Nighttime

Chapter 11 - Birthday parties Pt. I

Luke dropped me off at his place, telling me he still had to pick up some things for the birthday party we wanted to throw for Ashton, himself and me.
It was nearly 11pm as I unlock the front door and step inside, leaning against the wall with a deep sigh and kicking my shoes off. I was still showing a little smile, happiness about the good time with my twin containing my chaotic emotions. I hear laughter and screams from the living room, and after I put away my shoes I walk over. They were placed around the giant tv, watching as four of them - Nessa, Niall, Calum and Mary - battled each other in Mario Kart.
Ashton is the first one to notice me. "Ems is back!" As soon as he hears my name Michael gets up, turning around to head upstairs as Calum speaks up. "Sit your ass back down." To my surprise he actually listens to our best friend, and sits back down with a grimace on his pretty face.
I walk up to the couch, taking a seat next to Ashton which makes him scoot over so he can pull my legs up and I can lean against him. "Thanks." I whisper and cuddle into him, very aware of Michaels gaze on my back.
"Where've you been? And where's Luke?" "We just drove around, talked. Caught up on all the things we missed since we last saw each other. Talked about mom and dad." I smiled a little as I thought about our parents. They really missed Luke.
"Well." Niall got up and grinned as he pulled Nessa close. "Seems like I won. And you all need to go upstairs and change into something a little more party-ish now. Time's running."
We all did as he said, and I was followed by Nessa to my room where she sat down on my bed. "What are you gonna wear?" "I thought about the dark blue satin dress that Calum bought me last year. I never really wore it before, but it's perfect for this opportunity." She nods with excitement. "Yes, it looks so good on you!" I smile as I see my best friend bounce on the bed, and put on the dress. It slides over my skin like a cool breeze, and once I have it on, I turn around to look in the mirror. "Wow." Nessa beams with pride as she looks at me, and I pull her up to wrap my arms around her. "You look so good baby-" "Thank you. For everything." She rubs my back, holding me close. "Baby, what's wrong?" "Nothing. I just wanted to say thank you." She pulls back a little and chuckles. "And thank you. For being my best friend. Now, let's get ready."

It's 10 to midnight as we walk down the stairs, and I smile widely as I see Niall's eyes lighting up as soon as he spots Nessa. She wore a black dress made off lace, her dark purple hair falling over her shoulder in soft curls, a silver necklace dangling between her collar bones.
Even though I'm happy for her, I can't help but feel shivers run over my body as Michael turns around to look at me. He looked good, he always did, but he looked stunning tonight. Tight black jeans, a simple white shirt and a black snapback on, he looked like my wildest dreams come true. "You- you look amazing." "So do you." He blushes a little and quickly turns away, leaving me alone in the hallway. I sigh and follow him to the living room, to see it filled with old friends.
Someone shouts my name and some look up, and as I see the joy in their eyes, my heart gets heavy with emotions. A curly haired giant gets up, and I squeal as he wraps his arms around me. "Harry!" "Hey there Ems." "My god I haven't seen you in like a year!" "I know, I know. I'm so busy and I'm sorry. But, I brought company." I turn around to see Liam and Louis bickering with Niall and Celina, and I feels tears filling my eyes. "Thank you for being here." He pulls me in yet again, his large hand running circles on my bare back. "It's okay. We'll talk later, okay?" I nod and take a deep breath, smiling at him. "Okay."
"Ladies and gentleman." Luke is standing on a small makeshift stage, and I grin as I see his cheeky smile. My brother was a born entertainer. "Welcome, to our small but epic birthday bash. Not only is it Ashton's birthday tomorrow, but Emilia's the day after that, and mine in like a week. So, we have a few minutes left until this all starts, and I would like to ask all of you, to step into the garden before midnight."
Once we're all settled and standing on the patio in small groups, Luke pulls Ashton and me forward, positioning us in front of everyone else. "My dear friends. The last year has been stressful, long, and weary for all three of us. I want this new year to be better. To be amazing, to fill us with happiness. And that's why I'm starting it with a fucking bang." Right as he ends fireworks shoot up behind him, covering the night sky in millions of small sparks. There's blue and red fireworks, white and green, and even a rainbow one.
With everyone cheering in my back, I turn to see Michael, his gaze locked in mine, a proud smile on his lips, as he mouths "I love you. I'm proud.".