Page 146 of Reconciling With the Rival

I guess hope really isn't that dangerous of a thing if it’s what got me to Ella. All I feel about our collective future is hope that it’ll be messy, fun, and everything the two of us deserve.

45

A Metaphor Of Sorts

New Years Eve

I’m scrambling to geteverything set up perfectly before I hear a knock on my door.

Shit, they can’t be here already, can they?

“One second!” I yell to whoever is behind the door.

“Babe, open up.”

Ella. “Oh, thank fuck,” I say as I slide across the floor and open the door to my flat. Ella’s beautiful face is my saving grace right now. “I don’t know how you make it all look perfect.”

“Why are you freaking out?”

“Because this is my first time hosting something with our friends!”

She gives me a weird look. “You know it’s onlyatyour place, right? I literally bought all the decorations and shit.”

“Yes, but it’s atmyplace! I want it to be perfect.”

Ella only sets her bags down on my table, walks over to me, puts a cigarette in my mouth, and takes out a lighter. “Just calm down and let me do what I do best, okay?”

The cigarette hangs from my mouth as I smirk at my beautiful girlfriend. “I thought you hated when I smoked?”

“I do, but one isn't going to kill you, and you need to relax and get out of my way.”

I cock my brow at her. “There are other things we could do to relax,” I say as I wrap my arms around her and pull her hair.

“As much as I would love to,” she lights my cigarette for me, “we do not have time for that. They’ll be here in an hour.”

“Then put me to work, darling,” I say as I take a drag.

Half an hour later, Ella has transformed my once drab flat into a sea of streamers, balloons, a bunch of champagne, and about every snack food you could ever want.

Even though it’s just her friends and my sister coming over to ring in the new year, Ella has pulled out all the stops.

I truly don’t know how she does it.

“You might be the best party host I’ve ever seen,” I tell her as we sit and snack.

“Yes, well, I’m an expert, not an amateur like you.”

“I amnotan amateur. I’m just a bit rusty.”

“Rusty?” She cocks her head at me, a challenge on her face.Jesus, she’s fucking beautiful when she’s annoyed at me.“All you did was hang one streamer and set off two party poppers!”

“And I did it well, didn't I?” I laugh as she grabs a pillow to hit me, only to stop when someone knocks on my door. “I’ll grab that, darling.”

“We might as well go together,” she says as she gets up. “What kind of host would I be if I didn't greet my guests at the door?”

The two of us saunter over to the door, and I already have a guess who’s behind the door.

“Oh my goodness, aren't you two just the cutest!” Paige exclaims as the door swings open. Oliver is being typical Oliver and standing behind her with his usual facial expression.

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