Sunday in New York

September 21st

Hudson had pulled the car into the fancily paved driveway of his father's home in the Upper East Side. Seeing all the Rolls Royce and Cadillacs parked in front of this mansion sent knots in my stomach.

We slowed to a stop and my door was opened for me by a valet. After helping me out of the vehicle he came around the vehicle and took Hudson's keys to go and park the car. Hudson came to my side and wrapped his arm around me.

"You look stunning." He smiled. I blushed and looked down at my flowing black gown. It was simple but still remained elegant. I felt like Audrey Hepburn.

"Hudson, I'm really nervous." I whispered.

"Don't worry, just stay by my side." He smiled, ushering me along as we entered the home. As soon as we entered the first thing I noticed was the elaborate and bright crystal chandelier that hung above the foyer. The sounds of a smooth piano playing was the next thing I noticed, but a shrill voice of a female singing took away from the actual beauty of the instrument.

A man in a white jacket holding a tray of champagne filled glasses approached us.

"Welcome Mr. Hudson, champagne?" He spoke.

"Thank you." Hudson took two glasses from the tray and gave one to me. I looked around the room at all the beautiful people with glasses of champagne in their hands, laughing at each other's banter. Hudson kept his arm around my waist as he gently pulled me around with him.

The women in their designer gowns sashayed to and fro across the room and some exchanged glares over their shoulders while probably speaking of one another behind their backs. As I walked with Hudson, he was greeted by some guests and he received them with just a nod and smile, they treated him as if he were royalty; perhaps he was in a way, his father is a well-known man from Wall St.

Walking along I noticed a couple men laughing, their heads leaning backward and their hands on their large stomachs. Not even a tuxedo could make them attractive. They entered a smoky room where inside there were more men of their kind holding glasses of either scotch or brandy, smoking cigars or cigarettes.

In the main room there were performers that dazzled the guests, performing tricks and illusions that were received by gasps, applause, and laughter. I concluded that this is what a party thrown by Jay Gatsby would have looked like. Every visual detail that I could see is what I had visualized whilst reading The Great Gatsby. Even the 19-piece orchestra seemed as if they came straight from that era.

I looked up at Hudson. "Now tell me the truth. Are you Jay Gatsby?"

Hudson started laughing. I smiled at him. "No Avery, I'm not. I sort of wish I were though."

"Wish you were what?" A deep voice spoke from behind us. We turned around and I recognized that the man standing before us was Charles; Hudson's father. A woman with dark blonde hair and highlights had her arm linked with his, she smiled half-heartedly but even that smile faltered when she noticed all of my tattoos.

"Hello dad." Hudson cleared his throat.

"Holbrook, I wasn't sure if you were coming or not, I'm glad you did." Charles smirked.

"We're both glad you came." The woman smiled.

"Hello Hilary, how are you?" Hudson acknowledged her.

"Fine, just fine." She smiled.

"I'd like you to meet my girlfriend Avery. Avery, this is my father Charles and his wife Hilary."

I smiled and extended my hand to shake each of theirs. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Your home is stunning."

Charles smiled, "Thank you, I've had this house since Hudson was just an infant. We used to live here before we moved to London."

"Well it probably remains as timeless as it did then. It reminds me of something very 1920s." I smiled, gazing across the room at the gold embellished baseboards that bordered the ceiling. Even in this room there was a chandelier.

"That's quite an observation. You seem like quite the visionary." He spoke.

Hudson cleared his throat. "She is. She's a writer."

I blushed and placed my hand on his shoulder. "Hudson please."

"A writer? I should've known." Charles nodded.

"I'm a journalist." I lightly laughed.

"And a great one at that." Hudson smiled.

"I'm sure you are. Join me with my friends for a drink? I'll introduce you." Hilary piped in, looking at me.

I looked at Hudson. I knew it would be terribly rude of me to decline, so I agreed. "Sure." I smiled, leaving with her to go across the room.

Almost immediately only after joining two other ladies we were joined by several more. They all gave me the same look of distaste, looking me up and down or else staring at the tattoos on my arms and shoulders.

"Ladies, this is Avery, my step-son's girlfriend." Hilary introduced me to the women. They all nodded with a smirk. I guess that was their way of acknowledging a person.

"Avery is a writer." Hilary spoke again.

"Oh really? Have you written anything lately?" One lady asked.

"Like a book? I don't write books." I lightly laughed.

"Well what do you write?" Another asked.

I cleared my throat, "I'm more of a freelance writer, write now I'm working with Rolling Stone magazine, I'm one of the junior critics. I take assignment, interview musicians, go to shows, and do a report on them. But I'm thinking it's gonna be temporary, I mean they offered me a full time job but I have my sights set on other magazines."

It took them a while to speak, so I just sipped at my champagne.

"Isn't that interesting?" Hilary lightly laughed. "So how did you and Holbrook meet?"

I smiled, "In a bookstore. Barnes and Noble. We bumped into each other and talked for a bit, and then bumped into each other again in Central Park. That was when we first met, but we didn't date for a while."

"Why is that?" Hilary asked.

"Oh, I had a boyfriend when I met Hudson, so that obviously meant that Hudson and I couldn't date." I chuckled.

"And what was his name?" She asked.

I hesitated and didn't say anything.

"Oh, forgive me, I'm getting too personal aren't I?" She laughed.

I just smiled, "Sort of, but maybe you'd know him, or at least your husband. His name is Eric Thayer, he works on Wall St. too."

"Eric Thayer? He is fine young man he is." Hilary remarked to the ladies as they all agreed.

I just nodded. They were being too nosey, probably gathering information to use to gossip once I left, which was soon. I glanced over my shoulder and noticed Charles standing alone watching the entertainment. I looked back at the ladies and smiled. "Excuse me." I then left and walked up to Charles.

"Mr. Brand, could I talk to you for a moment?" I spoke as I stood next to him.

He looked at me and smiled, "Sure." He turned away from the distraction of the party and gave me his full attention.

"Mr. Brand-"

"Charles."

I nodded, "Charles, I want to thank you."

He made a face and lightly laughed, "For?"

"When I was ten years old I was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes and was in a very critical condition. The hospital that my parents took me to was the closest hospital from where we lived, and it's children ward was being threatened to get shut down. You gave a generous donation to that hospital and I received the help I needed. That's what I'm thanking you for."

He looked at me for a long while with a faint smile on his face. His smiled got a little bigger and he nodded. "You're welcome. I guess there was a reason that I saved that ward. So that you'd be able to be here tonight with my son."

I just smiled and was approached from behind by Hudson. "May I have this next dance?" He smiled, whispering in my ear.

I turned to him and smiled, "You may." I looked at Charles, "Excuse us."

Hudson had pulled me into a dance to the classic Sinatra song, "The Way You Look Tonight" that the orchestra played beautifully. His arm was around my waist and he held my hand close to his chest as we swayed to the music. "So what do you think?" He asked.

"Of what?" I laughed.

"The party, my father."

"The party feels like...a dream and your father is very kind." I answered.

Hudson just smiled. "The party is very lavish. A little excessive I think."

"Well it sure beats all the house parties I go to." I chuckled.

He kissed my forehead. "I'm glad I can be here tonight with you."

I smiled back and kissed his cheek and then rested my head on his chest. "This really does feel like a dream."

"Then I'll be Jay and you'll be Daisy." He whispered. We continued swaying to the music.