Lost [ENG]

𝟕. 𝑵𝒐 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔, 𝒏𝒐 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒚

Around 8 PM, Taliesin and I met in front of Rebecca's house. It was located in a very quiet residential area, characterized by terraced houses, only divided by hedges less than a meter wide. We hadn't had much trouble finding it: the loud music and the large amount of cars in front of a specific house, made us immediately identify our destination.
Taliesin opened the gate that separated us from the well-kept garden and, along a rocky path, we arrived in front of the entrance door. The blue-haired boy repeatedly rang the bell, hoping its sound would reach the ear of the owner of the house.
At that point, he turned to me. He ran his hands over my shoulders, adjusting possible folds that had formed on my plaid jacket, under which I was wearing a simple black T-shirt, a bit tight. Taliesin hadn't commented on my outfit yet, and I didn't know if he liked it or not. The guy next to me, on the other hand, wore a T-shirt with the Critical Role logo decorated in a rainbow on a white background, alternating blue and yellow nail polish on the fingers, and simple dark jeans. Above all, a military parka that arrived to the height of the knees.

After a few interminable seconds of waiting, Rebecca opened the front door.

"Here are my favorite guys!" exclaimed the birthday girl.

"Sunshine! Your party could be heard already at the beginning of the road!" Taliesin exclaimed before kissing her on both of her cheeks. He entered, walking between her and the door. At that point, I went close to her, kissed her on both cheeks and felt how her scent was further accentuated by a few more sprays. She wore a slightly low-cut pink blouse, skinny jeans, and her hair tied in a ponytail from which not a single tuft fell.

"How nice to have you here" she said looking into my eyes right after our initial greeting. She had her hands on my shoulders and her face was particularly close to mine. I smiled and then followed Taliesin inside.

I found myself in a really large living room. To my left, a lit fireplace warmed the room. In front of this, a table full of delights, surrounded by a few chairs, was momentarily empty as all the guests arrived for now were standing. I wondered how, if the number of guests had really come even close to thirty, from where Rebecca had thought she could just let them in too. Until that moment, there were fifteen people and already little space available. I immediately went to the food table, feeling the hunger rise more and more, and only at that moment, I realized how much alcohol the birthday girl had distributed on the table, from the most expensive spirits, to sub-brand beers; she really didn't want to miss anything.

"Rebecca told me that she has put in as many bottles as the years she is old" a voice told me from behind. I turned and recognized Sam with his usual lively gaze and his immortal gab.

"I knew she was definitely over twenty-five years old" I said smiling.

"I've already counted them: there are twenty-seven" said this time Brian who, surrounding his girlfriend's shoulders, approached me and Sam.

"We even bet a dinner on it," said Sam disconsolately, as probably in the guise of the one who had bet on the wrong age.

Ashley, Brian's girlfriend, shook her head as she walked over to me to greet me properly.

"How did the return trip go?" I asked, genuinely happy to see her. Ashley was one of the pillars of our group and not having her with us for months due to some filming in New York, had never been pleasant. Her return was in fact always a reason for joy on the part of all of us, and not only for a working fact, but also for affection towards her.

"All normal, for a while I won't see New York again, and that doesn't bother me particularly. I missed you a lot! " she exclaimed, giving everyone a smile. I tilted my head, lifting the sides of my lips as a sign of appreciation for what I just said.