With Grayson's sudden absence from her life, Mia tries her hardest to carry on as normal; to continue as though she had never met the man who turned her world upside down in only a short amount of time.
With the help of her best friend Hailey, and...
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Sipping on what must be my seventh or eighth glass of Prosecco of the night, I find myself losing interest in the party.
"You okay?" Anderson asks, perched on a stool next to me. His eyes are glazed somewhat, no doubt from the nine or ten beers he polished off earlier in the night. Though, it's nice to see him in a carefree state of mind.
Anderson spotted a few people he knew not long after arriving, meaning I haven't been able to speak to him as much as I would have liked to. It has been amazing to see him again though, and truthfully, there hasn't been any awkwardness between us after everything that happened on that night.
I nod, smiling to Anderson, who presses a new bottle of beer to his lips. "I'm fine," I say, swishing the last of the Prosecco around in the glass. "I just find New Year a little underwhelming, that's all."
It's 11pm—meaning it's one hour until the New Year. I want to be excited, I really do, but watching the endless couples on the dance floor barely allowing their hands to leave one other makes my will to be ecstatic a little difficult.
Granted, I know I have Anderson here with me, but I'm not going to lead him into any false sense of relationship. Not anymore. Not that I know that the only person I truly want to be with, is nowhere to be found.
I can't believe I'm leaving this year behind; leaving behind everything that happened with it. It doesn't feel right that a new year is starting, and that I will have to hold my head high and start afresh. Although this year flipped my world a full three-sixty, I need to leave it there. In the past. I can't keep dwelling like this.
"Are you sure you're alright though?" Anderson asks, snapping me from my derailing thoughts. His hand touches my wrist, goosebumps forming up my bare arm.
I swallow, reflexively placing my hand back against his.
"Shall we go outside?" I ask over the volume of the room, gesturing my head toward the huge balcony that overlooks the Thames.
Anderson nods eagerly, swiping his beer from the table and following my lead. Of course I don't miss the look I get from Lucas who is busy caressing Hailey at the other side of the room. His eyes follow me from behind Hailey's shoulder, his eyebrows low. Is he really that concerned that Anderson and I are venturing outside for a chat?
Rolling my eyes, I pull Anderson through the large doors and find an empty opening at the edge of the balcony.
I lean against the cold concrete, grateful that the Prosecco I've consumed is now acting as a coat. Anderson leans next to me, the proximity between us making my body feel fuzzy.
Clasping my hands together, I sigh, staring out the the glistening, lit-up river below. In no less than one hour this sky will be lit up with fireworks, the London Eye in the distance will be illuminated in all kinds of different colours, couples will be kissing and friends will be hugging.
