When the invitation had first slid through the lips of her letterbox, Alice had been sorely tempted to reply with regret. The transition between Ambassadors had not been a comfortable and smooth one and increasingly she found she had very little time for herself let alone friends and family. The housewarming had come at an impossible time for her in many ways but as the days were whittled away, Alice finally bit the figurative bullet and replied that she would be in attendance before expressing to the Ambassador that she would be having the evening off regardless of what happened during the day. The said Ambassador was decidedly unimpressed but Alice’s fatigue at the end of that particular evening prevented her from mustering the energy to care. Instead she focused on the day ahead, one which promised to be shorter than she had come to be used to and, hopefully, easier too.
A good night’s sleep allowed her to awaken for the day ahead with a more positive attitude and Alice was quite happily to return to the Ministry. Even at the sight of a mountain of paperwork, Alice’s mood remained fair and genial. Throughout the morning she worked tirelessly on the little tower before breaking for lunch, going out with a few other girls from the office. After returning with a coffee and a slice of banoffee pie she worked until around three o’clock when she finally signed herself out for the day, dropping the tower into the basket for the Ambassador to sign off on – ensuring that he had to stay in the office long after his family would have liked. She felt it was poetic justice and couldn’t help but smirk as she strode out of the office, waiting only a moment before Apparating out of the Ministry and back to her apartment.
Just as Alice let herself in, the telephone began to ring as if on call and she hurried inside, dropping her bag and her keys on the floor by the door that slammed shut before darting over to take the phone up off of the hook.
“Hello?” She exclaimed breathlessly, leaning back against the wall, her head resting on the frame of an ocean painting she’d purchased on Portobello Road one afternoon a few weeks before. Her spare hand came up and tugged at the pendant of her necklace, running it back and forth along the chain for a few moments as she waited.
“Alice!” The shriek was almost instantaneous and even though she was used to it, Alice still winced a little. “I’m so glad you picked up.”
“I’ve literally just walked in through the door, Jem.” Alice exhaled with a laugh, pushing off from the wall. She tugged at the clasp of her watch with her teeth and lifted it off of her dainty wrist, setting it carefully onto the side table next to the phone socket.
“Oh, Merlin, did I interrupt something?” Jemma worried from the other end.
Alice smiled a little. “No, you’re fine. Listen, what’s going on – I’m seeing you in a couple of hours.”
“I know!” Jemma replied airily. “I just wanted to make sure you’re still coming.”
Alice laughed openly, slipping off her shoes and making her way into her bedroom. She opened the door of the wardrobe and stepped inside, immediately beginning to scan the racks for something to wear.
“Am I really that bad?” She inquired idly, picking a dress up off of the rail before looking around in search of a jacket to wear.
“Yes Alice Rousseau. You really are that bad.” Jemma laughed. Alice took out a jacket and put both under her arm before getting shoes off of one of the shelves. “You are still coming. Promise you’re coming, Allie. Please. Please. Pleeeeeaaaseeee.”
“Do you want white wine or red?” Alice asked, shutting off the light in the wardrobe as she moved back into her bedroom, kicking the door back behind her.
“Oh, gosh… red! Wait, no… white. What goes with fish? I don’t know what Dan is cooking – DAN!”
Alice winced, laughing to herself as she left the clothes hung up on the door frame. The blonde padded into the kitchen and found herself out some orange juice which she poured into a glass, waiting patiently for her friend to return from berating her husband. Jemma and Dan had been together for ten years. They’d all gone to Beauxbatons together and it seemed as though there had never been a time when Jemma hadn’t been with Dan and vice versa. As soon as they’d met they were joined at the hip and things had just clicked for them. They’d married straight after school and Dan had joined his father’s company. Jenna had done an art and design course and was working for a fashion house and the two had moved to England in tandem with Alice nigh on. Then, all of the friends were together and, now that their house had been finalised, it was time to party, too.
“Apparently it’s fish... or something. I don’t know. Anyway, you are coming, aren’t you? C’mon, I’ve set your place and everything.”
“Especially for me?” Alice retorted sardonically after taking a sip of her orange juice. “I’m coming, don’t worry. I booked the evening off.”
“Good because otherwise Ollie will be the only singleton there and it’ll be terrible and awkward. Dan! Dan! The florist is here!”
Alice shook her head and set down her glass, moving over to the bread bin set on the kitchen island. She opened it up and retrieved a croissant, balancing the phone between her ear and her shoulder, electing to use both hands to open up the pastry. As she listened to the goings on, Alice spread marmalade onto the croissant and just as she started to lick the knife, Jemma returned with full force.
“So white wine and you’re coming and I’ll introduce you to Ollie and David’s coming, I’m sorry, but it’s fine, right, because he’s engaged to Juliette now so surely it won’t be weird… right? Will it be weird?”
Alice sighed and dropped the knife into the bowl in the sink.
“Oh God, it’ll be weird. Allie I’m sorry.” Jemma whined.
“No, no.” Alice closed her eyes for a moment, pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. “No, it’s fine. Believe me. It’s fine. I’ll just get horribly drunk and we can all forget about it, okay?”
“I’ve ruined the party, haven’t I? You don’t need to go, Allie. Really. We can do something later. A movie night in the week sometime, eh?”
Alice shook her head. “I’ve booked the time off now. No, I’m going. It doesn’t matter. I’ll see you in a few hours, alright?”
“Don’t be late!”
With a click, Jemma was gone and silence stretched out in the apartment apart from the faint twitter of birds outside one of the kitchen windows and the blaring of cards down in the streets below. With a heavy sigh, Alice trudged back to the hall table where she put down the phone and took a moment to gather herself. It was potentially going to be one of the more interesting dinners she’d been to between avoiding her ex-boyfriend and trying, simultaneously, to make light conversation with whoever poor soul who had decided against bringing a date to the evening-of-hell that would result from being around four couples. Jemma and Dan. David and Juliette. Jacques and Henriette. Isaac and Ellie. It could only potentially get worse – especially if Jemma endeavoured to fill her house to busting point or something.
With an audible groan, Alice pushed away from the wall again and trudged into the bathroom for a shower. If she was going to put up with the farcical night ahead then she was going to do so whilst looking as pristine as possible. At least she’d have that to console herself with if everything went pear-shaped.
Golden light was shining, cutting through the evening’s darkness which had blanketed itself gently over the landscape. Curtains were being drawn across the windows of the upper story of her friends’ farm house whilst the lamp lights lining the gravel path crackled into their brilliance. Alice stepped out from underneath the lolloping yew tree that had implanted itself in the bank by the river that ran through the grounds of the little estate that Jemma and Dan had gotten for themselves and slowly made her way up the path to the house. Already she could hear laughter inside and the neck of the bottle of wine was growing clammy in her little hands. However, before she could turn back and rethink or phone Jemma and tell her that something dire had come up the front door was thrown open and the redheaded woman darted out of the house, capturing Alice in a rib crunching embrace.
“You’re here, you’re here, you’re here!” She squealed excitedly, bouncing Alice up and down. “I’m so happy! Now everyone’s here. Come on, let’s go inside, it’s freezing!”
What had always been apparent was that Jemma and Dan were ready to have children. Their home was a testament to that fact. They were ready to make their own family to heal the wounds left behind by theirs. The décor was simple and homely, not overtly ostentatious like Alice’s apartment or at all like Riley’s in its simple but workable fashioning. It was a place where Alice could imagine children toddling around on unsteady legs with their parents hurrying around behind them. It was a place where anyone could fall asleep and wake up to find a fresh set of clothes and breakfast poked under their nose by the two people in the world that were unrivalled by, in Alice’s opinion, no one in terms of generosity. It was all there. It was perfect. For a moment, Alice felt a flash of envy wash over her but she soon threw that out of court – it was a pointless feeling. It was their happiness. It didn’t affect her own.
“Do you like the house?” Alice’s thoughts were interrupted by Dan who pealed her from his wife’s arms long enough to grasp a hug of his own.
“It’s wonderful,” Alice enthused honestly, lifting her eyes around again as though to reinforce her point. “Really lovely. You did a stellar job.”
“Stellar job on my wallet, too,” Dan chuckled, releasing his friend. “You’re welcome to stay anytime, too. Though, I wouldn’t in the next few months. Jem’s sister is coming to stay … another ruck with the hubby and this time it looks as though it’s over for good so…”
Alice nodded, glancing over at Jemma who had rushed off to go and talk to Juliette. Alice embraced Dan again and released him before allowing him to lead her into the conservatory which was connected to the living room. It was there that Alice first caught sight of the man who was the purported singleton – Ollie, if she supposed Jemma was telling the truth and not just attributing a random name to the poor soul who also must have shared her misery at attending such a function.
“Olls!” Dan called out brightly. “This is Allie-Alice. Ms. Rousseau meet Ollie Connolly. Enjoy because my better half has set you up for the evening. Another beer, mate? And love, you’ll want something nice and strong won’t you? I’ll get Jacques to make you a cocktail, eh? Right, better check on dinner. Please get along. Okay, going now.”
Then, like that, the other half of the meddling duo scarpered and Alice found herself alone with a man who she’d just been introduced to. Needless to say, she was feeling more than a little bit ridiculous. Nevertheless, she did remind herself that he was in the same boat as she was – dateless and surrounded by coupled head cases who were their mutual friends. Once Jacques handed over the cocktail and the beer – the former looking like a disgusting sugary drink that pretended to have something to do with fruits of the forest – silence could no longer be mulled over, especially not with the tyrannical laughter going on in the next room.
“So how do you know Jemma and Dan?” Alice said after a mouthful of the cocktail which was as disgusting and as sugary as first sight had promised. She managed to stave off wincing, however, and instead plastered a friendly smile onto her face. It was the least she could do, after all. He was doing her as much of a favour as she hoped she’d be able to do him.