Celebration Party

Olivia's POV

I lay on the bed for a while after taking the medication Violet gave me. Eventually, I drifted off to sleep and then into a dream. In it, I was in a familiar, yet unrecognizable room. From there, I went into a hallway then down a spiral staircase. That felt familiar as well, like I had used it before, though I couldn’t recall where or when. It led to a living room, dining room, and kitchen, each of which held that same eerie familiar feeling.

As I stood in the kitchen wondering whose house I was in and why it felt so familiar,

yelling came from a faceless female standing at the kitchen door. “What are you doing standing there like an imbecile? Aren't you supposed to be cleaning, you lazy gold digger?” She scoffed and then continued. "You can keep trying, but my brother will never love you. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.”

Another faceless female figure appeared behind the first. “You’ll always be the piece of silly trash you are," she said. “You’re worthless and don't belong here.”

They continued hurling insults at me until I covered my ears and squeezed my eyes shut. I screamed and collapsed to the floor. When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a bedroom. The room’s door opened, and a faceless man, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist, approached and roughly grabbed my wrist. He forced me onto the bed.

"No, no, please no," I begged, but he wouldn’t back down.

He tore the clothes from my body. I used all my strength to fight him, but he merely laughed at my struggles. Eventually, I screamed in desperation.

In the next moment, I found myself in a familiar room, lying in a bed covered in sweat and panting heavily.

“Olivia!” Vera cried, rushing into the room. “Are you alright?”

I scrambled to sit up and she pulled me into her arms. She rubbed my back gently as I broke into tears. Once calm, I told her about my dream.

“What a nightmare,” Vera said, lines of concern etched into her forehead.

“It felt so real, and the place looked so familiar.”

“You know what I think?” She patted my arm. “Staying in bed in a closed environment is beginning to take a toll on you. Let's do something different.”

"What do you have in mind?" I asked with no enthusiasm.

“Let's call it my little surprise. Now, come with me.”

A short while later, we sat in her dining area and enjoyed a delicious meal. Afterward, we watched a couple of comedy movies that got me laughing. Soon, I forgot all about the nightmare.

A few days passed, and Vera planned a wonderful recovery party for me. She said she almost lost me and was glad to have me escape the cold hand of death. It was time to celebrate my survival. She got me a beautiful red party dress, too.

When the day came, I went with Vera to the hotel rooftop she’d rented, filled with excitement. I didn’t know how she managed to pull off reserving a rooftop location, but I was thrilled that she’d done all that for me.

I gave her a heartfelt thank you and squeezed her hand as we stood at the rooftop entrance.

"What are best friends for?” she answered with a smile. “Come on. We came here to have fun. Let’s party.” She tugged my hand and led me through the crowd.

Vera got me a glass of juice and got herself a glass of wine. I soon zoomed into a party mood and started having fun. Vera left to make use of the washroom. I leaned against the bar, sipping my juice, when a man approached. He introduced himself and tried to engage me in conversation, but my eyes landed on another tuxedo-clad man a short distance away.

He was tall, with brown hair and a nice backside. He turned my way, revealing a rather handsome face and alluring smile. The other man seemed to notice I’d become distracted and excused himself.

Meanwhile, the tall, attractive man approached. “Hello, beautiful. May I have this dance?” he asked.

I smiled, shifting my gaze from his face to his hand and back again. Vera appeared behind him, and she gestured, urging me to accept the man's hand.

“Waiting for approval from your friend?” he asked.

“No, I was just—Never mind.” I took his hand and said, “Sure.”

He shot me an amazing smile, one that looked familiar. I stared, trying to remember where I knew him from.

“You don’t remember me? It’s Leo, Leo Smith,” he said as he led me onto the dance floor and placed his hand on my lower back.

“Leo! It’s you! Long time no see,” I replied happily.

He slowly moved me to the rhythm of the music.

“For a second, I was afraid you wouldn’t remember me.”

“Of course, I do,” I said.

We talked as we danced, with him telling several jokes. A smile kept escaping my lips, and the last joke made me collapse into his chest with laughter. Though I quickly pulled myself together as soon as I realized others had started looking. He chuckled at my embarrassment and then held me tighter. We looked like a couple, and I didn’t mind in the slightest.