This house felt too alive. Lights bled into every corner and music vibrated through the people like a second heartbeat. Briar’s parties had been described to me millions of times before by Lizzie, so I tried my best to prepare myself for madness. Laughter and chatter bounced on the walls and back, making me realize just how many people were taking up the living room. I looked down at Bunny, she was holding a cup that held red punch with little chunks of fruit swimming through. She was leaning against a pillar that stood between the kitchen and the living room; I was standing in front of her, trying not to get caught looking for the millionth time. Her hair was done up and her outfit was classy as per usual. I could tell that she enjoyed Ever After parties, since she was smiling the whole time and laughing too hard at my unfunny jokes. I dodged shoulders and cups, resulting in me moving closer to Bunny. My sleeve touched her arm, and her gaze switched from the crowd of people, to me. We held eye contact for a moment. Just a moment before I placed myself beside her, letting us both watch the party take place side by side. She tapped my shoulder lightly, causing me to turn and look down into her eyes. She made a gesture to bend down, and I did, letting her speak directly into my ear.
“Why are they looking at us like that?”
My head stayed where it was, but my eyes drifted off to where Bunny was looking. I saw Kitty and Lizzie whispering to each other, mirroring me and Bunny; Maddie stood close to the pair, giggling at the secrets being shared. Curious. What could they be saying? Teasing us as usual? My heart beat faster as I kept studying their behavior. Kitty was smiling and nodding, and I feared the worst from their conversation.
“I don’t know” I simply said
My thoughts were interrupted by Bunny talking again.
She immediately turned her head and let her body follow. I also followed, trying not to lose sight of her in the huge crowd of people. Briar’s parties are so chaotic. As we entered the kitchen, I was aghast at how comfortable people made themselves in a place like this. There were some people eating food out of the fridge, going into different rooms, and even making catastrophic messes. Bunny grabbed a cup and filled it with tap water. She held it up to me and made a face that screamed “drink it”. I grabbed it from her and took big gulps at a time. I figured she knew how uncomfortable I felt, yet I was praying that my face didn’t show it too much. But I’m sure it did. She took my hand and dragged me up the stairs, passing people coming up and down in a rhythmic pattern. I followed her as she led me to the large hallway decorated with Briar’s family photos and expensive vases filled with exotic flowers. We walked up and down like it was a museum. I took a deep breath of relief and Bunny smiled at me. It was quiet upstairs and I looked around to fill the silence. Though I felt relieved, I didn’t last for long. Maddie came out of one of the rooms and maniacally giggled until she was holding her stomach. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for Maddie, but I got a bad feeling about her sudden presence paired with the looming curiosity about our earlier interaction. I turned my head and almost threw up. It was Kitty and Lizzie crossing their arms, smiling like a caught jester. I tried to act natural; after all they were my friends, but this felt weird. Before me or Bunny could speak, we got pushed into the room with lights pouring through and the closet door wide open.
The strong smell of perfume overpowered my lungs. Briar’s closet was filled to the brim with clothes, yet felt smaller than it looked. Disorganised hangers and piles of clothes touched my shoulders and neck. Kitty, Maddie, and Lizzie shoved us in in a blurry moment. They giggled on the other side of the door, giving us a rundown of an Ever After party tradition. What a strange tradition. Kitty always joked about how the two of us would only act on our feelings if “shoved together”, and I guess this is what she meant. It was irregularly dark, the only thing I could make out was Bunny's bright green eyes looking up at me. The awkward silence took us over, as the giggling died down. Maybe they left. Or maybe they were still there, just listening. Technically, we both could’ve exited the closet, but we didn’t. For some reason. The only thing I could think to do was break the awkward silence.
“An Ever After tradition,” Bunny chuckled, though it seemed like she was talking to herself more than to me
I waited again. For her to say something, or do something, or to tell me something. But silence possessed us once again. Out of millions of books, I couldn't access the right words–or any words–in my brain to express in the moment. As seconds passed, time stood still. She played with her sleeves and straightened out her already ironed dress. I ran my hands through my hair and rubbed my elbow, keeping the silence from turning awkward with one too many sighs. My eyes were adjusting to the dark, I could see more of her. More of her porcelain face that held no imperfections. More of her white hair and her mouth that talked to me like we’d been best friends for decades. Why couldn’t we talk now? Where are the words that usually come so effortlessly? My heart beat cut me off, matching with the aggressive ticking of my watch.
“You know,” I began, “we don't have to. If you don’t want to-”
“I didn't say that” she said, almost correcting me
I think I let out an ‘oh’ in response, followed by a smile. Hers came right after, and we both chuckled at the absurdity of the situation. The chuckles turned to full blown laughter, and I felt happy for the first time in a long time. It was just me and her. My best friend. The one I was trapped in wonderland with, and the one who was by my side in a whole new world. But yet again, my thoughts are interrupted by a trio of giggling. The voices on the other side seemed louder than before. Maybe I got too used to the silence. The familiar voices gave us instructions, like we were outsiders. And we were. I listen and take out my phone to set a timer of seven minutes. Curious. Seven is so odd. The giggling dies down again, and eccentric conversation is led outside of the room. Leaving us in silence again. But still, I can’t see her properly. I turned on my phone light and nearly braced for the sudden brightness. I put it between a multitude of hangers. The closet looked different from the inside than I was picturing in my head. I saw her clearly, and let out a stupid “hi” in response.
“I guess we should. Since it’s a tradition.” Bunny says, avoiding eye contact
“Yeah” I say, sounding more excited than I would have liked to
We agreed, but still, nothing happened. The sweat that coated my body from nervousness dried as the air shifted without warning. The warmth from before thinned, causing a bone-cold aroma only pure fear could have caused. But it wasn’t just me. Bunny’s shoulders curled, and she rubbed her hand along her arm. I got the message and hurriedly took off my jacket, leaving my beige shirt left to keep me warm from a sudden cold. I wrapped it around her, still avoiding eye contact for some strange reason. I had given her my jacket millions of times before; but it was the circumstances which made it seem awkward. I fiddled with my watch. My hair. My belt buckle. I just didn't know what to do with my hands. With myself. Maybe I was doing too much, or maybe she was just tired of waiting, but either way, she noticed. I’m seldom at a loss for words, but I don’t know what to say next. Until the distance between us closed suddenly.
Her lips were soft. Too soft. I feel her hair on my forehead and collarbone, along with her hands settling between my neck and shoulders. I wrap mine around her back. I was bent down to her height, and my legs felt wobbly with euphoria. I smiled, we both did. It deepens fractionally as her hands migrate to the corner of my jawline. My hands brushed her hair, then found its way back to her back. I didn't notice the bizarre situation until I heard more giggling outside. I’m kissing my best friend in a closet that our friends locked us into. My stomach flips like I was on a high altitude ride with a mile long line. Her lips move for a split second, maybe to say something, or to laugh or breathe. Something accidental, something intentional. I can’t figure it out. It was pure greed. I just wanted to stay in this moment for life and forget the cruel possibility that the seven minutes could possibly be up. My thoughts repeat like a mantra before getting interrupted by the timer on my phone. We part and hold eye contact. Our smiles are contagious and our hands stay where they were. I wished for more. But before I could act, a bright light blinded me. Bunny winced and turned her head away from the open door. And the first thing I see is the last thing I saw before getting locked in. 3 giggling girls.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hey guys, this is gonna be a few part fanfic where a series of events take place in one of Briars house parties. Part 2 is prolly gonna be Dizzie in Lizzies pov. But Just to clear some things up, this takes place when bunnistair are still friends and where daring hasn't cheated on Lizzie yet (kinda manipulating time for the sake of this fanfic.) Also I was going to do Apples pov for each couple, but it got so boring so I thought digging deeper into their emotions and stuff if it was their individual povs would be way better. I'll try my best to write alot more butttt as always feel free to contact me with a ship you'd like to read about :)
janainaart
prguitarman
theartofmadeline
titsay
discoholicmusic
