Quote:
The New Year is nearly upon you; all around town, people are buzzing with excitement. Sales are aplenty and among some of the better deals is a popular new brand of champagne. The drink’s been getting a lot of attention and very good reviews; it boasts a guarantee for a magical evening. It’s a promise that holds true—sort of. Anyone who imbibes the champagne will be extremely in tune to their more romantic feelings. They may feel more open, more daring, or more flirtatious towards the object of their affections. Or, maybe a glass of it is enough to make them realize they have feelings for someone…Either way, after ingesting the champagne, romance is all you can think about. The effects last for only a few hours, so you’d better use that time well. The bottles are out of stock quickly, so you are lucky to have gotten your hands on one. Lucky, unless you made a fool of yourself in your romantic haze…
Ignacio had no idea how he'd managed to nab a bottle of this stuff, but if this wasn't some kind of good holiday fortune, he didn't know what was. Everyone he knew had been talking non-stop about how wonderful this new champagne was and the more stories he heard about it, the more he'd wanted to try it for himself. Rumors of magical nights spent dancing, lovers in arms and laughing, parties and chocolate covered strawberries, this champagne apparently brought his idea of heaven on Earth to all who drank it and he shook with excitement just thinking about it!
He brought the bottle inside and hurried to pour himself a glass. It fizzled delightfully and bit playfully at his tongue, just like any good champagne should. Spectacular flavor, sweet aroma, what more could you ask for? ... Well, perhaps for it to live up to the hype that came along with it. He knew he was supposed to start thinking about romance and feel uninhibited feelings for the object of his affections, but he didn't feel any different! Maybe you had to drink more than one glass?
Humming to himself, he poured out another, and then another, until he'd had five glasses and felt as though he needed to take a seat. He took the bottle with him into the living room and tried his best to read the label. Yes, it said everything that it was supposed to do right on the side. Romantic feelings, love, open this bottle for one magical evening, but all he felt was... Well, drunk and giddy. What a silly waste of time and money, even if it was a good bottle of champagne. He set the bottle down on the counter, yawned, and shut his eyes.
---
What happened next was a bit of a blur. He remembered the phone ringing shortly after he'd taken a snooze and asking for a ride along with the caller. There was a flurry of moments where he'd gotten dressed up, shaved and combed himself to the best shape he'd ever seen himself in, but once he got into the car with this person... Everything seemed to get crossed. Had he gone dancing? Was that really the mayor he'd seen out of the corner of his eye? And who was that lovely woman who kept talking to him? Such soft hair, gentle lips, why... He almost felt like she was still with him now!
"Did you sleep well, Ignacio?"
"Hm?" He mumbled, slowly sitting up from the position he'd been in. It was then that it dawned on him that he was wrapped up in a blanket on a couch, someone else's couch! When, or rather, how had he gotten here? He wiggled, kicking the blanket off of him and quickly patted himself over. Yes, his wallet was still with him! ... In fact, everything was still with him, but there was something on his neck. And his cheeks, and his forehead... Were these kisses? He gasped, glanced around, and met eyes with a woman standing next to him. Oh, oh dear.
"Hello, uh, do I..." He stammered, his cheeks flushing bright red. However, recognition soon took hold of him and a smile spread out across his cheeks. She was one of his coworkers from Hillworth Grammar! "Teresa! My goodness, how on Earth did I get here?"
"What do you mean?" Teresa laughed. "I took you out to the New Year's gala last night, don't you remember? You were the star of the show! I haven't had such a wonderful night of dancing since I was a teenager!"
Ignacio's face melted into shock and, then, broke into laughter. Now he remembered, yes! Teresa had been the mystery woman and the person who called him! How on Earth he'd forgotten was beyond him, but at least his memories of the evening were coming back to him! They'd had such a wonderful time, it made him wonder why he hadn't thought to ask her out himself a long time ago!
"Gosh, I suppose I had a few more drinks than I should have!" He laughed, pushing himself up to his feet. "I must thank you for allowing me to rest on your couch, darling. Can I repay you by sweeping you off your feet for another dance?"
"It would be an honor, Ignacio." Teresa replied, giggling as Ignacio pulled her into his arms. "Careful now, mind the table! I wouldn't want either of us ending the evening with a trip to the hospital!"
"Never fear, love!" Ignacio said, winking. "You're in the arms of a professional!"
Word Count: 757
