Chapter 23

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Entering the door of the humongous mansion, I knew my choice was bad. Music was blaring from the huge speakers which were on the corners of the room and people were dancing like hippies. I was never a fan of crowded places. Especially places with sweaty people; out of which most were drunk. But I couldn’t back out now; it would seem mean of me. I was the one who agreed in the first place. Ethan clasped my hand and started making his way through the crowd. I felt the heat radiating from his palm to mine. Feeling giddy, I followed him, trying to keep up in my heels. We started climbing the stairs and the volume of the music gradually reduced with every step we took.

“Man, this is crazy,” Ethan said, leaning against the wall.

“Uh-huh,” I replied, nodding.

It was much calm up here except for the few giggles coming from the queue outside the washroom. I looked back at Ethan and smiled, the slight moonlight making its way through the window highlighted his face, expressing his sharp features. His eyes stood out in the darkness, making his face look pale yet enchanting.

“What are you looking at?” he asked, amused.

“You,” I responded.

“I can see that,” he said, raising his eyebrows.

“Then why did you ask?” I questioned, smiling.

He opened his mouth to reply but shook his head with a small chuckle. 

Placing his hands on my waist, he pulled me closer to him. Obviously, I felt butterflies rising in my stomach and felt myself blushing. Why does he do this to me? We were almost the same height because of my heels and he was leaning against the wall. My heart’s pace quickened as he brought his lips closer to mine. Our lips were centimeters away from each other. I looked up to meet his eyes and felt my blush deepen. He shut his eyes and cupped my face. I felt my eyelids close as well and just as our lips were about to touch, I heard a whiny shriek and I gasped as beer splattered on Erica’s pumps.

I looked up to see a blond girl who was pretty much drunk. Her dress was way too short and exposed her perfect legs.

“Oh my gosh!” she shrieked in a high-pitched tone. “I’m so sorry about your shoes! I bet they are new! They’re cute, by the way. Where did you get them from?”

 I glared at her. “I don’t know,” I murmured.

“Oh, that’s a shame,” she slurred. “Do you know where the washroom is?”

“It’s over there,” I muttered, pointing at the queue in front of the washroom.

She hiccupped and started walking but tripped. And fell. On Ethan. He grabbed her by the arms and steadied her.

She gave him a flirty smile and winked at him. “Thanks.”

After she walked away, Ethan looked at me and I shot him a glare.

“What?” he exclaimed.

“Nothing,” I mumbled with a fake closed-mouth smile.

“She fell on me!” he protested.

“I know,” I said.

“Then why are you angry?” he asked.

“I’m not,” I replied calmly.

“Okay,” he said slowly, still not convinced.

“But you’re jealous,” he said, smirking.

I rolled my eyes. “Oh, please, jealous of that bimbo?”

“Totally,” he replied.

“There’s no way I’m jealous of that,” I said, turning and pointing at her just as she tripped again. I smirked.

“She is quite hot,” he said, shrugging.

“Right, of course she is,” I muttered under my breath and crossed my arms over my chest.

“Aw, is someone jealous?” he said, tapping my nose.

I swatted his hand away. “No.”

“Yes, you are,” he mocked me.

“No,” I argued.

"She's not as hot as you though," he said and winked at me as I looked at him. I smiled and blushed. 

The loud music calmed down and Ed Sheeran’s Kiss Me started playing. I gasped.

“I love this song! Let’s go dance!” I exclaimed, grabbing his hand and pulling him with me.

He laughed once and followed me. We went down the stairs and the atmosphere was extremely different; everyone was calm, couples were silently swaying on the dance floor, the lights had been dimmed and the disco ball was missing. Just as Ethan and I stepped on the dance floor, Ed Sheeran started singing. Smiling, I wrapped my arms around Ethan’s neck as he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to him.

I looked down at my heels and said, “Erica’s going to kill me.

“No, she isn’t,” he replied. “She doesn’t like those heels, anyway.”

“I hope so,” I said.

I rested my head on his chest as we slowly swayed to the song. I could hear his heart thump in my ear. I closed my eyes and sighed.

“Your heart’s against my chest, you lips pressed to my neck.”

I smiled and looked up at Ethan. He gave me a comforting smile. . Before we knew it, the song was over and we walked off the dance floor hand in hand.

“You want something to drink?” he asked.

“Yeah, sure,” I said with a small smile.

He squeezed my hand once and walked over to the small bar sort of thing. I sighed. I walked towards the stairs and sat down. 

I watched people dancing, drinking and laughing. I looked around and noticed someone staring at me. Feeling uncomfortable, I looked away and casually, covered my face with my hair. When I peeked back, I saw him walking towards me. Oh, damn. I got up and slowly, started walking where Ethan had gone to.

“Hey, Ashley!”

I stopped and turned to face him with my creased forehead. He had really pretty hazel eyes but they were covered by his spectacles. His blond hair was spiked in and unusual way. My mouth parted as realization fell over me.

“Austin?!” I exclaimed.

“Ashley,” he said, grinning.

“Wh-what are you doing here?” I asked, shocked and happy.

He was about to answer but Ethan interrupted us as he handed me a glass of fruit punch.

“Um, who is this?” he asked politely.

“Ethan, this is Austin,” I said with a smile. 

A/N: Heya! Happy New Year! I hope 2014 turns out to be a great year for all of you! ^_^ 

So, I know this chapter was pretty short but I don't want to rush things. :) Hope you guys liked it! If you did, please leave comments and votes! I really love reading all the comments! They make my day! 

Oh! And Kiss Me by Ed Sheeran is on the right-hand side for people who haven't heard the song. But I'm pretty sure most of you must've have heard it. If you haven't, what are you doing?! Listen to it now! :D 

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