ᴀ ɴɪɢʜᴛ ɪɴ ᴘᴀʀᴀᴅɪꜱᴇ | 𝘓𝘰𝘶 𝘹 𝘋𝘦𝘣𝘣𝘪𝘦

ten

Ａ ＮＩＧＨＴ ＩＮ ＰＡＲＡＤＩＳＥ

- Eleventh of August, 2014.

ᴏɴᴇ ᴛʀᴀʏ ᴏꜰ ꜱᴏᴅᴀ that was being passed around the party quickly turned into two trays of soda. Then, in an instant, there were six trays of soda, and seven, and eight. Before anyone noticed, the countless times drinks were continually being served by waitresses were like hors d'oeuvres.

Lou felt as though she was having a fancy bender one moment, and then, with the blink of an eye, everything around her was high as fuck and everyone was believing their own myths about themselves. Tonight, it seemed like everyone was a star; arrogant talks filled the air, partly because everyone thought that this could only happen tonight. Tammy has gone superior to her own party as everything went wild and out of control, but then again, who knows, because somewhere in the house, Tammy was also just enjoying the moment. Getting lost on the dance floor.

Lou was offered a line of tequila by no fewer than three waitresses before she finally said, "I'm good. Stop offering me alcohol, thanks." She walked to the patio by the fire pit, leading to the pool side, because she wanted some fresh air. That was what she'd convinced herself — no matter how hard Lou tries to deny it, truth cannot be concealed with absolute pretension; she knows deep inside the exact reason why she's gone into that part of the house. Now, Lou is lost and stuck between these strangers, pacing back and forth.

The wind blew harshly outside as she looked around and saw a few people Lou didn't seem to recognize. She lost count of how many times she'd said 'sorry' and 'excuse me' as she made her way to wherever she didn't even know. This party is a mess. She felt bad for the people who would clean this mess up tomorrow. Finally, Lou muttered, She felt like she'd finally breathed. The outside part of the house gave her a refreshing feeling, like she'd swam to the surface after wandering the sea. Her eyes roamed around, trying to reward herself with the hope of seeing her.

Debbie left after the encounter Lou had with Therese. Although Lou doesn't want to take up anything out of what came about, the chances aren't unimaginable after all. Lou was sure Debbie didn't care about her at all, but she was convinced she saw something in Debbie's face when she saw her talked with Therese. After all, Debbie is good about this: pretending everything is okay. She searched, unable to deny her reasons anymore. Where are you, Debbie Ocean?

Going outside, Lou Miller's intention was clear: to find Debbie Ocean. Alas, little did she fathom that her quest would prove to be a veritable Pandora's box, unleashing upon her a deluge of heartache and sorrow and dredging up long-forgotten wounds that had been carefully buried within the recesses of her heart.

Tucked in a corner, Debbie was scouring the crowd as if she could get something out of it. Her dress felt incapable of making her feel warm against the nippy climate of the ocean. Claude was talking about a lot of things, narrating her stories as they sat in peace. Her heart raced as she saw someone she was sure to be familiar with. Was it the alcohol penetrating over her mind? Is she that drunk to hallucinate? But Lou Miller was standing meters away from where she's sitting.

"Are you still listening?" Claude asked her. Debbie looked at him, hesitating to take her eyes off the blonde who was walking away, trudging like she was about to chase someone. A bitter smile formed at the corners of her lips. Why would she look for you, idiot? The blonde is busy with her new brunette. She felt her heart ache. Her mind once again stormed with surges of despair that hung out of the narrow space, like the ocean had brought her misery all over again. Why does it have to hurt every time I'm here? Over the past years, Malibu has done one thing to crush her — like how waves desire to be hurled up against the shore — to wound her heart.