January 19, 10 pm.

Being slightly late for a party was one thing, but being TWO HOURS late was simply ridiculous, and Lisa fully understood that as she rushed into a three-story venue building with a red gift bag in her hand.

She didn't mean to arrive THAT late but when an emergency occurred at the office, she had no choice but to stay behind.

As she took a few steps inside the establishment, Lisa was astonished by the size and splendor of the interior.

With its 20-foot ceilings, artistic flooring, and a beautiful contemporary sculpture in the center, the room was unlike anything she expected, and that was just the lobby.

Snapping out of her dazed trance, Lisa, in her white pants suit and beige coat quickly walked to the front desk where a young receptionist and a check-in book on the granite desktop greeted her.

After jotting down her name and arrival time, she rode the elevator to the highest level before making a right turn in front of the restroom. She immediately noticed a colorful balloon arch and birthday banner decorating a pair of white doors.

As Lisa approached the boisterous noise echoing from the private room, she felt a sudden rush of nerves surge from within.

Something in her gut told her to leave and come up with some excuse to tell Jessie tomorrow, but she went through so much trouble just to be there.

With the risk of getting a ticket for speeding through city traffic, Lisa was determined to make it to whatever was left of the party, and although it was preferable to go home, take a shower, redo her hair and makeup, etc, Jessie needed her, and she didn't want to let her down on her birthday.

Ignoring her anxious feelings and superstitious gut, Lisa confidently opened one of the doors with no hesitation, but as she walked in, her level of confidence dropped along with her jaw.

Now the lobby may have been impressive, but it was nothing compared to the extravagant room right in front of her.

The room was illuminated by soft blue fluorescent lights traced along the ceiling with elegant chandeliers dangling from above. The floor was covered in intricate carpeting, except for the large dance floor that glowed in the center. White sheer drapes covered the walls, a bar near the doors Lisa walked through, a DJ booth behind the birthday's girl rectangular table, numerous round tables with chairs scattering around, and too many unfamiliar faces everywhere.

People were either dancing as if they were in a club, drinking at the bar, eating leftovers at their tables, or chatting with each other, but whatever they were doing, they were all having a good time.

Lisa stood there shocked because she assumed the party was going to be a small gathering between close friends and family, not a whole reception, especially since turning 28 wasn't some huge milestone, unlike other birthdays.

Looking around the lively, celebratory atmosphere, Lisa couldn't help but feel she didn't belong there.

She would've felt less uncomfortable if she knew at least one person other than the birthday girl herself, but after standing by the doors, and observing the guests, no one stood out as familiar to her.

She was thinking at that moment of how it probably was best if she listened to her gut instead of defying it. Still, the thought suddenly disappeared when a tall, newly blonde woman in a skinny dress walked past with a confidence that crowned her the center of attention.

Her friend was stunning and looked completely different than the last time she saw her.

Jessie's body revealed curves that weren't there before, she wore a ton of makeup, and her hair was straight, something Lisa had never seen in all the years she knew her.

The Jessie she knew was a little more conservative in her appearance and barely showed skin unless she was near water so seeing her expressing herself the way she was, surprised Lisa.

Remembering that she still had the gift bag in her hand, Lisa quickly walked through the packed room until she finally caught up with her friend.

"Jessie!" Lisa exclaimed with excitement in her tone.

Turning around, Jessie's hazel, green eyes widened with surprise as a large smile popped up on her face.

"OH MY GOSH! It isn't who I think it is?" She jokingly placed her hands on her hips.

"Happy Birthday, Miss Jessica!" Lisa grinned while holding up her gift bag.

After Jessie accepted her present, they shared a lengthy, overdue hug.

"It's been so long," Jessie said, pulling back to look at her.

"I know! There's just so much to unpack," Lisa chuckled while grabbing her friend's hands.

"You look amazing by the way," she added.

A sweet smile spread across Jessie's face as her cheeks turned red.

"Thank you, you too!"

Staring at each other with a longingness in their eyes, the girls fell into each other's embrace again.

Lisa knew she missed Jessie, but she didn't know how much until that moment.

"I've missed this," Lisa smiled as her head rested on her shoulder.

Seeing Jessie after all those years made Lisa's heart flutter with joy, and she felt glad that she attended despite her previous doubts.

"Me too," she whispered in her ear as she hugged tighter.

Although they would have hugged longer, the two eventually broke apart.

"I'm so glad you came, I thought you weren't going to show up," she admitted.

A chuckle escaped Lisa's lips as she looked at the time she arrived on her Rolex.

The party was going to end in an hour but she was glad to make it before it did.

"Yeah, well, something came up at work but I got here as soon as possible," she confessed as a few more chuckles slipped out.

Jessie smiled at her reaction.

"Well, the important thing is that you showed up- and oh, they're a few people I've been meaning to introduce you to." Her eyes lit up.

Without giving her a warning or much of a choice, Jessie grabbed Lisa and excitedly dragged her through the busy room until she stopped by a group of people talking to each other.

"Guys, I want you to meet someone really special to me," she casually interrupted their conversation and caught their attention.

"This is my high school best friend, Lisa," she proudly introduced while wrapping her arm around her.

"And Lisa, these are my other friends, Camille, Michelle, Aaron, and…"

Removing her arm from Lisa, Jessie wrapped it around a tall, chestnut-haired man.

"My boyfriend, Daniel." Her grin stretched from ear to ear, showing her happiness.

Lisa joined in with a smile, but she couldn't deny her surprise when Jessie mentioned she was seeing someone. It wasn't that Lisa couldn't imagine her friend dating anyone, but she wasn't prepared for how much their own relationship had changed.

Back in college, Jessie used to confide in her about the guys she had a crush on, talked to, or dated, but because of the many years that passed between them, Lisa was unaware of her love life or any aspect of her life at all.

Daniel extended his hand towards her with a smile on his face and she shook it.

"I've been wanting to meet you for a while," he said in a husky tone.

Lisa finally understood why Jessie seemed so giddy around him and she couldn't blame her, he was very handsome as well as his voice.

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you," she said to the group of friends, and they smiled in response.

Shortly after, one of the servers approached the group and murmured something in Jessie's ear, causing her expression to change.

"What happened?" Daniel touched her arm, worried.

Jessie reiterated what she heard in his ear.

"Uh, sorry, guys, we'll be right back." She and Daniel quickly followed the server out the doors, leaving them all confused.

"I hope everything's ok," Camille, a red-headed, white girl said with concern.

They nodded along.

After a few seconds of silence between them, Michelle, a short Chinese woman, decided to initiate a conversation.

"Hey, Lisa…" she said, catching her attention as well as the others.

"I know I was being super quiet before but I just want to let you know how much of a fan I am!" she gushed.

Feeling caught off guard but appreciated, Lisa smiled.

"Well, thank you-"

"No, thank you! I was a nurse before I decided to follow my dreams of becoming a fashion designer all because of your book, and I've never been happier!" Michelle interrupted her with eagerness.

"I also love your collections! I just bought a skirt the other day to add to my wardrobe-"

"Ok, Michelle, she gets it," Aaron, a curly-headed man scoffed with annoyance.

"I'm so sorry about our friend here, she gets a little too excited when it comes to famous people," he apologized on her behalf.

Michelle threw a sharp glare his way as she shoved him aside, and he reciprocated back.

"No, no, it's alright, I love people who love me," Lisa let out a light chuckle.

Shaking her head, Camille rolled her eyes at her bickering friends.

"Ignore these two, they always fight like an old married couple," she shared which caused her to be a target among them.

As the three of them argued amongst themselves, Lisa stood awkwardly in the background, feeling discomfort as well as a strange sense of nostalgia.

Watching Jessie's friends bicker over trivial things evoked memories of her old friend group when they used to have petty arguments, only to make up shortly as if nothing happened.

Those were the days when life was fun and carefree, but that was then, and that friendship was long gone.

As things began to turn ugly, Lisa attempted to intervene in the heated exchange but her eyes suddenly became distracted by a somewhat familiar face from a distance.

The stranger was standing alongside a group of other men who were unintentionally blocking the majority of his face, only permitting Lisa to see the side of it.

Wondering if she knew him, and if so, from where, Lisa continued to fixate her attention on the man, until he finally turned his head, and met the curious brown eyes that were staring at him.

Author's Note: PAY ATTENTION!