Chapter 1
KATE
"I like her." I eyed Anna-Mae who was sitting next to my brother a few tables away. "She's different from his previous girlfriend." My gaze drifted to my brother's ex a few tables away on the opposite end and she was throwing daggers at Anna-Mae. I couldn't help but laugh. "Look at her, she's fuming and you can almost see the steam coming out of her ears."
Ryan followed my gaze and chuckled. "Yeah. She doesn't look very happy. And I agree with you. Anna-Mae seems like a good fit for your brother."
"I hope she won't give Anna-Mae any trouble," I remarked as I watched how Beatrice kept her scary focus fixed on her target like she was out for blood.
"Don't worry, I'm sure your brother can handle her if something happens. Besides, if it's meant to be, then it will be."
I blinked in surprise at his last statement and turned back to look at him.
We were at another one of my parents’ charity galas. Everyone was in their black-tie attire.
Today, instead of his usual messy hair, his bleached hair was styled back in a business-like manner. He looked extra handsome and elegant in his completely black ensemble—tuxedo, shirt and bow tie. Even his iconic stud earrings were absent as if he wanted to look serious and professional.
"Wow. Since when is the playboy of the year make such a comment?" I teased. "One would think you are a hopeless romantic and that you actually believe in love."
He shrugged. "I don't but I'm sure others do."
For some reason, his admission made me sad.
"Do you?" He asked.
"Do I what?"
"Do you believe in love?"
"I want to... but I don't know if I do," I said uncertainly, not even sure of my own answer.
What is love anyway? And how do you even know if you love someone romantically?
I would be to last person to answer that question.
I mean, I love my brother and Ryan... but that's different, right?
I doubt my mother knows since she had never shown any love for me or my brother. And yet, we craved her love nonetheless.
Besides my brother, Ryan had been my closest friend since forever. He was my brother's age, two years older than me.
For years, he had always been there for me no matter what. I have a few girlfriends but they weren't the type I could confide in or lean on. Whenever we hung out, they expected me to pay for everything just because of my family background.
In my peripheral, I saw my brother Mateo and Anna-Mae get up to leave.
They're leaving already? I thought disappointedly.
I was hoping they would stay a little longer so I could talk with Anna-Mae. We had met for the first time earlier but had only exchanged a few words. I had taken an instant liking to her.
I picked up my third glass of champagne in front of me and gulped it down. All this talk about love was making me depressed. I grabbed the champagne bottle and refilled my glass.
"Hey." Ryan tried to stop me. "What are you doing? Don't drink so quick or it'll knock you out faster than you can say my name. And you are still underage."
"Shut up," I said playfully and slapped his hand away. "I'm twenty. I'm literally only a few months away from the legal age. Besides, I know you and my brother started drinking way before you're my age so you don't get to talk."
"Even if you were twenty-one, I would still try to stop you if you keep drinking like that."
My brows furrowed. "Hey. You're here as my date, not as my older brother or my parents."
"Well, I might be your date but I'm still your—"
Don't say it. Please don't say it.
"—Brother's best friend which makes me your second brother."
Crap. Why! Why did he have to say 'brother' and remind me?
It had never bothered me before but lately, that word had started to become a huge thorn in my side.
"You're my friend too." I reminded him.
"I am but I'm also your chaperone."
"I'm not a kid. I don't need a babysitter."
"Come on. I'll take you home." He made a move to get up.
"No." My hand immediately held his arm down. "I don't want to leave yet. I want to stay and dance."
And make this night last for as long as I can.
Servers came to take our empty plates away and I took the opportunity to chug down my fourth glass of alcohol for the night.
Tonight, I planned on leaving drunk and happy and forgetting all about my miserable lonely life.
I stood and my eyes landed on my parents' table and I saw my mom looking at me with disapproval. My lips turned into a smirk.
Yes. I'm wearing the dress you do not approve of and with a date, you also do not approve of.
I taunted her knowing she would hate it. I was getting sick of her dictating everything in my life—from how to dress, to how to talk, to how to eat and what to eat, to how to present myself, to who I could be friends with and who I couldn't be friends, to who I should date and the list went on and on.
And she hated Ryan.
My mother didn't get along with his mom so she hated him in association. It didn't help that he was a notorious player which made her hate him even more. She thought of him as some useless good-for-nothing playboy. And she might be right, but to me, he was the only one—except for my brother—who I could depend on. And since my brother had gotten even more busy the last two years working for my dad along with going to school, Ray Ray had become literally the only person I could count on. When I needed him, he would drop everything to be there for me. His friendship was priceless.
To be fair, his mother wasn't everyone's cup of tea either. She loved to brag and show off and had to always one-up my mother. Whenever they got together, all they did was tell each other what their accomplishments were which included what they gave to charity and how many charity events they hosted. But then again, my mother was no angel. She might seem like one to all the people she helped.
But to me, she was one of the worst mothers in the world.
At least our fathers got along—they were close friends.
I grabbed Ryan's hand and led him to the dance floor. I swayed slightly on my feet as the alcohol started to take effect.
"Are you okay?" He steadied me with both hands on my elbows.
"I'm fine." I smiled. "Actually, I'm more than fine. I'm here with my best friend, wearing the most provocative dress to piss off my mom, and having the best time of my life."
He didn't react to my confession and the only thing that proved that he had heard me was his fingers tightened around my elbows for a quick second.
His expression remained unreadable while his blue eyes raked over my face.
"What's with the look?" I laughed. "Come on, let's dance."
I steered us toward the dance floor and other couples joined us as well.
"Here. Put your toes on mine." He offered seeing how I wasn't stable on my feet so I did as told. I placed the tip of my heels on the tip of his shoes and one of my hands in his with the other on his shoulder.
Then he started moving—waltzing us around the room effortlessly.
I giggled happily as he led the dance while I didn't have to do anything. My eyes lowered to his smiling lips and my own smile slowly disappeared as my heart fluttered with warmth.
"Thank you for coming with me," I said softly and brought my gaze back to his beautiful pools of blue.
"Anything for you." He smiled tenderly.
Why does he always say things like that?
I was sure he said it to all the other women too since he was such a flirt. But I couldn't help but feel special nonetheless—being at the receiving end of such a remark.
"So, you have one more semester left before you graduate. Are you ready to start working for your father?" I asked knowing his dad had given him an ultimatum—that he had to start working the day after graduation or be cut off completely.
"Nope. You know I'm gonna milk every last second of my freedom."
After the party, I took off my heels while we walked to the entrance of the hotel.
"What are you doing?" He asked as he tried to hold my upper arm and steadied me.
"My feet hurt. Why does it have to hurt to look beautiful? Couldn't they make something beautiful but also comfortable?"
He laughed and suddenly swept me off my feet. "Wah, what are you doing?" My arms immediately went around his neck for support.
"You can't walk bare feet out here. What if you step on a piece of glass or metal?"
I snuggled into him without complaining. He smelled heavenly.
He took me back to my apartment and I grabbed his sleeve as he turned for the door. "Are you leaving?"
"Yeah. It's getting late. Don't you want your beauty sleep?"
"You're trying to get rid of me because you have someone waiting for you at home don't you?"
He didn't say anything and my heart ached. Stupid heart.
Instead of letting him go like I had planned, I asked "Can you stay with me? I don't want to be alone tonight."
I knew he was a womanizer. I knew he probably had a woman in his bed every night. I knew all of these from the beginning. And yet, the knowledge had started to bother me more and more recently.
What the hell is wrong with me? Is it the alcohol?
His eyes looked conflicted and I hated begging. I hated being weak and pathetic. But the alcohol lowered my inhibitions and I had no filter. "Please, Ray Ray." He hated when I called him this in public, but in private, he never minded. I think he might even liked it.
He sighed. "Okay, I'll stay until you fall asleep."
A/N October 28, 2023
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