Competition

Chapter 4- Dinner

As Lou opened the door a different smell hit me from Lou's car and the streets outside. The scents of dinner cooking and wine being poured filled my lungs. There were hints of a sweet candle burning. The inside of the building was warm with heat but not a suffocating heat. A comforting one like when walking to a fire pit in the middle of winter. The colors of the walls and furniture in the building was also warm with browns and yellows to fill the space on the floor. It was a big area, bigger than I had expected.

I looked around and saw Tammy talking to another woman standing around the couch in the middle of the main room, the living room I'm guessing. The woman she was with was tall, not as tall as Lou, with long brown hair. Her hair was parted in the middle and there was a slight wave with each strand. She was pretty, stunning, but not the same beauty I saw in Lou.

The woman looked at me and Lou causing Tammy to look at us too. Tammy gave us a big smile and paused her conversation to come up to me and give me a big hug. I let go of Lou's hand as I reciprocated the hug. It felt nice to be with Tammy again. She was a ray of sunshine even though the actions she did were not always golden.

I greeted Tammy and smiled back at her. She let go of the hug but slid her hands down the side of my arms so that she grasped both of my hands in hers.

"It's so good to see again. It's been so long" She said with a huge grin. She glanced at Lou and then back at me. I knew she didn't know what exactly was going on between me and Lou and neither did I really.

"It's good to see you too, you look amazing by the way" I returned her fondness although I did not know much about her and her life since she had started her new family. I didn't care much to be informed about it though, it only mattered that I was with one of my closest friends again.

"Hey, I know you don't know everyone here so is it okay if I show you around the place and let you meet everyone" Tammy knows I'm a nervous wreck in front of new people. She could sense that kind of thing and she was never nervous around crowds. That's why we were so close because she knew how to make me feel comfortable and my quietness blended with her loudness to make a perfect duo.

"I would love that" It was so nice to be with Tammy again. She was so fun and enjoyable to be with. She was like if home were a person. There to comfort me and keep me safe. Sometimes I wished that there were more flaws in her so that I could be that person for her to feel safe with, but she didn't need that type of person in her life like I did in mine. Still I knew she thought of me as someone she would not leave behind and I was fine with that.

I hadn't even realized that Lou was no longer by my side. Tammy was starting to walk around the building and my eyes could only search for Lou. Where did she disappear to? My eyes kept scanning the room.

All of a sudden Daphne was in front of me.

"Hey stranger!" She said, opening her arms for a hug.

"Daphne!" I smiled and hugged her tightly. "It's so nice to see you"

"I know I'm a terrible friend for not saying anything to you sooner, but I hope you'll forgive me because I want to stay in touch now" I saw the sincereness in her eyes as she talked. She was completely serious about staying in touch now. There was almost a desperation in her eyes and voice. Where were her famous friends? I didn't really care, I just know that Daphne is a good person at heart. I wouldn't mind being friends with her again. I did miss our conversations every once in a while.

"That sounds amazing" I said in the most genuine way I could. I wanted to show her that I was true in my words because I knew she was with hers. All she did was smile at me, she was at a loss of words. Do other famous people not show her kindness often? Why was she not used to the feeling of friendliness?

It puzzled me but Tammy was already leading me into another area of the building, so I did not have time to stay on one thought. It almost felt like I might blackout with the overload of thoughts that were soaring through my mind. Where was Lou? I still haven't seen her since we entered.

"This is Constance, Nine Ball, and Amita" Tammy's words brought me back down to reality. "This is Y/N, she is having dinner with us". They were all sitting down at a small table and all looked up at me. Nine Ball was in front of a laptop and Constance and Amita were sitting on each side of her like they were learning something that had to do with Nine's laptop. They were all very pretty. Each distinctly different from each other. I couldn't imagine how they all managed to become friends. They were all from different parts of New York. They all stared deeply in my soul trying to read the reason why I was with them, in the same building as them. It wasn't a mean stare, but more of a confused one.

"Hello" "Hey what's up" "Nice to meet you" They all replied, talking over each other.

"Hey guys" I didn't know how else to greet them all.

Moving on quickly, Tammy led me to another corner of the building to where a shorter woman sat with a sketch book in hand, drawing and doodling. I could tell she was more shy than the others. Her hair was a mess, a mess that fit her energy. She looked up from her sketches and smiled sweetly at me.

"Y/N, this is Rose, she's a fashion designer" I had seen her before in magazines with her work. I never bought any of the pieces, they were always too expensive for me. Lately her work was also a little old for my taste, but I respected her designs. I saw that she was sketching shirts, pants, and dresses on her paper. They were nice. Different from her usual stuff that I had seen before. I still couldn't grasp how she fit in with the others I met a second ago.

"Oh Hello, ehh umm, Tammy and Daphne both had talked about you before you arrived" She was Irish. She had a sweetness and softness to her. I could tell she was a bit nervous. I don't know why though, and Tammy and Daphne talked about me. I wonder what they said. I hope all good things. Was Lou present when they talked about me? Where was Lou? Oh Shit I need to say something back to her. I don't want to seem rude.

"Have they? Well it's nice to meet you. I've seen your designs around town before. I like your work" I made her blush. It was cute.

Before I knew it, Tammy was leading me to another area of the building. We went into the kitchen. There Lou was with the woman Tammy was talking to when I had first walked in. Lou and the woman were very close as they spoke to one another. Their voices were low and quiet. I couldn't tell what they were talking about. I also couldn't tell if they were friends or more than that. I didn't like the idea that they were together. If they were, why was I there to begin with? It bothered me a bit, but Tammy advanced with me closer to the both of them.

Lou saw me first and locked eyes with me. Looking into her eyes made me fall into a trance. I couldn't look away and I was lost within the beauty and deepness in her and in her soul. I loved looking at her. If it were up to me, I would never look away.

"You obviously know Lou, but this is Debbie, our ring leader" Tammy was joking around as she normally did. Debbie grinned a bit as Tammy said this, but stopped as she looked at me. Debbie, she was intimidating and a little scary.

"Hello Y/N, so you're the one that Tammy, Daphne, and Lou rave about" She reached her hand out to shake mine. I shook it carefully, still sceptical about whether she knew something I didn't.

Lou talked about me too. I wonder what she said. I looked up at Lou but she wasn't making any eye contact with me or Debbie. Was she nervous? Why would she be nervous?

"Hello Debbie, it's nice to meet you" I sound like I'm at work. What am I doing?

A timer went off to break our interaction.

"Dinner is ready" Debbie shouted out. Debbie walked away to place the food on a big table that was already set with plates and silverware. Elegant.

~Authors note: Hey guys I hope you like it. Please ignore any spelling or grammar mistakes lol. Also comment what yall think and if you have any suggestions or anything.  I think I'm going to add smut in the next chapter hehe - J