Jennifer's Pov;
My house is filled with brightly colored balloons of every shade of the rainbow. They float around the room with curled ribbons hanging off the bottoms and sit tethered to a weight atop the dinning room table. Streamers hang from the ceiling and walls. Confetti covers the floors and tabletops. A massive birthday cake sits centered on the kitchen counter, waiting to be cut. It seems like the perfect birthday party, yet still on the night of my 30th birthday, I sit on the floor sobbing like a two year old. I did everything I could to make this a happy occasion for myself, to give myself something good to look forward to finally after going through months of emptiness. I feel like I'm losing everything and the feeling grows with each passing year. I had plans for my life, goals I wanted to accomplish, but it seems they're fading away and now I'm all alone, in a building more mansion than house, sobbing on the floor. I hug my knees and try to steady my breathing, taking deep slow breathes like I always do when I feel a panic attack coming on. How did my life get this way? It seems like just yesterday I was filming a hit movie series with my best friends by my side and a loving boyfriend and had new movie offers coming left and right. Now the boyfriend I used to have, the only man I'm certain I've ever loved, Nicolaus Hoult, is long gone. He's found someone else, gotten married, and started a family with her. Meanwhile I haven't had a serious relationship in years. I'm loosing time to start my own family, loosing years of my life that could be spend making my dream of becoming a wife and mother come true. I've made plenty of hit movies since the hunger games franchise came to an end, but I've not connected with another cast the same way I did back then. I was on top of the world with Josh and Liam by my side. We had money and fame, but most importantly we had each other to go through it all together. Now I can't even get the two of them to come to my birthday party. In fact, I can't get anyone to come to my birthday party. I invited Josh, Liam, Woody, Jena, Sam, Willow, Elizabeth, Lenny, Jeffery, and Natalie. They all either ignored the invite entirely or called with an excuse for why they couldn't be here. I understand they're all busy, we're no longer a onset family not even close friends. I try not to take it personally, but it hurts, knowing that what we had is gone. But what truly hurts the most is that the one person I had always believed I could count on has let me down too. My best and most trusted friend Laura, has also made much more important plans on my birthday. I might has well not even invited anyone at all. I've decorated for nothing, bought a cake for no one, and put together this entire party for no reason. There's nothing to celebrate. All that unneeded preparation and the collection of unanswered invites are the icing on my huge and pitiful birthday cake. "God, I'm so stupid!" I scream at the empty space, burying my face in my hands. I angrily wipe my tears away and jump up onto my feet. A string of curse words flow from my lips as I tear the streamers off the walls and pop every last balloon in the place. I leave a trail of destruction through the house, until there's no birthday decorations left to salvage. Then I wipe my tears, clean myself up, get in my car, and drive to the nearest Bar.
The bar is bustling with drunken individuals, a stark contrast to my empty home. I glance down at my mini skirt clad crossed legs, high heeled shoes, and the halo of blonde hair falling on my shoulders. At least I look hot as slowly I'm drinking my feelings away, instead of being a pathetic crying mess. "Refill?" The bartender asks, eyeing my emptied drink. "Please." I offer him a small smile as he fills me up. "Jen?" I hear a familiar voice utter my name and I look around for the source. "Fuck." I mumble, when my eyes meet with his, someone I never dreamed of seeing tonight. It's Josh. "I-Josh? What-why are you here? I mean I thought-" I splutter, trying to find the right words to phrase how I'm feeling. "Shit. I know how bad this must look but I swear it's not what you think." He jumps up from his seat and moves to the bar stool next to me. "I thought you had to be with Claudia tonight, a family thing?" That's the excuse he gave me for not coming to my birthday party. Was that a lie? "I did, but Claudia and I are over now. At least I think we are. We had this huge fight at her family's place of all things and she told me to leave and she seemed pretty insistent that all we had was done. So I came here for a drink and just to think for a while. I would've came to your birthday party but I knew I was already hours late and had cancelled on you. I didn't want to show up at the end of your party and make you feel like a second choice. You're not a second choice for me, never have been. I swear." I raise my eyebrows at his lengthy explanation, unsure if I should believe him. "How'd your party go?" He asks, eyeing me curiously. "It didn't go. The party didn't happen." I admit, with a glare. "Shit, Jen. I'm really sorry. I should've been there. We could've had a party just the two of us. Like we used to back in the day." I chuckle at the memory. We had so many good memories together. I wish they had never stopped being made. "No one came to the party. Everyone had better things to do. It's embarrassing how shitty my life has been. I don't know where it went so wrong." I mumble, getting teary-eyed once more and wiping it away. "Believe it or not, life hasn't been that great for me either without you. You're the one person I always wanted to keep around, no matter what and I failed in that miserably. I miss you all the time." He confesses, and I see that look in his eye. That loving look I used to get so often from him. "I miss you too." I take a sip of my drink, finally taking a moment to look him over. He looks good, older, and hot. He grew in his beard just a little, just enough to be scratchy. It gives his face new dimension and draws attention to his gorgeous lips. I've thought about those lips so many times... "You look good, Jen. Real good." He reflects my thoughts, just like old times. It's like we can read each other's minds. "You do too, Joshy." I flash him a smile. I've thought about being with Josh as more than a friend so many times over the years. I thought the same things about Liam at one point. Yet I never acted on it, all because of the pact we made back in 2011. Liam, Josh and I all agreed that none of us would sleep with each other no matter what to preserve our friendship. We've kept that promise all these years. I know it would be wrong to turn my back on my promise, no matter how old. Liam would be pissed, I'm sure of it. But no more upset than Josh was when I started cozying up to Liam. The night Liam and I kissed for the first time with no cameras on, Josh was so angry with me, with both of us. I thought our friendship was over for good. I thought we'd have to go to the premieres and press tours and pretend to be civil. We would have let the fans down and ruined our perfect franchise with one explosive scandal. But we didn't and now I'm being faced with the temptation again, only towards Josh now and not Liam. One look at Josh and I know he's thinking the same thing as me. But things are different now our friendship was already ruined. The franchise is over. Time took that all away. Yet here Josh and I are, facing each other, ready to get back something we had lost. I don't care the consequences, I'll take the risk, if it means the chance to revive our love for each other. I lunge at him and next thing I know he's kissing me back with equal fervor. I moan into his lips, feeling desire pumping through my veins. We make out hungrily against the bar table, not giving a damn about the improper location. "Hey! Get a room you can't just fuck each other on the table!" The yell from the bartender pulls us apart and Josh and I smile and share a laugh. We rush off back to my place and onto the most wonderful night of our lives. By the end of the night I know I'll have no regrets about sleeping with Josh or what is to come next for us. He gave me the best birthday of my life with no cake, no party, and no gifts, having him was everything I needed on my special day.
