touch it.
"You've got to perform that live one day," she said as she leaned against me. "And I want to be in the audience to hear it."
"Maybe I will. Just for you."
She stood up, and I was certain Ceci was going to ask me to join her in the bedroom. Instead she went into the kitchen and started cleaning up the mess from the party.