Book III of UNC Series
While it's known that there are five stages of grief, did you know that there are also five stages of love?
Bailey Nicholson dreamed of finishing her Master's degree and settling in Boston while working alongside her boyfriend...
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Stepping over the threshold of the third party of the night, I'm met with loud music and clusters of sweaty bodies as they thrash and mingle around me. While I usually attend these parties alone, especially these past few months, I'm excited that I won't be alone tonight.
Not just the expected company I'll have by coming here tonight, but also because of my friends that joined me tonight.
The frigid cold curls around my bare legs as I glance behind me at Mia and her boyfriend, Noah, who's visiting for the weekend.
It's his first visit back since he started playing for the Montreal Hawks a month ago. I'm surprised he had the time to visit, considering his busy schedule, but with a game in Pittsburgh, he had time to slip away for the weekend to see Mia.
Mia has been elated all day, apparently restless and bouncing around at work, excited and eager for Noah's arrival. While she wanted to spend more alone time with him, she wanted him to forget about his stressful hockey schedule and decided to join me tonight. Not that I minded. Despite the stinging reminder that this could have been Chase if things had gone right, I missed Noah's presence, who had been a great friend since my first year.
Ryan couldn't join us tonight—which has become the norm since she started her master's program—as she passed out as soon as she got back from her meeting, having stayed up all night to work on a research paper. Despite her supervisor, Dr. Weiss, telling her that she's ahead of schedule for her thesis paper that isn't due until the end of the year, she's studious as ever and wanted to make sure she hadn't missed anything.
She even slept through a call with Carsen, who called me to make sure she was okay. If she didn't wake up for Carsen, there was no way I was going to get her up for a Halloween party.
I sweep through the front foyer, peering into the living room to see the couches pushed back to open up the floor for dancing and games. The bay windows are blacked out, shrouding the entire room into darkness except for a party disco ball tucked into the corner, spotting the ceiling and walls with dots of colour.
Without being too suspicious, I peek around, hoping to catch sight of the one person I had truly hoped to see here. I didn't rush over here knowing this is where he would be—because it happens to be Sutherland, his best friend's place—for that exact reason. And we usually party hop on nights like tonight, and staying here would have made Mia suspicious.
I head into the kitchen in the guise of finding a drink—though, in all honesty, I really do need one—as I catch Sutherland crowding a girl against the counter as he smirks down at her. The girl with a slight tan blushes as she pinches her lips together.
She's dressed as a doctor, but it's Sutherland, wearing a white lab coat, with his afro hair spiked up and tinted to the colour of light blue, who holds the stethoscope in his hands.
I bite the inside of my cheek, leaving them to be as I head towards the opposite counter to grab myself a bottle of Ciroc. Having taken a few shots at the other parties, I wanted to slow my drinking to avoid the nasty hangover I'll be sure to have in the morning.
