Chapter Two | It Feels Good
The two pulled up across the road from where Brett lived. It turned out the guy had made his fortune young or he had very generous parents. He lived in the penthouse of an apartment building along the seafront, so he had a spectacular view of the sea. As they made their way up to the top of the building in the lift, Melissa opened her bottle of Malibu and took several swigs of the stuff. Lizzie wrinkled her nose. Malibu was nice, but drinking it straight? Melissa had to really like coconut flavoured rum to be able to do that. Melissa grinned cheekily when she caught Lizzie giving her a serious look.
"I like to feel a little loosened up before I walk into a party. It gives me confidence and overall, I have a better time. Drinking in the lift up allows me to do that. You should try it," she said before unscrewing the bottle and taking a few more gulps.
"I can't drink this without a mixer," Lizzie replied, but unscrewed her bottle anyway. She looked at the liquid inside with distaste. The last time she had drank spirits without a mixer was four years ago. She'd only had the courage to start drinking again on her eighteenth birthday, seeing as the last time she had drank her boyfriend had disappeared and... She shook her head. She wasn't going to let thoughts of Mike ruin her evening. It had been four years. She was older and more experienced and responsible. And it wasn't even her fault in the first place! She took three gulps of vodka and the liquid stung as she swallowed and she squeezed her eyes shut as she forced it down.
"That's it!" Melissa exclaimed as the lift doors opened to reveal a hallway and a set of double doors before them. "Let's get this party started!" The two of them walked swiftly forward and Melissa opened one of the doors. The music was blasting out loudly, people were everywhere and the penthouse was... sparkling. There was glitter everywhere. The walls were painted white and they were glossy and the sparkled like they were covered in millions of tiny diamonds. The furniture was elegant and simple and had been pushed to one side of the room to allow people to dance and mingle without something getting in their way.
"It's so..." Lizzie searched for a word and Melissa giggled loudly.
"It's so Brett!" She exclaimed before latching tightly onto Lizzie's arm and letting a delighted shriek. "There's my boy!" Lizzie turned her attention away from the girl who was practically vibrating with excitement beside her to look up and see an athletic looking guy walking towards them. Even if Melissa had not told her that it was Brett who was walking to meet them, she would have known. He oozed confidence and individuality just like his home. He walked with his shoulders back and his head held high, a lazy smile on his face. He stopped in front of the girls and embraced his best friend before turning his attention to Lizzie.
His eyes were pale blue and sparkled as much as his apartment and even he shirt. He slowly raised his right hand and mussed up his pitch black hair before his face broke into a devastatingly beautiful, toothy smile. He extended a large hand.
"Hi. Brett," he said as Lizzie took his hand. She felt slightly mesmerised by the way his eyes were set on hers and his perfect, Hollywood grin made her heart flutter like the wings on a humming bird in her chest. She took a deep breath trying to calm herself slightly.
"I'm Lizzie. Happy birthday," she said and almost slapped her forehead, cartoon style, as her voice cracked on the word 'birthday'. Brett was beautiful. Melissa laughed loudly beside her and pulled her hand out of Brett's.
"Stop dazzling the girl Brett!" Melissa laughed and Brett smirked at her.
"I wasn't aware I was doing so," he said innocently. Melissa rolled her eyes as she turned to Lizzie.
"Brett, here, is as gay as a three dollar bill. Don't let his flirting deceive you," Melissa explained and Lizzie couldn't help but feel a little disappointed as she looked Brett up and down again. He offered her an apologetic smile and she giggled.
