The Party

Morning

Lying in bed, eyes still closed I feel him under my warm palms and the rise and fall of my head upon his even warmer chest. He takes a deep breath and shifts, arms tightening around my waist as he clings to the little bit of sleep his body will allow before he automatically wakes up. It’s like clockwork, every morning he wakes up between 8:30-9am. I always wake up before him. Sometimes I pretend that I’m still asleep so that he will lie with me longer, but there are other times when I hear his final sigh and he will sit up very gently, place my head on the pillow, and get up to go to the bathroom.

This time I hear him sigh and I flutter my eyes, squeezing his arm.

“Don’t go,” I say quietly.

He lets out a small grunt while stretching and his hand runs across the side of my face. He tucks the hair on my face behind my ear and caresses my cheek with his thumb.

“You’re awake,” he whispers.

I look up at him; his eyes are still closed and he’s facing up at the ceiling.

“Do you think,” I begin and then I sit up, all of my hair falls to the left of my head onto my shoulder.

I continue, “that we could go to a New Year’s party.”

I watch his eyebrows crunch up slightly and then rise. “Really, you want to go to a party?”

I bite my lip to hide the smile that he’s not even looking at and nod with a quiet reply, “Yeah.”

“Why?”

I shrug my shoulders, another motion that he cannot see, “I don’t know, just want to try something new.”

“But you don’t like people. . .”

I climb on top of him; sitting at his waist, his face lights up and his hands lock onto my hips, “Ooh, I like this position.”

I scoff and laugh just a tiny bit, batting his hands from my waist and pressing my palms against his chest.

“I do not dislike people.”

His dark brown eyes finally open and he sits up his black curls shifting slightly, “Uh yeah you do.” He has a serious look on his face and his hands have made their way back to my hips.

I roll my eyes, “okay well, maybe that’s why I want to go, I want to get into mingling a little more.”

He changes his voice to sound weird and high, in a mocking manner he says, “is this your New Year’s resolution?” he elongates the ‘uooo’ sound.

“Jeez, so what if it is? Don’t be such a dick!” I say sort of defensive.

“Oh I bet you want to ride this one huh?” he laughs.

I make an annoyed sound out of frustration and start to get up when he takes my hands, shaking his head and presses my fingertips to his lips.

A big smile spreads across his face, “I’m just kidding baby.” He leans in and kisses me in the middle of my bare chest and says, “I’d be very proud of you, if your resolution is to finally step out of your comfort zone.”

“Take me to a party then,” I’m a little excited. “I know Scott or Henry have invited you to some huge secret ball or something crazy like that.”

“That’s such a huge jump. Are you sure you want to go from just me and you quietly together to loud music and tons of flashy drunk people cleaning their teeth and wiping their asses with their own money.”

I grow a little insecure thinking of how little we have compared to all of them – not even us, it’s just me. Alé comes from a very wealthy family. And since the day Mr. and Mrs. Flinch found out they were having their first born son, they knew that he would be a part of the company and then one day take it over. So Alé has already made his first step, being a part of the company. He does things in the financial world, things that my brain cannot compute. Only the best get hired at Flinch’s Growth and luckily Alé is one of the best and not just hired in because he’s the boss’s son. And so because only the best get hired in that means these people already have it made because they have loads of experience, loads of degrees and loads of cash.

Alé chose to be with me in the simple life and I feel so sad because of it, but I love him even more because of it. He could be in a mansion with his parents and not even know if or when anyone else was home unless he went out to find them. He could be driving a golden Ferrari dressed in the most stylish clothes with models at his side every step of the way. He turned it all down for me. . . Not saying that he probably didn’t have his fair share in his teenage years, but here he is now with me.
Alé just started at the firm, so he doesn’t make the highest amount of pay just yet, but he’ll get there. He won’t allow any money from his family or friends, he says he wants to make it without the privilege, but sometimes I worry that maybe he’s just doing it to keep me from being uncomfortable. . .
His family doesn’t like me because I am not Emily Hutchinson, the one that was supposed to be Alé’s forever Barbie girl. I’ve seen pictures of her in his old yearbook. She and Alé were voted Queen and King for their prom, and they were voted most attractive couple in high school. Alé said that they were growing apart and he broke up with her over the summer. She’s a gorgeous red head with the prettiest blue eyes and she looked so stunning even as a 18 year old high schooler! And I know it was a few years ago and everyone’s graduated, in college or doing something and that I didn’t even know Alé when he was in high school, but I still get a twinge of jealousy in my heart. She nor his own family were very forgiving about his decision and his family began to resent him even more for hooking up with a poor girl named Vivica Llorens, me.

I don’t notice that he’s been studying me for the past five minutes as my face contorts with different emotions while deep in thought. His hands go to the sides of my head, fingers interlocking in my hair with a sad look on his face and he pulls me in close to kiss me long and hard.

“Vica, baby you have nothing to worry about I’m sorry, I didn’t mean anything by what I said. . . I just know they can be pretentious assholes, but if you want to go to one of these parties, I’ll call up Scott and see which one he thinks will be the best and I will be more than happy to take you as my date tonight.”

In response I press my lips against his and it makes me yearn for his touch now, but I tell myself to wait for later tonight.