In the Life of a Rose

June 13, 2021

In the Life of a Rose...

Scott had taken Chris to Disneyland for his birthday to see the Avenger's Campus and all. He believed I didn't go because I was having a stomach ache from the Taco Bell we had for dinner but in reality, I was planning a surprise party.

I asked Scott for help with the invitations so all of his friends could come and enjoy his fortieth birthday. With the governor saying we didn't have to wear masks outside, I decided to have the party on the patio in the back.

We were still in LA at the time, so the backyard that hadn't been used in a while needed to be cleaned. I started the week before, telling Chris that I wanted to use it for the summer— which was true, but it's wasn't all of it.

I tied the last ballon to the patio's gazebo where I hired someone to grill meat next to other catered food: mac and cheese, marinera-sauced pasta, salad, hot dog and burger buns, and more along with coolers of drinks. For dessert, the cheesecake was stocked in the fridge and I decorated the candy table, mostly gummy bears. I had also hired a DJ to play some music because my music taste wasn't mainstream.

"I'll be back," I told the chef and he nodded as I went inside. I pushed the office table into the corner before going upstairs and into my room.

My hair was in shoulder-length passion twists and my makeup was done lightly with a bronze eye look. The dress I was sliding down my body was similar to Selena Gomez's pink floral dress but it was red and a little shorter, coming up to my calves. I remembered I got it many years ago during quarantine when Chris gave me his debit card to go online shopping— good times.

I sprayed my best perfume and put on some sandals. I was about to leave the room when I stepped back in to open a drawer. There, I had safely kept the gold necklace Chris had bought me for my birthday. It was only right to wear it on my open neck.

A short gasp came from my lips when I heard the doorbell ring. My sandals hit the hardwood floor of the stairs and  I sharply inhaled when I saw the group of people standing in front of me.

"You must be Lisa," I smiled at her.

"And the rest of the bunch," she responded as I welcomed her in. "This is Shanna and Carly."

"Hi!" we all exclaimed, too excited to meet each other.

"I just wanted to let you know that you're the first guests, please make yourselves comfortable in the backyard, and the bathroom is on the left of the windows," I said, leading them to the back.

Soon after, Sebastian, Anthony, and Scarlet came in and they told me that Robert was right behind them. I assumed they carpooled. Robert Downey Junior pranced in, passing my welcoming wave. At first, he was acting rude but then he turned around, laughing it off and I joined in as I gave him a side hug.

I opened the door to a woman with dark brown hair and a golden dress, standing with a present in her hand. I completely forgot to set a table for presents and other things. The second thing I missed was that I didn't remember inviting her.

"Hi," I said, opening the door wider for her to come in. "I'm Thea. I don't remember..."

"I'm Tara," she told me. "Scott sent me the invitation."

"Oh! Okay," I nodded. I remembered that Chris had mentioned that his best friend's name was Tara and since Scott had brought her, then it was fine. My nerves relaxed, even more, when Lisa hugged her too.

"Uhm? Where can I put this?" she asked.

"Next to the candy," I said before greeting more people, one of them being Chris Hemsworth. Once I thought everyone was here, I finally went to the backyard to socialize.