"Hope! Over here!"
I turned my head in the direction of the voice and noticed a hand waving above the crowd of drunken teenagers. The lights shifted from a crimson red to a violet purple as I ducked past a couple making out and grinding on the dance floor. I laughed as the owner of the hand and I embraced, her arms encircling my neck while I hugged around her middle.
"Hey I've missed you ," I smiled gleefully. Lizzie threw her head back and laughed, her perfectly white teeth standing out against the pail backdrop of her flawless skin. She tucked a curly strand of blonde hair behind her ear absentmindedly, "I missed you too ," she agreed.
Lizzie was wearing a pale pink sleeveless dress that complimented her complexion beautifully. It ended about mid-thigh and showed off her majestically long legs. Her large blue eyes stared deeply into my own and my heart began to beat rapidly in my chest. My eyes flicked downwards to her perfectly pink and rounded lips, coated in a thin layer of gloss. The gay panic had set in and I could barely control myself, my lips tingling and my hands fidgeting at my sides. Gods, she was gorgeous. Lizzie didn't comment on my overt staring, or rather chose to ignore it completely. She smiled once again and linked arms with me, "Let's grab a drink. We have so much to catch up on!"
I let her lead me away, trying to steady my rapid-fire heartbeat and just enjoy her company. I wouldn't want to ruin our friendship over something as inconsequential as an itty bitty crush. Lizzie filled up a red solo cup with fruit punch and sipped from it gingerly. "Don't you want something a little stronger to start the New Year off right?" I laughed gently.
Lizzie smiled and shook her head. "I don't drink alcohol much anymore. I've been known to do stupid things when I'm drunk."
The two of us sat down at a pair of barstools in the kitchen, setting our drinks down on the marble. Lizzie was telling a funny anecdote while I nodded slowly, hanging on to every word that left those perfect lips. I was completely intoxicated with her beauty and confidence while we chatted. She listened intently when I spoke, never appearing distracted or bored with the happenings of my mundane life. She laughed in the right places and nodded along with the rhythm of my words, making me feel important and like my perspective mattered. I liked this new feeling.
We had been talking for at least two hours and I hadn't noticed how flushed Lizzie's cheeks had gotten. She giggled excessively at everything, her words slurring together as she tried desperately to form coherent sentences. With a start, I realized that the punch she had been continuously sipping as the night wore on was definitely spiked. God, I'm such an idiot. How couldn't I have noticed until now??
"Lizzie Can you hear me?"
Her eyes went in and out of focus as I leaned in closer, trying desperately to reach her in her drunken state. She smiled dreamily up at me with half-lidded eyes, her hand trailing the side of my cheek. Wherever her fingers brushed my skin, a warm tingling sensation bubbled up under my skin and I couldn't help but shudder happily. "Hope..." she began. I could smell the tangy fruit punch on her breath as she exhaled in contentment. "There's nothing I'd like more... than to kiss you right now," she said lightly, her eyes flashing with desire. "Woah," my face flushed as I laughed nervously, bringing her hand away from my face.
I won't pretend like I wasn't tempted to make out with her right then and there but I knew I could never live with myself for taking advantage of her in this state.
"I think I should get you home," I exhaled, trying to look anywhere but her lips. I leaned away but Lizzie pulled me closer than before, a dreamy smile gracing her features, "But we were just getting started."
This is just the alcohol talking, I told myself. She's not interested in me. It's not like she's ever mentioned anything about wanting to be more than friends. But then again, I've never wanted anything more. I sighed, grasping lizzies hands gently in my own and bringing them close to my face, "You better stop tempting me darling. Otherwise I won't be able to resist much longer."
That was when Lizzie leaned over to rest her head on my shoulder, her intoxicating scent overwhelming my senses. She smelled faintly of roses and vanilla, a combination that made my breath hitch and my chest tighten. "Erm..am I interrupting anything?"
The guy who's party it was stumbled over, his jacket having far too many buttons undone. He was fidgeting uncomfortably as Lizzie snuggled up to my chest, small noises of contentment escaping her parted lips. "Nothing to interrupt. She's just pretty hammered," I said quickly, trying to steady my out-of-control heartbeat.
"Ah I see. Well the countdown's about to start if you want to join everyone on the dance floor..." he trailed off, scratching the back of his neck.
"Sounds good," I smiled brightly, trying to get him to leave.
He seemed to get the message and shuffled away awkwardly, moving on to try and grab the attention of a couple having a heated make-out session on the beanbag chair. My heart was still thumping furiously as I gently pried Lizzie off of me, stabilizing her as she tried to stand. She must have been pretty out of it because she was swaying so much that she fell into my arms, after me having barely caught her. The whole time, Lizzie had been staring intently at me with her large blue eyes. And every time I noticed her blatant staring, I would flush profusely and hide my face. The guy from before jogged to the front of the room carrying a huge megaphone, the rest of the buttons on his jacket were undone, exposing his bare chest. The crowd of party-goers waited expectantly for the guy to speak, some checking their phones impatiently. "Alright everyone. It's been a great party so far but the night's still not over. To kick off the new year, I propose a toast!"
His words were met with a loud cacophony of drunken cheers, everyone scrambling to fill up their red solo cups. I found Lizzie an unopened bottle of water on the table next to us, screwing the cap off and handing it to her. She accepted it gratefully, raising it up above her head as the rest of the crowd did the same. "To 2020!" The guy yelled into the megaphone.
"To 2020!" everyone shouted before downing their cups.
The megaphone dude checked his phone and began counting the seconds until midnight, "20! 19! 18! 17!"
The people around us started joining in, their shouts almost deafening. I noticed many of them were coupling up and facing each other, laughing and intertwining fingers. Lizzie turned to face me, standing quite close, her eyes twinkling with mirth.
"10! 9! 8!"
Her perfectly pink lips were beckoning me, practically begging to connect with my own. The lights flashed a deep red, bringing out the desperation in my eyes, displaying it plainly on my face.
"7! 6! 5!"
I leaned in closer, my lips tingling as the heat of the moment came crashing down. Her lashes fluttered as she closed her eyes slowly.
"3! 2! 1!..."
My lips glided lightly across hers to give her the opportunity to pull away but to my surprise she didn't. I impulsively deepened the kiss, finally giving in to my desires and letting my passion spread like fiery flames throughout my body, starting in my lips and fingertips and traveling through my arteries and veins. Her body melted under my touch as my hands found their way to her face, brushing her skin lightly. We were making out in front of everyone at the biggest party of the year but to me, none of that mattered one bit. The party might as well have been a galaxy away for all that I cared. Her lips were soft like butter, warm and completely in sync with the rhythm and flow of the kiss. I couldn't help but sigh in contentment at how perfect this whole ordeal was. That's when I remembered the alcohol. I was the first one to break away, guilt clinging to me like smoke. I backed up slowly, my head spinning and my heart almost beating out of my ribcage. "That was not okay. That was not okay," I muttered, trying to blink back tears.
I had taken advantage of someone while they weren't in a right state of mind. Lizzie didn't deserve this kind of kind of treatment, especially from someone whom she considered a friend. That was certainly not how I wanted to start the year off and I wasn't sure I could possibly go forward from it...
"Hope?"
Lizzie was there with an arm around my shoulder. Her incredible scent enveloped me in a bubble of safety, dispelling all negative thoughts. "Yeah. I'll be fine," I said quietly, drying my eyes with the back of my hand when a sudden realization came to me, "Wait aren't you—"
"Supposed to be hammered? Black-out drunk?" she smiled apologetically, "I suppose you wouldn't be too pleased with me if I said that I had faked the whole being drunk thing just to steal a kiss from you would you?"
I blinked a few times in confusion before a knowing grin began to spread from one side of my face to the other. "I suppose I wouldn't. If it were anyone less gorgeous than you," I smiled coyly.
Lizzie laughed lightly but worry still clouded her eyes, "Are you sure you're alright, Hope ? You seemed pretty upset after you...right after you kissed me."
"The only reason I was upset is because I thought that I was taking advantage of you by kissing you without your consent. It's nothing to do with you as a person. Why else would I have been pining after you for all these years?" I laughed light-heartedly, my heart soaring with all this new-found information.
"Well in that case...do you want to have another go? This time guilt-free?" Lizzie smirked, raising her eyebrows flirtatiously.
"How could I say no?"
