Simply Having A Wonderful Christmas Time (Invite) (Warning: Language)

Last edited by Tess Holmes on Mon Jan 28 2019, 23:48; edited 1 time in total

Christmas || Ben and Connor's Flat

Christmas time was near and before she would be heading back to her family vacation in Paris, she found herself prepping to make a proper appearance. Today would be the first day that she would be properly introduced as Ben's girlfriend. 'Ben' yes she forced herself to call him that at all times to make all of this easier for them. Since their initial meeting, she had received a box for her birthday (there was nothing inside but a standard note), and a proper invitation for now.

Both then communicated back and forth with rules. Mostly she did all the planning and he either would sent an agreement or would ignore her meaning he did not find it acceptable. Fine, she powered through it making sure that this was went perfectly.

So before she went over, she looked at herself once over. She had changed three times: the first one was a cocktail dress, which she found to be too proper, the second was a casual t-shirt which she found far too boring, till she settled into her current attire. A simple pair of tight pants, that were made a bit more proper with a strapless lace top, her hair down, with impeccable makeup. It was a nice middle ground of not being too overly dressed and standing out, to neither blending in.

One apparation later and Tess found herself using the key given only to come face to face with the landlady who looked surprised. "Oh, hello" she greeted softly. "Merry Christmas"

The landlady was a bit shaken only to begin prodding as to who she was. 'Are you one of the boys; invites?'

"Oh yes, Ben invited me" she allowed herself to flush, partially from embarrassment of saying it aloud and another from having to make a proper introduction and be charming to his inner circle. It was not ideal if she was disliked. "He said it was up there?"

'Benji invited you? He's never mentioned any friends before. Oh but do come along then dearie. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you'

Up she went holding the bag of presents tightly against her as she found herself walking into a bit of a larger crowd. Ben had said intimate, but even to her this seemed like more people than even he anticipated.

"So many people" she said softly.

'Ah yes, I know Benji said a small gathering but with Connor, well that boy is far more popular than given credit. But make yourself at home dearie! I'll get some wine and catch you in a bit'

And now she was alone once more. She removed her peacoat as best as she could and fiddled with her hair briefly before forcing herself to enter the circle. There was so much noise everywhere and she found herself itching to head to a wall. Rhian was set to come but probably at a later time. She couldn't find either of the tenants right now, much to her frustration.

'This was a bad idea' she thought anxiously.

So to calm herself down she took in the flat. It was lovely really, a mix of modern and antique. She was partially fond of the unique pictures on the wall, nothing overly personal ever really shown. The garish red ribbons and tassels were the biggest sign that it was Christmas.

"I'll only be gone for a moment, Ben. Just a moment!" Shoving Connor's door open with his shoulder for the millionth time, Ben repeated the other man's words to himself, imitating his bloody annoying voice. Truthfully Ben took no issue with his voice. Just the fact that he'd tricked him into staying and hosting this stupid party while he went out to get his date.

This was all a bad idea. He'd told Holmes, just as he'd been told, that it wouldn't be a big event. But just as the intended time rolled around, and entire group of strangers seemed to appear in their living room. Some had Floo'd over, others had been let up by Mrs. Stubbs. Either way, it felt like they were coming out of the woodwork, there were so many.

Not giving a rats arse about the coats in his arms, he dumped them on a growing pile on Connor's bed. Let them all sort it out in the end, he figured. That trip done, he turned to go back, hoping he was done with the hosting bits and could pleasantly sulk the night away.

He was returning to the main area, thankful that they'd transfigured the kitchen table and chairs away for more room, when he saw her. Thankfully his - he consciously swallowed at the thought he hadn't let cross his mind - girlfriend had chosen something in between her two extremes from their last meeting. He'd hated the Pureblood getup from lunch, and assumed that the jersey was a bit too casual for this sort of gathering. As usual, Ben was in a button up and slacks, though he'd chosen a dull red for the holiday.

Passing through the kitchen, he grabbed a few already filled glasses of Firewhiskey, heading her way. "Holm-um...uh. Tess." That was weird. "Find the place okay?"

It was easy enough to hear each other in the flat, even if Connor had insisted on some strange music. They kept it low for conversation.

Looking up at the clock, she had assumed that they would be okay on time. Yet Rhian was running late on the promise that she had needed to bring Heath along. She had made it a big deal once she realized that Tess had been invited by Ben himself and not by their long standing tradition of asking and then not even waiting for the rejection.

Based on all the previous parties this was not what was expected. There were a lot of people from uni, some Hogwarts alum much to her amusement. She was slowly becoming a wallflower against the black walls, that is until she was cornered by Charles. Charles had once been her Quidditch captain and a year older who made sure to be too touchy even when she had joined at 15.

'Merlin it's been a while doll, how's it been without me?'

"Fine Charles, we've been perfectly fine, currently in uni and-"

'Oh that's nice, I've been accepted by Manchester to play professionally. Isn't that great?'

"Hmm" she simply nodded once he interrupted her to talk to himself. It was the moment she saw Ben approaching and with firewhiskey that she allowed her first genuine (and relieved) smile his way.

Sliding from that perched arm of Charles, she moved closer and went to greet him the way she saw others do: a kiss on the cheek and a quick embrace. It ended up being a bit awkward with her bag and the firewhiskey he held for both of his hands. Their heights made it a bit silly but it was a clear signal she was not here to merely mingle.

Stepping back she shyly took the drink and took a long sip, nodding at his question. "Sorry" she murmured softly as she kept close. "I needed an escape. This is a lot bigger than promised Ben, where's Connor? Have you seen Rhian?"

Her questions hinted at the rising anxiety at such a large crowd and how they had to play off as normal. But there were too many variables she did not expect: her social anxiety to large crowds, his awkwardness, and the large group of spectators that knew the pairs. Lastly it was also the lying to Rhian. Who was no where to be found.

"I bought presents" she trailed off to instead finish the firewhiskey in one gulp, wincing at the burning.

Having spoken out before Tess had reached him, Ben was frozen in place when she moved into his space. A brief kiss to cheek - did people really do that? - and her hands attempted to come around him. Unfortunately for both of them, he had the drinks. Thankful to pass one over to her, he listened to her hasty apology.

After that, though, he could hear her voice change in a strange way. Her eyes flitted among the people around them, a hint of panic in them. She said she doesn't like crowds. His mouth set into a line.

"My roommate has done me the great disservice of leaving this party in my hands for the moment. And your friend," he gave the room a quick scan himself, "doesn't appear to have arrived."

Focusing back on her, Ben noticed the bags in her hands as she mentioned presents. "Oh, um... lets put those over by the tree." He nodded his head over towards the corner, taking her free hand in his. It was still weird, a strange sort of tingling sensation at the contact, but he was getting used to it.

Once those were in place, he noticed two empty chairs to the side of the tree, right by the window. They'd been taken from the kitchen and adjusted a bit for the space. He motioned for them to have a seat. "Here, this should be a bit better, yeah? At least 'til the lion shows up."

Her fear of large crowds was a simple one; from an early age she had been constantly nitpicked by them with their judgmental looks, stared and murmurs. She was too awkward during her youth and now that she believe she had come to herself it was still a stifling feeling that came over her.

So when he had grabbed her hand and had graciously removed her from the headspace she was in, she found herself squeezing his hand as he led her towards the tree. It was worth the dodging and murmurs of excuse me as she moved through the flat. Once they reached the three she slipped all the boxes of presents under and was lead to the seats.

"Here, this should be a bit better, yeah? At least 'til the lion shows up."

It was the way he said it that she felt herself blush. His considerate nature was what brought something warm run through her. 'No nom it was that firewhiskey which should not have been drunk so quickly' she thought.

Turning to face him she couldn't help but utter "This is very thoughtful of you, thank you Ben" before she kissed his cheek once more. This time it was not to set a scene but rather a genuine one of thanks. After she shyly sat and curled herself into the chair waiting for her person to come in.

Occupation : Bartender at Hookfang

"No, no, no, no. She's going to kill me, you don't understand!" Rhian wasn't really mad at Heath. She was never mad at Heath. And she honestly didn't know why that bothered her.

But they were running late to the party, as his roommate had held them up back at the dorms with some sort of gathering there. And now it was past the time she and Tess had agreed to meet. For years they'd attended things like this together, a silent agreement since neither of them were really interested in finding a real date before.

Now, however, Tess had...Ben?! Rhian still couldn't wrap her head around it. Something on her friends face had stopped Rhian from prying too much last week when they'd gotten together to celebrate her birthday. Some day soon, though, she would figure out what was going on there. Until she did, she was stuck patching things up enough with her boyfriend that he could attend the party with her.

"I know, Rhian. I told Clint we needed to leave, and we were out of there fast as we could be." His arm rested around her waist as they walked towards the flat. It wasn't an imposing gesture, just...it put her on edge.

Everything about today put her on edge, really. She was going because Tess was going. Who was going because she was now with Ben. But it didn't change the fact that it was partially Connor's flat too, and he would be there. In some way, she hoped bringing Heath would occupy her time enough to not have to speak to him at all. Though she knew that probably wouldn't happen.

They reached the door and were ushered upstairs by Mrs. Stubbs. Rhian's smile grew a bit sad, the reminder of their last meeting still fresh in her mind. It took a moment, once they were upstairs, for her to locate Tess. A few hugs later, they were a small circle between them.

"I'm so sorry, Tess. We got caught up at Heath's place by the people celebrating there. I got here as fast as I could."

Rhian was late; and Tess tried not to get too steamed. In turn, she tried to make the best of it. She was not here for Rhian, not necessarily just that, but also she allowed herself to try and practice what would be a norm in the near future. So she drank some firewhiskey that warmed her stomach, and made her curl more into the love seat.

Ben was surprisingly lovely in a detached sort of way. She did not seek out his attachment, but she did feel something warm when he tended to go away. It was the way he grumpily helped out but also, kept an eye out on her. Even from across the room he kept his eye on her and she tended to make eye contact and send him a shy smile.

It was the moment the door opened and Rhian came in that she felt her shoulders relax and got up to properly greet them. As usual she hugged Rhian and sent a small wave to Heath. Despite his time dating Rhian she had not bother to properly know him yet.

"I'm so sorry, Tess. We got caught up at Heath's place by the people celebrating there. I got here as fast as I could."

The regret and worry in Rhian's tone calmed Tess down. Both knew that lying or breaking promises was always something that never sat well between the two. So Rhian's apology meant all the more to Tess. She waved off the apology but smiled knowing she got it.

"Don't worry, it's okay, I understand. I wouldn't want to be here if it wasn't for Ben anyway. I can only imagine something similar to you" she whispered so Heath wouldn't hear.

Their chats went on about how it was going. She felt anxiety going through her as she would have to eventually properly introduce Ben and Rhian. They knew of one another and had their boundaries and lines set from Connor, but this was different. Ben now moved from 'person I know because my friend is best friends with them' to 'boyfriend of my best friend who might not like me or anyone'. It was a weird dynamic that Tess never partook in, but she took it in stride.

"Sorry if Ben hasn't come over, he's on hosting duty apparently since Connor ran out for a bit. Probably getting more food" she smiled.

Occupation : Bartender at Hookfang

The party around them was going rather well, judging by the smiling faces and the generous flow of drink. It was the first one Rhian had been to out of Hogwarts, where it was actually legal. Whereas underage parties seemed to be all about getting as black-out as possible, she noticed that the people here were simply a bit more relaxed than they probably were on a normal day. Maybe that was what it was like, being allowed to do something now.

She was thankful for the hug from Tess. Being a bit late to a party wasn't punishable crime between them, but it wasn't just 'nothing' either. Neither of the girls were fond of large groups, especially strangers. Her returned smile was in gratitude as her friend sent a civil enough greeting towards her plus one.

Rhian's face showed clear guilt as she sat down in the empty chair by Tess. It was no secret between the pair of them that Rhian was really only here to support her. And she knew better than to think Tess didn't fully understand her inviting Heath either.

The three of them fell into relatively easy conversation, Heath standing off to Rhian's side so as not to block their view of the crowd. Rhian had seen Ben floating throughout it from time to time, a perpetual frown on his face. Having acquired drinks at some point, Rhian only sipped at hers. Her stomach was in too many knots as it was to throw alcohol into the mix. One of the times she noticed Ben looking their way, she raised her glass to him, trying to be polite to the usually impolite man. For Tess.

Things were going relatively smoothly until that name popped out of Tess's mouth. Rhian's face fell blank, not wanting to show how she was feeling about all that, as she took another sip. "It's alright. I can tell he's hating it, so it's not like he's trying to stay away."

Normally she liked watching Ben be not happy. At the moment, she couldn't bring herself to care.

As the conversation flowed, it was clear that something was off. At the surface level it was clear that Rhian was on a good one. Her expression seemed relaxed but the twitch of some anxiousness and frustration eased from time to time. Tess simply rested her head against her hand as she found herself feeling the firewhiskey warming over.

Drinking and Tess were an interesting dynamic. For one thing, the times she did drink it was a visceral reaction to boredom or frustration. This time around, it was sheer boredom that rooted from anxiety. She shook her head at the thought and allowed proper conversation to start.

"He does hate it" she laughed softly, "he's awful at hiding it too" the fondness was palpable.

But as they shifted to another topic, there was one thing that she noticed. As cute as Heath was he was...well he was a bit dull in the conversation department. Yes he was nice and funny, but she found herself dozing off by staring to space and to the crowd. Ben seemed to just never come back and she knew that he was living in his actual nightmare as he catered to people who he didn't like. Connor was really pushing it by being so late.

Though before she could say anything, the door opened and Connor came in. Her lips parted in surprise when she noticed that his hands were full. For one thing one hand had a big bag of alcohol and on his left he was tugging a very beautiful girl behind him. She was actually really pretty, model pretty with bright green eyes and light blonde hair. She was tall, around 5'10 and she found herself lifting her cup and took a long sip of firewhiskey before realizing it was burning her throat.

'Oh Bollocks'

When Connor initially left he had a simple plan: pick up Claire from her flat and bring her to the Christmas Party. It was actually funny how they even started. It was the day after Rhian had made it clear they were never happening, that he found himself sitting on the bench hungover and depressed. By some miracle, Claire showed up and sat beside him to start a conversation. She so sweetly sat beside him and chatted with him about what happened.

Everything that he saw as pathetic, she saw as sweet. And it was at the end of the day, she ended up kissing him softly, giving him her information and forwardly saying that she wanted to see him again. From then on, they somehow just met. He learned that she was a student nurse, working to help with magical creatures. He didn't understand at first how someone as beautiful as her was capable of showing interest in him.

She was tall, around 5'7 and had long flowy blonde hair that reached her back, her eyes were a bright blue that glittered when she showed her wide smile. She was just as bubbly as he was and he found himself starting to heal. Did he miss Rhian? Absolutely, but she had made no effort to understand or reach out to him so he moved on. He wouldn't drink again for someone.

So as the time passed when Christmas came around he had naturally invited Claire. The reason? Ben found himself a girlfriend? It was the Holmes girl that he knew from afar and while that itself turned his stomach, he refused to go stag. Claire happily accepted knowing that it was a big deal for him. He had been honest, and even said that Rhian would be attending.

So as he said that she seemed to up her game. She wore a tight red dress, and her hair was down making her look even more beautiful than he expected. She was a good girl, a bit too into him, but overall a good time. It grew to an even bigger time once she greeted him in the dress and a good snog.

And with some hardships he forced himself to get up and tell her to get herself ready again so they could get the drinks he promised and head to the party. Three hours later, and there he was with drinks at hand and Claire beside him.

Mrs. Stubbs looked a big surprised at the girl in his arm and soon he found himself with her holding him closely as he introduced her to people and took everything in. At the corner of his eye he saw Rhian, and immediately looked away hoping she hadn't caught him. This was not the time and she was not alone.

'Neither are you' he reminded himself.

Must. Kill. Bailey. Soon. It had been three bloody hours since that arse left their flat, plenty enough time before the party was actually supposed to start. He only needed to grab a bit more alcohol and his new infatuation, then head straight back. Ben found no logical reason why he should have been gone this long.

As it was, he was stuck running around the place. He was terrible at hosting, and it wasn't even like people there wanted to talk to him. They all knew Connor, and enough of each other to stay entertained. No, the problem was that Ben had to keep refilling shit! Glasses, drinks, snacks. "Where is the bathroom?" "When's Connor getting here?" "Can we turn up the music?" "Hey, where's Connor" "Man, the musics too loud." "Have you got anymore chips?"

If someone asked him another damned question he was going to hex their hair off.

Things were getting to a bit of a flow, and he was about to finally head over to his 'date', when the prodigal son arrived. Ben's face did not hide how much he wanted to murder his flatmate, but it changed more to trepidation at the image Connor made.

Is he dating a hooker and he hasn't told me about it? Well okay, she wasn't really a prostitute. Probably. She just looked a bit like one, with the dress, and the makeup, and the obviously mussed hair. She'd tried to tidy it, but Ben could see it was less than perfect.

He made his way through the crowd. "Bailey, what in Merlin's name took you so long! I've been stuck here entertaining your guests, and I am officially done." His eyes flicked over to the girl beside his friend, not bothering to greet her in his anger.

Occupation : Bartender at Hookfang

Most of the guests were leaving their small group alone, which suited Rhian just fine. She was able to nestle in between Tess and Heath and not worry so much about others trying to butt in on their conversation.

Not that the conversation was particularly exciting. Rhian could tell Tess was a bit ahead of her in the drink department, but let it be for now. She could tell when the other girl zoned out a bit, and did the same a few times herself, admiring the tree near them. She had always loved the tree at the Song's home, and this one looked to be a recreation. Her heart ached at the reason.

Tuning back in, she heard Heath trying to talk Healer stuff with Tess. And though her friend was trying to stay polite, she could see in her eyes that she wasn't interested in talking about that stuff. Just as Rhian was going to ask Heath to get them another round, she heard commotion across the room. The crowd practically parted before her, a straight line of sight to the door.

It felt like cold water had been poured over her head. Freezing, actually. Every thought was wiped away as her eyes moved between the man that was her childhood friend and the woman by his side who was more beautiful than any she'd ever seen. Rhian's jaw dropped open at the picture they made together, all bright smiles and friends gathered round. Any hope that they may be able to act like nothing had happened died in her heart.

A stranger passed near them with a tray of shots, trying to help out the vibe. Rhian leaned over and grabbed two, downing them one after the other like water. She saw Heath's eyes widen. "What? This is Christmas. I'm allowed to have fun." But her face showed she wasn't really having any of that at all.

He excused himself to the restroom, and Rhian took the chance to stand. "I'm going for more drinks. I'll bring you back one," she murmured to Tess, and disappeared through the crowd. When she returned it was after having downed another beforehand. None of this was good, but frankly...she didn't give a fuck.

Last edited by Tess Holmes on Tue Jan 29 2019, 00:13; edited 1 time in total

Oh this was bad. Tess saw what was wrong a mile away, and immediately moved to try and pay more attention to Heath. But she had failed; for as the sea of people parted and the attention all went to the blond boy, it became a giant disaster.

Her eyes widened as soon as Rhian downed the two shots. It was not unheard of, but like her, she used alcohol when an extreme emotion was present. And this was extreme.

Tess immediately hated the girl. She was beautiful; tall, lean, gorgeous and honestly seemed to wow the room. No, this was not okay. She felt herself simmer a bit in annoyance at this especially as it lead to more drinking of Rhian. Before she could say anything, the girl had left to do more damage to her liver.

Ben thankfully came over and sat beside her. She smiled a bit silly at him and scooted over to make room in the chair for the two. Curling against him, she sleepily murmured: "You had valiant control in the situation...you domestic goddess" she smiled softly.

Their situation simply stayed the same and she was now the tortured one. Heath was so boring and she found herself nodding along and answering half-assed so as to bring him comfort. It was crappy of her friend to simply ditch her boyfriend as she dealt with unresolved tension. But then again, no one was perfect.

It was an hour later that the party began to die down. Heath awkwardly sat across from the couple wishing to leave. It was obvious from his actions and he had a good reason: Rhian never came back. Briefly they saw her chatting with someone as she gripped a glass tightly. The type of liquor changed per round and it was worrying now.

"Do you think she's okay? Connor's date is gorgeous" she murmured softly against Ben. Her eyes looked a bit sad at it all. It must be hard to have someone you love be taken away. Worse off if you caused it.

To say that this was uncomfortable, that was not the case. Everyone loved Claire, except maybe Ben. But then again Ben liked no one so it wasn't saying much if he was perfectly honest, She was charming, vibrant, and beautiful. To each and every person that she was introduced to, they instantly fell in love with her. His only complaint was that she wouldn't let go of him. Whether it be his arm, his hand, or her hands around his waist, it was clear that he belonged to her.

The only time she did let go was when he requested a drink. Connor used this excuse often and for that he was relieved. He had had many drinks this way. And it was in the midst of her pulled him to another person in question that they bumped into the person they were ignoring.

Rhian. She looked lovely this night despite it all, and he knew that it was all for her boyfriend. The guy was okay looking, a big weird with his ears but whatever. He ignored them all for the most part, and it was inevitable this would happen.

"Baby, this is Rhian a friend of mine. Rhian this is Claire" he introduced them if not a bit reluctant.

After a cursory nod at the stranger apparently attached to Connor, Ben made a beeline to the corner of the room. He was dead set on doing absolutely nothing for the rest of the evening, feeling that he'd earned that right. Connor could take care of clean up as well, if he had his way. It was uncalled for, the amount of 'chatting' he'd had to do in one evening; his skin was practically itching with all the unwanted contact, physical and verbal.

Reaching their designated corner, Ben slumped onto the front edge of the reasonably large chair. He'd seen Tess's friend using the other and he didn't want to deal with the awkwardness of her return. Not when he could perch on the edge of what was usually his own chair. It was strange, though, sharing it with another person. Tess moved her body over a bit to give him room and he leaned back, eyes drifting closed in the hope for a moment of peace.

They shot open just as quickly when it felt as if an octopus was trying to hug him. Apparently Tess's arms were a bit on the leaden side - probably from drinking - and had no qualms in wrapping themselves around his torso. Her head rested in the general vicinity of his shoulder as he stared down at her like she'd sprouted two heads, not even registering her words.

She seemed to shift her focus then to the boy across from them. Gathering information as they spoke, Ben learned he was here with the Kael girl. And dull as they come. He felt absolutely no need to contribute to the conversation, instead closing his eyes again and taking in the strange sensation of sharing body heat with another person. Maybe heat is not always bad, he mused.

The party went on around them with little care from Ben. Eventually Tess tried to get his attention. He scoffed. "Tall, blonde, beautiful," he droned. "Boring." He moved a bit to stretch his back from the long held position. When he returned to relaxing, his arm rested over Tess's shoulders naturally, allowing for a more comfortable position.

"She's a Gryffindor, right? I think she'll cope." About the only thing he enjoyed about the house. They were resilient if nothing else.

Occupation : Bartender at Hookfang

The last half hour or so Rhian had spent in the not too terrible company of a group of Quidditch players. She enjoyed the game well enough as a spectator during Hogwarts, and could follow them well enough to pretend to be interested. Truthfully, though, the world was swimming just a tad too much for her to care. The music around them lulling her into some semblance of contentment, she closed her eyes and swayed to the music.

She didn't realize really how long she'd been away from Tess and Heath. An elbow in the back threw her back into her definitely drunk reality. A blissed out smile on her face, she turned to tell the person there was no harm done.

There was that dumb freezing ice again. She needed to find the owner and give it back to them. Her smile fell slowly, the emotion draining from her face completely. It felt floating down to Earth after dancing on cloud.

Disappointing, but inevitable.

I'll show you where you can shove that 'baby', a stranger's voice taunted back in her mind. Hush you, Handsome is talking, a reply came out of the void. A swift tide if alcoholic euphoria swept her away, and Rhian's smile came back ten fold.

"Hi!" If the word was drawn out a bit longer than normal she didn't quite care. "Claire? It's so awesome to meet you!" She reached out her hand to shake that of the other girls, which was slow to meet Rhian's.

After a moment or two of that, Rhian's mouth opened in shock as she pulled it closer to her to examine. "How in the hell do you get them to do that?" The girls nails seemed to swirl of their own accord, changing colors as they morphed into intricate patterns. She brought her other hand up to brush across the top of the polish, feeling the smooth glide of the material.

Connor had bad taste in his mouth at the introduction. He felt Claire's nails dig into his side the moment that he uttered Rhian's name. Ever since they got 'together', the name Rhian was never mentioned between the two. It was a taboo phrase, and if he was perfectly honest, it just create awkwardness. His um..girl? His girl made it clear that she was angry at Rhian for so cruelly breaking his heart. She had called Rhian selfish, and an idiot.

So since then he felt himself automatically get angry when ever her name was mentioned or even saw her. If he was honest it still stung and it often times replayed, even when he was laying in bed with the blonde beside him. It hurt and time wasn't always away. It was rarely not there, there were moments when he was with Claire or in class that he got distracted and let his mind wander. Yet it always came back.

Now it was actually embarrassing to see Rhian react that way. She was clearly intoxicated and he sheepishly saw the girls shake hands. Claire played it extra nice, much to his relief and he squeezed her hip signalizing his thank you.

'Oh honey, are you okay? You look like you had a bit too many' Claire giggled. 'I heard a lot about you, is that your boyfriend over there? Look Connor that's the boy, how adorable'

He felt a tug of annoyance at the questioning, but small talk was needed before it would be okay for him to avoid her. Looking away he instead looked at his friend who looked like he was dozing off with his girl on his side. 'Weird, but a better view than Rhian'

Occupation : Bartender at Hookfang

A voice like melted butter seemed to cascade over Rhian's senses. The feeling of her subconscious - or maybe it was her conscious - trying to grab her attention felt like a subtle tap on her shoulder. She looked over to her left, checking to see if someone was there, a soft chuckle escaped her lips.

"I'm just fine. But thank you for asking, that's really sweet." Truly. Rhian had just met her and the beautiful woman in front of her was showing greater concern than the man wrapped around her. She leaned in a bit to stage whisper to only her, "Takes more than a fifth to send me packing." It may have been less, maybe more. She lost count.

Emotions flitted across her face in rapid fire. Confusion into pain, at the knowledge of what the pretty girl had probably heard. Just as rapidly into exasperation and sorrow. The former at having to eventually return the the man that she was inevitably going to break up with, if only because there was no spark between them. He was nice and all, just...no life to him. The latter...at her luck.

Her first romance and she hadn't even enticed him enough to kiss her in these past few months.

"He's nice," she sighed. The corners of her eyes pricked in an unexpected way and she sniffed, screwing up her mouth at all the things she wouldn't say. Not with the man standing next to the angel in front of her so near.

How was it that this was the girl that Connor once felt affection for? Claire wrinkled her nose for a brief second before a false sense of concern overcame her. The short girl was clearly out of control and it was actually pathetic to really take her in.

"He's nice" her voice was high pitch and mocking in a way before she comfortably went back into the nice girl act. "Well a nice girl like you deserves a nice guy"

She was usually a nice person but the idea of Connor feeling something for someone like the girl beside her made her feel uncomfortable. Connor was a good guy; handsome, funny and he was overall just sweet. She deserved someone like that.

"Just like I deserve a handsome man like mine" she turned to properly kiss a surprised Connor. "Remind me to take my pajamas tomorrow morning. I left my favorite pair"

She turned to face Rhian and gave her a secretive smile. "You know how it can be. You get too comfortable and just leave your clothes overnight."

Connor in turn, looked away only to be brought back for a kiss from Claire. He naturally kissed her back and kissed her forehead signaling for her to play nice. He did not want anything to break out, but he felt himself flush once the mention of her pajamas was brought up.

"Well you need something here anyways. Don't want Ben seeing things he shouldn't" he cracked a joke.

"Rhian perhaps you should head back to your boyfriend he looked a bit bored and...and you look like you need to sleep"

Occupation : Bartender at Hookfang

That honeyed voice turned to acid in Rhian's ear; the rose tinted glasses the drinks had given her shattered. Her eyes flitted over the girls perfectly crafted features. The subtle sneer, the mocking eyes. It was captivating and horrifying to see.

Her mind was telling her to bow out, to go back to her only friend, when it felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. Her face crumbled as she watched them kiss. That's what she was missing with Heath. That was what love looked like. The ease...and the small kiss on the forehead. In that moment, everything she'd ever told herself about love - how she deserved all the love in the world, and that she would find it one day - drifted away like the wind.

Her eyes were watering, probably from the drink. Definitely from the drink. As she went to tuck her hair behind her ear, their words trickled into her muffled mind.

Claire was being mean. Rhian's eyes scanned her, and then over to Connor as he added to the mocking from the girl. They were making fun of her. Not in so many words, but she knew better than to think they were offhandedly having this conversation. They were being cruel for no reason, and Rhian felt heat flood her face in anger.

And then he had to go and say that! Her face screwed up in rage, her hands flexing at her side. "Don't pretend you give a shit, Bailey." The hair raised on the back of her neck as a lamp near them sizzled and popped into blackness. She didn't bother to look in its direction, using the distraction to push past them, grab a rather full bottle, and swiftly moved out the door of the flat.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she thought about going out the front. But a bit of sense halted her. Looking back, she saw the door to Mrs. Stubb's home open, remembering that she was upstairs chatting with a group of women. In no time at all she was through the flat and out the back door into the bitter cold.

Her blood was boiling and she barely felt the cold that was freezing her breath in front of her. The sweater dress was warm enough, but since it only reached to mid-thigh, and she'd forgotten shoes, her feet were quick to chill. She couldn't seem to care, taking a generous gulp of the harsh liquid that didn't even burn anymore.

The moon above was laughing at her as tears made their way down her cheeks. "Fuck you," she murmured to its smiling face.

It was actually painful to watch Rhian be this inebriated and be as pathetic as she was. His words were not malicious in any way when he had said it; well at first there was a slight bite to it, but he wanted her to go away. With Claire he felt like he was in a protective bubble of sorts where the pain lessened and the hormones won over everything.

Yet the quick shift from pathetic to harsh was unexpected and not needed. The confused soon shifted into anger. How dare she be so rude to his girl?

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he hissed in return making sure to keep his tone down.

Before he could say anything more, Rhian ran off and he found himself frustrated. He wanted to yell at her, how dare she do that? Turning over to Claire he looked a bit put out not knowing what to do.

'She's drunk darling. And while she's a bitch for doing that, she can't be alone.'

Nodding he kissed her once more before rushing down and trying to meet her. There was something brewing inside of him and it was anger. How dare she come to his home only to get drink and fuck off? He was going to hear her.

"Fuck you too Rhian" He yelled at her as he reached the bottom of the stairs. "What the hell is wrong with you making a scene like that? What did Claire even do to you? What did I do to you?"

Occupation : Bartender at Hookfang

This was all a horrible idea. She shouldn't have come here, even for Tess. The other girl was just fine, if her last glimpse of her and her boyfriend was anything to go by. They were snuggled so perfectly into the plush chair that they looked made for each other, Ben relaxing in a way Rhian had never seen him. It was so perfect Rhian wanted to hate them. But she didn't.

Speaking of hate, she heard a voice coming through the flat behind her that she had no wish to hear. Couldn't he leave her alone? Sure, she'd come here knowing he'd be here. But he could have avoided her, like he had for most of the night. He could have said hi and bye and went on his way. Instead, Connor and that vile woman had to parade their happiness in front of her.

When his words were clear enough for her to understand, it felt like he'd slapped her across the face. They'd said "Fuck you" to each other in jest for years, with friendship and respect. But that was gone now, and she felt something inside of her break, the shattered pieces razer sharp.

She spun around to face him, her Gryffindor pride not allowing her to back down from a fight. "Absolutely nothing," she almost laughed, wiping at the tears that were tickling the side of her nose. "Your perfect princess was absolutely wonderful. And you," The anger in her eyes gave way to hurt for a moment.

Her skin was starting to numb, but the tingling feeling in her legs at the bitter cold made her itch. Itch to run, itch to fight. She took another pull from the bottle and laughed.

"You are just so fucking....perfect. Everything is fucking perfect. I'm so happy for you." A laugh that was half sob escaped her chest, her heart racing.

Connor was completely confused why she was such a mess. Was it simply because she was that drunk? They've been drunk before and properly took care of herself and the most they did was laugh and probably talk about dreams. This side of her was so ugly and bitter. Especially as she spat out the false niceties were not necessary.

"Are you serious right now?! Why are you so bitter about my relationship? I have all the rights to be happy, it's about time I have someone that actually likes me and treats me nicely. And yes she is a princess! How is it that it's okay for you to be the only one happy? Don't be ugly"

Maybe it was his own drinks that were getting to him too, but he knew that his words were lace with malice near the end. But she was absolutely a mess and he was not putting up with it. Why should he feel bad for her being a mess when she had driven him into a drunken stupor?

'Stop being so sentimental, let her leave' a voice very much like Ben rang in his head.

"Look, I'm just gonna get your boyfriend and have you both leave. This has gone long enough"

Occupation : Bartender at Hookfang

Bitter. Yeah, that was about right. This perfect woman waltz into her life, hanging off the arm of the only man who'd ever really given a damn about her in any meaningful way. She got to spend time with him, talk with him. Share her life with him, share his. All the things that she didn't have anymore.

How could I not be bitter? she wondered.

Taking his verbal lashing, she felt her anger simmering a bit. She was acting like a child who's toy had been taken from her. But as he brought up Heath, talked about her being happy, something in her snapped. The bottle in her hand dropped to the dead grass beside her, her hands fisting in her hair.

"You know nothing!" she yelled, moving towards him. With no shoes on she was laughably short compared to Connor, having to tilt her head up even as she stood over a foot way. "I haven't been happy for one fucking day since I left on that bike." A bike that sat in the backyard at home, since the night she and Tess hung out at the bar. The look in her eyes held the truth of her words. She counted Heath in that lack of happiness.

"That woman...that stranger...she has you." It was was too much, her chest feeling tight so she couldn't quite catch a breath. But Rhian wasn't weak. She wouldn't be. Instead, she pushed him in the chest will all the force she could muster. "You were mine!" Another shove. "You pushed me away." Another sob and only one hand came back up, pounding over his heart.

"You told me you would never leave!"

Connor was speaking from an ugly place. It was the resentful and anger floating through the pair. He was tired of having to pretend to be happy while she ended up simply pushing him and his emotions to the side for the new guy. Heath The chap looked nice enough a bit dull if the faces were enough but he seemed entertaining enough for her to stay around.

The ugly possessiveness in her tone is what changed everything. The anger slowly dissipated and he found himself looking a bit lost for a brief second. So now she felt a need to want him? So now she acted the victim. So as she cried, he found himself simmering with anger. This wasn't fair and he wasn't going to hold back. With every push that she didn't budge him, and instead he found himself taking a step back and making it clear he was done being touched.

"You were right. I was yours, I did everything for you. I was there for every triumph and every heartbreak. I was there when you needed me. I gave you everything" his voice cracked. "And the moment you could you twisted my emotions and put them aside for your convenience. Why is it my fault your sad? I fucking loved you!" he screamed. "What am I supposed to do, wait for you until you wanted me again? Stop being a child Rhian, you caused this"

Slowly his shoulders sagged and he looked a bit defeated at the heartbreak really sinking in.

» Shiver (Ben) (Warning: Drug Use)
» Don't Be Cruel (Ben)(Warning: Drug Use)
» Long Time No See (Mycroft)