No one could host a party the way Rogers did. He was a people magnet. He could attract a crowd of people with his charm and personality. The way he laughed, acted, spoke and carried himself made him the life of any party he went to. He had a natural charisma that was undeniable. People flocked around him like bees around honey. They enjoyed his company a little too much and loved him for it. Whenever he walked into a party, he became the center of attention, maintaining the vibe, giving life to the party.
Rogers loved being the life of the party. It was all he ever knew. And when he met Melody, things couldn't help but get a lot better. While she was laid back, he was wild. Where she was soft, he was a bit sharp and rough. Though different, they blended perfectly. The spark that ignited between them was electric. They hung out on countless occasions at different parties. Rogers had fun like never before. Whenever she was present at any of his parties, you could see him at the peak of his potential, doing what he knew how to do best, being the life of the party. Melody brought out the best in him, or so he thought. Unlike other girls Rogers had met, Melody understood him. She didn't try to deem his light or restrict him anyway. And Rogers loved her for it.
However, things took a different turn of events from what he expected, when Melody asked to meet up with him one fateful day. Not at a party, or club, but at a restaurant in the morning hours. It was a different kind of setup, far from what he was used to. Late-night partying was his thing.
So there he sat across from her in a small restaurant waiting for her to say what was so important that she had said she wanted to tell him over the phone. As the words finally left her lips, Rogers didnt expect to be punched right in the guts
“I love you so much, and you know it, but I can't continue this. You literally live for the next party and that's not the kind of life I want for myself.”
Rogers sat still, unmoving, not saying anything, just trying to digest what he had just heard. On the other hand ,Melody also sat still, her face void of any emotion. But even in the midst of the silence, the atmosphere was tense, chaotic even. She left that day without so much as a glance back in his direction and that was when Rogers knew that it was really over. She had made up her mind and Rogers knew her too well to know that once she made her mind there was no going back. And that was more Heart breaking to him
In the following days that passed, Rogers felt empty. The pain in his heart refused him to give his best smile, his best laugh and be the best person in the room. He tried but couldn't. So he avoided the parties. But they kept calling him. His phone beeped with so many messages.
One read
“Rogers, hope you're coming? You know the party is never the same without you.
Rogers turned off the phone and threw it on his bed. Things didnt seem to make sense anymore. He no longer enjoyed the parties like before. Rogers thought that he was broken, and maybe he was. But not in the way he thought. He felt as if he’d lost his charm, his spotlight. To him, Melody took that part of him with her.
His cousin's birthday party was next week, and he had to be there. The day approached faster than he expected, and he found his feet dragging him to the party. Everyone cheered and shouted as he arrived.
“Look! "Rogers is here" someone shouted.
Everyone naturally gathered around him. He smiled like he used to, laughed the way he normally did, told jokes that always got people laughing real hard, and got the party going. But it was not the same any longer. With every action he took, he felt like another person. He felt fake. The smiles, the laughter, all of it felt unoriginal to Rogers. He slipped out of the party and found a quiet place outside to sit down.
“Are you okay?” his cousin Max asked, startling him in the process.
" Yeah, I just needed some air” he answered.
" You sure, you seem a little off today”, Max pressed further.
"Of course I'm fine, I’m having a great time," he said, trying to cover up.
Max allowed the silence to stretch between them, as he quietly observed him. He took a seat besides him, and drank from the same bottle Rogers drunk from.
“You know, it's okay to not be the life of the party on every occasion," he began.
"People can actually tell when you're not okay. You're an open book, you care a lot about people, and they can actually see right through you. That's why you're the life of the party. "You don't have to fake it, bro”. He said last and went inside.
Rogers remained seated, pondering over what his cousin Max had said. For the first time in a long while, he felt okay with not being okay. Just maybe he didn't need to be the life of the party every time. For now, he was a guy with a broken heart, and that was okay. He took a long glance at the party inside, and walked away. Maybe it was time he figured out what his life truly was beyond the party.