Soon it was time for Christmas Eve.
Thankfully, my cousins had come to visit today instead of tomorrow like they usually did, so that this year at least we had some semblance of the fun we had every year.
My cousins Clara, Sophie, Phillip and Weston lounged around in my bedroom, all of us eating potato crisps and watching a Netflix series together. It had been ages since we'd last met and it was safe to say, simple video calls hadn't been enough.
"I really missed this," Clara said through a mouthful of crisps in her mouth. We all agreed.
After a few episodes, we decided we wanted to do something different. Sophie piped up, "Why don't we play Monopoly or something?"
Phil groaned. "Why are you so obsessed with Monopoly, Soph?"
"Hey, I'm not obsessed! I was just suggesting something good."
"And that 'good' thing is always Monopoly."
"God, can you bear to keep your mouth shut for two minutes, you sod?"
"Excuse me--"
And so it began. I swear, a reunion with my cousins never happened without any chaos.
Soon enough, the verbal fight turned into a shove, and that shove turned into a full-blown pillow fight. Consisting of not just Soph and Phil but all five of us.
So by the time Mum entered the room, she found an utter mess of pillow cases, feathers and quilts everywhere, along with five teenagers who seemed to come from the zoo.
She stared at us, too stunned to say anything. Then she sighed.
"I should've expected this, considering my past experience."
We smiled at her sheepishly. She glared at us.
"Vivian Scarlett Wentworth, aren't you supposed to be the Head Girl of your school?"
Uh-oh. She just said my full name. This meant trouble.
"Sorry, mum. I promise it won't happen again."
She gave us one last stern look. "Clean up this mess and arrange the pillows in ten minutes, your supper is ready."
After she exited the room, we looked at each other and burst out laughing.
°
After a great Christmas Eve with my cousins and aunts and uncles, it was safe to say that I just wanted to spend the rest of Christmas with them, at home, but apparently it was too much to ask for. Now I had to get ready for a gala and face none other than Archer Woods there.
No, Viv, this is Mum's big day. Be happy for her.
And I was. I was truly very happy and proud of her for achieving so much and becoming a leading name among fashion designers in just 10 years. But I just didn't want to act all formal and courteous in a ballroom full of fancily dressed people holding champagne flutes. And I especially didn't want to be in the company of a certain someone, again.
Although Mr and Mrs Woods were incredible and I missed them. It would be good to see them again. If it just wasn't for their son...
If it wasn't for their son you wouldn't have even known them. Are you daft?
I shook my head. Why was I arguing with myself?
I willed myself to focus on getting ready instead. Three more hours were left for the gala to begin and Mum and Dad were also getting ready now.
I looked at the dress I'd chosen to wear from mum's autumn/winter collection. It was a rich red off-shoulder evening gown, with a slit that reached till my mid thigh. Not too revealing, but classy. I slipped it on and then proceeded to go to another room where a stylist and makeup artist would do my hair and makeup. I preferred to do it on my own but mum had insisted on professionals to do it this time.
After another hour, they were done. I wore a thin diamond necklace which belonged to my mum, along with a diamond bracelet. When I finally looked in the mirror, I stopped short.
I looked...different. I mean, I'd never dressed up like this before. My honey blond hair was down but straightened, and I wore rich red lipstick and earth tones on my eyes.
I'd never looked like this before. It felt...good. Strange, but good.
"Viv, are you ready honey--" My dad knocked before entering and when he saw me, his jaw dropped.
"When did my little girl grow up so much? You look beautiful, honey."
I smiled and hugged him. "You look dapper too, dad."
It was true. Even at almost fifty, he managed to stay in shape and wore a stylish black suit.
"Where's mum? Is she ready?"
"Yeah, she's downstairs. She sent me to check up on you."
"Come on, let's go then."
I thanked and bid goodbye to my styling team and went downstairs. My mum was looking gorgeous in a salmon pink cocktail dress. She grinned at me.
"Viv, darling you look so beautiful!"
I grinned back. "Says you. This is your big night mum. Congratulations, you really deserve it."
We hugged tight and soon dad joined in. Moments like these were what I treasured so much.
Soon afterwards, we got into the waiting car and headed off in the direction of the venue.
°
The gala had begun. Mum had delivered an emotional speech and her employees had showcased a surprise montage they had made of her 10 years. She was reduced to tears. Everyone was mingling, sipping drinks and every so often, I was being introduced to this designer, that entrepreneur, this model, that colleague and so on.
After some time, suddenly mum beckoned towards me with a huge smile on her face.
Puzzled, I walked up to her. "Viv, finally! Elaine and Greg have been dying to see you."
Elaine and Greg were Archer's parents. As I walked up, I saw them standing beside mum, smiling excitedly. My lips involuntarily turned up seeing them. I'd really missed them a lot.
"Viv! Feels like ages since we last saw you, dear! How've you been? Oh and you look so so beautiful, sweetheart!"
I hugged both of them. Back when Archer and I were dating, I'd been to his house frequently and had become so close to his parents that at one point I could even come over unannounced and they would treat me like family.
All that had changed now, but their relationship with me certainly hadn't.
"I'm doing well, Mrs Woods, thank you. And how have you two been? I missed you a lot!"
"Nonsense, how many times have we asked you to call us Elaine and Greg? You never learn."
I laughed, just as mum asked, "Where's Archer?"
"Oh, he's gone to get some drinks for us. He'll be back any moment now."
My heart somehow started beating faster when I heard he would be back any moment. To say I was dreading it would be an understatement.
"Dad, mum, got your cocktails."
At the sound of his voice, I froze. Mum turned around with a grin and hugged him, showering him with the same questions his mum had asked me a few minutes back. He hadn't seen me yet.
But when he did, it felt as if the whole world had come to a standstill.
He wore a navy blue tux and his hair was brushed back. His eyes seemed even more piercing in the light, as they stayed fixated on me for what felt like forever.
I drew in a breath. He continued to stare at me, with a look that reminded me strongly of a memory far away.
"I couldn't take my eyes off you."
That was what he'd said to me last year, at a party where we'd gone together during the term break. We weren't a couple then, just best friends, although I'd surely started developing feelings for him.
I was just too scared to confess, terrified I'd lose my best friend.
As I was dancing with Kate and Angie, he had gone to get some ginger beer from the drinks area. I didn't wait for him to return and instead, I kept on dancing with my friends. I lost all track of time and just let my body be guided by the music, blissfully unaware of the others in the room.
But suddenly, I felt someone's eyes on me. I turned to my right to see that Archer had returned with the drinks, but instead of handing one to me, he was just standing at the edge of the dance floor, as if transfixed.
I raised my eyebrows at him, and that seemed to bring him out of his reverie. I stopped dancing and walked over to him.
"Hey, why were you staring at me so weirdly?"
He shook his head. Were his cheeks actually flushed? Or was it just me? "I wasn't staring."
I snorted. "And my name is Beyoncé. What's the matter, Arch, you know you can tell me anything."
"I can't tell you this," he slowly whispered, a helpless look in his eyes.
My face was clouded with confusion. "What do you mean? What's wrong, Arch? Tell me. I won't let you get out of here till you tell me."
He became more flustered. "You won't get it and I can't tell you, Viv!"
"Why not?!"
"Because! I just can't!"
By now, I had lost my cool too. What was so secretive that he couldn't even share it with his closest friend?
"Why won't you just share it with me? What's your problem?!"
This time, his eyes flashed and he looked at me with an equal mixture of annoyance and desperation. "You wanna know my problem? Fine! My problem is that I couldn't take my eyes off you tonight!"
With that, he left the room, leaving me there with wide eyes, slack jaw and a thrashing heart.
That had been the beginning. The point where I'd realised even he felt something more than friendship for me. Later, I'd marched up to his house and confronted him, and an intense confession had led to an even more intense kiss.
Oh, how far we'd come from there.
Tonight, at the gala, as we stared at each other, I suddenly remembered his gaze from that party, and now he somehow had the same look in his eyes. It made my heart do funny things, like beating a tad too fast.
We quickly looked away when our parents started chatting with each other. It seemed as if they would leave us alone for a while now.
Since I couldn't find any other person I knew at the party, and I was incredibly bored, I decided to talk to Archer. As much as I didn't want him here, he was present, and he was the only one I could talk to. I certainly didn't want to make conversation with my great aunt Judy or Dad's businessman friend who I had met a grand total of twice.
I walked up to Archer, who seemed like he was purposefully not looking at me. "Hey."
He still didn't glance my way. "Hey."
"Um, how are you liking the party so far?"
"It's good."
"Yeah, Mum said the funds raised will go to three orphanages which she supports."
"That's great."
"Yeah."
I frowned. How could I go on talking to a brick wall?
I decided I'd tried enough, so I fell silent. After five minutes of sitting and staring at the people dancing, Archer uncharacteristically spoke up.
"Why are you so quiet? You'd normally be talking nineteen to the dozen by now."
I glared at him. "Well, you tell me, Arch. How can I go on talking to someone who doesn't want to talk back?"
I expected him to look a bit remorseful, or even acknowledge what I was saying. Instead he just froze and stared at me with an indecipherable look in his eyes.
I frowned. "What?"
He swallowed hard. "Don't call me that again."
"Call you what?"
"Arch."
Now it was my turn to freeze. Had I really called him Arch? I felt like digging a hole and burying myself deep into the ground.
Cheeks flaming, I said, "Sorry, it happened by mistake."
After an excrutiatingly painful silence of ten minutes, I heard his voice.
"So, are you still planning on continuing with art after sixth form?"
I looked at him, surprised to hear him make an effort. I decided to cooperate.
"Yeah, of course. I'm going to study art history and specialise in specific art forms. And you're still into photography?"
"Yeah, I want to--"
And so our conversation went on for a full half an hour until it was time to eat.
For the first time we managed to go so long without wanting to kill each other and honestly, I was relieved. Maybe this would help us cooperate better while working as Heads. I could only hope.
The gala was an immense success and mum was the happiest, her face positively glowing with joy and emotion. In her closing speech, she thanked all her employees, her family and friends and her models and even made me teary eyed. We all clapped really hard for her and I even let out a whoop, which made everyone laugh. Even Archer cracked a smile beside me.
Soon the whole event came to an end and we were all preparing to leave after bidding goodbye to the guests. The Woods and we left together and Mrs Woods, or rather Elaine, repeatedly told me to visit them sometime soon. Thankfully Archer was out of earshot, otherwise it would've been embarrassing.
Our two families stood for some time, chatting, before getting into our respective cars. As our parents were talking, Archer and I stood on the pavement awkwardly, not knowing what to say to each other.
Suddenly, just before they were about to get into their car, Archer whispered to me, "Bye, Vivian. You looked good tonight."
I stilled. I was not expecting that.
And I couldn't take this feeling any longer.
"You're not allowed to say that to me anymore, just like I'm not allowed to call you Arch."
Then without looking back, I sped off to my car.
a/n: wow, my fingers are aching from typing so much! what do you think of this chapter guys? like it? viv and archer have a LOT of unresolved feelings and issues even now and slowly we can see bits and pieces of the past too!
below is an aesthetic i made of vivian's look for the gala: