Grace and Amari | (GxG) | Lesbian

Chapter 24: The party.

The warm atmosphere was coming from the shop and the lights from the windows were brightening up the street as I stood there looking at the front door, trying to compose myself so that I could go inside. When I reached for the handle, though, I couldn't bring myself to do so. How could I possibly go in and face her when she hates me? Oh, for fuck's sake, Grace! Pull yourself together. You're freaking out already, this is not the time.

Taking a deep breath, I tried again and pulled open the door. The bell above rang softly, announcing my arrival. Almost immediately, I saw her. There she was. Amari turned towards me with a smile and a wave. She looks absolutely beautiful. Her hair is flowing behind her back, showing off the delicate collarbones and the graceful curves of her neck. I swear to God, she is a living goddess. The sight of her is mesmerizing. Her dress seems to cling to her curves perfectly, hugging every inch of her body. I swallowed hard, suddenly finding my throat feeling incredibly dry.

I wanted to grab her hands and kiss her, but I knew that that would not be appropriate. Not here, not now. I had planned to tell her that I'm sorry, that I was wrong, that I loved her, that I missed her. Instead, all that came out of my mouth was a weak "hey", which sounded way more pathetic than it should have. Damn.

- "You came."

She replied cheerfully. I forced a small smile back onto my lips.

- "Of course I did. Why wouldn't I?"

Amari didn't say anything in return as she looked away.

I took a second to look around the room to avoid this intense feeling of awkwardness that was creeping into the air. It wasn't really awkward per se but I was just worried about the situation. I didn't know how things would go, I really didn't. The room looked good and cozy, with soft lighting and lots of flower arrangements. The whole place didn't seem like a shop anymore, the counter that was near the entrance last time I was here, has disappeared, a lot of shelves and tables were gone too. It looked like it was completely renovated.

- "Did something happen to the store?"

I asked, finally getting my sight back to Amari. We made eye contact and I saw the sadness in her eyes. Amari shook her head as a response.

- "Not exactly. Just... Let's talk about this later. Morri and Leah are in another room, let me introduce you to them. Well, at least one of them."

Her voice sounded a little bitter as she spoke those last three words.

I nodded and followed her as we walked towards the back of the shop. She led me to a door with "Employees only" written on it and we already could hear music and laughter coming from the other side. Amari gave me a quick smile and opened the door, motioning for me to enter. As soon as I stepped inside, I heard someone call out my name.

- "Grace! That's my bitch right here!"

I heard a familiar voice and turned my gaze to Morri, who was standing beside a girl, who must have been Leah.

- "Hi! I'm Leah. Nice to finally meet you! I've heard so many things about you! Don't mind Morri, she's already drunk."

She laughed as she approached me and held her hand out for me to take. I awkwardly accepted it and returned her handshake. I've never been very good at meeting people and introducing myself to others.

- "Hey! Hey! Grace! Come here for a sec, would ya? You're gonna have to help us drink this bottle."

Morri yelled at me from across the room and I rolled my eyes. Great. Leah noticed my reaction and chuckled.

- "Don't worry, she's just teasing. We don't care if you do or don't drink, you're part of the group anyways."

Leah giggled again, making me wonder if I even deserved to be included in this group. I glanced over at Amari who seemed a bit unsure about the matter. She cleared her throat and spoke up.

- "Okay, give her a break. Please. We don't wanna make her uncomfortable, okay?"

She smiled gently at me and placed her hand lightly on my shoulder to give me some comfort. I smiled back at her gratefully, thankful to have such an amazing woman beside me. Morri pouted and started walking toward me. I didn't know what to expect, but I certainly didn't expect her to hug me tightly, making me flinch a little. She let go of me after a few seconds and leaned down to whisper in my ear.

- "Sorry for the last time, I was just testing what you are capable of. And guess what? I think you passed."

A slight smirk appeared on her lips as she stood up straight again.

Just testing? What kind of testing is that? Was she risking her friend's comfort just to test me? And I am the bad guy here, huh? I was still upset about the whole mess that happened at Amari's place so seeing Morri act as if nothing happened really made my blood boil. It's crazy how she just came into my life, ruined everything and Amari forgave her, but not me. I just hope that I'm making assumptions and overthinking everything, as per usual.

The room got quiet when everybody turned their attention to me.

- "So, Grace..."

Amari spoke first. I could tell by the tone of her voice that she was nervous.

- "As I texted you before, it's a goodbye party. And it's for me. I'm leaving West Kellton tomorrow."

My breath caught in my throat as she continued speaking. She paused briefly as she looked towards the girls and then back at me.

- "I thought that it would be a great idea if you joined us here today, because after all... You're definitely not a stranger to me."

There was a long pause as we both stared at each other without saying anything. Eventually, I took a deep breath and answered her.

- "Why?"

I whispered quietly to her, almost sounding angry. Amari pursed her lips slightly and looked down.

The whole atmosphere in the room felt tense and heavy, Leah and Morri were quietly observing us, as we stood here opposite each other, both not daring to utter another word.

Then, Leah broke the silence.

- "My loves, let's just celebrate each other's presence and forget about every bit of a conflict that might have happened before. This day is about forgiveness and farewell."

She looked back and forth between Amari and me and smiled at the two of us. When nobody responded, she continued speaking again, her voice sounding like a gentle reminder.

- "You can't spend an entire evening just staring at each other. It's not fun."

I sighed heavily and looked away. The atmosphere seemed to get lighter at Leah's comment. 

For the next few hours, I mingled with everyone in the room, drinking and smiling. The alcohol didn't taste horrible either and I found myself enjoying the company. But as much as I wanted to enjoy myself, I couldn't escape the thoughts invading my mind. What will I do? When I will get an explanation from Amari? But, do I even deserve it, to begin with?

Ugh. So tired of this habit of mine. Of always overthinking, doubting every single thing, worrying over insignificant little matters, and being scared all the time. I feel like I am going insane. Vincent is right. I need a therapist.

After a couple more drinks, Morri and Leah decided to leave, leaving the two of us alone. The clock just hit 10 pm but I wasn't ready to leave Amari yet. And it seemed like she wasn't ready to let me out of her sight as well.

- "Come with me. Let's go to the garden at the venue where we met. We'll take a walk there together and enjoy the moonlight. How does that sound? Would you like to come?"

She asked, looking at me hopefully.

I felt my heart skip a beat. I was so afraid that she hates me, that she doesn't want to see me anymore, to talk to me, to spend time together, But right now, at this moment, her beautiful dark eyes are shining with so much love and tenderness that I suddenly feel like crying.

Maybe it was because of the alcohol, maybe because of a sudden rush of love, but I just had an impulsive urge to hold her in my arms, to feel her body against mine and smell her scent, to hold her close to me and tell her everything that was wrong with me. But I didn't dare. There was still so much that I didn't understand. So much that I needed to find out. 

But for tonight, I will take whatever chance she's willing to give me.