Dearest Bella

Party trouble

“Belle, are you sure you can drive home?” Jane asked with a concerned look. Bella rolled her eyes at her best friend.

“Of course Janie. I won’t miss tonights party for anything.” 

Jane looked over Bella’s shoulder and glimpsed a parent entering the building. Plastering a smile on her face Bella turned round and greeted the parent as an old friend. “Sara, how are you? Benny has had such a great day he even began crawling around this afternoon.” 

Sara looked excited and followed Bella down the hallway and into the baby room. The air was filled with the scent of peppermint as the diffuser near the door flooded the room with the sweet aroma. “Bella, you and Erica have made this experience of helping me getting back to work so much easier. I feel so safe leaving him in your capable hands.”

Bella felt her cheeks heat up. “Sara we love looking after Benny he is so cheeky.” As Bella continued talking to Sara a baby with sandy blonde hair and cheeky green eyes slowly crawled towards the small group. Sara looked across to the mat to see her beautiful baby moving back and forth inching his way over to her. She let out a squeal and raced over to pick him up cooing; “Thats my baby boy.” 

Bella quietly slipped out the door and headed to the front office to sign out for the day.

Bella pulled out her keys to her Honda Jazz the sun reflecting a harsh glare off the silver paint. Shielding her eyes  she pressed the button and walked around to the drivers seat.  

Opening the door a dark figure caught her eye in the mirror. Bella turned around to find an empty carpark. Bella felt a tingle of unease run down her spine as she slid into the drivers seat. She turned the key in the ignition and released the brake. Driving out the driveway Bella looked back in her review mirror and caught a glimpse of the edge of a camera behind one of the cement pillars. Bella quickly pulled onto the road and quickly drove towards home. 

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Bella turned off the car and quickly raced up the steps to her front door shaking away the rising fear and anxious feeling that lingered on her crawling skin. She couldn’t stop that paranoid voice in her head that said she was being followed. Bella headed straight for the bathroom and turned on the hot water. Stripping out of her work clothes Bella let the hot water run down her body easing the tension from her aching muscles. Bella cleaned her self and dried off with her big fluffy towel. Wrapping it around herself she walked into her wardrobe and started sorting through her dresses picking out a black laced dress with matching black heels and shiny red soles. Her feelings of fear was replaced by nervous excitement as she began drying and styling her hair. She then applied her make up. Going with a winged eyeliner, and bold red lip. Bella decided on wearing her small silver rose bracelet and her white gold, diamond rose earrings. Bella grabbed her small laced black purse and began collecting her phone and keys. Bella put the address of the bar into the GPS and followed the directions. Stopping in front of a building with old bricks and large letters spelling out ‘Elephant and Castle.’ Bella drove around and parked in the back carpark when a voice screamed out. “Bella! b***h hurry up!”

Bella laughed and got herself out of the car, locking it and walking over to her friends she could feel the music blaring from inside; causing butterflies to swirl in her stomach. Hugging her bestie Jane and fist bumping Mark, Jane’s boyfriend of five years. They headed into the bar. They are immediately surrounded by a crowd of 18-25 year olds dancing to the beat of the DJ in the front of the main room. The small group slip out to the restaurant side of the bar and order their meals. Jane and Mark both order Nachos and chips while Bella ordered herself tacos. Then everyone else began to arrive Lizzy and Ethan, Freya and Sam, and lastly Louise and Joe. After everyone orders Joe gets up and thanks everyone for meeting together. He half shouts as the noise from the DJ escalates with the crowd singing louder thanks to all the cheap alcohol. “Thanks for coming guys, as you know our centre wouldn’t be here today unless you ladies and lads didn’t step up and help us out. I just want to thank you all. Im so ecstatic to have you all join Louise and I in celebrating our expectant little bundle.” Joe held up his Tooheys bottle and everyone cheered for the newly expectant couple. 

“Congratulations!” Bella called out to Louise and embraced her into a tight hug. “I couldn’t even tell.”

Louise laughed “I was so worried you’d figured it out last week at ladies night. I was so sure you did when I wasn’t drinking with you. I’m so glad you are here and I can share this night with all my favourite people.”

Bella laughed with happy tears glistening in her eyes “I couldn’t have said that any better. I can’t believe you are finally going to be a mum! You are going to be the best mum. I can’t wait to hold your baby and see you all together finally as one.”

Louise laughed again this time tears spilling down her cheeks. “Damn these hormones. I cry all the tine for no reason.”

Bella grabbed her arm “Enjoy this moment, Lou. You deserve it!” Then the rest of the group interrupted the moment and Bella was now on the edge of the group smiling and drinking with her bestie Jane. Jane was giggling as Mark whispered something funny in her ear. Jane was trying to explain the inside joke to her but it got lost in translation. The alcohol really didn’t help either. Bella shrugged off the feeling of pity she was starting to feel for herself and wanted a buzz. So she ordered more shots and wine to help her forget her day and the relentless biological clock that got louder by the hour. Tick, tock. 

Her phone buzzed, she looked at the number and saw it was Marcus. Bella rolled her eyes and downed another shot. Bella walked over to the bar to order another round of shots. When she got there a handsome man was sitting nearby. Bella smiled at him. Turned to the bar tender and ordered her shots. Her phone buzzed again and instead of answering it she threw back another shot. This time the room spun around her. Fast. The peoples faces transfigured to dark and blurry shapes. The room wouldn’t stop moving and she felt herself falling off the stool. Her body froze ready to feel the impact of the hard wooden floor beneath her. Instead strong arms caught her waist and legs. A blurry figure carried her bridal style out of the bar. She could hear the voices from the bar beginning to fade as darkness started to pull the covers over her mind.