When Ester Celeste finally used that coupon for free dance lessons with the famous Sierra Stone, she did not expect it to be the start of a new life.
Whilst she did want to try out new things and accept new challenges in 2018, Ester wasn't quite so...
"I'll be there." Ester said with a tight smile. If she could survive this dinner, she'll survive dance practice too, she thought. "Good." Sierra nodded, right before the doors to the kitchen opened.
"Look at these lovely ladies, Devon. All alone and bored." Ester heard his voice before she saw him. Mason was striding in, his confidence radiating off of him in huge waves as he came to stand behind Sierra's seat. Devon was next to him, sending out waves of something unidentifiable, something mysterious. Was he up to something?
"Mason! You could come after all!" Sierra stood up and wrapped her arms around him. "Of course I came. Wouldn't miss a family dinner like that ever." Mason chuckled as they pulled apart. Then he struck his hand out for Ester's.
"Long time no see, kid." He kissed the back of her hand once she took his hand. That simple act caused Ester to blush, but she tried to cover it up with a roll of her eyes. "Kid?" She asked Mason who chuckled again.
"I could still be your dad." He shrugged and Ester rolled her eyes again. Devon watched these two interact and set his jaw tight. She was getting along with him, way better than she was with Devon. And was that a blush he caught? Was she blushing for his best friend?
"Stop bugging her, you weirdo." Sierra sat back down in front of Ester with a knowing smile. "Weirdo? You wound me, Sierra. Anyways." Mason started after glancing at a silent Devon next to him.
"We came to offer you guys some drinks. Any preferences?" He asked, looking between Ester and Sierra in question. "I'll take an ice tea. The ones with the green wrapping and chinese signs. And three cubes of ice. The glass should be washed per hand." Sierra ordered and Ester blinked.
"Alright. So ice tea. And you, Ester?" Mason shifted his attention towards her. "A water, please." Her order seemed too simple, compared to Sierra's. Mason nodded before looking at Devon.
"How about you take Sierra's order and I take Ester's?" He asked Devon, who shook his head in amusement. "How about-" Devon started, causing butterflies to erupt in the pit of Ester's stomach at the sound of his smooth voice. Get a grip!
"Whoever's first in the kitchen, gets Ester's order." He said it more like a statement as he turned and sprinted out of the room. Mason's eyes widened and he hissed before following him with just as much speed.
"Boys." Sierra rolled her eyes. They both giggled when the sounds of Mason's disapproval reached their ears. Guess Devon won. This might've been the first time Ester's seen Devon act this childish. He was acting quite immature for a while, but racing his friend to get an order?
That was another new side she discovered about him. And even though they currently weren't exactly on good terms, it excited her. After all, she might like him or whatever.
Her thoughts got cut short when after a few minutes he appeared in the dining room again, holding two glasses of what looked like water. "Mason can't find your special tea and I didn't listen." Was all Devon had to say in order to make Sierra scoff at Mason's incompetence and leave them alone.
Oh Jesus, Ester almost gulped when she looked up at Devon. "I didn't know if you wanted sparkling water or normal water. So I got both. I'll just drink the one you don't want." He said as he rounded the table and stood by her side.
"I'm fine with normal water, thank you." Devon nodded at that and set it on the table in front of her. Then he cleared his throat while sitting down next to her. From the corner of her eye, she saw him take a sip and decided to mirror his action.
"You look good tonight." He suddenly said, turning to give her a once over. Ester felt another wave of heat reach her cheeks as she looked at him as well. Oh sweet baby Jesus. "Thank you. You too." She meant it.
It was a family dinner, but everybody was expected to dress fancy. So obviously the women wore dresses and the men wore suits, no kidding. Devon's suited him damn well and his combed hair was a great change of his usual messy hairstyle. She decided she really liked both looks on him.
"Thanks." He smiled before looking at his glass. "You know I just wanted to apologize for last week. I didn't mean to get angry at you. I'm really sorry." He admitted, making Ester raise her eyebrows in surprise. Wow, she never expected an apology. Yet, she felt like that was all she needed in order to loosen up around him.
"Me too. We should've not yelled at each other." Ester nodded and Devon sighed. "Especially not in Sierra's house." He joked and Ester let out a breath of amusement.
"So are we going to dance together again? Because we really should continue practicing. My sister's mad strict when it comes to that." Devon said and Ester laughed. "Oh, trust me. I know. And yes, I plan on coming in next week." She responded.
"Good." Devon smiled at her answer before taking another sip of his drink. "Ugh, I don't get how you just drink water." He made a sour face as if the water hurt him. "Excuse me?" Ester asked in disbelief. Water was the best thing at times!
"I mean out of all the options, you take water? I'd like you to know, we even have our own wine cellar. In fact, stand up." Devon suddenly said, taking her by surprise once again. But Ester stood up anyways and took his offered hand without hesitation.
"Where are we going?" She asked him once he lead them through another door that seemed to be connected to a living room.
"I'm showing you the wine cellar." Devon smiled, enjoying her soft hand in his.
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