I used to watch a lot of movies in which rich people had parties, but I never imagined being able to see how the staff of a rich man used to organize a party. Sir Thomas had been busy the whole week, meeting people every day for the music, the food, clothes, decorations.
Everything had to be perfect for our first public appearance as a family: the new family Krol.
As I said the Krol family was a billionaire dynasty, and somehow I was part of it, even if it was still hard for me to realize.
However, in the time that my mother chose if a chocolate dessert was better than vanilla pudding, I was trying some of the new clothes in front of my mirror, I didn't want to be unprepared for the big night.
"It's 14:00 and you're still trying clothes?" - Benji interrupted my inner voice who never stopped to criticize how bad I looked with leather pants, he walked inside my room and stopped behind me, looking at the mirror.
"I look like a snake when the skin changes" - "Uhm... That's accurate, I'd say more like a strip club dancer" he laughed trying to make me smile, I wasn't amused because I really felt uncomfortable with that pants of leather, so I walked back to the closet room and I changed the outfit, maybe it would look better with a white shirt and a black gilet.
I walked back to see myself in the mirror and I turned to Benji to show him how the white shirt perfectly matched my black pants, he smiled crossing his arms - "Now you look like a barman" - he said, ready to criticize my next 10 outfits.
After one hour spent trying clothes, we got tired and I gave up, it was obvious to me that I wasn't ready to be part of such an evening. He seemed so sure about how to dress, and I was there crying because I was scared to be confused for a barman or a servant or worst: a strip club dancer. I let myself fall on the bed, closing my eyes trying to imagine what I could have put on my body that would have looked good.
Benji found something of Calvin Klein and he thought it would look good on me, so he walked towards the bed with this suit: the pants were dark grey, very tight and it fit perfectly my legs because of my skinny body, a purple shirt with half-length sleeves to which he added some gold necklace.
I liked how the whole thing looked on me, I smiled looking in the mirror meeting his eyes who were staring at my reflection - "Now you look good!" - I smiled again, showing my teeth, I was happy and I felt comfortable because he knew what he was doing, and I trusted him.
"You're gonna introduce me to your friends?" - I said turning my face to him, walking closer while he was standing in front of me - "I should hide you in some closet. Be thankful I helped you to find something to wear!" - "Oh again, why you're so rude to me?" - " I'm your older brother it's my job" he crossed his arms, smiling as he knew how to tease me, but this time I was ready to fight back - "Uh... I thought you didn't have a brother".
He became silent all of sudden, smiling at me without taking off his eyes from my face, I stepped back because I didn't want him to have control of my body again. I wanted to be the one in control for once and he seemed to be very attracted to my outfit, I kinda knew how to rule the evening that was about to start in 6 hours.
When the clock showed us it was already 8 pm the entrance door opened to welcome our guests, I could hear the music and the people laughing and greeting my new father and my mother as they walked in, helped by Sir Thomas who was excited to show them the Party Room decorated for the event: black details as tables and chairs, a dance floor, candles, flowers and our photos were everywhere.
It looked more like a political party but it was just a family event, everything was new to me and I was excited and late, as always.
I spent more than 20 minutes looking at myself in the mirror, front part and back part, to check everything was ok and looked good. Someone interrupted my anxiety by knocking on the door, it was Benji who smiling walked in with a small box in his hand. "You look good stop being a narcissist" - "I'm not a narcissistic person i'm just nervous. Do I look like a barman?" - "No, but I think you miss something. Here... Wear this" - he gave me the box, it wasn't packed as a gift but it looked so expensive: the box contained his Maserati watch, the one he used to wear the first day we met.
I could never forget that watch, it's actually the first thing I saw after how beautiful he was.
"Do.. Do you want me to have it?" - "Haha! Don't push yourself too far, wear it tonight... I'm gonna look for you to take it back later, I know where your room is" he blinked to me and smiled leaving the bedroom. I wore the watch in the time my head couldn't stop repeating his words, loop in my thoughts, - "I know where your room is" - what was he talking about? Somehow deep inside I hoped it was something more than just giving back the precious watch he lent me.
I walked down the stairs and soon I got lost in the crowd of people that filled the party room, walking in the middle of such noise and confusion was exhausting and my anxiety didn't help.
I tried to find the only person that could have calmed me down but I couldn't find my mother until I walked to the dance floor, where she was about to start a speech along with Blake: "Thank to all the kind people who joined us tonight!" her happy voice made me feel better - " We are so glad to host this party and I'm grateful to be part of this amazing family, with my husband Blake, we would like to call here our beautiful boys! Benjamin and Jorge!" - I walked towards her who was welcoming me with a warm hug, Blake smiled at me when he saw Benji walking behind me and we both stood next to our parents in the time the crowd of people cheered for us and photographers took many photos, so much that my eyes were blind by their lights.
After that the night began and I walked to our table who was already set for dinner, I didn't pay attention to where I was sitting but Benji walked towards me smiling and when he sat next to me he made me notice something - "You're sitting on my face" - It sounded so bad in my dirty mind that I refused to reply, I looked at him and I was obviously confused - "I mean it's my place, there is an invitation with my face on the chair" he laughed and I moved, taking off the paper that I didn't notice before - "Oh! I'm sorry I thought it was just a random sit" - I said, when I saw he had an invitation with my face in his hand, he smiled at me - "It's ok, I don't mind if you wanna sit on me" for sure he knew how to make me nervous.
I was too busy looking at how he looked good with his black shirt, opened on his chest to show off his skin and necklaces. He was wearing dark pants and a gold Rolex watch that made my Maserati look so small compared to it.
I smiled thinking about how I didn't care about material things, but in this world that was completely new to me, wearing expensive things was away to communicate with other people and Benji knew that. The reason why he lend me his watch was to make other people understand I was part of their world now, I was Blake Krol stepson, and somehow people respected me.for that.
When dinner time was over people started to dance and the most important men of business had already started their talk about money and investments.
As Benji told me when we met in the pool, Blake was talking to lots of investors about his Green Energy company and he was probably looking for a good image promoted by the family. I didn't care honestly, I just guessed that what he was doing had to do with a better life for me and my mother and as long as she looked happy with him, I was happy too.
I was drinking something on my own, sat next to the place where the barman never stopped to serve alcohol and drinks, I didn't know anyone in the room and Benji was too busy flirting with girls he would have never introduced me to. But someone walked closer to make my knowledge, so when I felt someone touching my shoulder, I turned around to the beautiful blonde girl standing in front of me smiling as the kindest person, I shook her hand as a pleasure and introduced myself: "Nice to meet you, Sir! My name is Luise, I'm sorry to bother but I couldn't help it and I noticed you are wearing Benji's watch" - she said looking down at my wrist - "Oh.. Yeah, he gave it to me. It's nice, isn't it?" - "He gave it to you? That's hard to believe.. Benjamin Krol never gives things for anything".
That's all the girl had to say before she smiled at me once again and walked away, she just made me confused but she didn't care. I should have understood back then that she was trying to make me think bad about Benji, but I didn't know him as good as these people did, I wondered who was the real personality of that boy who looked so charming and at the same time so damned.
I spent the rest of the night drinking champagne, maybe too much, and I was exhausted when people started to walk out of the Villa to go back to their houses. I didn't have the strength necessary to walk up the stairs and find my room, so I decided to go to Benji's bedroom, and that way I could have given him back the watch.
I arrived there and the door was closed, but sure that he was still somewhere talking with some of his rich friends, I opened it walked in and I wished someone would have stopped me.
I was drunk, maybe my feelings were too weak, but walking into my stepbrother's room and see him having sex with that girl, Luise, who less than an hour before was talking bad about him behind his back, made my heart break and my breath stop. I knew that he wasn't my boyfriend and I couldn't explain myself why it hurt so much to see him with someone else, maybe because in my dreams he was mine.
I wish I could have run away without being noticed, but i'm not a good drinker, so when I tried to get out of the room without being able to stop looking at how Benji was involved into the thing with her, I fell against a table and the beautiful ceramic vase of Johanna fell on the floor breaking apart.
"I-I'm sorry..." It's the only thing I could say before Benji yelled at me to go out and leave the room, I did it, slamming the door behind my back and running upstairs locking myself into my room.
Once again, that room was my safe place, at least until Benji would be back to have his Maserati watch.