hatred | miniminter

37

i swiftly turn my head, gazing up at him with a grin, "i love you too."

i watch as many more people arrive, noticing the party fully beginning and the music blares louder over the speakers, a game of beer pong already starting. i dance with the girls, a lot of the guys obviously not feeling drunk enough to join in with us. dragging some of the girls towards the kitchen, i pour us all out a few shots of sambuca, backing them one after one whilst glancing at one another with screwed up faces from the burning feeling running down our throats. swiftly pouring myself another drink, i join everyone again and take a large gulp of my drink tonight, my aim tonight to just get as fucked as possible.

after winning a game of beer pong with will and lux against mia, harry and ethan we celebrate our victory for some time before i stumble to the toilet, bumping into simon stood outside. "oh, hi si." i coo, wrapping my arms around his torso and pressing my head into his chest.

"you okay?"

"mhm." i mumble, slowly pulling away to gaze up at him, "you're doing shots with me after you've used the toilet, you need to be on my level." my vision already feels hazy with just over an hour before midnight, definitely feeling more than just a buzz from the alcohol.

"why?" he whines.

"because," i prod his chest, "it's new year!" i grin, my cheeks beginning to burn.

"alright, alright." he rolls his eyes, smirking at me, "whatever you say." raising his eyebrows, he pulls his body down slightly to press a kiss on my lips.

after using the toilet, i tug simon towards the kitchen, grabbing some clean shot glasses and pour us more shots of sambuca; giving simon more than myself. we take them one by one and i choke out from the last one, "gross." i wipe across my lips, a shiver running down my spine. we stand for some time talking to josh and ethan about nonsense, distracting myself from the conversation to glance around the room every so often, watching people enjoy themselves.

i wander back over to freya and gee, instantly dancing with them to whatever tune is blasting through the speaker. "i love you guys!" freya drunkenly yells, wrapping both arms around gee and i, the three of us forming a group hug.

"i love you both too." i giggle, squeezing the two girls tightly.

"yes! love is in the air," gee smirks, "honestly eden," we finally pull apart, "frey and i are so happy for you."

"stop it!" i shake my head, my skin burning red and i cannot quite tell if it is from the alcohol or my friend's comments.

"no, seriously," freya nods, "you guys are good together."

"you tell me all the time!" i cry out, instantly feeling embarrassed, i turn my head to glance at him talking to some of the guys and then turn my attention back to gee and freya, "he is the best to be fair."

"aww." gee coo's, "this year has gone so weirdly, but i'm bet you're happy with how it turned out."

i nod in agreement, my teeth grazing my bottom lip, "mhm, i definitely am. it was all unexpected," i shrug my shoulders, "but it turned out for the better." our attention to the conversation instantly fades away when a rihanna song fills the room around us, completely forgetting what we were on about to dance and sing along.

before we even realise it, the countdown begins and simon snakes an arm around my body, rubbing my shoulder softly. "3, 2," everyone yells in unison, "1! happy new year." we all exclaim at the top of our lungs. i instantly spin, wrapping my arms around simon's body, pulling him in for a kiss.

"happy new year." i whisper, beaming up at him.

"happy new year, ede." he plants a final kiss on my forehead, but my arms remain tightly around him.

"i'm -" i slur slightly, "i'm really grateful for this year," i clear my throat, "and for everything that has happened between us."

"good," he smiles from ear to ear, "because i am too, i never thought this would happen, but i'm glad it did." simon pulls his body forwards more, cupping my face and presses his lips against my own again. the feeling of his lips on mine is one feeling i will never get used to, it surprises me every time.

"happy new year guys." josh and freya come over, smiling at us softly.

"yeah, happy new year." i giggle, resting my head into simon's chest before ethan strolls over, pulling everyone in for a hug and finally embraces me, "happy new year, ethan." i coo, both of us swaying on the spot as we squeeze one another tightly.

"happy new year, eden." he says, pulling away and holding both my shoulders, "i just want to say i'm extremely grateful for your friendship and i'm very happy for you."

"aw, eth," i give him puppy dog eyes, "i'm grateful for your friendship too." we cuddle one last time, everyone gathers together hugging and celebrating going into the new year before drinks begin flowing a lot more than they were earlier.

simon's arm snakes around my waist, holding me close against his side, "who would've thought this is how we'd be going into the new year?" he chuckles.

"i know, i know," i simper, "i'm really happy about it though."

"yeah, i definitely am too, it's just mad."

"i think it surprises everyone, si."