Drops Of Raine

Chapter 30

It is currently New Year's Eve, and for the first time in a while, I am genuinely happy. Axel and I have not fought for a while, and Axel's father is still here. Neither of us have said the L word since we said it a couple of days ago. I guess we are just taking it slow because this is the first time either of us have been in love. Everything is great. It feels weird because I feel like everything will fall apart soon; I don't know why. I spoke to my mom yesterday, and it made me realize how much I miss her. It is the first Christmas we haven't spent together, but she is having fun. She went to New York with her best friends from work, and it sounds like she has no plans of leaving anytime soon.

Today there is a New Year's party at one of Axel's friends' houses, and it is the first party I am looking forward to. It is apparently a 70s-themed party, and Axel and I chose to match. I am wearing a cheetah print halter neck with flared jeans, while Axel has on a cheetah print button-down shirt with loose jeans.

After doing my makeup, I blow out my afro and realize how much my hair has grown in the last few months. I am suddenly brought back to reality when I hear a knock.

"Come in," I reply.

"Woahhhh... your hair is so big!" Kara squeals, and I laugh. "It looks like cotton candy," she giggles.

"It's the black girl magic, hun," I smile, striking a pose.

"What's that?" she asks, giving me a curious look.

"It basically describes the beauty and power black women hold," I say, putting on my red lipstick.

"No fair... I want to look like that," she pouts.

"Kara, you are beautiful the way you are. Never let anyone tell you otherwise," I assure her.

She smiles and is about to talk but is interrupted by Axel walking in.

"Kara, I told you to tell Raine to hurry up minutes ago. What were you—" He pauses when his eyes land on me. His eyes rake up and down my whole body, and his mouth is agape. "Baby, you look amazing," he says, and I blush.

"EWWW... okay, I'm leaving," Kara says, giving a disgusted look, and I laugh.

"Hey, Dom," I say, smiling.

"Babe, we are late," he says, placing both his hands on his hips, pouting like a child.

"Babe, I'm done," I say, mimicking his tone, and he rolls his eyes.

"Let's go," he says, and I nod. I walk past him, and he pulls me by my waist and presses me against his chest. "You look so good today, princess," he whispers, and I squirm.

"Thank you," I say shyly, not used to this side of him, and I pull away.

We walk out of the room and head downstairs. When we head downstairs, I spot Mason and Vanessa making out, as usual, in the living room, and I smile to myself. I hate to say it, but I'm envious of their relationship. Everything seems to come so easy to them. They are never shy around each other, and when they do fight, no one is yelling in each other's faces. Whereas with Axel and me, it's a whole different story.

"Princess, you okay?" Axel asks, gently rubbing my shoulder, and I shrug.

"Just nervous, you know how I feel about parties, Dom," I tell him quietly, partially telling him the truth.

I never realized how toxic Axel and I actually are. Suddenly, I feel so uneasy about everything. Saying our first 'I love you,' acting like a couple when we weren't, fighting then kissing to make up without actually talking about it. I slowly glance at Axel and see him staring intently at his phone with an unreadable expression on his face. He quickly shoves his phone in his pocket and smiles lightly at me.

"Ready, babe?" he asks, grabbing my hands, and I nod. "Mason and Vanessa, if you guys don't stop sucking each other's faces, you are walking to this party," he warns jokingly.

"Coming, Mr. Grumpy!" Vanessa yells while Mason laughs. She then takes in my appearance. "Rainey, if my cousin wasn't in love with you, I'd probably want you for myself. You look amazing!" she says, and I blush.

"Yeah, sugar, can't say the same because my eyes are only for Nessa," Mason says, making her blush. "But you look good," he adds, and I smile.

"Thanks, guys. Axel and I are matching!" I say proudly, linking my hands to his, and he pouts.

"I can't believe I let her convince me to match with her," he jokes, and I stick my tongue out at him.

"Love sure changes a lot about a person, huh?" Vanessa asks Mason, referring to Axel.

"Mmmhmmm," he nods, staring at Axel, causing Vanessa and me to laugh.

"Okay, enough about all this love talk. Let's go!" Axel commands, and we all follow him, chuckling.

As we arrive at the party, the house is already buzzing with energy. The 70s theme is in full swing, with vibrant decorations and everyone dressed in their grooviest outfits. The music is loud, and people are dancing everywhere. Vanessa and Mason disappear into the crowd to catch up with some old friends, and I sigh, feeling a bit left out as I don't know anyone here. Axel holds my hand tightly, sensing my nervousness.

"Do you want to get a drink?" he asks, leaning close so I can hear him over the music.

"Sure," I respond a bit hesitantly, as I'm not much of a drinker. He nods, and we make our way to the drinks section.

We weave through the crowd and reach the makeshift bar. Axel orders our drinks, and I take a moment to observe the scene. All the girls here are drop-dead gorgeous. I can definitely tell these are a bunch of other rich kids too by the smell of the expensive perfume in the house and the amount of designer shoes and coats. There are a couple of drunk people, but nothing too crazy, much to my surprise.

"Are you okay? You've been a bit distant," Axel asks. I look away, avoiding eye contact. I really did not want to answer that.

"I'm fine, Axel," I huff. He wore a look of confusion and concern, his eyes wide and brow furrowed deeply.

"Back to Axel, I see," he mutters, coldly and slightly hurt, while placing his hands in his pockets.

"I just really don't want to talk about it," I say, not wanting to cause an argument right before New Year's, but from the look on Axel's face, I sense one brewing already. He shakes his head, trying to remain calm.

"Let's go find the others," he says in an attempt to change the subject. I nod as we push through the crowd of people.

We find Vanessa and Mason in the middle of a lively conversation with a group of people I don't recognize. Vanessa spots us and waves us over, her smile as bright as ever.

"Rainey, Axel! Come meet everyone!" she says enthusiastically.

We join the group, and Vanessa introduces us to her friends. They seem nice enough, but I still feel a bit out of place. Axel's hand on the small of my back is the only thing grounding me. I smile and nod politely, trying to engage in the conversation, but my mind is elsewhere.

.

.

. 

.

Wow, hey guys! It has been two years since I published the last chapter. I never thought I would complete this book, but recently I found my love for writing again and I've decided to finish the book. I am a junior in college now and its crazy to think I was just a sophomore in high school when I started this book. Looking back at some of the chapters, I cringe too guys, its not just you. but I would probably be editing the book once I complete it. But wow, it's been forever.