bring n' new year

[attr="class","stellabg"]

he had lost track of how many times something, an event, a fight, or a family member, had taken pretense over him but once more, his wife had lost herself in another frivolous event that phillip had to clear his schedule to attend. his house had glitter trails from the front door to the kitchen table where dozens of silver stars were once laid upon the table for days, accumulating in quantity and causing phillip to force his tongue to bleed as he bit down upon it, trying to keep mute about the situation. if she was busy, he could continue pulling his old tricks and though that made the guilt run deeper with each kiss that he received that was not from his wife, phillip found himself in capable of changing that part of his life. he had cut his office hours, he had stopped drinking as much but not seeing melissa on the side proved to be a tie that he could not yet cut. sighing, phillip stared at the uneven tone of his skin in the bright bathroom mirror. his eyes were dark, evidence of what little sleep that he had gotten the last couple of nights, his eyes were bloodshot and he really did not look up to his usual standards. turning the faucet on, phillip splashed some water directly onto his face to try and soothe away the exhausted appearance but just found that the cold water turned his skin red and blotchy. dapping away the droplets, he stepped out of the bathroom and approached the closet where the suit that he was to wear was hanging off a hanger on his side of the closet. with a deeper sigh than before, he plucked it off the rack and walked back to his bed where he began to prepare himself. during this entire time, his wife had been primping herself and coming in and out of the room. he felt indecent when she had appeared in the bathroom as he had finished his shower and before phillip took the towel away, he checked to see that his wife was out of sight. he could not pin point why he felt so insecure but those that had seen his wife with his arm around her waist often questioned how this match was even created. they were both attractive but phillip could not deny that stella was a knock out compared to him, especially tonight.

he had shamelessly caught a glimpse of the dress that she was going to wear tonight. she had hung it up in the closet and then it kind of blended it with the rest of her clothes after that one glimpse but it was enough to be imbedded in his mind. he had seen sheer fabrics upon her slender form but this one, he felt was going to be something special and just for him. nerves began to bubble up as he finished the touches upon his ensemble, the bowtie being pulled tight around his neck. he needed a drink. exiting the bedroom, phillip was unsure of his wife’s whereabouts in the house but the two dogs were upstairs which meant that she was somewhere close to them. he gave them an affectionate look but did not reach down to pet them, not wanting to get dog hair on the black material of his suit. making his way down the stairs and into the parlour, the living room area, the drink cart already had a small glass filled with his favourite scotch but he had been nursing it for the past few hours. he finished it off, giving one last look in the hall mirror before he reached for his coat and his wife’s as well. time felt slow, the hall clock mocking him with the taunting tick of the second hand as he was alert for sounds of heels or the dogs’ nails upon the floor indicating that she was approaching. phillip was always annoyingly on time and this was no exception as he was completely ready to go with a flask, wallet, keys and shoes on. he decided on another quick drink as the anticipation of her descent was making him nervous all over again. he felt like a boy taking the most popular girl to the prom but just as he was about to pour out a little bit of liquid courage, her voice travelled. how did she make it down the stairs without him noticing? ”been ready for the past ten minutes..”, but she had to have already known that if she know phillip at all. he lifted his head and turned his body around to face her, having to stop his jaw from hitting the floor as he looked her over. the curls, the dark lips and of course, the dress—it was beyond what he had pictured. ”no…no it’s..perfect.”, he stumbled over his words and the bottle, nearing spilling it as he twisted the cap back on and left the unfilled glass on the cart. ”you look beautiful stella..”, he commented while putting his coat on and then offering hers, waiting for her to slip her arms in, ”nervous?’, he asked while sliding the coat upon her shoulders and stepping over to the door, pulling it open for her to step through first.

[attr="class","stellabg"]

he sipped the scotch slowly, trying to get the full effect that it could bring him plus he didn’t want to have to send a fortune at the bar that they were going to tonight. he waited downstairs, continually adjusting his tie that felt a little too tight and then too loose and then none of it mattered when she made herself known. she was a dazzling woman, always so beautiful in his eyes but sometimes, she just floored him with her all around beauty. his mouth was opened but he could barely get the words out to tell her how perfect she looked and how badly he wanted to tear the second skin away and pull her hair from the pinned up position. he wanted to but he didn’t, he stood there giving a small chuckle while placing the glass down on the cart, only a few sips of straight scotch gone, ”it’s not the alcohol effecting me right now…”, he commented with ease before stepping over to his wife. he did have a small flask hidden on him so that he could engage with the annoyingly boring people that would be occupying the same space as him. half of him wanted to just ask to make a quick appearance and then come home and celebrate the new year together, just the two of them but phillip knew how important this was to her and really, he had a lot to make up to her. he wondered if someone was going to be kissing melissa tonight and apart of him was pleased that it was not himself. he save a curt smile that barely touched his eyes, ”thank you.”, he smiled down at her before offering her the coat that he pulled off the hook. he smiled lightly as she was speechless to his question and he nodded in understanding. he knew that she was nervous, he was as well but not for the same reasons. things were beginning to change between them and he could feel it and it scared phillip. he was surprised by the kiss but took it with grace as he , ”wouldn’t miss it..”, shutting the door behind them and walking with her over to the car.

he let her slide in first before following after and passed the driver a small tip in appreciation. yet another door shut behind them and phillip slid into in order to be closer to his wife. he watched her hands running over the fabric of her dress and he quickly reached for it, bringing the back of her hand to his lips, ”relax..”, leaving their hands locked until she spoke about the flask that he had hidden away. ”the fun flask has scotch..”, as it was the strongest drink that he could think of. giving a smile, he nodded and unlinked their fingers and reached into his inner jacket pocket and pulled the flask out for both of them to enjoy. ”don’t drink too much or i’ll have to cut you off..”, he chuckled as he handed the flask over to her but not before putting a quick kiss to her cheek. he let the flask go into her possession and he looked out the window as the city passed by. the entire street was lit up so magically and it made him smile brightly. tonight was going to be a good night, he could feel it and it would all be because of the woman beside him. giving a glance over to her as the car began to slow down, he reached for her hand once more, ”ready?”, he asked with a squeeze to her hand. the car door was opened for them and he slid out first, pulling stella along gently as he helped her out of the car and then looked to the venue from over his shoulder. the place looked impressive but he knew that his wife’s decoration skills would be what put this place over the top. leading her up the stairs, he put an arm around her waist as cameras flashed around them and he knew that he had to keep up appearances in case anyone from their world saw these photos. he kept her close, pulling her into the curve of his side and led her into the establishment but even then, phillip did not let her go as they made their way into the room and his smile grew, ”spectacular stella, absolutely beautiful…”, but this time, his head was turned and he was looking directly at her..

[attr="class","stellabg"]

phillip was stuck in the car with his wife, in a close proximity to her. they were close enough that their body heat mixed in the leather and the atmosphere surrounding them. he wanted to pull at his bowtie but the effort to do it all back up again would not be worth the moment of uncomfortableness that he felt. it would pass in due time, he just needed a sip from the flask. the top was unscrewed in an instant and the small nozzle was put to his lips, the liquid sliding down his throat as the car jerked forward and pushed them closer to her event. he called it her event in his mind because she had been the mastermind, the designer, behind the entire thing and really, stella deserved all the credit for it. with a little liquid courage coursing through his system, he reached over and took her hand once more, lifting it from her lap and to his scotch laced lips. he passed the flask over to her when she requested it, having pocketed it after his large gulp and phillip needed his hand for it. reaching into the inside pocket of his jacket, he quickly revealed the silver flask once more and handed it over to his wife, allowing her to bask in power that alcohol had. he was about to open his mouth and offer as many words of encouragement as he could toward his nervous wife but the car had already started to come to a stop and phillip looked over to her, grinning at her sudden response. giving her words a response but just quickly shaking his head, he reached for her hand for the third time that night and gave it a squeeze, feeling a reciprocated action that brought a genuine smile to his lips. he was out of the car first, hit by the crisp air of a california winter before he turned around to offer assistance to his wife. this was ususally a playbook kind of action, taught to young men of the rich world from when they were young but for phillip, it was just instilled in his genes to be courteous and helpful. they made it up the stairs with just some flashing lights going off and he kept her tucked into his side every single step of the way.

he forgot that he was an actor, maybe because it was so natural to play house when people were watching or maybe, for the first time, it actually felt right to have her there. he had never brought melissa to an event, they rarely left the bedroom. their relationship was intimate in the physical sense and though he often showered her with gifts, it was still nothing but a physical need for him. this, holding his wife to his side, was something different. he did have a reputation to uphold but this time around, keeping stella close to him did not feel like a chore or an obligation to his family. it was a responsibility that he had as a husband, a true husband and not someone that was forced into this without wanting it. he wanted it. he knew that now and he had known for some time but this had proved to be the ultimate test for him. giving her a side glance, he checked signs of her own discomfort or an aversion to his touch but the smile that she was wearing looked real to him right now. she looked radiant with a genuine, pleased expression on her face. nodding, he looked around the room and then back to her, ”it looks worth having all that glitter on our dining room table.”, as the stars, which he could see were hanging from the ceiling, shed a good amount of sparkles in their house. he chuckled as she noticed the fun flask and nodded toward her, ”no need to worry about that, i’m not leaving your side..”. he was about to take the flask from her hand when she reached into the jacket pocket and placed it back herself, her hand guiding itself down his chest. he felt a small jerk of the breath before he cleared his throat when she removed her hand, ”though you pose a bit of a danger to me…”, he mumbled before looking around, spotting many people that he could talk to but really had no desire to. turning his attention back to his wife, he leaned in close and whispered in her ear, ”so what shall we do first?”, speaking over the music which was far more lively for an event like this.