✔️ Midnight Sparks『 T.H. 』✧･ﾟ:*

Chapter 16: Emotional roller coaster

Don't run me round and round

Don't build me up just to let me down

- Lauv & LANY

- - -

"Ali, are you ever going to go over to talk to Tom?" Jayna asked impatiently as her eyes flitted from me to Tom, who was standing by the bar counter with Harrison.

"There's no rush, is there? The night is still young," I said, taking a sip of my second gin and tonic. I was ready to order my third glass already.

Jayna rolled her eyes. "Ali, you're stalling."

"I'm stalling," I agreed. "Although to be fair, it was Tom who wanted to talk and explain everything, so he should make the move..."

"I swear, the both of you will be the death of me," Jayna proclaimed. She finished her glass of bourbon over ice – she'd always been a whisky girl – then gave me the firmest gaze.

"Ali, I'm going to get Harrison and Tom to record the birthday wish video they promised me for my YouTube channel. But right after that, I'm sending Tom your way. So be prepared, 'kay?"

"Well in that case, let me get three more G&Ts first..."

"Whatever it takes for you to lose the jitters, Ali," Jayna responded. "But don't blame me if you end up drunken in bed with Mr McGeek later. Or is that what you're aiming for..?"

"Oh my God, Jays. Please!" I protested as Jayna flashed an evil grin and blew me a kiss goodbye before walking away.

I looked down at my nearly empty glass, perhaps hoping to find some clarity in the alcohol. Nope, nothing.

My stomach emitted a growl, and I realized that I hadn't eaten much the entire day. I wandered to the table that held an assortment of finger food and polished off a small square of tuna and arugula sandwich. Then a second one. And a third.

I was unstoppable. In a split second, I had decided to load up a small clean plate with even more of those delectable tuna finger sandwiches.

Moments later, I sat myself down at the edge of the swimming pool with the plate of sandwiches placed next to me. I freed my feet from my high-heeled strappy sandals and gently dropped them into the warmth of the heated pool water.

It was a simple kind of bliss – just me, the sandwiches and the blanket of stars above. My ears picked up the hypnotic beats and soft crooning of a Billie Eilish song, and my shoulders began to sway along.

"Hello. Mind if I crash the party?"

I smiled at the sound of the accented voice and glanced up at Tom's ever-twinkling brown eyes. "It's a private event, but I suppose I should return the favor from you at Nuovo..."

"Yeah. Let me be the one to crash the party tonight," Tom replied with a wink. Without waiting for me to speak further, he crouched down and got into a sitting position.

My plate of sandwiches stood between us.

"Someone's hungry," Tom observed in amusement.

"They're so good. You need to try one if you haven't."

"Well, because you sold these li'l sandwiches so well, I must have one."

"Wise choice, Trev."

We each plucked a sandwich square that was consumed within seconds.

Tom let out a soft grunt of pleasure. "I regret nothing."

I laughed. "Right?"

"You know what would go brilliantly with the sandwiches? More gin and tonic."