Chapter Nineteen:
Party
"Happy Birthday, Howard!" Salem chirped, walking down the stairs with her hands behind her back.
"Thank you, Salem. What have you got there?" Howard asked, trying to look behind her back.
"Oh, nothing." She said, holding out a wrapped gift for him. He took the present from her and opened it.
"...Just a Norah Jones Vinyl..." She said smiling.
"Thank you, that's very thoughtful of you." Howard said, opening his arms. Salem walked into him, embracing him. She released him, smiling and going around the shop to start her day.
Vince walked in, while Howard sat behind the counter, playing his new Jazz/Pop album.
"Happy birthday Howard." Vince said, holding up some new fashion tops and hanging them up.
"Thanks, Vince. What did you get me?" Howard said, looking to see if he had hidden a present in the rack of clothes.
"It's on its way." Vince said. Howard rolled his eyes.
"Sure it is." He said. Vince smiled.
"It really is, Howard." Vince defended.
"Hey, why don't we have a party in the flat after the shop closes to celebrate your birthday?" Vince said, looking for an excuse to throw a party.
"No, Vince, I don't like parties." Howard said.
"Why is that?" Salem asked, sweeping her way into the room with a broom. Howard began to explain how Vince had told all the kids there would be a bouncy castle when they were younger.
"That was ages ago and no one was going to come." Vince said. Salem sighed.
"So, How's it feel to be 40?" Vince asked.
"I'm not 40." Howard said.
"50?" Vince asked.
"How old do you think I am?" Howard asked offended.
"Come on, How old are you really?" Vince asked.
"I'm 32." Howard answered, Vince chuckled.
"Yes, I'm 10 years older than you." Howard said. Salem giggled at them in the background.
"What's so funny?" Howard asked.
"I guess I've got the baby charm then." She said, smiling a dazzling smile.
"Well how old are you?" Vince asked, his nerves going haywire. They had never discussed age before and he was praying that she was of age or close to it.
"Haven't you heard the expression 'Never ask a lady about her age'?" She asked. Vince dropped his head, while Howard giggled, already knowing the answer to the question.
"But, I guess if you must know, I'm only 20." Salem finally said with a giggle. Vince let out an inaudible sigh of relief.
"So, how about that party Howard?" Vince asked.
"No, I planned on a quiet night in, listening to jazz with Mr. Coldcreek." Howard said. A brightly dressed girl walked into the store and started looking at the jazz records.
"Oh, Hello. I noticed you were looking at the jazz albums..." Howard started. Salem smiled, and began cleaning the rest of the store.
"Hey, Salem?" Vince said. She turned around to look at him.
"Yes, Vince?" She asked, cleaning supplies in hand, and walking over to the back corner of the shop.
"Well, If Howard allows a party, would you mind... um... " He trailed off. He had never had this much trouble with women before the girl looking up at him.
"If I would what?" She said, her heart fluttering.
"... If you would wear matching outfits and make an appearance with me? As friends, that is." He said after having a mental panic.
"Coward! You should have just asked her to go with you!" He scolded himself. Her face fell slightly, but she smiled.
"Of course, Vince. What are friends for?" She said, turning and going back to her duties. Vince had seen her face, knowing something was wrong with her. He turned to see the brightly dressed girl, ending her conversation about having a party. He made his way to the pair smiling.
Howard strutted off, going up the stairs to talk with Naboo about having a party.
"Hey, thanks. He would have never wanted a party if it weren't for you." Vince said, handing the girl the bribe money.
"No problem. See you there." She said, walking out of the shop. Salem felt a tear fall out of her eye, and quickly finished her job for the day.
Salem had finished and was placing the supplies back in the closet when she saw Vince walk back in with the matching outfits. They had long flowing, cream colored sleeves with some strange print on them. The bust area was a deep green with the same creamy material flowing down from an empire waist.
She inspected the outfits further as Vince held them up. Black stretchy leggings, shiny, cream colored platform boots, white head bands and feathered, grey capes. She shook her head at the look.
"You want me, to wear that?" She asked, Vince nodded excitedly. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Alright, for you, I'll wear it." She said, taking the outfit in her arms and heading up the stairs to get ready for the party. Vince felt like his heart was going to burst at the same time he felt his pants become a tighter.
"Shit, I'll have to take care of that before she sees it." He thought rushing to his room, taking care to keep his lower region out of view.
Salem was dressed, with her make up done, and the accessories Vince had given her in place. Her hair was left down, with the head band going around her head like a ringlet. She exited her room, and walked over to Vinces', knocking on the door.
"Come in." He said. She opened the door and walked in, closing it behind her. She looked around to see a type of lounge chair, decked out with feathers and other decorations, matching their outfits.
"Vince?" She asked, looking around the room for him.
"I'm back here. Give me a minute." He said from behind a changing screen. She took a seat near the vanity, looking in the mirror, and making sure she looked perfect.
Vince came out, dressed and ready, looking in the girls direction and smiling. She stood from the chair and smiled.
"You look amazing. Let's have a look." Vince said, taking her hand and twirling her around. She smiled.
"Now you." She said, standing on her toes and twirling him in a circle. The man smiled down at her, hands still connected.
"Salem." He said, looking straight into her eyes.
"Yes, Vince?" She asked, searching his face.
"Before we make our entrance, I just wanted to tell you that I-" Vince started, being interrupted by a knock on the door. He sighed, and let go of Salems' hand. He cracked open the door to see Howard standing there.
"Hey, why aren't you at the party?" Howard said, starting a conversation about being fashionably late for parties, leading to Vince trying to talk him out of making a speech about safety. Salem sighed, waiting for Vince to return. She looked in the mirrors again.
"I'm at least cute... Right?" She thought, examining her face and body. She couldn't find anything really wrong with her. She sighed again, depression settling into her mind, even if it were just a little bit.
"We have to hurry, Howard's killing the mood." Vince said, grabbing her hand and helping her onto the decorated lounge, leaning back himself. Some men lifted them up.
"Vince, I'm not so sure about this." Salem said, struggling to stay seated.
"You''ll be fine, here, lean on me." Vince said, pulling her back to lean against his side. She blushed and looked up at him.
"Better?" He asked with a smile. A light pink dusting his cheeks for a moment. She nodded.
"Now, just put on a show." He said.
The doors were thrown open, two show girls dressed in white and gold threw up gold confetti. A fog machine had been running making the room fogged as the men carried them through the doorway. Vince greeted everyone with a smile, while Salem smiled and shrunk back from the angry looks on some of the crowds faces.
Vince hopped off the lounge, helping her off as well. He took the mic from Howard and made a small announcement, causing the crowd to liven up. Vince smiled and began talking to Howard.
"Thanks for upstaging me, you even got Salem in on it too." Howard commented.
"Yea, sorry about that, but I had to make an entrance to make them all feel like they had my attention." Vince explained.
"You don't look like you're enjoying yourself Howard." Vince said.
"Oh, you noticed that, did you/" Howard replied, starting a small pep talk from Vince. Salem stood off in a corner, receiving nasty looks from some of the party goers.
"Look, if it isn't the flavor of the hour." One of the girls said, eying Salem with distaste.
"Excuse me? I'm just one of his friends." Salem defended.
"Hm. Suits you to be just friends." The girl said with a smirk.
"And, just what is that suppose to mean?" Salem asked.
"It means, dear, that Vince would never like a fat ass like you in his most desperate moments." Another girl said, standing next to the other girl. Salem took in their stick thin figures.
"I see. Thank you for enlightening me, ladies." Salem said, leaving the girls to themselves. She left the party, choosing to climb the stairs onto the roof. She sat down and pulled her knees to her chest.
"I told you this would happen... It always ends up this way... You fall in love, give them everything to make them happy and get let down..." Her mind told her.
"I can't help how I feel about him... I'm not even worried about being his and him being mine... I just hope he can be happy..." She thought, wiping a tear from her eyes.
"Then, why are we sitting here crying?" Her mind spoke again.
"Because, I think those girls are right... How could anyone like a girl like me?" She thought.
"Now, don't start this again. You're cute at the least." Her mind piped in. Salem sighed and stared out at the stars. Howard escaped the party, coming up to the roof and sitting down next to her.
"The stars are lovely tonight." He started, trying to make conversation. She smiled sadly, leaning her head on his shoulder and sighed.
"What's the matter, love?" He asked. She remained quiet for a while, enjoying the starry night.
"I'm starting to think I'm not good enough for him, Howard." She said. Howard scoffed at the confession.
"Now, why would you think that?" He asked. She sat up straight.
"Some of the other girls pointed out that I'm no where near his type of girl. He's always going for thinner, model type women, and I'm... I'm..." She stopped, feeling another tear escaping her eye.
"You're beautiful, Salem." Howard said with a smile. She looked up.
"...No, they are beautiful. Vince is beautiful. I'm just... here." She said, looking back up at the stars.
"Salem, to be frank, Vince is an idiot not to see you in a serious sense." Howard said, trying to boost her self esteem. Salem smiled and looked over at him.
"You really think so?" She asked. Howard wiped the tear that had escaped her eye and smiled.
"I know so." He said. She smiled back and they continued to watch the sky. Vince soon came up the stairs and through the roof access.
"What are you doing up here?" He asked.
"I got embarrassed." Howard said.
"I don't want to talk about it." Salem answered, looking away from him. Vince sensed her mood and let it go for now. He sat next to Howard.
"What are you doing up here? I thought you enjoyed parties?" Howard asked.
"Yea, well, I'm escaping the high shaman, Dennis. His wife caught me in the closet and now he's after me with his sword." Vince said. Salem chuckled sadly.
"I didn't do anything with her. She just grabbed me and pulled me in." Vince said, seeing the look on Howards face. The men talked, while Salem sulked, catching small bits of the conversation. She heard Howard confess to never being kissed before, and Vince giving him hell for it. The Shaman appeared through the access, seeing Vince and threatening to kill him.
"I'm not interested in your wife, I swear!" Vince said.
"Oh yea? I have trouble believing that!" Dennis yelled, holding up his sword.
"It's true, I'm in love with someone else!" Vince said.
"Who?" He asked.
"I'm... I'm in love with... Howard!" He exclaimed, panic throwing his mind in loops. Salem blanked at the news.
"Well, that explains a lot... but not really..." She thought.
"Prove it." Dennis said. Vince grabbed Howard and kissed him.
"Well, I'm going... to go rethink somethings in my life." Dennis said awkwardly.
"Thanks, you really saved me back there." Vince said. Howards face lit up. Salem face palmed, more confused then ever, as Howard began ranting on about being gay and him being in love with Vince the entire time. Howard stood up, jumping around.
"Howard! Be careful, You're going to fall off the roof!" Salem and Vince tried to warn him, grabbing onto him as he fell backwards, dragging them with him. They fell softly onto a bouncy castle, bouncing up and down on it.
"Hello?" The jazz girl from earlier came into view.
"You came back." Howard said.
"Yea." She said smiling. Howard began hitting on her, and invited her into to castle. Vince was thrown into a whiplash from Howards words.
"But you just said you were in love with me..." Vince began ranting, with Howard explaining himself, settling the argument quickly. Howard took the girls hand and began bouncing. Salem was about to get out, having had enough for one day, when she felt a tug on her hand. She turned and saw Vinces hand holding hers.
"Come on, it'll be fun." Vince said, smiling at her. She shook her head, and stood back up.
"I must be out of my mind." She thought, bouncing with the group, more people joining as the night went on.
The crowd had left, leaving Vince, Howard the jazz girl and Salem in the bouncy castle alone.
"Well, I should be going." The jazz girl said, sitting up and sliding out.
"Wait up, I'll show you out." Howard said. Salem laughed at the mans attempt to be smooth, then bounced once more before laying down and looking up at the sky.
Vince followed her action, taking the spot next to her. There was a comfortable silence between them, each deep in thought.
"Tell her now, it's the perfect time!" His mind shouted at him. He looked over at Salem, examining her face closely. There was a content look on her face, he looked even closer, noticing the trails along her cheeks made from tears.
"What were you crying about earlier, Salem?" He asked. She turned her head to face him and smiled.
"You're going to think it's stupid." She said, a light pink tint crossed her cheeks.
"No I won't." He replied with a giggle.
"Yes, you will." She argued.
"I promise, I won't." He said in a serious tone. Salem looked at him confused, having never heard Vince be that serious before.
"You promise?" She asked, rolling to her side to face him. Vince mirrored her action, nodding.
"Yes, now what was up?" He asked. She sighed, and looked away from him.
"Some girls at the party said some nasty things to me." She said, keeping it general.
"Really now? And what could they have said to upset you that badly?" Vince said both angered and curious.
"They said I was a fat ass and that it suited me to just be friends with..." She trailed off, not sure how to express her feelings for him.
"Just be friends with who?" Vince asked. She looked at him, her eyes starting to get red.
"With you, Vince. They called me the flavor of the hour, like I was just a passing fling at first..." She confessed. Vince smiled.
"And why would that bother you?" He asked, watching as her cheeks grew pink.
"Because, Vince... I... You have a certain life style for going from woman to woman, and you're known for flirting with anything on two legs, and... and..." Salem stopped mid sentence, getting lost in Vinces' intense blue eyes and bright smile. He propped his head up on his hand.
"And what, Salem?" He asked with a teasing tone lacing his voice.
"And... Oh, I don't know!" She groaned out, rolling her head into the soft floor of the castle. Vince held back his laughter at the girls behavior.
"Salem, do you know why I go from girl to girl?" He asked.
"To play the field?" She guessed, peeking one eye out to look at him. He shook his head with his smile stretching even wider.
"No, I do it to find my equal in this life. I want someone who's fun, with a love of bright colors, soft fabrics and dancing. The problem I'm having now, is I found her, and can't seem to get her attention at all." Vince confessed. Salem picked her head up.
"You? Not able to catch a girls attention? Please, that's impossible! You have hundreds of girls lining up just to be near you! I find it hard to believe that this one girl hasn't noticed you." She said, looking over to him. He looked into her eyes for a moment, before she looked away.
"...I know I have..." She said, her face turning as red as her hair. Vince smiled and felt his heart start to speed up. Salem sat up on her knees, looking at the far wall of the castle. Vince moved and sat on his knees. He inched closer to her, until his knees touched hers.
"Salem?" He said, turning his head to try and make eye contact with her. She focused in on the wall, prepping herself for rejection.
"Salem, look at me." Vince said, cupping her cheek with his hand and turning her head to face him. Her eyes were starting to puff up and turn red, her breathing was ragged, and her body was stiff. Vince smiled and placed his hand back on his lap.
"Salem, I've been trying to tell you this for weeks. It seems that... what I mean is..." Vince stuttered, tripping over his words. She looked up at him with big eyes.
"Yes, Vince?" She asked in a breathy tone. Vince let out a breath and smiled.
"Salem, I-" He started, interrupted by Howard slamming open the back door, smiling.
"Vince, Salem! You'll never believe what... just... am I interrupting something?" Howard asked, looking at the pair, confusion written on his face. Salem kept her eyes trained on Vince, as he got up and went to talk to Howard.
Salem let her head fall down to her lap, hearing the murmurs from the two men. She waited for a while, then heard the door shut. She looked up and saw Vince walking quickly over to her. She stood up and jumped out of the castle.
"Vince, what's the matter?" She asked. Vince said nothing and kept his pace.
"Fuck it all." He said in a hushed tone, more to himself than anyone else. He got within arms reach of Salem and grabbed her shoulders. She looked up at him, as he jerked her body closer to his and planted his lips onto hers.
She felt her body go stiff for a brief second, before she started kissing him back. Her eyes closed, and her hands found refuge on his chest. His arm slid down her shoulders and wrapped around her waist, while the other moved up and found its place on the side of her neck.
Salem feel hear her heart beating against her rib cage, feeling Vinces' heart doing the same under her fingers. Vince pulled back slowly, breathing hard. Salem opened her eyes, breathing hard as well. Their breaths mixed in an intoxicating dance on each others lips.
"Salem, I love you." Vince said, looking straight into her eyes. She smiled up at him.
"I love you too, Vince." She said softly. Vince smiled and cupped her face with both of his hands, leaning his forehead against hers. She blushed brightly and smiled at him. Her sparkling eyes matching his. He leaned closer, placing his lips on hers more gently this time.
Their lips moved in sync, as Salem wrapped her arms around his neck. His tongue tapped her lips lightly, asking to be let in. She opened her mouth on instinct, allowing him the entrance he had been craving for months. She moaned lightly as his tongue explored her mouth, and tapped at her own.
His hands traveled down her body to the back of her thighs, lifting her up and wrapping her legs around his waist. She squeaked at the contact, as he walked them over to the castle and sat them down. His arms moved to around her waist, holding her tightly. They pulled away from each other, out of breath and smiling, holding each other close.
"Salem, be my girlfriend." Vince said once he had caught his breath.
"Vince, I... I can't..." She said, looking up at him.
"Why not?" He asked, trying not to panic.
"Because if I did, I'd get hurt. I need someone to give me all of them... I guess what I'm trying to say is... I can't share you, Vince." She said, trying to explain. Vince smiled and shook his head.
"Salem. You're the only one I've had my eye on. The other girls weren't anything compared to you... So what do you say? Be my girlfriend." Vince said. Salem looked up at him, trying to find any sign of lies.
"No other women?" She asked, finding no trace of deception.
"None. I'd give up my whole closet just for you." He said, leaning his head on hers, keeping their eyes locked. She smiled and nodded.
"Alright." She whispered.
"Alright?" Vince asked excitedly.
"Yea." She said smiling. Vince picked her up with one arm around her back and the other under her legs and stood. He bounced around the castle in happiness. Salem clung to his neck out of happiness and fear of falling.
The couple stopped bouncing and jumped out of the castle. Vince grabbed her hand, and opened the back door, helping her inside ahead of him. They walked up the stairs. Naboo, Bollo and Howard all watched them with knowing smiles on their faces. Vince walked Salem to her door, squeezing her hand.
"I'll see you tomorrow?" He asked teasingly, a smile planted firmly on his face. Salem smiled and nodded.
"Don't you always, Mr. Noir?" She replied, making his smile turn even bigger. He leaned in, kissing her lips lightly.
"Good night, Vince." She said after pulling away. She opened her door and started to enter it.
"Good night, Salem." Vince said smiling as she shut the door. Vince walked into the common room, being greeted by the stares of his friends and their smiling faces.
"What?" He asked. The two men and gorilla looked at each other then back at Vince.
"It's about time." They all said in unison.