OLD MONEY I DRAMA LIFE LOVE

surprise

Luisa's POV:

"Fabi," I greet him in surprise as he storms out of Alex's and my apartment, loud noises being heard from inside. It's funny, Alex isn't going to be "Oh, you're not even here yet?" Fabi replies, no less surprised, "Where are you coming from so late?" "I had a job interview at a law firm," I explain to him, "It's only 7 pm, isn't it? What's going on in our apartment?" 

Please just tell me he's not having a party. Please, Fabi. I need to catch up on sleep and be fit for tomorrow. If my parents are going to run me into the ground, I want to be well-rested. "See for yourself," Fabi says with a sigh and steps aside so that I can open the front door wider and discover party lights on the wall. The music is also getting louder. Who would think of partying now of all times? Hardly Alex. He knows how important tomorrow is for me. "Your boyfriend is somewhere in the kitchen," Fabi nods at me. 

When did he start nodding distantly at me? "Are you-" "No. It's... Oh, see for yourself," mumbles Fabi, annoyed, but I don't get a funny feeling. He's not annoyed because of me, but because of... Alex? But why would Fabi disturb the party? 'I'll come and see you in a minute,' I smile at Fabi before entering the apartment. 

It's a small party and yet there are far too many people here for me. I'm still wearing my suit. I just don't want it to get dirty now. As if I have any money left for dry cleaning after tomorrow. I take the direct route to the bedroom unnoticed, hoping that no snogging couple is waiting for me there. Luckily Alex has locked the door.

Not such a spontaneous idea after all... otherwise he would hardly have been able to prepare the party like this. Now I just have to find him. The space is exhausted down to the last centimeter, so I scan the room superficially, and a certain tall man with brown hair catches my eye. What's Mike doing here, please? Next to him is Maxi, of course. Well, the fact that Maxi is here doesn't really surprise me after his approach to Alex, but Mike's presence remains surprising. We had a good chat recently, but that probably wouldn't change the situation for him.

"There you are at last!" Hannah's voice suddenly sounds next to me, despite my hopes of finally seeing Alex. I'm glad to see her, but I still want to find Alex at last. "How at last?" I say in surprise, but hug her with relief. "Alex said you should be here soon. I was just waiting for you, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to stand seeing Maxi and Mike claiming to be Alex's friends." "Actually, they are-" 

"There you are," Alex interrupts me in surprise, which makes me very happy. Finally. "Hey, yeah," I greet him in surprise and briefly return his kiss, "Do you have the key to the bedroom? I really need to get changed." "Yeah, sure, how did your conversation go?" "Fine, I guess," I say curtly, as he probably won't be too interested in the details tonight. "Everything okay?" Alex asks me, frowning. What answer does he expect? Sure, everything's okay, there's a huge party going on here while I have to prepare myself for the second worst day emotionally. 

"Is everything okay with you?" I reply, "Fabi stomped out in a huff. I have to go up and see him in a minute." "No, Lu, stay here," Alex asks me, also annoyed, "Fabi just shouldn't get involved. I know you're seeing your parents tomorrow, but you'll be glad to be rid of them. Think of it as an early celebration." Alex shrugs his shoulders, but I look at him in horror. "This is still my family, Alex," I clarify calmly but firmly.

"Please don't justify her behavior with a fact that is pure coincidence. Have you forgotten what happened in the last few months? Your parents have threatened to sue you for millions. Do you think that's normal?" "No, I don't think so. But they are my parents and I'm sticking to that. Just because they're increasingly misbehaving doesn't mean I don't care about them. I understand that there's been a lot of drama for you, but that's just the way it is at the moment. You can carry on partying", I say snippily. 

I hate it when I can't stay calm. Why does he have to have a party now of all times? It's all too much for me. Just some information would have been nice. Mike, my parents, Maxi's change, Fabi and Alex... far too many events at once. "That's not what it's about, Lu," Alex sighs, but when I ask him what it's about, he can't give me an answer either. "I need to talk to Fabi now," I inform him and walk out of the apartment and upstairs.

"Hey, are you okay?" I greet Fabi cautiously as he hugs me tensely. "Yeah, I'm fine. Had a discussion with Alex." "About what?" "I couldn't believe he was having a party in your apartment now, of all times. It's crazy." "It's okay," I say calmly, enjoying the moment up here, "You weren't arguing, were you?" With the exception of a grumble, Fabi just ignores me. 

"Have you seen the surprise guests yet? Mike and Maxi invited Alex too." "Since when does he have anything to do with Mike and then invites him here?" I ask, confused. I really want to ask him what he thinks, how it can be that Alex is behaving so strangely, but to be honest, I'm afraid of the answer so I don't dig any deeper. "No idea", says Fabi, shrugging his shoulders. 

If my parents weren't giving me a headache, I might be able to get through today, but there's only one thing to do. "I understand that you don't want to talk much after the surprise, but I don't want to hide away either. How about playing a song afterwards? I'd be happy to stand next to you like a groupie," I grin encouragingly, which makes Fabi smile. "You want me to join Alex's friends and just sing to them?" "Don't pretend they're not your friends too. You're terrible when you want to hide away in your apartment. If Leo were here now-" 

"Then he would have transferred five million to you and flown to Australia with you," Fabi finishes my sentence differently than planned, but he's probably right, "Besides, be proud of yourself for saying his name without being sad." "That's true," I concede with satisfaction, "I'd rather have a memory of Leo than nothing at all. Just think, I've learned a lot in the last few months too." "More than you think," Fabi agrees proudly, "All right. Go ahead and I'll catch up with you."