Chapter 1 Let's Celebrate

“We finally did it!!” Amy screeched in excitement, pumping her fist in the air as she took a large swing from the bottle of wine she had in her other hand. Brent only chuckled in response as he watched her dance in the room, completely out of rhythm with the song , the alcohol being the main reason for her sloppy movement.

“Ooh” Amy cooed, grinning as she felt Brent wrap his hands around her waist. Amy smiled contentedly as she snuggled more into his embrace, both of them moving slowly as the music had changed to a much slower one.

Ed Sheeran’s Perfect played through the speakers as Amy pondered just how much their life was going to change from tomorrow.

Amy and her boyfriend Brent had both decided to startup a company together. It was a dream they both worked hard towards it together and after everything they’d been through as they struggled to achieve their goal, they finally got sponsors who were willing to invest in their company. All that was left now was to submit the contract.

Amy felt like her life couldn’t possibly get any better as she had all she could ask for: a loving boyfriend and very soon, a successful company.

“Something on your mind?” Brent asked as he noticed that Amy had grown silent. Amy just looked up at him and smiled.

“It just feels so unreal, you know? All of our sacrifices finally paid off. I feel like this is a dream and I might wake up any moment from now. “

“Me too, babe. The excitement of what’s to come makes me feel like I’m drifting,” Brent replied with a small laugh.

“Hey Babe?,” Amy called out to Brent

“Hm?” He hummed in response.

“I feel really lucky to have you in my life. I couldn’t have done any of this without you”

Brent paused for a moment before he replied

“We did it together, and that’s all that matters”

“Heh, every where’s spinning” Amy said with a sloppy smile as the effects of the alcohol took hold of her.

“That’s it, no more wine” He suddenly called out, snatching the bottle from her and picking her up, throwing her over his shoulder.

Amy squeaked as she remembered and giggled as Brent picked her and headed straight to the bedroom. He flung her on the bed. Hovering above her, she pulled him in for a kiss and laughed

“I love you so much, babe” Amy said staring into his eyes. Brent shuffled around uncomfortably before hastily adding “Right, right and I love you too, blah blah blah. You should rest up” He said dismissively

Amy rolled her eyes, amused at Brent’s antics. He’d always been awkward when it came to expressing feelings and she just took it as him being shy. In fact, she found it a little cute.

“Way to ruin the mood, dork,” Amy said, the warm smile on her face hinting that she was only teasing.

Brent rolled his eyes at her as he tucked her into bed. Amy sighed with content as she felt herself give in to the call of sleep. The night faded away and Amy dreamt about the endless possibilities that lay ahead of them.

“Urgh,” Amy groaned as the sun shone in on her through her window blinds. Amy looked up and saw Brent getting ready to head out. He had already showered..

“I think I celebrated a little too hard. Think you can handle submitting the contract on your own?” She managed to croak, wincing in pain as she realized just how dry her throat was.

“Yeah, no shit,” Brent chuckled before he added, “Of course. Just need you to sign it and I’ll take care of the rest”

Amy moaned in relief, happy that she didn’t have to leave her bed, and watched as Brent finished preparing to leave.

“Hey, no fair. How come you don’t even get hangovers and I’m stuck in bed looking like a gremlin?” Amy pouted, irritated at the pounding headache which was just one of the many terrible symptoms of her hangover. Brent, in turn, just responded with a shrug.

“Right, before I leave, you need to sign this,” Brent said, handing over the paperwork. Amy signed her name on it, handing it over to Brent as soon as she was done..

“Call me when you’re done, okay?”

“Sure,” He replied before leaving.

As she heard the front door shut, Amy closed her eyes and drifted off, hoping to sleep off the effects of the hangover.

Amy woke up several hours later and checked her phone to see if Brent had tried to call her, but she didn’t find anything. That was strange because he should have been done with it and called her by now. Maybe he forgot and was hanging out with friends?, Amy thought as she decided it was best to just call him.

Following several rings, she ended up in voicemail. Amy's brows furrowed with increasing concern. A lot of different scenarios crossed her mind, but she resolved to head to his apartment instead of moping around doing nothing.

Swiftly showering and dressing, she applied light makeup to conceal the dark circles around her eyes. Her hangovers always seemed more intense than others, which is why she usually avoided getting drunk. However, in her upbeat mood last night, she indulged in a few too many drinks—a choice she now regretted. Finally done with her preparations, she checked herself in the mirror to make sure she didn’t look like a starved zombie before heading out over to Brent’s place.

As she sat in the Uber, she stared out of the window, smiling to herself. Brent had finally agreed to move in with her. They were planning on getting a bigger apartment and moving in together once their business had started bringing enough income. Amy still felt giddy about the whole situation but was still a little worried, as she’d been unable to get through to Brent.

When she’d finally gotten to her location, Amy got out and paid the driver, leaving him a generous tip, before skipping over to Brent’s door.

Amy checked under the carpet and pulled out the spare key, smiling to herself as she proceeded to unlock the door.

As she turned the key in the lock and stepped into her boyfriend’s apartment, she knew something was off. Her mind immediately jumped to something terrible, though uncertain about what to expect. Placing a hand on her chest, she made her way to the hallway, reaching out to the walls for support and attempting to control her breathing.

Thankfully, Brent was not lying down unconscious. As she made her way to the bedroom, she heard sounds. She tried to convince herself at first that it was nothing of that sort, the moans coming from behind the door could be coming from a tv or something she thought. The sounds grew louder and undoubtedly intimate as she approached. But still hopeful that the noise has nothing to do with Brent. She stood for a moment with her heart racing.

Even though her instict was screaming at her to run away, she knew she had to face whatever that was in that room. She opened the door but what she saw made her stand still.