Seventeen ~ Interruption

"It's nice to dress up for a change," Mia said as she applied another coat of mascara. "Heels on the beach are a nightmare."

From where I sat on my bed, still trying to sort out the evening's playlist, I glanced across at Mia's attire again. Whether it actually was an excuse to dress up or for Austin's benefit remained to be seen, but she looked amazing. 

A strapless dress clung to her lean body, poker straight chestnut hair falling over her shoulders. Her tanned legs extended down to feet encased in impressively high stilettos, bright red toenails peeking out.

"Why are you staring at me?"

With her mascara brush poised near her right eye, she stared at me in the mirror's reflection.

"I was just admiring you," I told her, turning my attention back to the playlist.

"Admiring or judging?"

I scowled, keeping my eyes on my phone screen. "Admiring. If I thought you looked bad, I'd tell you. There's no way I'd let you make a fool of yourself in front of Austin."

Finally satisfied with my music selection, I closed down Spotify and opened WhatsApp. Earlier on, I'd messaged Alastair to remind him about the party, hoping he'd offer some words of support. That was two hours ago, and the two ticks stayed grey.

It seemed silly to worry about the time to answer a message, but Alastair's phone served as an extra limb, constantly attached to him in case any important emails came through—even on the weekends.

I offered Mia my full attention, reaching to swat her hand away as she attempted to adjust the length of her dress by tugging it down.

"Honestly, you look hot."

She perched on the edge of the bed, crossing one leg over the other as she gazed across at me. "So, what are you gonna do?"

"About what?"

"Your developing feelings for Brent."

I scoffed. "I'm just attracted to him. Which is totally normal, right? I've not seen my boyfriend in nearly two months... I've spent a lot of time around Brent... He's attractive, and I think a subconscious part of me only likes him because I want to get back at Alastair for Daisy."

Mia rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Never mind all this subconscious bullshit. You want to fuck him, and that's the gist of it."

"Mia." I raised my eyebrows. "No. I'd never do that to Alastair."

"I know. But that's exactly why you should do it. You said yourself you hate pity. Alastair's always the one in charge, and you're always the one everyone feels sorry for because he takes advantage of the fact you'll never be able to break up with him."

Silence fell between us, but not an awkward one. It was an unusual display of straight-talking from Mia, who typically chose her words with sensitivity—especially when it concerned Alastair or our relationship.

Perhaps she'd wanted to say something for a while, but she'd only recently felt comfortable enough to admit it. She was right, though. Everyone did pity me because they knew I'd never hurt Alastair, yet he was willing to put me through pain and shame.

"Normally," Mia said, her tone gentler. "I would never encourage cheating. I still think it's wrong and an unfair thing to do in a relationship, but your relationship isn't normal, Rose. You know that. The reason Alastair gets—or got—away with it is because he could. Why doesn't that same principle apply to you? If you're stuck together forever, this summer might be your only chance to level the playing field and get a taste of something different."

"I get what you're saying, Mia. But it'd make me as bad as him... And I'd never want to be as bad as him."

Sadness brimmed in her eyes, but she nodded and reached down to pick up her bag before strolling over to the mirror to check her appearance one last time.

"I just want you to be happy, Rose. You need to do what makes you happy."

I forced a smile and pushed myself up from the chair, flexing my ankles in my heels. "Right now, throwing a kick-ass party will make me happy. I've almost forgotten how to do it."

Whilst I'd never condone cheating, I couldn't help but wonder how my life might change if I did go there. Would it shock Alastair into showing more affection towards me? Would people pity me less? Would it show that I wasn't desperately clinging onto my straying boyfriend? More than anything, though, would it give me the sense of liberty that I so greatly desired?

I knew the thoughts were just wishful justifications. It would take a lot more than an ignored message to drive me to go against my morals and cheat on Alastair. Plus, it would never be something I planned. If things ever became bad enough that I acted out in such a way, it would be a spur-of-the-moment thing—and I was anything but spontaneous.

~~~

James and Tariq arrived first, looking smart in jeans and shirts.

"You guys look nice," I said as I led them through to the kitchen.

"We know you're posh so thought we ought to dress up," Tariq said.

I rolled my eyes and asked what they wanted to drink. For some reason, they seemed amused by my kitchen. The avocado slicer had intrigued Mia, but perhaps the boys were even less familiar with culinary gadgetry.

"That is awesome," James said as I used the wall mounted bottle opener to pull the lids off their beers. "I want one of these in my house."

I almost commented that it wasn't an unusual thing but decided against it. No point making myself seem like even more of a posh weirdo. When the bell rang again, I left Mia with the boys and hurried to answer it.

Pulling open the door to see Brent triggered an avalanche of unexpected emotions. My conversation with Mia may have contributed to that, or maybe it was just because I'd acknowledged that some form of attraction did exist between us. Be it romantic or pure lust, my body now responded rather than denying it. 

But who wouldn't experience something when faced with a six-foot-three athlete wearing a fitted white shirt, so tight that you could almost see the golden outline of his muscles beneath the fabric?

"Hey," Brent said.

"Hey," I said, far too quickly. "Come in."

He stepped through the threshold, his gaze sweeping over my body with about as much tact as I'd displayed when checking out him. Each part of me that his dark eyes landed on seemed to ignite, the heat of his scrutiny leaving a trail of flames with every inch of skin he assessed. Those same fears Mia had expressed earlier now manifested within me. Was my dress too short? The neckline too low? The bodice too tight?

Eventually, the air thick between us, Brent lifted his attention back to my face. "You look nice. Red suits you."

My mouth dry, I ran my tongue over my lips, swallowing when Brent's eyes flittered down there.

"Thanks. So do you."

"Austin and Brooke are right behind, but I think I remember my way to the kitchen." He gave me a small smile, no doubt a reference to the evening we'd collected extra vodka and ended up arguing by the wine cabinet.

Brent continued through, the tension leaving with him, and I turned to see Austin and Brooke ambling down the pathway. Brooke smiled at me in a way that was neither friendly nor hostile, and that was when I realised I couldn't care less what she thought of me. I had bigger things to worry about.

"Hey, guys. Come on in."

Austin beamed and bent to give me his usual two kisses before craning his neck to take in the hall. He made some comment about fancy architecture, but I missed it due to the shock of Brooke also greeting me with a kiss on each cheek. Strong aromas of her floral perfume invaded my nostrils as she did so, and I fought the urge to sneeze as I returned her kisses.

"Rosalie," she said. "I feel we got off on the wrong foot. I'd had a lot to drink when I said those things."

"It doesn't matter," I said, waving my hand to dismiss it. "I'm not here to make enemies. I've got a month left and I just want to enjoy it. Although, Austin, can I have a word with you?"

"Rosie," he said, placing a hand on my shoulder with his focus on the kitchen door. "I agree, it's been a while, but we'll catch up later, okay?"

I frowned at his obvious avoidance tactics. After all, it didn't take a genius to guess what I wanted to talk about. Rather than insisting on it, though, I let the matter slide. Maybe he'd be more willing to talk after a few drinks, or hopefully Mia could get in there first.

"Sure," I said.

"Lovely jubbly, as you guys say." He grinned and clasped his hands together. "Now, do you have any of that posh vodka?"

Mia stressing so much about Austin's silence had led me to believe that he genuinely was avoiding her. However, when his eyes landed on her petite figure behind the kitchen island, cupping a glass, he greeted her as if it were any normal night.

"Mia Tortilla!" He wrapped one arm around her waist as he bent to plant an enthusiastic kiss on her cheek.

With Austin's back to me, Mia shot me a confused glance but transformed it into a pleasant smile as he straightened up again.

"You look awesome," he said, scanning her body.

With everyone chatting away, I downed my drink in the hope it'd give me the courage to host this party as well as I was used to doing. It'd been so long that I could barely remember the tricks and trades of it all. One thing I could recall, though, was the secret to guaranteeing everybody had a good time: ensure they were drinking at all moments.

"Can I get you another, Brent?" I asked, noticing the empty glass in his hand.

He glanced down, as if he hadn't realised he'd finished his drink, and then handed it over to me. "Sure. Thanks."

"Coke?"

"Yeah, with vodka."

At first it didn't register, but then I did a double take, wanting to check I hadn't misheard. "Vodka?"

"Yeah." His eyes locked onto mine. "I'm not on the beach, am I? No need to keep myself alert."

"Right. Sure."

If his willingness to drink came as a surprise, then so did his change of personality as the evening progressed. Perhaps it was being away from the beach, or the alcohol in his system having a relaxing effect, but I'd never seen him properly smile whilst talking to someone before.

A lump formed in my throat as I considered how much I still didn't know about these people. With just a month left, it didn't give me a lot of time to change that. And if I got to know them better, would I even want to leave?

~~~

By the time the clock struck ten, I had finally relaxed into my role as hostess. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, with drinks flowing and the playlist encouraging dancing... I felt positive for the first point all evening, but the niggling, unwanted thoughts still occupied my mind.

Hosting the party in my home had its advantages. With everyone's drinks refilled, I could sneak upstairs to be alone. Cool air was a welcome refreshment as I stepped onto my balcony, closing the door behind me for privacy.

Like always, my eyes settled on the vast ocean. The way my head swam with contrasting emotions made me feel as if I was in the water again, struggling in the strong currents that threatened to pull me under—back where it all began.

Brent might have been an obnoxious idiot then, but at least that meant I didn't like him. I might have been away from Alastair, but at least I was sure I still loved him. Seven weeks down the line, I was hiding from my own party because my pent-up frustrations had become too much to bear. I didn't even need to check my phone to know that Alastair hadn't replied. I did anyway, of course, just to be sure—just to rub salt in the wound once again.

My anger at Alastair's lack of decency almost tempted me to throw the phone as far as I could into the sea. Perhaps it'd get caught up in one of those damn rip currents and be carried out where I'd have no chance of retrieving it. That was what I wanted. To let go.

As the temperature began to drop and goose bumps formed on my arms, I decided not to abandon the party any longer. The fresh air had done little to clear my mind, but my anger had subsided. If I could just get through the rest of the evening, I could think things through tomorrow when I wasn't tired, drunk and with a hazy outlook.

Unfortunately, the anger soon returned with a vengeance. One of the boys had smashed a glass, and as I headed to the dining room in search of a new one, I found Brooke sitting on the edge of the table with her legs wrapped around Austin.

~~~

Thank you for reading :) xx

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