The Only Exception

Amber pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache coming on and begging it to stay away. Earlier that morning she had stopped by a coffee shop and picked up two skinny, sugar-free lattes and bagels so that she and Sunday could start their day of pampering before the masquerade later that night. She had given her party planner explicit directions and told her not to call unless the venue was on fire, so she had been looking forward to a stress-free day.

When she got to Sunday's, she had hung her beautiful floor-length red bandage dress from Herve Ledger safely out of Pepe's reach and demanded to see Sunday's outfit for the party. Sunday had excitedly agreed and dashed back moments later with a short fairy costume, complete with wings. And that's when Amber's headache had begun ebbing.

On the drive to Neiman Marcus, Amber had patiently explained to Sunday the difference between a masquerade and a typical Halloween party. Simple costumes were not acceptable, as the cheap fabric and glittery bright wings would have made her stick out like a sore thumb. Masks could not be made of a pliable, paper-like material. They needed to be sculpted works of art complete with feathers or beaks or sticks or something. "But don't worry, Sunday," Amber had assured her, "I'm sure we'll be able to find you something, even if it does have to be off the rack."

In all honesty, Sunday hadn't been worried until they walked into the store and Amber commandeered a salesperson, quickly loading their arms with things that she thought would be acceptable for the party. Sunday had hung around in the back, letting Amber and her new friend eagerly pull dress after dress as she texted Liam, telling him that she was afraid she was going to drown in fabric in the fitting room.

I still think it's hilarious that you bought a fairy costume. Why did you think I said I was wearing a tux?

Sunday wrinkled her nose at the text message. She'd never been to a masquerade, in her defense. How was she supposed to know? I don't know, I thought you were going as Bruce Wayne or something. She glanced up to make sure she was still behind Amber and the sales associate, pausing when she noticed a sparkle out of the corner of her eye. She turned to see a mannequin in the most beautiful dress she'd seen all day and eagerly called out to the associate, "Can we strip this mannequin?"

Hugging the dress to her chest, Sunday became a little more excited about the shopping. Usually, she allowed Amber or Grandma Ann to just play dress up with her, but this time, Sunday was certain that she had found her dress. When she stepped into the dressing room, it was the first thing she pulled on, and she firmly called out to Amber, "This is it."

The dress itself was a work of art, which was what Sunday loved so much about it. It was what the associate called "illusion tulle", a neutral beige color. The dress was fitted through her hips and flared out into a full, A-line skirt. The scoop neck turned into a deep V in the back, and it had cute little capsleeves that Sunday liked. But her favorite part was the teal, embroidered leaf motif that added a burst of color to the top of the gown. The vines climbed down her torso, stopping around mid-calf.

"I love it, and I won't buy anything else," she insisted fiercely as she stepped out of the dressing room.

Amber laughed. "You make me sound like a mean parent who doesn't let you do what you want. It's lovely, Sunday. Get it."

So Sunday had slipped out of the dress, still hugging it close as though Amber was going to sneak it from her arms on the way to the check out. When the salesperson rang up the dress, Sunday's stomach dropped, and she nervously looked at the dress. "Six thousand dollars?" she hissed to Amber. "Why on earth did you bring me here?"

Amber plucked the American Express card from Sunday's hand and swiftly handed it to the sales associate. "Whose side are you on here?" Sunday demanded, putting her hands on her slim little hips.

"You are awfully sassy today," noted Amber as she began inspecting her nails. "Besides, Sunday, let's not go through that silly 'I can't afford this' argument. We both know that your dad pays that credit card bill. You haven't shocked him in a while. It's time to wake the old man up."

Sunday took the garment bag from the sales associate, swallowing deeply as she followed Amber. She made a mental note to have Liam cook dinner for her dad several times this week to make sure he was in a good mood before the bill arrived in the mail. From Neiman Marcus, Amber drove them straight to the nail salon that she had booked their manicures and pedicures at.

As the manicurist began to paint Sunday's nails a teal color to match the leafy vines on her dress, she looked over at Amber, who's nails were being covered with black. "Are you excited about your party?" she asked.

Amber grinned. "Of course. You know how I love a good party. I'm just happy that I figured out how to turn it into a work event too so they're footing most of the bill." Amber had invited every celebrity that had been photographed for American Rag, her bosses, coworkers, and was thrilled to see the fruits of her labor. "Wait until you see the hotel, it's absolutely amazing."

Sunday smiled as she began to imagine what the ballroom would look like. She'd never been to a ballroom before. "This is quite a difference from Halloween last year," she remarked.

"A lot has happened in a year," Amber nodded, her guilt bubbling in her stomach again. She had failed to tell both Sunday and Liam that Alex and his friends had been invited.

Sunday's smile faltered a little as she thought of her goddess costume from the previous year and how Amber and Alex had inadvertently ended up matching. "Do you think it's bad that I've never told Liam about Alex?" she asked, nervously tugging at a strand of her long brown hair.

Amber's eyes flickered up from her magazine, and she took a moment to regain her composure before she responded, "Has Liam told you about all of his past relationships?"

"Well, no," countered Sunday, "But Alex is my only past relationship, and I feel like it's more than just a past relationship. I mean, I almost married him."

They both froze, Amber hearing this news for the first time and Sunday remembering that she hadn't been speaking to Amber at the time of her engagement. "You were going to marry him?" Amber repeated, eyebrows knit together.

Sunday focused her eyes on her fingernails. "He asked on Christmas, but then on New Years... We were silly to think that we could ever work together," she finally decided, forcing a smile.

There was more silence before Sunday added, "Sometimes I miss him. But I really do love Liam."

Tears stung Amber's eyes. It made so much more sense now, how desperate Alex was to see Sunday again. She had been his future, and he knew that he had fucked it up badly. But it worried her that Sunday missed him too. Was she going to do some major damage to Sunday's emotional state by inviting Alex tonight?

She pulled out her phone and clicked on Liam's name before typing out a message. I need to talk to you at the party tonight ASAP. She swallowed deeply once her message sent, hoping that she was doing the right thing.

The rest of the afternoon was quiet, which Sunday assumed meant it was calm and relaxing as Amber had planned. However, the silence was due to Amber's overwhelming guilt and growing inability to look her wide-eyed, innocent friend in the eyes. When their hair and make-up were done, Amber quickly opened a bottle of champagne and began drinking until Liam arrived to drive them to the hotel for the party.

When Sunday opened the door to find Liam standing before her, dressed in a tux and his brown hair smoothed out like a 1940s movie star, she couldn't help but smile enormously. "You look wonderful!" she told him as she hugged him.

He kissed the top of her hair. "Not as wonderful as you," he countered. "Which reminds me, I have a gift for you."

Sunday gave an excited squeal as he presented her with a silver box and eagerly pulled the lid off. Sitting atop red velvet was a beautiful teal mask that swooped around her eyes in the same vine-like way as the leaves on her dress. She let Liam tie it on for her, a little breathless when she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. "It's so beautiful, Liam," she sighed.

"Amber and I might have collaborated," he admitted. "You really are magnificent." He placed a soft kiss on the bare curve of her neck, making Sunday shudder and shyly cast her heavily made up eyes downwards.

She cleared her throat and turned around. "Everyone ready?" she asked, needing air.

Amber tossed back her glass of champagne before leading the march out the door. When they arrived at the hotel, Sunday couldn't do anything but stare. The outside edifice of the building was magnificent, perfectly perched on the beach with the ocean only a few kilometers away. There was a red carpet leading into the building, and Sunday found herself a little annoyed with the constant flash of cameras.

But the inside was wonderful. The lighting was low, there were luxurious curtains, tablecloths, chair covers, and it seemed as though every surface was glittering. But something else caught Sunday's eye as she stood atop the staircase with Liam's hand on the small of her back, preparing to lead her into the glamour of the room.

It was Alex, she was sure of it. She'd know him anywhere, masked or not. She turned to Amber, her eyebrows knit in confusion, her face demanding an explanation. "Oh, sorry, I think I see my boss," Amber hurriedly insisted as she dashed down the stairs and into the crowd.

"Is something wrong?" Liam asked.

Sunday shook her head. "Not at all," she countered, tearing her eyes off of Alex.

As they walked down the stairs, all Sunday could think of was the Halloween party at Zack's house last year. She had been so nervous at the time, hoping that Alex's friends all liked her. This time, she was still nervous, but it had nothing to do with Alx's friends.

Her heart dropped as she noticed Alex look in her direction, and she turned to Liam, keeping her smile sweet. "Let's dance!" she insisted, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the dance floor. She placed one hand on his shoulder, the other in his hand and tried to make herself focus on not stepping on his feet instead of how nervous she felt.

"Is something wrong?" Liam asked, raising an eyebrow from beneath his mask.

"Yes," sighed Sunday. She quickly caught herself and countered, "No! I mean, yes, everything's wonderful." She smiled widely up at him, hoping that she was dazzling enough to distract him from her obvious discomfort.

"I know we've only been dating for a few months, but I think I know you a little better than that, Sun," he countered, a knowing smile on his face. "It's Alex, isn't it?"

Despite all of her concentration, Sunday faltered and stepped on one of Liam's feet quite firmly. "How do you know about Alex?" she demanded, dropping her hands from his and crossing them against her chest. She didn't want Liam to know about Alex. She and Alex had had something special, and a part of her didn't want to share that with Liam. The other part of her didn't want Liam to love her less because sometimes she missed Alex.

"Amber told me," Liam admitted. "But only because she knew his band had been invited tonight since they'd recently posed for the line."

Panic flooded Sunday, and she opened and closed her mouth a few times, unsure of what to say. Liam gently took her arm and lead her over to a nearby table so that she could sit down and drink some water. "I'm sorry," she finally stammered.

Liam pulled her into his side. "Sunday, I'm not mad or anything," he countered. "It would've been nicer to hear it from you rather than Amber, but we've only been together for a little while. I don't expect to know everything about you yet, and I'm just enjoying the ride and the process of learning all these things."

"You really are wonderful," sighed Sunday. "Thank you."

Liam kissed her softly before giving her one more squeeze and standing up. "I'm going to go get something to drink. Do you want anything?"

She shook her head and held up her water. "We're fine." As he strode away, Sunday turned her attention to the stage, her ears noticing a familiarity in the voice. Many of the bands that had posed for the line had agreed to play a song or two, and Sunday's heart skipped a beat when she saw Alex standing at the microphone. She caught his gaze and knew that his eyes were boring into her.

I need some time to realize I've everything I've just seen / 'cause I've been living in a good dream for far too long / I need some time to realize everything was make-believe / Damnit I was so naive / You were never who you seemed to be

Tears pricked in the corner of Sunday's eyes as she stared at him, completely unable to look away. Aside from the time that he had played the piano in her basement, she had never heard him sing live before, and it was beautiful. She blinked them away and stood up, needing air and a moment away from Liam and Alex.

The balcony of the ballroom was beautiful, overlooking the beach and moonlit ocean. Sunday wished that the rest of the party would just dissolve away from her and that she could draw the beautiful scene but instead tried to commit as much as possible to memory so that she could recreate it later. She stood in the night breeze, gripping the railing and staring at the moon until she felt someone pause beside her.

"Hello, Alex," she whispered, knowing it was him without even having to look.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay..." he explained weakly. "You looked upset inside."

She shook her head. "Just felt a little suffocated." She turned towards him, her eyes sad. "Why are you here? After you don't call back for months and I finally have the strength to move on, you show up? That's not fair, Alex, and you know it."

He turned away from her, leaning on his elbows on the railing. "I saw you a few months ago," he said, "At Disneyland. I was ready to walk right up to you, to tell you that I was wrong and sorry and that I missed you." He turned to her, his gaze hard. "And then I saw him. Liam."

Sunday didn't know what to say, but most importantly, didn't know what all of the things that he was going to tell her at Disneyland meant. The only thing that she could think of to do, the only thing that felt right, was reaching out to take Alex's hand. He looked at their entwined hands and gave a small, sad smile. "Do you want to dance?" Sunday asked after a moment.

He kept her hand and nodded, leading her back into the ballroom. Sunday noticed Liam talking to Amber by the bar and raised her eyebrows, making sure they were okay even though she was with Alex. Liam gave her a reassuring smile, and for a second, Sunday was surprised by just how much he trusted her. She wondered if she'd ever be able to trust someone so completely like that after finding Alex and Charlie together in the hotel room in New York.

"How have you been?" Sunday asked as his hand found her waist and hers landed on his shoulder.

"A mess," admitted Alex. "I just feel so bad about things every day, Sun."

She looked down at the buttons on his shirt, unable to meet his eyes. "Don't," she ordered, a note of strength in her voice that she was grateful for. "I'm not mad at you for anything anymore. I was for a while, but not anymore."

"How have you been?" he asked after a short silence.

"Wonderful," she smiled. She launched into an animated story about her amazing horseback riding adventure, telling him briefly about how she was excelling in school, and finally mentioning that she was happy with Liam.

"What about your family?" Alex asked as their first dance turned into a second.

She tried not to react too much, but she couldn't help it. "Things could be better," she admitted. "My parents aren't speaking still, and Grandma has been ill lately, but everything's going to be okay." She put a brave face on before she met his eyes, her smile faltering slightly as the brown eyes met her green eyes. "What about yours? How are your parents and Melanie?"

"They're great," he responded. "Melanie just got a new job in Baltimore, so she's looking for a place closer to the city. Mom and Dad are good."

"Sebastian?" Sunday asked.

"Misses you, I think."

She blushed and looked away. Finally, she looked back at him, ready to ask the question that had been searing in her mind since she had learned that he was here. "Can we be friends?" she asked. "I don't like not knowing what's going on in your life, not being able to talk to you, feeling like nothing ever happened between us. Something did happen, and it was wonderful and beautiful, but just because it's over doesn't mean that I don't want to be friends with you still."

He hesitated for a long moment. He missed her so badly that sometimes, he felt a dull ache in his chest just thinking about her. But he knew that he couldn't just be her friend. And the more he thought about it, he didn't really care. It would be Liam's problem, he decided. "Of course," he assured her. "I think we've had enough time apart to deal with things and learn how to be mature enough to be friends."

"You? Mature?" Sunday asked, a teasing smile lighting up her face.

The song changed again. "I didn't tell you that you look absolutely amazing," he said, not ready to let her run back to her boyfriend yet. "How did Amber convince you to spend so much money on a dress?"

Sunday laughed. "She literally grabbed the card out of my hand before I could stop her," she explained. "She and Liam coordinated on my mask," she added, batting her thick eyelashes at him.

Alex laughed as well, loving being so close to her. It felt like a moment hadn't passed since he had last seen her, like they hadn't missed out on a lot that had happened in each other's lives the past year. "Do you want to go outside?" he asked as the song ended. "It's kind of hot in here."

"Yeah," Sunday nodded, just noticing that it was a bit stifling in the ball room. She led the way outside, slipping off the balcony and into the sand. She didn't stop until they were at the edge of the water, and she kicked off her shoes, holding up her skirt and letting her toes wiggle in the foamy waves.

"I'm glad you came tonight," she finally said, smiling over at him.

"Me too," he replied, reaching out for her hand again.

Sunday smiled, wrapping her fingers between his and gently kicking at the water with her foot. She kicked a little too forcefully, accidentally splashing Alex's tux. He gasped at the cold water, jumping apart from her. "I'm so sorry!" Sunday giggled, trying her best to choke back her laughter.

"Oh, you're gonna be sorry," Alex countered, leaning down and splashing a huge wave of water at Sunday with his hand. Her mouth dropped open as the water hit her arms and chest, and she gave a squeal as he prepared to send another burst of water her way. She yanked her dress higher and hurried away from him, deeper into the water.

"Don't come any closer!" she warned, splashing around with her foot.

"What are you going to do?" teased Alex as he waded deeper into the water towards her.

Sunday dropped her dress, leaning down to use her arms to splash him, but was surprised when Alex grabbed her waist, pulling her into the water and effectively wetting her dress up to her waist. "You're awful!" she giggled, splashing water at his face.

"I can live with that," grinned Alex.

"Sunday!"

She turned to see Liam and Amber standing at the edge of the water, Amber looking scandalized while Liam just looked confused.

"I-I fell in," Sunday explained as she pushed Alex away forcefully. "Alex was helping me." She collected her wet dress and began climbing back to the beach. She paused on the sand, adding, "Alex, Liam. Liam, Alex."

"There's a hairdryer in the bathroom," Amber said, looking completely horrified by the state of Sunday's dress, "We'll have you back to perfect in no time!" She hurriedly whisked her friend back towards the hotel, leaving Alex and Liam on the beach.

"Fell in, huh?" Liam asked, shamelessly sizing up Alex.

"Yep. Pretty clumsy sometimes."

Liam nodded, obviously not fooled or convinced. "Nice to meet you, Alex," he said before turning his back. "I should probably get back to my girlfriend though."

"You too!" Alex called after his retreating figure, glad he didn't have a beer bottle to throw at the asshole.