the clanging of glassware, the chatter of the guests, and the mellow classical had all set the perfect mood for the little house warming party being hosted in the very living room of your humble abode. well, little might be an understatement. your mother may or may not have gone excited with inviting people over, that you ended up with more guests than you had expected. preparations were exhausting, for there was a lot to do not only in prepping the meals, but also in making your house look presentable; though it became manageable thanks to the ackerman's who had come over and offered their help.
the ackerman's were, unfortunately, not blessed to have a child of their own whom they can pamper and spoil, thus they spent most of their time having fellowship with the people in the neighborhood instead. your mother expressed her sympathies with petra, patting her back and telling her they were more than welcome to drop by in your house whenever they pleased. and so, that was the topic of the chat while you busied yourselves around the house, and sooner or later, the guests started flooding in.
everything was going well; you had been able to welcome the crowd smoothly with your rehearsed greeting and your warm smile. the night had been going too well, you almost forgot about a certain blonde who had been invited as well. your face immediately dropped, body going stiff on the front door as soon as you saw the blonde pair approaching, walking past the white fence on your lawn and going up the steps on the porch.
"good evening, y/n! it's great to see you again," irina greeted ever enthusiastically. you tried your best to match her energy, though you probably still looked like a vegetable doing so. as irina made her way into the living room, you were left alone with the very last person you wanted to see.
"well, good evening to you too, little lady," yelena remarked as she noticed you weren't going to be making the first move anytime soon, eyes taking in your appearance from top to bottom. before you could even open your mouth to respond, she was already pushing past you, hands snug in the pockets of her jeans. the distinct smell of her cologne left a trace from where she stood, a mixture of cool water and musk. you shook your head in an attempt to rid your head of the frenzy of thoughts threatening to intrude it, leaning on the door you had just closed to give yourself a moment to ponder. and, well, breathe out the scent of yelena that had filled your nose.
as you poked your head around the crowded room, you were relieved to find out the blonde wasn't anywhere to be seen, and you would probably be saved from your conflicting inner monologues. food was brought out from the kitchen, and as dinner ensued, the guests had taken their own seats and the lively discussion had toned down a bit.
meals weren't exactly appetizing anymore when you had previously spent hours prepping it, meticulously measuring the ingredients so as to make sure it wouldn't taste as bad as you were expecting it to be when served. you poked around your plate, not really feeling like chewing on the fried chicken and pasta sprawled out on the melamine. seriously, how were these people able to gobble spoonful after spoonful of the bland dish? haven't they gotten at least a quick snack before coming here?
leaving the dinner table didn't seem like an option. you were expected to entertain the babbling of those around you, to act in the way a pastor's daughter would, sweet, and nice, and endearing. you tried your best, just as you always had. it was to make your parents happy, after all.
while everyone was occupied with chatting among themselves, you took the opportunity to slip out for a bit to go to the restroom. turning a corner mindlessly, a shriek erupted from your lips as you came face to face with none other than yelena. a hand reached onto your chest as you tried to recover from the shock, not really expecting anyone to be lingering around the narrow corridor.
"why aren't you having dinner?"
"feeling queasy," the blonde held her stomach to emphasize her point. "can you show me to the restroom?"
furrowing your eyebrows in concern, you nodded your head quickly and reached out a hand for her to grab. "i was just heading there, come on."
the door creaked as you pushed it open with one hand, the other still clutching onto the blonde's in case she might collapse or something, which you had only noticed as you gave a small pat on yelena's back to usher her in. you decided to awkwardly brush it off.
as yelena fully entered the confined space, she suddenly pulled you by the arm and slammed the door shut, trapping you between her body and the hard surface of the wood.
"you're really cute, you know that," a lazy smirk graced her face, slender fingers cupping your jaw to tilt your head upwards. curious, wide eyes met her glazed ones.
"i-i get that a lot, thanks," you muttered weakly, unable to say more. your heart felt loud and wild beneath your chest, threatening to leap out from its confinement under the shirt dress you wore.
several beats of silence passed. your tried to focus on the familiar string arrangement that was now playing on the other side of the door, doing everything you could to distract yourself from the close proximity between the two of you. for a moment, it seemed as though you were in the shoes of mrs. chan, feeling a yearning for someone you couldn't have, someone way out of your reach. feeling your heart beat for all the wrong reasons.
"i didn't mean it platonically," yelena shifted closer towards you, hot breath tickling your lips. you were certain your brain had short-circuited right then and there.
"wha...-"
a knock on the door saved your life.
