Royal Games

Chapter 60

Isaac loops his arm through mine as we step off the bus together. Snow crunches under my fluffy boots, which for once aren't hiding any daggers. The night sky is dark overhead, the stars drowned out by the city lights of London.

We stroll down the streets together, looking for all the world like the young couple we are.

It feels like a lifetime ago that I was last in the city. I suppose it was another lifetime; Alyssa's lifetime.

"I think this is it." I say as we stop outside a non-descript building.

We enter the dimly-lit lobby area and sign in at the reception desk. The grumpy receptionist gives us a rusty set of keys and gestures towards the lift. Isaac and I go up eight floors out of the ten listed. The lift opens to a small corridor. At the end of the corridor, I jam a key into the door and jiggle it about.

"Ally!" Zoey squeals as she comes running over. I'm so happy to see her again. It was her idea for the girls of Ash House to rent an apartment for New Year's Eve. Isaac and Brielle were extended invitations as our dates. Amongst all the horrors that took over my life, I've hardly had a chance to even think about seeing my friends again.

"I've missed you." I say, hugging Zoey. After all the darkness, she is a bright ray of sunshine in my life.

Eliza, Megan, and Brielle join us in the doorway. We all exchange greetings and hugs. Our excited chatter follows us over to the sofas in the center of the open room. There's a kitchen towards one side of the room, and a dining area at the other end. It's not a big space, but it's cosy. There are a few doors dotted about. I assume one leads to a bathroom, while the others are all bedrooms.

Megan pours us an array of brightly coloured cocktails from the supplies lined up along the kitchen counter. Bowls of crisps and chocolates are already set up on the coffee table, and Isaac adds the brownies and cupcakes Kelly helped him bake. It's not long before a delivery arrives with pizzas in cardboard boxes. I share a Hawaiian pizza with Isaac, although he lets me have the majority of it and instead steals slices from some of the other girls. He earns himself a nasty glare when Zoey notices a slice of her peperoni pizza in his hand.

"So are you two official now?" Brielle asks later on in the evening.

"We are." I confirm, giving Isaac a loving glance.

"Took you long enough." Zoey comments.

"Tell me," Isaac leans forward towards her. "Who do you have your eyes on right now?"

"Right now? Why, you of course." She replies sweetly.

"Touché." Eliza laughs.

All our conversations are light-hearted, which almost distracts me from the dark thoughts in my mind. Almost. Isaac keeps giving me knowing looks throughout the evening every time I go quiet, but I'm doing much better than I thought I would. It's only in the quiet moments that I really struggle.

The night drags on and Megan turns up the volume of the music playing through her portable speaker. Her, Brielle, and Zoey are all up dancing immediately. Me and Eliza join in only a minute later, but Isaac takes a little more convincing. I practically have to drag him to his feet. Once he's up, however, he's grooving away with the rest of us.

Midnight closes in, and we bring out the champagne. We all squeeze onto the small balcony, drinks in hand. There are other people out on their balconies too and we wave to strangers across the street. The whole world seems to shout with us as we count down from 10. We erupt into cheers and laughter as we hear Big Ben striking twelve in the distance.

Isaac presses his lips to mine before I've even had a chance to sip my champagne. He pulls away as the fireworks begin. We look at each other for a few moments before I tear my gaze away to watch the bright blue, radiant red, and wonderous white lights illuminating the once dark sky.