CHAPTER 1: ARE YOU CHECKING MY BOYFRIEND OUT?!

CHAPTER 1: ARE YOU CHECKING MY BOYFRIEND OUT?!

LILY POV:

I don't know why but I felt strange just being at parties like this and to make matters worse, my dad is calling me non-stop, asking me where I am.

“Papa, can I call you back. I can't hear you ”, I said to my over protective father.

“Princess, why is it too noisy there?!”, My dad asked.

“I'm at Stephanie's birthday party, remember?”, I replied.

I told him about this party since last week and he agreed for me to come, but he wasn't at home when I left.

I tried calling him but he didn't pick up, I guess he was busy with work.

My dad is a detective, he has been stuck in one particular case for months now, that's so unlike him.

He's one of the top 5 best detective in the country but he keeps a low profile.

Unlike other cases he solves in a week or highest 2 weeks, this one case has been on his shoulders for more months he could count. Something about some Russian mafias and human traffickers or something like that, I'm not interested in that.

Me and papa talked for a while before hanging up, not before promising to be back home by 11pm.

He said 8pm but I'm good at bargaining!

It's just pass 6pm, how does he expects me to leave in two hours time.

Stephanie is one of my very close friend, I've known her since highschool, she's turning 24 years old today and her boyfriend threw her this birthday party.

“Lily!”, I heard my name from the crowd of the sweaty party goers.

I turned around to see it was Olivia, my best friend from since we were 4 years old.

“Ollie!”, I ran and hugged her.

We were supposed to get ready and come here together but she had something to do. I don't know what, but that's what she said.

We were still hugging when I sighted Troy, my boyfriend, just few steps behind Olivia.

I let go of Olivia and ran happily to him, pouncing on him, He caught me with the same manner of happiness, swirling me around.

But I noticed he smelt different.

“New cologne?”, I asked just to be sure.

He immediately stopped and put me down, smiling down at me.

“I'm happy to see you too”, he said to me, kissing me on the lips.

There, I perceived it again, his ‘new’ cologne.

“I'm sorry babes, I am happy to see you”, I said to him, dropping the thoughts about the new cologne.

Troy has been acting weird the last few months, I talked to him about it and he said he was busy with school. He is 25 years old and in college.

I also talked to my best friend about Troy's recent behavior and she said I was just being paranoid.

Maybe I was, I don't want to doubt my boyfriend, we've been dating for two years now and he is the love of my life.

Troy continue to kiss me and I tried to match his speed, he was a really good kisser.

He kissed my cheeks down to my neck and my collar bone.

I was wearing a red spaghetti strap satin dress that stopped at the middle of my thighs. I didn't want to wear this but Olivia insisted, according to her, ‘It suits your pale skin’.

“You look incredibly beautiful in this dress babe”, Troy said in-between kisses.

I was feeling hot already, not from the crowded place but due to Troy's magical kiss.

“Ehhem!” I heard Olivia's voice followed by Troy's disappointed low growl, ‘fuck’, he whispered.

“So I can't have my best friend for just one night? You just got here but you're already swallowing her”, Olivia said to Troy.

“Get yourself a boyfriend!”, Troy said back.

“Ollie! let's go say hi to the birthday girl, okay?” 

I know fully well that if I didn't intervene, these two would start bickering and I don't have the strength to listen to them.

I love them both individually but, putting them together in a room is a nightmare, nonstop arguments.

I met Troy at a party that Olivia dragged me to. He was really cute and he kept staring at me.

I was getting harassed by a drunk man and he saved me, it felt like something straight out of a fairytale, my Prince Charming.

It felt like love at first sight and we've been inseparable since then.

“Ollie?”, I called out to my distracted best friend.

“Hmm”, She replied absentmindedly.

She was busy staring at something... or someone, I don't know.

“There is something bothering me!”, I tried to yell loud enough for her to hear me over this loud music and noisy people.

“Which is?”, She asked, still not paying attention to me.

My eyes followed her line of sight and I caught her staring at... Troy?!

‘What?!’, I can't be just paranoid now. She's looking at my boyfriend with eyes filled with admiration or... lust?

“Olivia! Are you looking at Troy right now?!” I asked seriously.

That was when she snapped right back at me, finally looking at me.

“Eww no!! The fuck do you mean Lily?!”, She became defensive.

“I just caught you staring at Troy, checking him out!”, I was certain of what I saw.

I don't know what was wrong with me, I didn't have much alcohol because my father would kill me for drinking even though I'm a full adult.

I have never outwardly accused Olivia for admiring my boyfriend, in fact I am aware of the obvious that they both dislike each other, with Olivia being more vocal about it.

“I am not staring at your boyfriend, I'm staring at the hot dude he's talking with!” , Olivia said.

I immediately looked back at Troy's direction and yes, he was talking to someone, Chase, from the same college as Troy.

‘Fuck!’, I cussed inward.

“What the fuck is wrong with you girl? Why would you accuse me of something very stupid and disgusting?! You know fully well that I am not interested or attracted to Troy! You know how I dislike him”, Olivia tried explaining herself and I felt like shit.

I felt horrible for distrusting my best friend.

She was right, even when Troy and I were seeing each other, she would be like, ‘I hope it's not that guy from the club last time?', and I would just giggle.

Now I feel like shit! 

“I can't believe you Lily”, Olivia shook her head and just walked pass me. I tried to stop her by grabbing her hand but she avoided my hand.

“Oh God, I-I'm sorry Ollie... OLLIE?!”, I tried calling out to her and following her but she was lost amongst the crowd.

“BABE?! babe!”, I heard Troy call me several times but I couldn't turn around and look at him because I feel shitty already. Looking at his beautiful blue eyes would make me feel even shittier.

“Babe! I've been calling you--”, Troy caught up to me and with smile on his beautiful face, he held me by my waist and I felt like crying.

“Yea, I h-heard, I uhm... I was a l-little distracted”.

“What happened? you're stuttering”, I heard him say.

“Nothing really, I just feel h-hot in here, too hot”.

“Yeah? Let's go outside and get some fresh air”, He said and took me by my arms and was about to take me away from there.

“No”, I said, yanking my hand out of his grip and that left him even more perplexed.

“Babe? Is anything t-the matter?”, I could hear the concern in his voice.

“No, nothing actually. I-I would go by myself, honestly I'm fine... Uhmm, I'll go to Stephanie and Olivia, don't worry about me, enjoy the party!”, I said, smiling with all my teeth, hoping he wouldn't notice how uncomfortable I was feeling.

“Okay, just be careful”, he said and left.

‘Phew!’, Thank God he bought it, ‘Now, I need to find Olivia and apologize to her’, I said to myself and with my purse clung tight to my shoulder, I struggled through the sweaty party goers in search for Olivia.

***

“Ollie?! OLIVIA!!”, I called out through the crowd, hoping she would hear me or better still, answer me.

I knew she was mad at me, I was mad at me too.

‘Stupid, stupid mouth!’, I whispered, smacking my mouth with my hand.

“Have anyone of you seen Olivia?”,

“No”,

“Stacie! have you seen Ollie?”,

“Sorry, no”,

“Hey dude! seen Olivia around here?”,

“Not really, no”.

I asked around and I got the same negative answers.

I checked everywhere for her, upstairs, the basement, the pool, the living room everywhere, I even walked in to some couples having sex! I still couldn't find her.

Someone hugged me very tight from behind, I flinched from the sudden hug and the intense smell of alcohol.