Drink Me

11. DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE

DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE

When Riley and Nicole arrived at Aidan's flat, the party was already in the thick.

A man in a black suit opened the door and welcomed the couple inside, taking their coats.

"Jesus," Nicole whispered, looking around.

A tall panel separated the spacious living room from the kitchen. On it hung an exposition of modern photography portraying mainly urban landscapes and architecture.

A rearrangement of the furniture in the living area allowed for more space. Here was where most of the party was taking place, with guests in suits and cocktail dresses filling the room inside and outside on the big balcony.

Soft jazz music played from the loudspeaker as a pleasant accompaniment to the sound of people chatting and perfectly matched the soothing mellow lights.

Waiters in white uniforms walked between the guests with trays of champagne and finger food.

"Yes, Jesus is right," replied Riley. "Why do you think I wore a suit?"

Nicole automatically smoothed her blue chiffon cocktail dress, cinched at the waistline.

"You look beautiful," Riley reassured her, sensing her sudden insecurity.

The girl smiled weakly and took his hand as they walked across the living room to where Aidan was standing, his suit perfectly tailored, nonchalantly chatting with a small group of men. When Alice appeared beside him, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, his eyes still on his guests.

"Sorry to interrupt," Riley said, approaching. "I just wanted to say hi to the host."

Aidan's face morphed into a grin when he saw his cousin and he excused himself from the group of men, focusing all his attention on him.

"Hey, Riley, glad you finally made it!" He patted his cousin's shoulder.

"This is my girlfriend Nicole," Riley introduced the girl who shook Aidan's hand.

"It's nice to finally meet you," Aidan said. "This is Alice, my girlfriend," he offered in turn.

Alice shook Nicole's hand and Riley felt suddenly uncomfortable.

Get it together.

Nicole's eyes lingered on Alice a little longer; in her simple champagne cowl dress to just below her knees and a perfect messy up-do, Alice looked ethereal and effortless.

Nicole was perfect to him.

She was objectively beautiful, more so than Alice.

"I love your dress," Nicole said with a shy smile.

"Aw, thanks," Alice replied and leaned slightly forward, touching the girl's shoulder.

A wave of spices tickled Riley's nose.

A smile lingered on Alice's lips, which she moistened with the tip of her tongue while her fingers played with the silver A hanging from her neck.

But Alice was intoxicating.

"Why don't I show you the view?" Riley offered, locking his fingers with Nicole's.

"We will chat in a bit," he told Aidan, who was already leaving to greet a new guest.

"You never mentioned how stunning she is..." Nicole said as they walked on the spacious terrace overlooking the city, her hand instinctively fixing her curls.