Chapter 4 (party)

Emily picked a very skimpy sleeveless purple gown for me and no doubt I looked kind of good in it. I looked at myself in the mirror and I noticed how the gown brought out my curves, I liked the gown, but the problem I had with it was that it was too tight and it was difficult for me to walk and breathe in it. But as they say "you have to go through pain at times just to look beautiful."

Sigh.

I combed my long ebony hair and then packed it into a perfect ponytail. I applied light makeup on my face and checked myself in the mirror before leaving my apartment.

Emily was going to wait for me close to the party venue so I boarded a taxi to the place where we planned to meet. When the driver got there I got down from the car and paid him, I saw Emily not too far from the place I was. She approached me and she was damn hot,  her red gown adorned her body and her make-up was breathtaking.

She came very prepared for this party. 

"Are you ready, Dakota?" She asked as she approached me. I wasn't ready for anything like this, I just came out here just because of her, I meant to be on her bed right now.

"I guess," I shrugged and she placed her hands over my shoulder. "What about you?"

She smirked.

"I'm born ready," Emily said in a confident tone and I giggle at the way she sounded.

We reached the building where the party was holding and we entered, the pungent smell of alcohol and cigarette smoke invaded my nostrils.

"Get ready, Cruise." She shouted so that I could hear her over the loud music.

I was getting a headache already, the music was too loud and the smell of cigars, alcohol, hard drugs and sweat was making me want to throw up.

"For what?" I shouted back.

"To party your worries out and have the best night ever!" She said excitedly and narrowed her eyes, I did not see this party as a way to relieve my stress and worries but as a way to add to them, I was not the clubbing type.

The bright disco light made me feel nauseated and I began regretting why I came there.

I passed through many people partying their lives out, my body rubbing against their sweaty bodies as they danced around and it felt so disgusting.

I sat on a barstool and sighed out of relief that I was out of the dreadful dance floor. I felt thirsty and I tried ordering a drink but it was too expensive for me to afford.

Everywhere was quite hot and I needed to get hydrated, so I bought a bottle of water which was ridiculously expensive, I had no choice I wasn't ready to die out of dehydration.

I so hated this place.

While sitting in the bar feeling quite miserable, I saw Luke standing all alone in a corner, he was leaning on the wall with his head bent low. I choked on the water I was drinking when I saw him.

What was he doing here?

I dropped the water bottle on the bar's counter and rubbed my eyes with my hands to see whether I was still seeing properly.

After examining him for some minutes I confirmed that it was him--it was Calvin Luke. I was surprised to see him here, I never knew he was the type that attends frat parties like this, he doesn't look like it at all and I wonder what he was doing there all alone.

He stared my way and I quickly hid my face. Why did he decide to look this way? Even though he was quite far from where I was I could feel his burning stare on me.

I began hyperventilating, if he continued staring at me like that, I would melt like ice.

When I felt like he was not staring at me again, I turned and gladly he was not looking my way again.

Sigh.

I began admiring him, he was so damn hot, he wore a super tight black shirt that revealed his muscular structure, his hair was scattered giving him this boyish look and his sea-blue eyes were glowing across the room, he was so superficial.

I felt the urge to approach him but I was too scared that what would happen earlier would happen again, but still, I wanted to meet him, this was a party people hardly snub people at parties.

But if I met him what would I say to him? My mind was blank and if I just approached him without saying anything, that would be very awkward.

Even approaching him will be awkward, it would make me look so desperate.

I decided not to meet him again when I saw two girls approach him. I laughed, I knew that he won't even look their way not to talk of speaking with them. But to my dismay, he spoke with them and even began having a conversation with them.

I felt anger surging up in me. Why wasn't he ignoring them like he did to me?

One of the girls ran her fingers on him and I felt angry that she did that and I didn't know why. The other girl started coming closer to him...I couldn't watch this, I quickly turned and I lowered my head.

Why Luke of all people?

I felt so bad that he ignored me earlier today and then he answered those girls, I felt like I was nobody. I wasn't that attractive and this was how I have been treated throughout my life.

Sigh

"Hey there," a masculine voice slurred behind me.

I turned and I saw a guy with a bottle of beer firmly gripped in his left hand while his other hand was raking his hair.

"Hi," I said. I didn't care whether he could hear me or not over the extremely loud music playing, I would not have answered him if I had something to do, but I was lonely that was why I answered him. Emily was on the dance floor dancing out her life and maybe drinking her fourth bottle of beer now.

Sigh.

I knew that he was just like other boys who came to the club and get wasted and tried wooing a girl but end up making a fool of themselves. But, no doubt he was good looking that was why I answered him.

"What is your name, milady?" He came so close that our lips were just inches apart from each other. His breath smelled of alcohol. He moved his head up and down examining every inch of me.

Was he scanning me?

Our eyes met, his forest-green eyes stared back at me. He was so beautiful... beautiful? Emily had to see this guy, no, I don't think that would be a great idea, she would eat him raw like a chocolate if she met him.

"Is anything wrong Mi Belle?" He noticed my recent reactions and sensed that something was wrong.

He wasn't drunk he was tipsy. I guess.

"No-no no-thing is wrong," I stammered and adjusted myself so that it would seem that everything was okay. But not a single thing was okay when he was in my proximity.

"If you say so, I'm glad everything is ok. So what's your name?"

My name? I shouldn't be giving my name to strangers right?

"I am Dakota by name," I told him and grabbed the bar counter behind me to support me so that I wouldn't fall.

Why was he this close?

And who was he?

'Some things were so beautiful that when you see them, they would throw you off balance' he was the perfect example of that statement.

My legs were wobbling underneath me, I don't think I would last a second if he stayed this close.

"An ugly name for a princess like you." He scoffed and at the same time praised me.

Really?

I was angry about his io remark about my name but I let slide when I remembered that he was half drunk, if he wasn't I should have slapped him till he begged for his life. But, I couldn't imagine ruining his beautiful face.

"I'll call you mi belle, Belle in French means beauty."

Hey, I know that. "You are a paragon of beauty." My cheeks flushed and turned bright red. Why I'm I blushing? He doesn't mean what he said, he was drunk for goodness sake, Cruise.

Gosh, I should stop drooling over fine boys.

"Thank you." That was the best answer I could think of.

"Could we go on a date tomorrow?" He asked and pulled a bar stool and sat beside me.

His already asking me out on a date? He was so confident.

I sighed.

"Is it not early for that? I barely know you," I said sheepishly and he chuckled.

"Nothing is too early when it comes to you, mi belle, I can take you right now, right here." I shrugged, he sounded like an obvious playboy. I was still pondering whether I should give accept or not. "I barely know you too, mi Belle. I want to know you the more." He smirked.

Quite convincing.

"But—" he held his index finger against my lips.

I froze. My brain cells stopped working and what I could think of was how wonderfully chiselled his jawline was.

"No need to be scared, I don't bite," he said with a grin on his face.

He was a stranger and yet I didn't feel uncomfortable around him...who was he? And what does he want from me?