"It's just a party, after all" (2)

A little less than an hour passed when

Joe announced that his best friend Leo and his girlfriend were coming down and would meet us near the pool.

"No fucking way..." Joe said stunned as he looked off into the distance.

I was stunned too; there were other friends of Joe besides Leo...

Who weren't definitely supposed to be here... right now... in this resort with us.

"What the fuck did you do, bro?!" Joe asked euphorically as they hugged each other.

"I brought you Kevin, Trav, and Mary." Leo exclaimed.

They were all longtime friends...

What were they doing here?

"It's a surprise, man! We're going to have the time of our lives tonight!" Leo exclaimed to him, clapping a hand on his shoulder.

I was too shocked to be able to speak.

I had to accept the fact that I will be probably bored and alone at the resort for that night... while he will be partying with his friends.

When he was with them, Joe would go into a kind of trance where the only thing he cared about was having fun.

I sucked it up and greeted his friends as well.

"I can't wait for the big day! I'm so happy for you!" Leo hugged me.

I smiled without saying anything.

Leo introduced me to his girlfriend.

At that moment I was so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't considered her at all.

I met her gaze for the first time and she smiled warmly at me.

"Hi! I'm Bella!" She said as she extended her hand with lots of gold little rings.

Her hair is red and was up in a kind of neatly done bun.

She was wearing a white sleeveless dress that was tight to her chest and wider at the hips.

It reached just above her leg.

She is tall and skinny.

Her makeup was also incredibly well done, but not excessive.

I noticed the natural blush on her high cheekbones, on her lips, she had a dark red lipstick.

She is gorgeous.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Ellie." I announced myself by shaking her hand.

I went back to look coldly at Joe, who began to laugh with friends, as usual.

I felt someone approach my left shoulder.

"It was Leo's idea. He did it all. He told me he would be happy about it..."

I turned around and Bella was staring impassive at that scene in front of our

eyes.

"Well, I should have guessed..." I said to her, making an effort to smile.

"Sorry, if it made you uncomfortable."

Bella shook her head.

She looked truly sorry for me.

"No, don't worry, that happened so many times... " I made an effort to keep smiling.

"But this is a special occasion..." She replied.

Her eyes shone a strong empathy for me.

A kind of look you can see a very few times, it was usually more inclined toward indifference or non-sufficiency.

It was as if she sensed that I had been disappointed by the situation.

"It's just a party, after all..." I replied and made a gesture of nonchalance with my hand, self-implying that it was okay.

But it wasn't okay at all and I think she understood that.

~

As I predicted things would end... they decided to go to a disco inside the resort, dragging me with them.

And I had no other choice but to follow them.

I sat on the sofas, and Joe put his hand on my shoulder, squeezing me to him.

"Leo's great! Did you see what a surprise?!" He exclaimed in my ear looking satisfied at his friends all sitting circling in the other sofas.

The music was so loud that his voice was muffled.

I nodded in response.

They almost all took a beer, I opted for a not too strong cocktail that I knew I wouldn't even finish.

I noticed Bella asked the waiter a non-alcoholic cocktail.

She was the only one who did not drink alcohol.

"So! How are the preparations going?"

Trev asked as he drank his beer.

Everyone turned in unison to look at me.

I was embarrassed again.

"Everything is ready... if the groom makes it to the end of these seven days alive." I smiled slightly and lowered my gaze.

They laughed. Joe made a satisfied smirk.

"Well, then a toast to you!" He exclaimed and raised his beer high.

The DJ put on some Caribbean music and they all got up and began to move hysterically to the rhythm of the music.

I moved too but I was too embarrassed and sad... that every move I made seemed robotic.

I just wanted to be with Joe, but I found myself in this situation and he didn't even understand it.

The DJ played four to five more such songs.

I kept feeling awkward in their midst.

Trying as hard as I could to empathize with their euphoria, I tried... but with little result.

When the register changes and softer music played, we sat down again... to my relief.

Joe's friends were almost all extremely sweaty and even a little drunk already.

They kept laughing, joking, screaming, drinking.

Everyone but not Bella, I mean... Leo's girlfriend.

She was having fun I guess... but she was quite calm and composed, unlike the rest of the group.

"Guys, I have an idea!" Kevin proposed with an amused smirk.

"Let's play never have I ever!" He exclaimed.

"Are we back in middle school?" Bella asked him ironically.

That made me laugh. We were no longer that young to play such a nonsense game after all.

However, after 2 minutes, Mary shouted:

"I have never stolen!" And the game started.

I had said the stupidest things I could think of: "I have never had a dog." and things like that.

"I have never cheated." Announced Bella as she stared at her cocktail.

Everyone gave her a chorus as if it was normal to have done it at least once in your life.

These people were out of the world...

She and I were the only ones not drinking for that round.

I believe she sent me a thin smile in that moment.

"Well..." Mary solemnly took the shot glass in her hand and thought about it for a moment.

"I have never kissed a girl!" She confessed with a smirk.

Again everyone mocked her as if she was telling a big lie.

She burst into a laugh, winked, but continued to swear she never had.

"You made that one on purpose..." Bella mumbled with a thin, amused smile.

Having said that, she drank the (non-alcoholic) cocktail she had decanted into a shot glass and continued to laugh silently.

Bella has a pleasant smile.

All men drank as well.

"Does anyone else still need a drink?"

Mary asked and stared at me in satisfaction.

I shook my head.

"Mmh, come on. Ever done it?" She asked me, still stunned.

I shook my head at her again.

"Leave her alone, Mary, come on!" Joe admonished her, laughing.

While I nervously blushed, I looked at Bella for a moment and she had the calmest expression on her face;

I had been afraid that question had embarrassed her in some way, but she seemed to be totally at ease.

Leo said it was time to move on to another game because this one was boring him... Trev took the chance and suggested we play Truth or Dare.

I thought it was stupid-very stupid-

but who am I to change their minds?

An hour passed thus: who had to tell an uncomfortable truth and who had to embarrass himself with a dare.

Joe and his friends had turned red from laughing too much and drinking alcohol.

I was beginning to feel tired...

I had chosen "truth" the all time, but I must say that they all were really gentle with me.

I think it was because I was getting married in less than a week or maybe it was because they realized that I was more likely to get uncomfortable easily.

It was almost midnight.

I just wanted to rest but Trev decided that we would ALL take the last turn and then go back to our respective rooms.

When it was my turn again, I reluctantly decided to change and choosing "dare".

It was going to be the last round, anyway.

I had the feeling that Joe's friends had grown tired of my truths... probably because they had all been so innocent and obvious...

Mary had to assign me the dare.

Not her... I thought.

She was definitely an eccentric person that somehow I never fully trusted, but she was Joe's best friend so...

She rubbed her hands cheerfully.

She thought about it for way too long and every time she tried to talk she would stop because another idea popped into her head.

She was probably drunken too.

I had no idea what she was going to say but I regretted my choice.

And I was getting nervous by it.

Mary laughed in a strange, amusing way, the alcohol was creating too much fantasies inside her mind, I believe.

"I... dare you to ... kiss Bella!" She exclaimed.