Chapter 3

Zenia's POV 

"Shhh. She'll go away," he whispered in my ear and pulled me against his steel chest again. 

"Stop it, EJ!" I said in a loud whisper, pulling away from him before rushing my palms up and down my dress, adjusting and smoothing it. 

"Hello?" Mrs. Hollen said again, and another knock followed outside the door. 

"I'M IN HERE!" I yelled. 

"Zenia, is that you?"

"Yes, Mrs. Hollen, and I'll be in here for a while." My face flushed with embarrassment, but I would have literally said anything to prevent her from waiting outside that door. 

"Okay, sweetie. I'll just use another one." 

I heard the sound of her heels clicking on the polished marble as she walked away. I heaved a long sigh and slide down against the bathroom door as EJ lightly chuckled, as if the situation had been an amusement show to him.

"It's not funny, EJ. What if you hadn't locked the door and she had walked in on us?" 

"Well, she would've seen her son being a man." 

I narrowed my eyes at him dangerously and stood up. I unlocked the bathroom door and peered out, making certain the coast was cleared before stepping out.

I walked out of the bathroom and directly into my sister. 

"I've been looking all over for you. Where have you been?" 

"Umm... bathroom," I stuttered. 

Her eyes trailed above my head and stopped at a figure behind me. Her eyebrows raised with a questioning look on her face. 

I turned and forced a smile at EJ. 

"Hi EJ," Jasmine said, waving at him. 

"Hi Jasmine."

He walked closer to me with a smirk on his lips. "I'll see you outside," he said softly in my ear. His manly scent taunting me as he moved away.

"Are you and EJ involved?" Jasmine shook me from my trance. 

"What? No, we're just friends." 

We were only friends, but EJ wanted more. I just couldn't bring myself to fall for him without settling my twisted past. 

"Zenia, please don't be a fool. By the look in that boy eyes, I can tell he really likes you."

"I know that Jasmine, but EJ knows where the line is drawn between him and I. We're friends." 

I moved passed her but her arm quickly brought me right back to where I was standing in front of her. 

"I'm not done with you yet." 

I mentally rolled my eyes. Sometimes, the bigger sibling could be such a pain in the ass.

"What is it now?" 

"My son used some very colorful words over dinner yesterday, and I was wondering where on earth he could of heard such obscenities." 

Oh fuck! 

"Oh really? What happened?" I asked innocently, fidgeting with the details on my dress. 

"We were having dinner, and Jevan accidentally knocked over his food container. He stared down at it before saying, 'Oh Fuck. Kill me.' Have you been cursing around my child, Zenia?"

I couldn't contain the laughter. I laughed until tears slipped out of my eyes. 

After I finally managed to composed myself, and got my breath back, I told her why he repeated those words. 

"I'm sorry, I had no idea those words were still registered in his head. I was using my digital notepad and some stuff got deleted by mistake. I used the 'F-word', and then he started repeating it. I immediately scolded him. I told him that you'd kill me if you heard him using that word. Then he started repeating, 'Kill me. Kill me.'"

Jasmine cracked up. "I don't know why, but he has the tendency of picking and repeating foul words from a complete statement." 

We threw our arms around each other's necks as we walked back into the yard for the party.

My eyes scanned for EJ through the now thick crowd. It seemed like more people had arrived while I was locked in the bathroom with him. 

"Are you looking for him?" Jasmine asked from next to me. 

"Who?" 

"EJ."

"No."

"Would you stop lying to yourself and just try giving him a chance. He's a really great young man once you get to know him."

"Jassy, we're just friends. I said that before and I'll say it again. F-R-I-E-N-D-S. Friends."

"I can tell you're guarded and your walls are built, but you just might push that guy away from you for good."

"And, so what?" 

"Okay, Zenia. Let's just hope you don't eat your words." 

She walked away and I watched the back of her head until she approached her fiance. 

I turned in the direction of the bar, removed my heels, and walked up to the kind-faced bartender for a glass of wine. As I drank my glass, I felt the bass of the music causing an effect on my hip so I began shaking to the rhythm and the beat.

I was so in tuned with the music, I hadn't noticed EJ walking towards me. He touched my arm, catching my attention. Biting his bottom lip and making his eyes sparkle, as if he had total control on making them do such, he sent a shiver down my spine.

He was handsome. His V-neck T-shirt was pure white and simple. His black faded jeans made him look relaxed, and the white pair of sneakers completed his look. His gold Rolex stood out on his wrist, and his overall look actually proved he was worthy. 

"Hey," I said, settling myself. 

His eyes roamed my body. 

"Where are your shoes?" he asked as his eyes landed on my feet. 

"Somewhere over there." I pointed in a direction I doubted my shoes were even in. 

"Shall we dance then?"

"No EJ." I gently pushed against his chest, but he caught my hands in his and planted a kiss on them. 

He is such a romantic. 

After declining his proposal to dance with him, he went over to Jasmine and Evan. 

My feet grew tired so I flopped down on a nearby chair on the lawn and scrolled through my cellphone, looking at clothing lines for inspiration.

After thirty minutes of sitting, my eyes searched for EJ again. 

The crowd had lessened, and he was easily spotted talking with my sister and his brother, with a young lady leaning against his arm. 

Bitch! That's my arm! 

"Who the hell is she?" I asked aloud, without the intentions of anyone hearing me. 

"Oh, that's Madison. She has been friends with EJ since preschool," Mr. Hollen, EJ's father, answered. 

He was standing right behind me and I wasn't even aware. 

"Oh," I stupidly responded. 

"Maybe you should go over and say hi." 

"Sure."

I emptied my glass of wine before heading over to them, blood coming to a boil by the second as my feet carried me closer and closer.