The Party of My Life

My best friend Veronica and I have this business going where we clean up after a party and organize it such that people don't even realize a party went down. Yesterday was a crazy one and for some reason, I cannot remember what happened, all I remember is a bit after the party ended we were both tidying up the place and then I kind of forgot everything else. Maybe if I ask Veronica she will tell me. Ok, wait maybe I can remember if I try hard enough.

The party took place just a few blocks away from my apartment and it was people of our age group, I know the host so he invited Veronica and me to chill with them during the party and it had been a while since we had been to one of those so we thought why not. The party was going like all the parties are loud music, a lot of people, those that didn't want to dance but just vibe in the corner, the group that was forced to come by their friends but didn't feel like socializing so they stayed at the whole opposite corner. Then there was the area for the ones smoking and doing drugs, most of the time we ended up cleaning places with a moderate amount of drugs, we disposed of it and no we didn't consume it, don't get any ideas. We stuck together because we didn't know anyone, or well I recognized a couple of faces but I wasn't gonna say hello, just didn't feel like getting into it. We drank, danced, talked laughed, we had a great time. Then a guy started flirting with Veronica and shit went south for me. I don't know what it is about it, about seeing other guys flirt with her, it drove me insane so quickly. I have considered the idea that maybe I like her but I decide not to go down that road, and I'm not sure if it is because the answer will disappoint me or will hurt what we already have, so I won't go there for now. I also knew Veronica and I could see she wasn't comfortable with it so I came to the rescue.

"Hey baby, there you are," I said as I went for a forehead kiss. "Lost track of you for a sec."

As I am pulling away she goes for a kiss and caught me so off-guard I went along with it for some reason. The best justification I could come up with in my head for this was that she wanted to make the guy so uncomfortable he left, and eventually, he did.

"What was that for?!" I asked with a big DUMB look on my face.

"I don't know, it seemed like the right move." She said with a bit of doubt in her voice. At that time I did not pay much attention to it, even though I should have.

She seemed a bit nervous but so confident after that, for a sec I forgot that we had work right after the party, that we were surrounded by people and the music fell silent. It wasn't until she talked to me that I was pulled back to reality. I make it a bigger deal than it actually was, she took me to the bar and we talked until the party ended.

A sudden urge to check myself came over me. I was shirtless but fully clothed on my lower body and-the moment I looked to my left and there a girl laid. When I tell you I have never sweated more, I mean it. Her hair was the same, her skin, her clothes and of course, it was her. Veronica laid to me and I had never seen her like that, she was lovely, and the moment I had that thought I knew I was fucked, there was no going back from there, there was only failure or success. But moving away from the romantic and heroic talk, I noticed she was fully dressed and seemed so deeply asleep. Instantly I thought she might have just stayed with me because something happened and I was so wasted-FUCK HOW COULD I BE SO IRRESPONSIBLE, MY MOM TAUGHT ME- ok I gotta calm down. I sat up slowly as to not to wake her up.

After the party, we started cleaning up like we usually do, I might have one drink too many at the bar, she really made me that nervous yesterday? Damn. We went to get our bags and cleaning products and whatnot. The whole time we were a bit awkward, the first time I had ever been like that with Veronica. It's not like we weren't talking like we usually do but I could feel this suspense between us and so could she. I knew exactly what it was and knowing Veronica she probably had it figured out too. I'm best at conversations when they flow normally but when I try to force topics and that I start talking fast and lose track of what I am saying, and that is exactly what happened. Eventually I remember she asked me,

"Hey thanks for being there when that dude came up to me, you know I have a bad time with confrontations so I wasn't sure what to do. I can always count on you, can't I?"

As I was going to answer, I turned around and she was close to me, and I faintly remember something along the lines,

"Yeah always, no needs to say thanks, that's what friends are for after all, best friends." Ah, I now realize how much of a dumbass I am, that was the cue to tell her, to let her know, she had set it up nicely and I shot it down tremendously horrible, beautiful. I think after that the next thing I remember is... I'm not sure I grabbed her and put her against the car, I think? DID I HIT HER??! I WOULD NEVER FORGIVE MYSELF. Ok wait wait, you are losing it again Marco, calm down, but I CAN'T REMEMBER ANYTHING ELSE. As I start panicking I feel Veronica sit up behind me and says,

"Why the long face? Did you not sleep well after yesterday?"

I was scared of turning around, but I had to eventually and so I said, "Yeah yeah I'm just having a hard time remembering what happened yesterday. By any means, did I hit you?" As I spoke these words she started laughing.

I felt stupid and reliefed at the same time, it felt like a big burden was lifted off my shoulder but the question of how I got from that house to my bed still remained.

"I think you may be confusing the memory of you hitting yourself against the van with hitting me somehow." She said this and a sudden pain came to my forehead, and holy crap did it hurt- "Hey did you mean what you said last night?" I would have rather been anywhere else in the planet but in that room at that moment. I didn't know what to say and was afraid to ask but at the same time I had a feeling I knew exactly what she was talking about, so I said, "Yes, ok? Yes I did, I do not know how drunk I was or whatever but I did and I am sorry I didn't tell you before."

"So, you really meant it when you said you wanted to break off the friendship, wow, I never expected you would go that far over me kissing you." She said, and I wanted to die. WHAT DUMBASSERY WAS I ON, I MESSED UP BAD, VERY BAD.

"Listen I am sorry, whatever I said, forget it, I thought you were talking about something else ok, please forget about what I said, I was probably drunk and it wasn't me ok please believe me." I tried my best at apologizing.

"So then what exactly did you think I was talking about, what have you been hiding from me all this time?" Veronica said, with a slight smile on her face. I realized I fell for the trap, she played it so smooth and with such a good timing taking advantage of my panic, I was in shock.

"Well, I thought that I... that I ssaid things-things..." I had to do it, I could make up for my mistake before and accept my feelings once and for all, "I like you, ok? I have for a while now and I didn't want to risk our perfect friendship, even though it would be worth it if you liked me back." Confessing is scary but once you do it, the feeling of not being able to go back kind of reassures me, like it is done, there is not going back, at least now I don't have to lay in bed wondering if it could ever happen, or what would happen and such.

She then smiled and got really close to me and said in a very gentle yet reassuring whisper, "I have known all this time, you are so obvious." I blushed so hard that to this day she still reminds me of how much of a dummy I looked.

After that we just stayed in bed looking at each other and saying very little, when something hit me, "Hey how did I get shirtless like this? Did I vomit or something?" I asked as I was getting up to go to the washroom, and she responded with:

"No, not really, you didn't drink that much,"

"Thank God, wouldn't want you to see me like that."

"However, I didn't know you were so wild in bed..."