One Wild Night

980  Red Jasper

As they stepped into the house, Mia noticed nothing out of the ordinary. Sonia led her to the living room, chatting about mundane things.

Suddenly, Bryan called out, "Hey, Mia, can you help me with something in the backyard?"

Mia obliged, following Bryan through the kitchen doors. As they stepped outside, a chorus of "Surprise!" erupted, accompanied by cheers and applause.

Mia's eyes widened in shock, her face lighting up with joy as she let out a happy shriek.

The backyard was filled with friends- Tom, Lucy, Harry, Jade, Andy, Amy, and Lucas- balloons, and a giant banner reading "Welcome Home, Mia!"

"I can't believe y'all arranged this for me," Mia said happily as as she rushed forward to embrace the ladies, all of whom she recognized.

"Welcome back, Mia. I'm glad you made it. And you look fabulous," Lucy said, as she hugged her, happy to see that Mia was glowing.

"Thanks," Mia said with a grin before turning to Jade.

"Lucy took the words right out of my mouth. Congratulations," Jade said as Mia embraced her.

When Mia got to Amy, she smiled, "It's a relieve to see that you're better now," Mia said, remembering that the last time they met Amy had been dealing with the loss of her friend.

"Thank you. You're welcome," Amy said with a friendly smile.

"It's good to have you back here," Andy said, since they were acquainted.

As Mia hugged each of them, she felt a deep sense of gratitude. Returning to Ludus hadn't been easy, but this surprise party reminded her that she was loved and missed. She thought about the welcome party Henry had thrown her when he took her back to Husla, and how far she'd come since then. The support of her friends had been instrumental in her freedom and healing.

Sonia felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes as she watched Mia's exchange with the others. Sonia's heart swelled with happiness for Mia. To Sonia, this was more than a welcome home party – it was a celebration of Mia's freedom.

After embracing the ladies and saying hello to Lucas, she faced Harry and Tom who stood side by side, "I never could have done this without you both. Thank you," she said, looking from Harry to Tom.

"Don't mention. The most important thing is that you're fine," Tom said, and Harry nodded in agreement.

"Yes. That's what is most important?" Harry said as she stepped forward to embrace him, and then Tom.

As Mia pulled away from Tom, she saw him– Jeff, standing at the edge of the party, a warm smile on his face as he watched her.

Mia's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't expected him to be here. Tears of joy welled up in her eyes as she rushed toward him.

"Jeff, you liar! You deceived me!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him.

Jeff chuckled as he wrapped his arms tightly around her, lifting her off the ground. "Welcome home, Mia. I've missed you so much."

Mia felt like she was home, surrounded by the people she loved. She pulled back, gazing at Jeff's face, her eyes shining with happiness.

"I've missed you too," she whispered.

Jeff's eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled. "I'm glad I could surprise you."

Sonia watched, beaming with satisfaction. "Perfect timing, Jeff."

"I still can't believe y'all did this for me. Thank you so much. I don't know what I did to deserve this love, but I don't take it for granted. Thank you," Mia said, looking around at everyone.

"Okay! Enough mushiness. Let's parrry!" Sonia screamed and everyone laughed as they gathered around the table.

As the party continued, Mia felt grateful for this new chapter in her life. She was surrounded by friends who cared, and Jeff, who made her heart sing.

After partying for some time the ladies excused themselves, taking Mia with them, and as they left, Lucas turned to Tom and the other guys.

"So, is there some kind of guy club, or is it just the ladies?" He asked, and the rest of them chuckled, apart from Jeff who didn't really know much about the club.

"Don't even get me started on that whole sisterhood thing," Harry said, and Tom laughed softly.

"Why? Did something happen?" Lucas asked, amused.

"It's just that the ladies are very hyped about the whole club stuff…"

"It's all Sonia ever talks about," Bryan said, and they all laughed.

"Amy too. She says Mia is being inducted," Lucas said, and the other guys sighed.

"I guess I will hear about it from her," Jeff said, curious to know about the club.

Inside the house, Mia smiled, wondering what the ladies were up to as they led her to the guest room while chattering excitedly.

As they walked into the room, Sonia went to sit on the bed while Andy dialed the group chat, and both Candace, Aurora, and Sharon joined in the group call.

"Hello, Mia! Welcome back," Candace greeted cheerfully after Andy turned the camera to face Mia.

Mia smiled, unsure of what was going on or who the other ladies were, "Thanks, Candace. It feels great to be back." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Mia, meet our friends. This is Aurora. A friend of ours. And this is Sharon. Ladies, Mia," Andy introduced, and Mia waved at them.

"It's nice to meet you virtually," she said, and as the introductions were made, the room fell silent, and Mia sensed a shift in the atmosphere.

Jade's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Mia, we're thrilled to have you back in Ludus, and we're honored to welcome you to the GEL Club," Jade announced, her voice filled with pride.

The other ladies in the room cheered, and Candace, Aurora, and Sharon joined in via the group call. Mia's confusion gave way to curiosity.

"What's the GEL Club?" Mia asked, her eyes scanning the room.

Lucy stepped forward, a smile on her face. "GEL stands for Gorgeous Empowered Ladies. It's a sisterhood, Mia. A community of women who support, uplift, and empower not just each other but other ladies as well."

Jade added, "We are not just friends; we're a family. And we are thrilled to have you join us."

Amy handed Mia a small, elegantly designed box. "This is your official welcome gift. Open it."

Mia's fingers trembled as she lifted the lid, revealing a beautiful silver necklace with a tiny gemstone.

"It's beautiful," Mia breathed.

Lucy smiled. "Each of us have our own gemstone," she said, and they all showed Mia the necklace on their necks. It was only then that she realized they they were all wearing different gemstones.

Since Jade has suggested the name GEMS club and they turned it down because it sounded like germs, they decided to take up gemstones as their membership identification while going with the name GEL.

"We chose this Red Jasper for you because it represents courage and strength- qualities that you, Mia, embody. This means that you will be a mentor to every lady who needs courage and strength," Jade said as she put the necklace on Mia, and the ladies applauded.

 Aurora's voice came up over the phone, "Mia, you're now a part of something special. We're here for you, always."

"Welcome to the sisterhood, Mia," Sharon said, and they all echoed it.

Mia's eyes welled up with tears as she gazed at the women surrounding her. She felt seen, heard, and valued even more now.

"Thank you," Mia whispered, her voice trembling. "I'm honored to be part of this sisterhood."

"Now, Andy, why don't you tell her about our various offices?" Jade suggested, and Andy smiled as she stepped forward.

"Jade here is the president and Lucy is her vice. Sonia is the PRO," she said, and at the mention of Sonia they all turned in her direction since it was unusual for her to be so silent.

They giggled when they saw her fast asleep on the bed, "Aww. She must be pretty exhausted," Lucy said as she walked over to pull the blanket over her.

"I guess it is expected. She has been so busy all day," Andy said, and then turned back to Mia, "So, as I was saying, Amy here is the secretary, I am the Membership Chair, that means I manage membership recruitment, retention and orientation. Candace is our treasurer, Aurora and Sharon are the event managers, and you Mia, you're our social media manager," Andy said, and they all clapped.

Mia giggled, "I just got here, and I have a role already?" She asked, and they nodded.

"Yes. You've been our member but you just didn't know it," Lucy said, and Mia laughed.

"Thanks, ladies. I feel so honored and excited to be a part of this. I promise to put us out there through the social media platforms," she said, and after chatting some more about the club, they decided to return to join the guys.

"Should we wake her?" Jade asked uncertainly.

"I don't think so. Let's let her sleep. She hasn't been sleeping so well at night lately," Lucy said, and they all left the room.

As they joined the men, Bryan raised an eyebrow, "Where is my wife?" He asked as he rose, looking from Lucy to Jade.

"She dozed off in the guest room. We didn't want to disturb her sleep," Lucy explained and he nodded.

"That's good. I'll go check on her," Bryan said as he headed inside.

"So, are we to congratulate you as the newest member of the club?" Tom asked Mia as she sat down, and she giggled.

"You definitely should. In the nearest future people are going to beg to be members of our club. With sponsors like you guys behind us, you have no idea how far we will go," Lucy said, and Jade lifted her glass in agreement.

"Amen to that," Andy said, raising her glass too.

"We should probably call it a night seeing as our hostess has gone to bed," Harry suggested, and the others nodded in agreement.

"And Vanessa needs to get some rest," Jeff said, glancing at her.

"Should we call you Mia or Vanessa?" Andy asked, and Mia shrugged.

"Whichever you're comfortable with. I'm both," Mia said with a grin.

"I guess you'll be going back to your shared apartment," Lucy asked and Mia narrowed her eyes.

"Yup. This you. The real Vanessa is even more beautiful than I imagined," he said, reaching for her hand to kiss it.

"I was disappointed when you said you wouldn't be here when I get back," Mia said after a while and Jeff chuckled.

"I was surprised you believed that. You should have known I wouldn't miss this for anything," Jeff said and she shrugged.

"How could I not believe you? It made sense that you went on to spend the holidays with your family. Besides, we are opening the office at Sogal on the 2nd of January," she said and he grinned as he parked the car in front of the apartment.

"So, on a scale of one to ten how tired are you?" He asked, and she raised a brow.

"Depends on why you're asking. If you're asking so we can put to practice all I read in that book you got, then I'm not tired at all," she said, and Jeff chuckled as they got out of the car.

"It's good to have you back, Mia. The apartment has not been the same without you," he said, really happy to have her back.

"Why don't you get the door while I get your luggage," he suggested and Mia took the key from him and went to get the door.

"Mia? Mia!" Alicia cried from the other end of the street when she saw Mia, and Jeff groaned inwardly as he watched Alicia running down to meet Mia.

Mia laughed as Alicia embraced her, "I missed you," Alicia said happily.

"I missed you too I guess. How have you been?" Mia asked with a wide smile.

"I'm good. And you look amazing. By the way, I saw the news about you and everything made sense... You know what? Let's catch up later. I'm sure you need to get some rest now," Alicia said when she caught Jeff glaring at her.

"Alright let's do that," Mia said with a wave, and Alicia waved at Jeff as she hurried off.

"I'm going to miss this place when we leave," Mia said as she unlocked the door.

"I won't miss our neighbors, though," Jeff muttered and Mia giggled.

The laughter died on her lips when she stepped into the house and saw the balloons and the little welcome home banner Jeff had hung up for her.

Mia turned to Jeff, "Why are you all doing too much?" She asked, but from the gleam in her eyes, Jeff could tell she was happy.

"Because you've been through a lot and you deserve too much," he said as he shut the door behind him and led her further inside.

Mia raised a brow when she noticed the note attacked the the banner and she moved closer to see what was written on it.

She grinned as she read it out, "Will you be my girlfriend?"

"I figured I've not asked officially," he said with a sheepish smile, and she chuckled.

"During my vacation I told everyone that hit on me that I had a boyfriend. What does that tell you?" She asked, and he shrugged.

"That you have a boyfriend. So, who is it? Is his name Jeff?" He asked as he moved closer to her and she giggled as his arms went around her waist.

"Yeah. His name is Jeff," she said, and he captured her lips in a kiss.

Mia let out a soft sigh as she surrendered to the kiss. There was no doubt now that she was home. This was where she belonged. In Jeff's arms.

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