Sugar Babe [Completed]

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Don't Stop

My brother gave me a cheesy smile before opening the door wider so that I could make my way downstairs. Our footsteps clinked against the stairs, particularly mine. If I survived going down the stairs in my stupid shoes, I could at least have hope for the rest of the night.

"Well, be really careful and watch your drink!" He yelled from behind me.

I turned around with a smile on my face.

"I'm going to some big deal bar opening, not a rave. Chill!" I told him, laughing. My brother's cheeks reddened and he looked down towards the ground. It had been sweet of him to care and make an effort. I knew that he wasn't used to seeing me dress up and go out.

I gave him a surprise hug before leaving. He happily returned it, still embarrassed about acting like a parent.

I wondered if Minerva saw him from where he stood on the porch. She was probably wearing an evening dress, while he stood barefoot in sweats. I knew that he had no clue that Minerva was in the car right in front of him and felt a pang of guilt. I would tell him later, only if I was sure it wouldn't hurt him.

The Limo was occupied by Johnny, Robert, Minerva, and Martin when I crawled in. All four had masks of their own, but no one wore them.

"Didn't I tell you guys I do a good job?" Johnny claimed once he saw me. I rolled my eyes at him when I realized that he was talking about the way I looked.

"Evening, Fenster" Martin said, looking at me through narrowed eyes. Minerva only nodded at me, and I noticed that her stare was still trained on the window towards the house, even though my brother had walked back in minutes ago.

"Damn, Lilly." Robert commented, staring at me with a crooked smile. I smiled back, trying to act with the most composure possible. I don't know why his comment made me so nervous, but it did. For the rest of the ride I couldn't shake the feeling that Robert kept glancing at me.

 If I hadn't ever met Joshua, would my heart have sped up because of Robert's attention? I wished that it did, but that wasn't the case. Instead I just felt burdened by the attention because I couldn't return it. Or was I simply imagining it?

I hated all of the 'Would Haves' that kept popping into my thoughts. I realized that even though I had a plan to figure out things, I still hadn't done it. I was still lost and confused.

The ride was mostly quiet, but it wasn't for long. We made it towards one of the liveliest spots in the city, making everything magnified by ten. The lights shined bright when the limo came to a stop. I later realized they were camera flashes when the door was opened.

Martin stepped out first, making the flashes roll in a hurry. It felt like daylight. Johnny and Minerva exited right after, leaving me and Robert. I realized that we probably looked like a couple when the pictures started.

No one had told me that I needed to walk a red carpet, but that's exactly what we did. I hadn't realized how long the damn things were until I was actually walking on one. The pictures kept coming and reporters thrusted their microphones at Martin.

 There was a wall behind us with the name of the bar working as a backdrop for the pictures. At one point Martin reached out for me and wrapped one lazy arm around my waist.

It was the real deal.

"Smile." He ordered with a smile of his own. I was about to, when I decided to do something different. I didn't smile, I smirked. I brought a hand up to my hip and pulled my long hair to the side, over my shoulder.

Martin's hand continued to be wrapped around my waist, and by then the cameras were going crazy. One confident reporter managed to stick the microphone right next to our faces, leaving me without any choice but to talk to her.