Carl and Serena turned down the road into the suburbs with the moving van in tow. Having been born and lived all his life in the city Carl had been doubtful about making the move from the hectic bustle and noise that he had grown so accustomed to but Serena had persuaded him it would be best for the both of them. He had to agree with her that the area was nice, it was quiet, almost serene and it wasn't too far from the city for commuting. The two of them had looked at each other after parking in their new drive way before holding hands and making their way inside.
"Welcome to our new home Mrs Hill." Carl pulled Serena in to embrace and she giggled in excitement. They had only been married a week and they'd only just come back from a three day break in the Bahamas for their honeymoon. It had been perfect, the views, the early excited times as a married couple. The sex had been as it always had been, they weren't a couple who had waited before marriage and although Carl was average both in his equipment and in the act itself, it was enough for Serena. Whether it was because she'd never had mind blowing sex before or because she was just wired like that, it never really bothered her.
The married couple happily made their way through unpacking the boxes that they had packed before the wedding from their old apartment in the city. Now everything was in the house and they had paid the removal men they sat back and relaxed whilst sorting the boxes when the doorbell rang.
"Hello?" Carl answered with Serena at his side curious as to who it may be.
"Hello and welcome to the neighbourhood! My name is Olivia, I live next door." Carl and Serena nervously shook her hand and thanked her for greeting them. There was something impressive about Olivia, Serefle uneasy. She easily towered over both her and Carl who were both a little short and if they couldn't help but feel a little intimidated despite her warm welcome. They introduced themselves briefly saying how they had moved from the city and asked Olivia about the neighbourhood.
"It is a very close knit neighbourhood, everyone gets on well and looks out for each other. In fact I'm hosting a BBQ this very evening, perhaps you'd both like to join us yes? Introduce yourselves to your new neighbours." The newlyweds both agreed and said they'd see Olivia later that evening before returning to unpacking the boxes.
The evening arrived and Carl and Serena stood nervously outside Olivia's door, a bottle of wine in hand. They were both dressed casually after their busy afternoon and both immediately felt inferior as soon as Serena answered the door in a stunning dress that looked like it belonged on the runway. She welcomed them both inside accepting the bottle of wine with thanks and led them outside to her garden where the BBQ was taking place. It seemed they were one of the last to arrive as everyone was out talking in their small groups, drinking alcohol and awaiting for the first of the food to be cooked. Nervously the couple looked around as Olivia walked outside and introduced them to their new neighbours.
Carl and Serena were having a great time getting to know their neighbours. The food was great and with the social aid of alcohol they found it easy to speak and joke with their new neighbours. As the late afternoon passed to early evening some were starting to show the effects of drinking and the atmosphere changed from the relaxed summer BBQ it was into a party as the sun set and people moved inside. Olivia set up her expensive looking sound system and put on some modern pop music and earned a cheer from her guests as they started dancing and drinking more inside.
Carl and Serena were both starting to feel the effects of the alcohol and wondered whether they should excuse themselves but they didn't want to appear rude and be the first to leave. Besides, they were both having a very good time speaking and partying despite how tired they felt. As Serena spoke to one of the women in the same age group as hers Carl noticed one of the older guys go out the room with Olivia and disappear. He thought nothing of it but they didn't return for another half an hour and the older guy looked a little flustered on his return. 'Maybe it was the alcohol and he didn't notice the guy return in the room earlier' Carl thought to himself but a little later he saw Olivia leave the room with the older guy's wife. This time he paid more attention, looking around to see if she returned straight away but again she was gone for around half an hour before she returned with Olivia, again looking slightly flustered. Perhaps he was overthinking this he thought, maybe they just got into a heated discussion in the toilet or something.
"So, how're you enjoying the party?" Carl and Serena looked up after sharing a passionate kiss to see Olivia smirking at them. They complimented her on the party she had hosted saying how good of a job she had done and how great of a time they'd had. Olivia joined them sitting down and she spoke a little about the neighbours, she spoke highly of them and seemed to know a great deal about all of them. A few minutes later Carl noticed Serena sway slightly and she dropped her glass on the carpet. For a moment Carl's heart jumped as he dreaded the stain she would have left on Olivia's expensive carpet but thankfully the glass had been empty.
"I don't feel so good." Serena groaned as Carl asked if she was okay. Tenderly he helped her up to help her home.
"Is everything okay?" Olivia asked, her tone full of worry. "Help her outside, perhaps a little air will do her some good yes?" He leads her out into Olivia's back garden and helps her onto a seat before going back to getting his drink. It had been a while since they'd both drunk like this, it was inevitable one of them would ended up too drunk. He sighed as he continued drinking whilst stroking her hair as she leaned against him.
"How is she doing?" Olivia asked as she came out with two more drinks. Carl took the drink gratefully and said that she was half asleep to which Serena mumbled something incoherently. Olivia shrugged apologetically.
"Perhaps I should get her home, thank you for tonight." The disappointment was clear in Carl's voice. It was one of those great nights that had ended bitterly when he still wanted to party. He knew with married life there wouldn't be too much opportunity to do so in the future.
"Nonsense, the night is still young. I'm sure Serena wouldn't mind if you stayed here and got to know the neighbours a little better, hey Serena?"
"Stay, have fun." Serena said sleepily before yawning and Olivia offered her a room upstairs for the night to save them from having to walk back even though it wasn't far of a walk at all. Serena agreed apologizing to Carl though he just smiled and embraced her in a hug before kissing her goodnight. Olivia waited patiently before helping Serena upstairs whilst Carl headed back inside to the other neighbours. He chatted sports and work with a group of guys for a while before he realized that Olivia hadn't come back down yet. It wasn't until another fifteen minutes had passed before she did looking as perfect as she had when she opened the door to them this afternoon. She came over to tell him that Serena was safely tucked in and sat down joining him drinking.
As the late evening turned into early morning people started to leave the party and Carl was getting more and more drunk. He was slurring his words and struggling to see straight but he still felt great like he could keep going. Then the last husband and wife left leaving just him and Olivia. The two of them chat for a while, really hitting it off and Carl couldn't help but wonder if Olivia was flirting at one point.
