Ever since Angela's parents had accepted that she was with a woman, she has been happier than before. And the fact that they'd met me had made the rest of Angela's year. Granted, the day could've gone better than it did, but Angela said she would not have changed a single thing about it - not the time I stepped on her fathers toes, literally, when I went in for a handshake, or that I'd spilled my red wine on her mother's favorite white table cloth.
Her brothers had become accustomed to my clumsiness, and the fact that I was used to them and was comfortable around them spared them from it. They found the whole afternoon hilarious, and my poor angel was just embarrassed on my behalf - I mean she was as nervous as I was, if not even more.
All in all, I only left trampled toes and wine stains in my path of destructive clumsiness, other than my awkwardness. It was a successful-ish evening, so much so that they invited us over again, if not only for being pleasant. Well to Angela it wasn't a pleasantry, I mean she's their daughter. But in my case, it may have been. Still, it was a great feat, one that made Angela all the more comfortable in being with me. A woman. She hadn't been with a lot of women before, but I wasn't her first.
The festive season had come around again, and with that it meant more jobs for Angela outside of her radio hours. People were having parties left, right and centre and she was one of the most-wanted hosts for a lot of the parties all over the country. She'd gotten into this line of work and was so successful at it because it fit her personality, as if the job was designed in such a way to fit her. However, I was quite the opposite of her. In a way, we brought a sort of a balance to each other.
I'd spent most of the festive break at my apartment, getting together with friends and visiting my parents. However we had planned on spending the New Year holiday together, so I'd be going to the NYE festival she'd be hosting this year. I didn't go with her, opting to spoil my group of friends again this year. Anyway why should it change this year? So, we had all access passes again and the VIP treatment that came with it, but what made me happier was that I would be sharing it with Angela this time, as my girlfriend and not merely as someone I had an interest in.
This year she was to host at a different NYE festival at a different city as they rotated locations each year. She was scheduled to go to one of the bigger city's in the country and that meant more - in quantity - of everything. More people, more drunkenness, more fans, and a bigger VIP. I mean I don't have any fear about being in crowds or anything, but I could only handle so much of it at a time. Everyone partied the night away and she was just as amazing at hyping the crowd up as she had been a year ago. I preferred to be backstage than sitting around with everyone at VIP and my people understood that.
Now Angela is amazing at what she does, and what she does is interact with people who are fans, her colleagues, some of whom are celebrities, and celebrities in the entertainment industry. All these people came off as successful to the public eye, and they were all desirable to the public eye and other celebrities alike. It wasn't any different to Angela's case. Just because she was with someone did not exempt her from being hit-on by anyone, especially as our relationship wasn't public general knowledge.
At first I would be jealous when I'd hear or witness others flirt with her, but one day she pointed out that she didn't flirt back, she just shrugs it off with a joke. She was right, she's quick and witty with her words, such a smooth talker. As it was a bigger party, bigger crowd, it also meant a bigger personnel. She was on stage alongside another big-time celebrity who is an actor, co-hosting. They danced together on that stage and brought fire to the crowds. The crowd went wild every time they did. I felt a pang of jealousy but I did not even entertain it because Angela's love for me and commitment to our relationship was clear to me the whole night.
Besides, I knew she wasn't really fond of the guy because he had too much of an ego, like he'd overdosed on confidence in order to detract from another aspect he was lacking in. "Well you know what they say about people who overly-compensate in one area of their life, don't you?" I'd joked with a grin months before when she said she doesn't like him. Yet, here we were tonight, thousands of us witnessing the magic they were making on stage. He'd flirted numerous times with her and each time she'd deflect, using her humour and wit.
She was very charming even when she wasn't trying to be, and at that moment I thought it's one of her attributes that I've grown immune to, but not other people. I mean it still worked every time when she put it to her mind to be charming, but when she wasn't I, I was no longer taken aback by it. She walked up to me and planted a kiss on my lips while I was still in my head so I hadn't noticed her coming to me.
"What's that little smile about?" She asked after planting the kiss on me unsuspectingly.
"Oh I'm just lost in my own world. Thinking about how amazing this past year has been. I've become so much better as a person. Ok, to get to the point, what I'm saying is I like that actor guy you're on stage with even less now," I said as I took a sip of my drink quickly in an attempt to drown out the last bit of my sentence.
She didn't giggle, she didn't chuckle at that, no, not at all. She belted out a laugh that infected me with a laughing spell of my own. She started fanning herself with her hand as she'd gotten hot from laughing so much. Home, I felt at home in a stadium filled with 50 000 strong people, with music blasting noisily through gigantic speakers, and everything else going on around us - I felt that serene feeling of being at home again. I kissed her on the lips and she got back on stage. Apparently she'd seen that I was in my head while she was on stage and thought to come and check up on me, she said. She understood me, she just got me, and at that moment I shot up a quick thank you to the heavens as I felt so blessed to have her in my life.
When the countdown to the new year was down to 5, she sneaked off the stage to kiss me into the new year. This girl never failed to amaze me. We'd been grown in our past relationships as well as this current one that we understood that our ways of expressing love are different, and that we'd have to learn the other's love language. She wasn't one to talk at length about her love for me, but she showed me through so many things she did that she loves me. I on the other hand would pour out my heart to her. I'd send her long texts she started calling them essays, or I'd talk her ear off telling her how much I love her and she'd called those speeches, jokingly, of course.
Once her slot was up for hosting the party we left for our hotel room. She had been busy for most of the day, having had woken up at 4 a.m. that morning for a busy day. When we got to the hotel she got a quick shower, followed by me. When I got out she was already sleeping and I cuddled up behind her. She had another busy day ahead at three other New Years Day parties around the city, so we were booked into the hotel for another night.
