Forbidden Love

Chapter 9

About three minutes later we arrived at the party. Aiden opened the car door and stepped out before I did. I took a deep breath, filling my lungs, and then exhaled quickly. Eric slung his arm around my shoulders and jabbed his finger into my side.

I giggled before bumping my hip into his as we stumble up the pathway. Was Eric tipsy? Probably.

I glanced back over my shoulder at the car, noticing the guys for the first time. They looked like Greek Gods!

I smiled up at Eric. He had a pair of pale ripped jeans on with a grey beanie that covered his for head. He caught me looking up at him and he winked down at me with a crooked grin.

But he was not the guy who had my attention. Dylan stepped out of the car seconds later, wearing a white shirt with a metallic tie, accompanied by a leather jacket. This boy is going to be the death of me. I watched as he locked the car over his shoulder, exuding confidence with each stride he took towards Chase. I glanced away, guilt easing it's way as the thought of him being my step brother popped up.

As we neared the door, I shifted my shoulders back, trying to appear confident, like I did this all the time. On the inside, my heart was pounding frantically and I was afraid I might start to sweat.

Entering the house, the upbeat music echoed from speakers set up around the dance floor. Smoke polluted air surrounded me and Vodka bottles littered the floors along with red plastic cups. I followed the boys into the packed living room, where Chase left to be the DJ. Out of curiosity, I propped myself up against the wall, crossed my arms across my chest and watched to see if Chase was as good as everyone says he was.

Chase wrapped a set of headphones around his neck and lifted it up to his ear to listen to a beat. He glanced up at the crowed that was bobbing to the music and made eye contact with me. His lips quirked up into a toothy grin as he nodded his head in my direction. I rolled my eyes in a playfully manner before smiling back at him.

I turned around just in time to see Eric and Aiden blend off into the crowed in different directions. A panic shot through me and I spun around quickly to see if Dylan was still by my side, but he wasn't. I tried calming my nerves as I pushed passed the crowed of people and into the hallway.

I passed several closed doors until I entered a gaming room. It had the essentials all wealthy families seemed to have: pool table, foosball, large flat screen suspended on the wall with a collection of gaming equipment beneath.

I went out the sliding glass door and stepped out onto a patio that was crowded with even more people.

I caught a glimpse of a bar on the other side of the patio. I headed towards it in hopes of spotting anyone I knew. A guy in a multicoloured tropical shirt stood behind it. When I stepped up towards the bar, he produced a charming smile and asked, "What can I get you?"

"Vodka with something." I requested. Not expert enough to know what I liked, I decided to fall back on what Raquel had told me earlier.

"I can do that." He scooped ice from a bucket and placed the cup on the counter. "Who do you know here?"

"Chase." I responded. He was the one who actually got invited. The four of us just tagged along.

"Oh, the DJ." He stated, nodding his head as if in approval. "Why would he ditch such a beautiful girl like you?" He asked as a smirk appeared on his face. I felt heat creep up my neck and quickly averted my eyes to the ground. "I'm Nate." He started, sticking out his hand for me to shake. "This is my friends place." He handed me the drink. "Wait, aren't you Dylan Michaels sister?"

I shook his hand and sipped the clear bubbly drink with a lime floating in it. "Soon to be stepsister." He smiled before nodding his head. "What am I drinking?"