The noise level in the room was almost deafening, the chatter of long lost friends and new acquaintances flying around the room, along with the steady overhead of 90's rock. Clusters of people gathered around the outside walls of the room, leaving the dance floor in the center, where drunken hands and fingers groped and searched for an easy score. Regina had been standing in the doorway of the convention room, eying the people from her four miserable years of high school with disgust. One would think that ten years of being away from each other and growing up might change people, but in the end they are still the same. The same children that teased and manipulated and coerced each other in to the back seats of an '87 Chevy. Watching them all pour liquor and spirits down their throats and relive the "golden days of youth," was too much for Reggie, and she turned to leave without having even stepped over the threshold of the room.
As she swung around to go, strong hands kept her from ramming into a particularly defined chest, covered in the most intriguing color of green she'd ever seen. The shade seemed to swim before her eyes, captivating her as it rose and fell before her. A low treble vibrated her ears, awakening her senses and finally she blinked, hearing the words that he was saying to her.
"You ok?" he asked, polite concern on his face, his eyes questioning. Words started to tumble up her throat, and her cheeks to flush, but then she met his eyes. Eyes she had started at for hours on end, eyes that had twinkled with mischief and mayhem as he laughed with her, not at her. Aiden's eyes. As the realization hit her, astonishment unraveled in his gaze and the clear hazel turned murky. "Regina."
For a moment his grasp tightened, then relaxed and Aiden quickly stepped back. Regina also stepped back, unconsciously rubbing her arms and averting her gaze. "Sorry. I didn't mean to run you over," she whispered, then turned to go, trying to slink away as quickly as possible. But he was too quick having already grabbed her arm, effectively stopping her. "Where you goin'?" he asked, not releasing his grip.
Regina tried to free her arm but it was no use; he was holding on tight. "I was just leaving. This isn't exactly my kind of scene, ya know," she replied smiling, her lips molded against her teeth in a threatening way. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way."
"We haven't talked in years, you can't leave yet," he grinned, ignoring her pointed look and continuing to detain her, his thick fingers pressing into her flesh. His eyes roved over her, remembering the awkward, heavy-set, teenager she had once been. A friend, someone to talk with during study hall, to lament to about difficult girlfriends; the person that was there for him, helping him study so he could pass physics with a C and graduate. "Where have you been all these years?"
"Becoming something," Regina quipped, wrenching her arm free, and crossing her arms over her bosom, uncomfortable with Aiden's close scrutiny. "It's not polite to stare."
Aiden raised his gaze and met her eyes, a shameless look on his face. "I wasn't staring. I was just thinking about how different you look." And she did look different. Her hair was no longer the rat's nest of curls, but smooth and defined, with ringlets hanging to her chin. Her face was different too, the angles still soft and round, but more mature; sensual. Regina's body had also changed: going from large to voluptuous, curvy and extremely feminine. "You look good...great."
Rolling her eyes she turned away, heading towards the exit of the hotel. "Great seeing you Aiden, see you in another ten years."
"Reggie, come on! Christ, just talk to me will you?" Aiden jogged after her, following her out of the sliding doors and into the warm July night.
"What do you want Aiden? Wondering why I'm here alone? Why Jack isn't with me? We're fucking divorced ok, just like you predicted. So thanks, thank you very much for caring and being my friend when I really needed you to be there," Regina said coldly over her shoulder, hurrying over to her car and unlocking the door.
"Hey! That's not fair and you know it," he yelled after her, slamming the door just as she started to open it. "You were the one who didn't invite me to the wedding. You were the one that didn't want to hear what I had to say. I knew you deserved better, but you were so fucking afraid to be alone that you took the first asshole that groped your tits."
The sound of her palm on his cheek echoed through the quiet parking lot. Slowly Aiden turned his head back around to see her bosom heaving with anger and her eyes afloat with unshed tears. "How dare you," Regina hissed, then shoved him away from her. "Goodnight Aiden. Thank you for making this as painful as possible. Why not just tell me a fat joke so that I can go away knowing that you're nothing that you used to be." With that she jerked the door of the car open and climbed in, slamming it closed before he could detain her any longer, and setting the locks. As the tears began to flow she gritted her teeth, throwing the car into drive and taking off, scattering rocks and dust up in a cloud as Aiden stood looking after her.
The empty room was flooded with light as she stumbled in, the bellhop trying in vain to keep her upright and moving as they crossed the threshold. Collapsing unceremoniously on to the couch, she gripped her purse, pulling it up to her chest and pulling out a hundred dollar bill. "Here, keep the change, and lock the door behind you," she garbled out, tossing it in the man's general direction. He took the tip with murmured thanks and left quickly, locking the door as the lady had asked.
Regina moaned loudly, her head beginning to pound and the lights poking needles into her eyes from all the alcohol she had consumed. After leaving the reunion she hit the closest bar she could find, and racked up an admirable tab drowning her sorrows in bourbon and beer. She closed her eyes with a groan and rolled off the couch to the floor, where she crawled to the refrigerator that housed the various mini-bottles of liquor and schnapps. Grabbing a handful, she cradled them to her breast and tried to stand, falling quickly to the floor once more. "Fuck it," she mumbled and stayed on the middle of the living room floor, opening one small bottle of vodka and downing it quickly. She was halfway through her fifth bottle when there was a soft knock on her door. "Go away," Regina yelled incoherently, throwing a handful of empties in the general direction of the noise. She rolled over onto her side, cuddling her stash and closed her eyes, ignoring whoever came to call.
