From the torches hanging in poles that had been implanted in the ground everywhere, to the speakers booming with lively music and down to the enormous trays and dishes of countless meats and vegetables, the entire atmosphere became very lively and exciting.
The night stretched over the sky like a blanket with bright stars that helped the torches illuminate the yard.
Luckily enough, it wasn’t as cold as the previous night from the the countless warm torches and the crowd that were dancing from the music.
Hope chuckled out as someone accidentally hit into her while dancing. The girl smiled out charmingly as she giggled and waved at Hope who waved back. The girl eventually went back to her dancing with the other girls around her.
She finally made it to the beverage table and poured herself some sweet wine and some spirited wine for Ace, just as he had requested.
Ace was sitting on a bench under a large oak tree, scanning the entire crowd for one specific person.
Harley.
Despite just meeting Harley for the first time, he could feel threatened by his aura alone. There was just something about Harley that Ace couldn’t put a finger on it.
For an odd reason, he felt as though Harley was just revealing just a small fraction of his true form. He might as well even be hiding 80% for what he really was.
“Looking for me?” Hope chuckled as she tilted her head into Ace’s view, getting him to blink a couple of times as he smiled slightly. She smiled back and held up his cup. He gently took it from her grip and sipped a couple of times, nodding his head at the taste. “Perfectly made.” He chuckled out when she grinned out.
“I do this all the time.” She chuckled as she also took a sip of hers. “Harley always sent me to get his mixers.” She chuckled out. “His favourite is really complicated and really unfair to make. It’s like the strength ends up cancelling out eventually and making this mild sweet, strong, bitter drink.”
“What’s Harley like?” Ace asked, his expression suddenly flattened out as he gazed at Hope. She glanced up at his sudden straight tone only to nearly gasp at how serious he looked. A facial expression that made her know that he felt something strange.
“Want to make him your boyfriend now?” She chuckled out and took a deep sip, failing to ignore his serious gaze. “Harley is just Harley.”
“What’s he like?” He didn’t seem to ask this time. More as though he wanted a straight answer.
“Well…. I mean…” She furrowed her brows as she glanced around awkwardly. “What do you really want to know?”
“Why do I feel like he’s hiding more than he really gives?” Ace asked as he bit onto his lower lip and sighed out, taking another sip of his drink. “What’s his history like? As in his parents, his childhood, his friends growing up. All that.”
“Harley always had friends.” She sighed out as she crossed her arms over her chest, pressing her lips together as she stared up at the sky. “Even though he had hard time making friends. Almost everyone wanted to be with him. Everyone loves his charisma and all his funny jokes. That’s how I also got attached to him. We became best friends because his parents and mine had always been inseparable. He’s always been surrounded with lots of people that admire him.” She smiled out as she glanced down at the wine in her cup, slowly frowning as she remembered the blurry sound of the past.
“What’s wrong?” Ace asked as he stared at her sudden gloomy aura emitting from her. She suddenly clenched her fingers tightly around the cup, causing the sides to crush inside with the wine pouring out and all over her fist.
“There was a small fight against some humans at one point in the past.” She nodded her head slightly and sighed out, releasing her grip on the cup and watching it fall from her palm. “They used guns when they felt threatened, knowing they would lose against us for some stupid reason…. They ended up shooting carelessly and that’s why my brother lost his legs. A bullet shot right into his spine but was lucky to have caused only minor damage. Harley… On the meantime heard the news that his young four year old sister had been shot dead.” She sighed out shakily as she bit onto her lower lip.
“I didn’t know what he felt. He hid it so well that everyone was so amazed to see his cheerful self once more after the day of the burial. His parents too masked their sorrow and tried to be happy. If you asked them how they felt, they all replied ‘an angel needs to go back home at some point’. He’s never said anything about that day till now. Though despite him pretending, at one point when I went over to his place and ended up sleeping late, I could hear him screaming out his sister’s name in his sleep with tears running down his cheek. I asked him about it in the morning but he accused me of just dreaming about it.”
“He doesn’t look like a guy who would hide anything.” Ace said as he chugged down the remaining contents. “He really speaks out what he thinks. Maybe he only says it to me…”
“No. Harley can tell you what he’s feeling straight up and won’t hide anything.” She nodded as she chuckled slightly. “He’s an open book… Just a book with another book inside it. A book with a lock. There are things he hides sometimes. But that is probably because he thinks it would hurt the one who listens.” She pressed her lips together as Ace nodded slowly and stared at her.
“Hope!” Penelope chimed out with a wide grin on her face as she managed to dodge the dancing crowd and got to her. Suddenly, a frown plastered on her face as she glanced down at Hope who raised her brows at her. “What did you do to Harley?” She asked as she glared at Hope who glanced down at the ground.
“I just yelled at him for not being supportive.” Hope whispered out as she smiled sheepishly. “Is he mad?”
“I doubt that’s the only thing you said.” She said through gritted teeth as Ace rose his brows in wonder. Wondering how this new woman was that seemed to have Hope cowering back.
“I… Accidentally told him that he annoys me.” She sighed out weakly and glanced up at her. “I wanted to apologise…” Penelope ignored her and glanced up at Ace who locked eyes with her.
“So you’re the one disturbing everything I’ve worked hard for!?” Penelope hissed as she pointed sharply at Ace who furrowed his brows in question.