I got my feet out the pool moments after staring at his back because of what he'd said to me, still a little shocked that he'd said it without not one bit of a filter and a little stunned at my bodies reaction to him too.
I wasn't dumb enough to think I wasn't attracted to Rhys, but that reaction was a little more than the shivers up my spine and heat on my cheeks.
I cleared my throat, hoping it'd clear my thoughts too as I followed not too far behind him.
He opened the door for me and I walked in, not waiting as I made my way to my brother who was seated next to another man.
Only when I was close enough to them to actually see the mans face I'd realized that the man was the Mr Blackburn.
As in the soccer teams father.
Not thinking straight I turned around, ready to go anywhere but there just to bump right into Rhys who caught at my waist before I stumbled back and fell on my ass in front of these people.
I looked up to him and my eyes widened when our eyes met.
He dropped his hands almost immediately after I opened my mouth, just about to speak, I swallowed my words down my throat as I took a step back away from him.
"What's wrong?"
"Your dad." I hissed quietly and he looked over my head and proceeded to roll his eyes.
"So?" He asked when he looked back down to me, turning me around by my waist and I blinked at the feeling of his fingers digging into my waist lightly as he forced me to walk over there in short steps, I tried to ignore the feeling.
"My mom used to talk shit about him." The words seemed to tumble out my mouth without meaning to, with wide eyes I turned around to look at him over my shoulder, just to see the slightest of smirks grace his handsome face. "Your mother was a smart woman Calli."
I blinked away from him and looked ahead, trying not to fall flat on my face because he was touching me, there, and because he was pushing me forward.
I didn't remember much about my mother but I knew she was an English teacher, an amazing one at that. "She was." I said, stopping myself before I went too far into my reminiscing on the past when my parents were alive.
"They almost dated once too." He told me and my eyes widened when I looked over to him once again, "Seriously?"
He nodded. "Apparently, Adair told us about it, even if it was before any of us were born, including himself."
"What happened then?" I asked just as his hand slipped around my waist and he tugged me away from them causing me to smile.
I really didn't want to go there.
I think it was a little bit of a mistake coming here in general, since all i'd been doing so far is avoiding people anyway.
He shrugged, not seeming like he cared to be explaining further. "They just didn't."
"So why didn't they?" I questioned him as we got passed the throngs of people and got to a far corner couch.
I crossed my legs, tightening my ponytail before I sat back down on the white leather couch.
"Because."
"Because what?" I asked curiously, cocking my head to the side as he shrugged, he cracked his knuckles and I watched till he said, "I don't know."
I blinked up at him. "You're not the brightest lightbulb in the electrical store."
He smiled down at his hands before he directed it to me and my inside doubled over, now I was the one left staring at him.
"So..." I looked away and sat back, "What song's can you play on the piano?"
He snorted, probably wondering how I knew but not asking since he probably also assumed my brother had told me, "Some."
"Did you learn when you were young?"
He nodded. "Its not as hard as it seems."
I sighed. "I know im gonna sound like a brat but I seriously wouldn't have minded if my parents pushed talents onto me, which they didn't, all I can do is bake now."
He shrugged. "You're only twenty one, you can still learn, its better to want to do something when your older than be forced to do it when you're fourteen."
I frowned. He wasn't exactly wrong. Or wrong at all.
"Sorry, you're right." I mumbled as I slipped my heels off once again, bringing my legs up and folding them beneath me.
"I can teach you, if you'd like."
A smile graced my lips again and I looked to him, "You don't mind?"
"Why would I mind?"
"You'd have to spend time with me in order to teach me."
He cocked his head to the side a little, "Did I mind spending time with you before?"
"Well I thought so." I mumbled and he snorted with a shake of his head.
"Oh and yeah, I would like." I replied back and he nodded, running a hand through his hair, sometime had passed by since i'd got here and because of that I asked, "Where's your sisters?"
"Which one?" He asked me, leaning back on the couch, I watched him as he bit at the inside of his cheek, "Uh- all?"
He looked to the watch on his wrist, "They're supposed to he here."
"I thought rich people are always on time."
"I don't think Ambrose had ever been on time anywhere since we were eighteen."
I couldn't help but laugh.
"Seriously?"
He nodded with a small smirk.
"That's actually kind of disappointing."
He shrugged. "If you think about it, if everyones late no ones actually late."
"Doesn't really apply for now." I replied as I looked around at the people gathering all over the place, I took a sharp intake of breath when i'd noticed the brothers who looked at me, Bolt and Hugo.
I looked away.
"How was your date?"
It took me a moment to realize he'd been talking to me and I nodded slowly at him, "It was okay, thanks for asking."
"Just okay?"
"Fun."
"What was fun about it?" He asked, curiosity lingering in his tone.
"The date, it was great."
"What does great mean?"
"What do you want me to say? It was alright, Emrhys." I mumbled, already annoyed that he'd unknowingly ruined my dating life.
In all honesty, the date was fine, we ate, spoke and had fun, friendly fun.
Because of the lack of attraction we'd just decided to be friends because- well nothing was there, nothing at all except for what could be a base for friendship.
And for some time now, my mind always seemed to stray to the man beside me.
Rhys and his secret love for cheese cake and comics, Rhys and his hard headed personality, Rhys and his beautiful heterochromia, Rhys and his bruised knuckles from a habit he should really stop doing and Rhys with his little quirk being that he could play the piano.
I couldn't stop thinking about him.
He shrugged. "I was just asking."
I hummed. "We're not going out again, it was fun but there was like- nothing there." I mumbled as I looked to him. "I guess."
His eyes raked my face leisurely, as if he wanted to make sure I wasn't lying for some reason, but I tore my gazes away when I heard the the heavy door open.
I looked to see Florence walk in with a blindfold over her eyes, her husband on her side holding her hand, her hair looking a little messy at top as he smoothed it out and immediately inappropriate thoughts raked my brain on why exactly her hair was messy.
I felt my cheeks burn and looked to Rhys who subtlety grimaced, probably thinking the same thing causing me to giggle lightly.
He looked to me and I was still laughing, my head fell back too at his annoyed expression and he rolled his eyes. "What?"
"You look traumatized."
"I am."
I laughed harder at the seriousness in his tone and he smiled back at me.
I looked back ahead, my laugh dying down leaving a grin behind on my face, so big that my cheeks began to hurt.
Her husband took off the blindfold and she gasped when everyone suddenly said their happy birthdays and rushed over to her, of course, in an orderly manner.
He kissed her cheek, whispering something in her ear that made her entire face turn beet red and I heard Rhys groan. "I really fucking need alcohol for the rest of tonight."
I couldn't help but laugh again. "Its not that bad, he probably told her she looks pretty."
"Yeah, probably not." He mumbled as he stood up, holding a hand out for me and I took it, slipping my heels back on too.
"Where're we going?" I asked him as he dragged me through the crowd of people once again.
"To get drunk."
I couldn't help but giggle.
✶ ✶ ✶
An hour or two must've passed since Florence got here and the night just went on being a little uneventful.
I'd spent most of my time with either my brother or Rhys, just sitting and drinking the champagne, and honestly, I didn't really like it, Rhys noticed from beside me and snorted.
It was a full glass of champagne and I placed it down. "I feel bad." I said softly to him and he blinked. "For not liking it?"
I nodded. "I don't wanna finish it."
He took the glass from my hand and downed it, grimacing at the taste and putting it on the bar counter behind us, he passed me a bottled water and I took it immediately washing the taste away.
"It tastes like expired watermelon." He mumbled and I shook my head with a small smile.
"Thank you." I said, flattening my hands down my pants as he took my bottle of water in hand to wash the taste away too.
"Uh huh."
"You came!" Luxe practically yelled out, seeming to have popped out of thin air and he choked on the water beside me, admittedly I nearly fell off the chair at the suddenness of her shrill sounding voice.
"I did!" I replied with equally as much enthusiasm, just not as loud. We'd spoke briefly over text over the few days, and she was definitely the one I was most comfortable with.
"Evening brother."
He nodded at her, rubbing his bottom lip with his thumb before saying, "Hello."
How sweet.
"Can I borrow her?"
"Does she want to be borrowed?" He asked her and she rolled her eyes. "Its not like your company is anymore entertaining."
"Yes, because everyone wants to be with the eighteen year old."
"You're insufferable." I told him as I got off the chair and he rolled his eyes, "Yet I clearly remember you spending most of the night with me."
My lips twitched into a small smile, I looked to him, tapping his chest, "Im only kidding, Emrhys."
He looked to my hand before he looked back up to my face and I blinked, I moved my hand away, clearing my throat as I turned around to look to Luxe pulling at my arm.
I waved my fingers over at him as a goodbye and his lips quirked up, a smile that I really liked being sent in my direction, just before a woman spoke up from beside him and he looked to her, not bothering to look back at me and my smile fell.
I looked away and to Luxe, smiling over at her, ignoring the fact that I felt a certain type of jealousy bubble within me.