Love Is...

17. Wonderful

CHAPTER - 17

LOVE IS... WONDERFUL

'Love is a wonderful thing. It makes life worthwhile. I love being in love.' - Nicholas Sparks

My smile faltered a bit at the intensity of his eyes, and after blinking in order to get out of the trance I was suddenly in, I smiled at him. Instead of returning the smile, he rolled his eyes at me and got back to his scotch. Shaking my head at him, I looked back towards Mike who, too, was looking at Ashton.

Tapping his shoulder, I brought his attention back to me and asked, "Why are you staring at him like that?"

He frowned a bit and answered, "He is your date, right?"

I pressed my lips in a thin line and half shrugged. "Not really. He is... a client... umm a friend. Whatever, but not my date."

He hummed in reply and looked back at Ashton whose back was now turned towards us. "I don't know, but he looks familiar," Mike mumbled, with scrunched eyebrows.

I nodded and replied, "He is a Parker. He is usually in gossip columns."

His head snapped towards me and he said in disbelief, "He is a Parker? And what makes you think I read the gossip columns." I chuckled at that and he continued, "I think I have seen him somewhere else."

"Where?" I prompted, tilting my head slightly.

After a few thoughtful seconds, he said apologetically, "Honestly, I think I have seen him somewhere. In fact, I think I have met him once for some work related stuff but I might be wrong. I really don't remember. Maybe this is the alcohol in my system blurting out things or making my memory go hazy. I don't know."

'Work and Ashton in one sentence? He surely is drunk,' I concluded. "Don't stress yourself too much, Mike," I suggested him with a smile.

"Okay!" He laughed as he tried to move in rhyme with the music. He had two left feet but it was commendable that he was trying to dance. "You dance beautifully, Lia."

I blushed slightly at the compliment which was in complete contrast with my thoughts about his dancing. "Thank you," I mumbled.

"You know what, you should teach me how to dance. My girlfriend will be pleased." He chuckled and I stared at him in surprise.

"You have a girlfriend?"

"Your surprise offends me, Lia." He feigned hurt as he pouted a bit. "Of course, I have a wonderful girlfriend, but she couldn't come here as she in Prague for some project. She's coming back next week. You should meet her." He smiled remembering her and the happiness was clear on his facial features.

"I would love to." I smiled. It was good to see Michael, the player, happy with one girl.

As soon as I said this, the song came to an end. "I can't dance any longer, Lia." He declared over dramatically, making me laugh. "I asked for a dance because I figured that this was the only way that you'd finally hear me out," he confessed.

"That's not true. I'd have listened to you otherwise too," I mumbled, frowning a bit.

"Yeah, right!" He nodded his head in sarcasm and stepped back. "Now go to your date else he'll kill me." He widened his eyes in mock horror, and I slapped lightly on his chest while rolling my eyes at what he had said.

Date? Ashton was not my date. How many times and to how many people was I supposed to tell this to?

"Stop drinking," I commented the moment I reached Ashton by the bar.