And It's Time to Go

My friend Isabelle was the one who had talked me into going. She had found herself invited to the premiere and after party of the popular (and at the time, new) action movie, Slick. Since she wanted a chance to talk to the movie's directors, as their next project was a movie that she wanted to be in, she decided she had to go.

And then she decided to take me, her best friend, with her. Now, I'd gone with her before to parties like this, and they weren't something that I enjoyed. But after she begged, pleaded, and showed me some really good previews of it, I caved in from interest, and agreed to go with her.

So there we were, in the ballroom of an old theater-turned-film museum. Our seats there were off to the side of the room, up against the wall, at what could only be described as a high-class diner booth. It had a leather-upholstered bench, with little faux-marble table in front of it. I quickly caught on to how was a reference to a important scene from the movie, where the main character had found out about what he was getting into. I thought it looked interesting how they'd pulled it off, and I liked that they included it. There were five more lined up to the wall on our right, and whole thing faced right out to the room, towards the entrance. It was a great view for people-watching, which both Isabelle and I loved.

The party itself wasn't too bad, either. It could have just as well been an after-party for an awards show, not just a lowly movie premier. The décor was elegant and rich, the food and drinks were delicious, and several of the biggest stars in Hollywood were there. It was the place to be that night, that's for sure. But then, it was still a nice and laid back event, with a calm feeling about it. It was an after party that, for me, was actually enjoyable to be at for once.
 
While we were sitting in our little alcove, some guy came over and started talking with Isabelle. I’d never seen him before, but I think she kinda knew who he was. As I later learned, he was trying to get a role in the same movie she was going to be in, from what I could tell, and decided to sweet-talk her so she’d put a good word in. This often happened. People would either come and flirt or be 'buddy-buddy' with her, just so she’d put in a good word for them with whomever, in the hopes that they'd advance their own acting career.
 
Now, one look at Isabelle, and you wouldn’t think she knew what they were really doing. But believe me, she did. While I wouldn't quite call her a total genius, she's quite a clever person, and by no means an idiot. She always knew what was up, and unless she though they weren't totally fake, or that they seemed to be the slightest bit genuine, she didn't give them another thought, and forgot about them.

This guy must have been one of the ones that meant it, though, as she didn't try to get him to go away. He must also have really charmed her, as he had her full attention. She was so engrossed with their discussion that she tuned everything else out, including me. Not that I really minded. I've always been the kind who prefers listening to talking. And besides, he seemed like a nice guy. If she liked him, that was good enough for me.
 
While they talked, I slouched back in my seat and looked around the room, sipping from my glass of champagne every now and then. It was actually nice, just sitting there. They had the songs and score from the movie playing in the background, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. With the friendly atmosphere combined with said champagne having an effect on me, I'd have to say that it was the most relax I’d ever felt a party. I was actually starting to enjoying myself, and not feel the usual stress I had from whenever I went to big parties like this. But of course, that didn’t last.

My peaceful state of mind was shattered when I looked up and saw him walk in. I did a double check, even a triple check. I thought first my eyes were deceiving me. But no, it was most definitely him. How I could I ever forget?
 
I quickly looked away, sliding father back into my seat, as if that would hide me. I was desperately hoping that he hadn’t noticed me. I let the loose pieces of my hair fall into my face. Out of the corner of my eye, to my left, I saw a curtain hanging next to me. I tried to pull it towards me a little, in desperation to hide myself.
 
This caught Isabelle's attention. She suddenly asked me what I was doing, startling me. I told her that one of the lights there was pretty bright, and it was too much to have on me, making me sweat in addition to blinding me. It was true, as there was a light that was really bright, and it was a little warm under it. However, it wasn't as much of a problem, especially not at that moment, and wasn't really too much of a nuisance. I also told her that the curtain was at a bit of a crooked angle, and I was trying to pull it in front of me, to shield myself. This was also true, especially the last part.

She giggled, and referred to our inside joke, saying how fussy I can be at time. This was a joke, because in reality, I can be quite a messy person. We both chuckled at the joke, then she then turned back to the guy and continued their conversation. Unfortunately, she still hadn’t seen who just walked in.
 
Trying to keep any eye on where he was, I turned back to where I’d last seen him. He was now about ten feet away from the door, talking with a couple people, mostly likely about his latest award or sporting feat or something. He probably wouldn’t even notice me, with all those people that would be coming up to talk to him. But I slid over, a little farther behind the curtain, just to be safe. I couldn’t help but stare at him, though. It had been almost a year since I’d last seen him in person, and had he changed.
 
To be honest, I thought he’d really let himself go. He had looked better. His hair was longer than I'd ever seen it, and it looked like he didn’t care for it at all anymore. I wondered how it wasn’t in big knots, the kind that you have to cut out to remove, yet. It had become nothing but a raggy mess.

I could also tell how much sleep he’d must have been getting, and judging by the obvious bags and dark circles under his eyes, it couldn't have been very much. I could tell how exhausted he probably really was with one look. It looked like he was probably running on caffeine and sugar, or even both, if not something stronger. And it looked that, because of his severe tiredness, he had struggled to even put on his clothes. They weren't totally disheveled, but they were clearly a bit off-kilter. Both his date and his friends probably had to help him get ready. I couldn't believe that he could have totally done it by himself, based on what I was looking at...
 
At that point, I had enough and had to look away. It was too hard for me to even look at him anymore. It was bring back too many memories, and it hurt to see him in this state.