9 August 2012

I <3 this one :)

*Justin's POV* The entire house looked like... Well, Christmas. Red, white and green decorations strung from the ceiling, walls and any other surface. A large Christmas tree sat proudly in the corner of the living room, vibrant with golden fairy lights strewn across the bright green branches. Gentle, classical music played on a low volume, low enough for the guests to make light conversation. People filled the entire first floor, picking at the buffet in the kitchen, chatting in the living room or laughing in the dining room. We'd only been living here a few months and already my Mom knew over a hundred people well enough to invite them to her classy Christmas party. "Justin! Drew! Over here, come see the girls!" My Mother's excited voice called over the noise of chatter from the guests. I glanced over at Drew, checking her expression for any doubt. "You ready for this?" I asked. She gave a simple nod, before letting me lead her across the room. We met up with my Mother and her three best friends from New York. More like the three witches from New York. I much preferred her friends from Canada, my original home. They were a lot less... Plastic. These three are barbie look-a-likes. Jackie was orange. Seriously. She looked like she'd got stuck on a tanning bed for eight hours. April had a pale, natural complexion, but she had two hot air balloons on her chest. They were like... Two melons crossed with ice cream cones. She could easily poke an eye out. Elise was better.... And worse. She had no eyebrows. She pencilled them on. Her cheekbones were practically on her forehead, and her nose might as well have been non-existent. My Mom was perfect. She had long, chestnut brown hair, eyes the same colour as mine. People wondered where I got my looks from until they saw her. "Justin, we haven't seen you in so long!" Jackie gasped, pulling me into a one-armed hug. "It's been forever" April smiled as I kissed each of their cheeks. I'm such a suck up. Still, if it makes them less snobby, then great. "Oh don't be silly April, it's been months" Elise laughed in her posh, overly-smart voice. "I'd like you to meet Drew, my gorgeous fiancé" I grinned, and it amused me that even though we weren't dating, my compliments still made her blush. "Hi, it's nice to meet you all" Drew smiled as the three introduced themselves. "She's very southern isn't she?". "She looks a bit thin". "She seems sort of middle class". Ouch, ouch, and ouch. The three women made their remarks as if Drew wasn't there, or couldn't hear them. With each comment, Drew's smile faded, and was replaced with an insecure, hurt look as she glanced down at the ground. I felt like punching every one of them in the face. How dare they make snap judgements about her like that! Before I could say anything to defend her, my Mother gave me a hidden stern look. I shut my mouth. "Girls, come see the buffet, I've worked so hard on it" she smiled at her friends, leading them away from us. I turned to Drew. She looked angry. Really angry. "Drew, I-" I began, but she stormed off through the crowd. I followed close behind her, taking her wrist to stop her in her tracks. "May I remind you that you are my fiancé and we are a happy couple. Key word: happy!" I whispered seriously over her shoulder. I heard her take in a deep, needed breath, before swiftly turning to me with a fake-smile on her face. "Thank you" I sighed. "Now hold me close and dance to the music before I punch you" she said through gritted teeth. I did as she said, joining the other couples on the make-shift dance floor. I placed my hands on the small of her back, trying to find this situation un-awkward. She struggled to know where to put her hands. "Try my shoulders" I chuckled, finding her confusion amusing. "I knew that" she scoffed, placing her hands on my black jacket. Stupid suit. I hate wearing suits. "I hate this suit" I voiced my thoughts, not knowing what to talk about for the best as we swayed between the other moving couples. "It looks good" she tried to smile, glancing down at the classic black and white tux. "It must do, you can't take your eyes off me" I winked, a smirk crossing my face. "Ugh, whatever. I'm playing the part" she rolled her eyes, glancing away from me and at my Mother's friends, who continued to stare at Drew from the buffet table. "They're looking at me" she whispered, looking down in embarrassment. "No they're not. They're looking at me" I lied in an attempt to make her feel better. "I look too sexy in this suit. All the women want me" I chuckled, making her laugh softly. Her laughter quickly died, and the amused smile was suddenly replaced with a serious expression. "I have never had anyone make me feel so cheap, and so common, as they did just then" she whispered, her voice shaking lightly with the hurtful memory. "Don't listen to them. They're tearing you down because you're so much prettier than them" I reassured her gently. "They're right. I am too Southern, and I'm too thin, and I'm too middle-class for you" she furrowed her brow, shaking her head. Before I could say anything to defend her, the couples and other guests began to crowd around us in a circle. Drew noticed too, and I went to ask what was going on, when somebody else spoke. "Well aren't you gonna kiss her, Justin?" April giggled from beside us, standing at the front of the circle with her two minions and my Mom, looking nervous and shocked as she thought out cover was totally blown. "What do you mean?" Drew asked, as confused as I was. "Look up love birds!" Jackie squealed. Above our heads was a sprig of mistletoe, a simple red ribbon tied in a bow around the stem of the plant as it hung mockingly from the ceiling. I gave my Mother a look that said "Seriously??!?! Mistletoe??!". She gave me an "I'm sorry" look in return, as the crowd of guests began chanting "Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss!" all around us. Oh no. Not good. We need some sort of excuse. "I think uh, I think I'm coming down with a cold, you guys, so that's probably not-" I was cut off by Elise. "Oh come on Justin! Kiss your fiancé! Your Mom would be so proud that you're showing her off". A smirk was on her plastic face, and it just made me want to prove her right. Prove that I was showing her off, and was proud of it. "He's kissed me thousands of times, it's pointless to do it now" Drew tried to make her own excuse, but the girls wouldn't have it. "Well, if you've kissed thousands of times, what's one more?" April smiled a plastic grin. There was no getting out of it. I should have seen this coming. I turned to Drew, and have her a discreet pleading look. She mouthed the word "No!" firmly but unnoticeably, barely moving her lips as the crowd began to chant again. "Please? Just one kiss" I whispered now the volume had gone up. She inwardly groaned, before turning to the crowd. "Ok, alright. Fine" she agreed, and they cheered around us. She turned back to me, and stepped close again. I took her waist in my hands, hers going to my neck as we leaned in. This was so wrong, but it was so right as well. Kissing her was exactly what I wanted to do, but I had a feeling she didn't want the same. The soft brush of our lips proved me wrong, as I felt the exact same desire and love in her lips there was in mine. Our lips merged together gently, lovingly. I couldn't believe I'd missed her lips for so long. It was difficult to hold back, keeping my hands where they should be and my tongue inside my own mouth. It seemed Drew was having the same trouble, as I could feel the tension rising as her body warmed beneath my fingers. We pulled back slowly but surely, both of us holding back small smiles. The guests cheered and clapped, swooning and smiling at the "Young love".

I had one more thing I needed to do. We'd chatted and sucked up to my Mother's friends all night, and it had taken me a while to decide that this is what I wanted to do. I hopped up on the small stage (yeah my Mom really goes all out for Christmas parties) and stood in front of the microphone, leaving Drew standing in the crowd, looking totally confused at my sudden spontaneous actions. "Excuse me..." I began, capturing the attention of the guests. "Hi, I'm uh, I'm Justin, Pattie's son". Well now I feel stupid. They know who you are you idiot. Nevertheless, they clapped and a couple of people whooped. "Can I just say, Jackie, April, Elise, welcome, and I hope you've had a great time tonight" I smiled at the women in the middle of the crowd, standing beside my Mother. They grinned and gave me nods and waves. "However, I do have something very important to say, about my fiancé, Drew" I began. Alright, here goes. "She's not my fiancé". All the smiles in the room faded, Jackie, April and Elise looking highly confused. "She's actually my ex-girlfriend, who was nice enough to put on a dress and get dolled up to impress you" I aimed my words at the three snobs. "Jackie, you must be deaf, because her Southern accent, is the most beautiful thing I have ever heard in my entire life. Even when she's really annoyed with you it sounds amazing" I chuckled, making everyone but the three women laugh along with me. Drew was blushing as people glanced over at her and smiled. "April, you must be blind as a bat, because she is so perfect I swear it's like some sort of blessing. Her body is so perfect she could be Aphrodite in human form" I pointed at Drew as I spoke passionately, smiling like a loon as people whistled at my comment about her body. "And Elise, I don't know what the hell is wrong with you," I began, and everyone laughed loudly as I spoke about the snob, "But Drew is the least middle-class person I have ever met. She's smart, and funny, and creative, and she's the best thing that has ever happened to me, and that's saying a lot, because over the years, a lot of good stuff has gone on for me" people nodded in agreement to my words. "I'm rich, I'm famous, and facing the

DrewTexasTexas Girl (Pt 40) • Opuss № I