I HATE LOVE

Chapter Five

We have been going over everything to make sure that things are running smoothly. (Alice): Hand me the guest list again. Thanks Grandmother Patrice and Grandfather Anderson Scarlet from mothers side. Her sister, Aunt Tabitha and her fiancé Benjamin Steel. Mothers friends Mariah, Andrew, and Wade. Then uncle Ronald Abbott with his wife Daniella Abbott. Aunt Rene and her husband Peter Green. Then fathers friends Amber, Bruce, and Clarke. (Alex): Us at home counts as four. Adding these guests it counts as fourteen. Grand total is eighteen. Confirmed (Alice): Confirmed. Are the final colours confirmed? (Alex): Black and red? (Alice): Perfect We have been checking and rechecking for as long as we can remember. We have narrowed the guest list down from eighty people to forty people but based on the short notice, only fourteen people were able to make it. So, we have been double and triple checking as much as possible. Look, we love a good party, and we are perfectionists, so things have to be perfect. (Alex): Confirm once more on cake. Red velvet what? (Alice): Four tiered red velvet cake. With the chocolate ganache so check when it is fetched! (Alex): On it! We are confirming the details whilst the staff is in the same room and decorating at the same time. Father walks in and he is all dressed up. (Father): Morning children. Your mother and I are going out for a drive. Is everything in order? (Alex): Yes father (Alice): Enjoy your morning! We literally said whatever we could to get him out because everyone is running up and down to get things sorted in time. There is the decorations for the ballroom for the guests to dance, to decorate the tables for dinner, to get the catering in time, to put the proper food in their proper places, having the music ready, the drinks in preparation for proper rotation once the guests arrive, etc. It is a lot and mother knew what she was doing when she chose to have this at such short notice. She just could not make up her mind for months. Saying yes she wanted a party and then yelling that she wanted to do nothing on the day. So, the least the servants and staff can do is to not create a total disaster before six oclock. Mother and father have officially left now and Alex is panicking about the flower arrangements. (Alex): I said black roses and red roses! You brought me white! This is a birthday party and not a damn baby shower or an outdoor summer wedding! BLACK AND RED! I walk over to him and try to calm his nerves. He cares too much about flowers and I care way too little. (Alice): Everything that could be confirmed has been so. Head to your room and get ready. Brother, try to take it easy or you will give yourself a heart attack or worse, you might destroy the black silk curtains a few hours before the dinner (Alex): Youre right. I will go get ready (Alice): Good. Ill do the same I decided to take a relaxing bubble bath because that is always what calms me. Especially when I have an ex in the basement who should be dead by now but playing this slow and painful is the only way it will be satisfying once completed. It also makes it worse for him as the suffering goes on for a longer period of time. The servant had alerted me that the basement floor level is spotless and there is no ounce of blood, bones or flesh in sight. Which is somewhat of a relief. The smell would have at least screwed with his head and driven him crazy faster. Damn it! I should have left it to be dirty! A few hours go by, and I am in my dress. Ballgown with corset and it is a beautiful ebony colour with maroon ruffles underneath. For a dress, I really love it. Makeup and hair is all done and as I walk out of my room, Alex is finished as well. We head down to the ballroom, and everything looks surprisingly perfect. No one gets fired today. Great. All of the guests are standing in the ballroom speaking to each other and we greet them. Grandmother and grandfather Scarlet walk over to us, and we prepare our biggest smiles. (Grandmother Scarlet): Dearies! Look at the both of you. All grown up. How have you been? (Alice): I have been excelling in my career as a therapist just like mother and Alex is in love! (Grandmother Scarlet): In love! How marvellous! Did you hear that, Andy? (Grandfather Scarlet): Marvellous indeed. Our grandchildren so successful and finding love. Life is full of opportunities for the two of you! We expect great things! Deep breaths are much needed to stay calm right now, but it is not that simple to take deep breaths when you are ribs deep in a fucking corset. Aunt Tabitha and her fiancé walk over, and we prepare ourselves once again for any surprises. (Aunt Tabitha): Alice! Alex! How great it is to see the both of you! Have you met my beau? (Alex): Yes. The night you got engaged (Alice): Like two years ago (Aunt Tabitha): Ben! Over here! These are my niece and nephew. Alice and Alex Abbott (Benjamin): Lovely to meet you We have literally already met. Oh boy, here comes Uncle Ronald and his wife Daniella. They assumed the royal duties and became King and Queen. They tend to always be around Aunt Rene and her husband Peter because they are all involved in a lot of royal duties. But fortunately, before they can hassle us, mother and father walk down the stairs looking spectacular. Mother looks radiant in her red ballgown, and father looks dashing in his black and red suit. We have our dances throughout the first two hours and then we are finally allowed to sit down and eat. Alex and I have always shared a love for quality seafood. Lobster, prawns, mussels, caviar, shrimp, calamari, all with some good garlic and lemon butter. It is a divine dinner to say the least. Each of the family members does a toast to mother and she is eating it all up. Most days of the year, mother tends to keep to herself, but she allows herself to channel all of that emotion into her birthday. That way she does not feel guilty about being in the spotlight and having a good time with her favourite people. At least it is one of the nights of the year where Alex does not talk about his boyfriend the entire time which makes me want to rip my eyes out and stuff them in my ears in order to never hear about it again nor see his facial expression when purposefully not listening to him.