When I got to Miami I wouldn't have thought i'd be going to parties and openings and all these difference types of events every other weekend, back in London every weekend was either studying or staying at home to watch tv with Spencer and some wine, sometimes we'd go to college parties but it was almost rarely since most were just a constant repetition of the ones the weeks before.
But evidently parties and openings would be a frequent thing, I thought, as I held onto Ki's arm. She walked between my brother and I, one hand on mine.
Unlike me Kiana's dress was a deep red dress that came down to her knees, long sleeved and almost all lace making her look extremely sexy.
I most definitely took note of the fact that Jes must've have noticed it too since he'd looked at her more than I did, and i'd been speaking to her more than him.
Her lips were painted a dark red, faintly matching her red hair which was up in a bun, a few curly strands falling and framing her face, light makeup except for her lips unlike me who's eyes were done in a purple hue eyeshadow and my lips just covered by a nude colored lipstick with clear coat of lipgloss over it.
Unlike her I was wearing lavender dress i'd got just for tonight which was now my absolute favorite dress i'd ever worn. It was so elegant, tight on all the right places and a color that I adored with my entire being.
My hair was up and pulled away from my face, my bangs cut and trimmed and straightened down my forehead and my bracelets kept over my wrists like usual.
"Where's Blackburn?" Ki asked as we got inside the building, people gathered around, drinking and mingling and I let my eyes roam the room too, unintentionally looking for the very same person she'd just referred to.
"Probably late, he didn't want to come here."
"So why did he?" I asked as we walked down the stairs and he shrugged. "I forced him to."
"As usual." I joked as we got down the stairs and I took a flute of red wine against my better judgment, trying to forget what the red wine had done to me not too long ago.
"Oh there he is, with Millie."
Was that a girls name?
I looked over to the direction they'd been looking at, looking over to the woman and him, both at the bar.
I blinked.
You know how it feels when a guy you sort of like smiles at another person? I felt that, except that either way if he smiled or not it still really annoyed me because he barely ever smiled at me either.
But he still kissed me.
My body burned as we walked towards them, all the way down to that spot between my legs.
This happened way too often.
Was this a bad idea? Especially after yesterday?
I looked over to Ki who was talking to Ambrose about some work related thing causing me to huff, looking back ahead, slipping my hand out of hers as I nervously played with the bracelets on my wrist.
"Hi Millie." Kiana said and Millie looked away from Rhys and to her, sending my brother a smile too, not before looking to me too and I forced a polite smile.
Her eyes widened causing me to clear my throat lightly, biting the inside of my cheek, "Oh no sorry!" She laughed nervously, "You're just really pretty and I haven't seen you before."
I immediately chuckled too, taking my bottom lip into my mouth. "Thank you." I said, suddenly feeling shitty for forcing my smile her way at first.
She nodded and looked over to Rhys after, placing a hand down on his leg as she leaned forward ever so subtlety and I blinked at the action.
Yeah, I didn't feel too guilty right now.
"It was good seeing you Rhys."
He nodded, moving her hand off of him not so discreetly, "Same to you Millie."
She stood up and moved off the seat, not before leaning in for a kiss to Rhys's cheek and I swear, my damn eye betrayed me and twitched.
As if he knew I was staring at them he looked to me and I looked away, walking over to the other side of the bar inwardly wondering if plotting someones murder would be just a little too excessive right now.
Yeah, no.
This was another reminder that all of this between Rhys and I was not okay.
"Hi, can I get Martini?" I asked as I sat down, planting my hands to the table. "Or three." I mumbled the last bit and the bartender snorted. "Bad night?"
"I just got here."
He chuckled at that and I shook my head.
He made me the drink, handing me a napkin beneath it with his number, just about to go to other people but not before saying, "Just because it started bad doesn't mean it has to end that way too."
Admittedly, I blushed, a little bit shocked at his lack of filter mostly.
"Or just because you're pretty, kinda funny too."
I snorted but took it, those were two nice compliments.
"Name?" I asked him. "Tom."
"Uh huh, i'll make a note of it, Tom."
He winked at me and I shook my head with a smile as he left to the people down the bar. I looked to the number in hand as I sipped on my martini, just about to use it to wipe my wet fingers from the glass when someone sat beside me and snatched the napkin out my hands.
"You attract men like you're honey, and they're bees."
"Bees make honey Emrhys." I corrected him but he didn't care as he sat beside me, "Can I have that back?"
"Are you gonna use it?"
"I just might actually." I challenged, stirring my drink with the olives, wondering why there was olives in martini's anyway.
He scoffed, tearing directly over the given number on the serviette making it illegible before passing it back to me. "Have fun figuring that out."
"You're an absolute delight for someone who just got kissed by some pretty rich woman."
"Careful Calliope, you're starting to sound jealous." He said, side eyeing me and I side eyed him too, glaring lightly.
"You would know what thats like." I mumbled as I looked away just as he smirked. "Wouldn't you?"
"I would."
Heat attacked my cheeks and I drank more, which didn't help whatsoever but hey, its not like anything else would help either.
"Try not to mistakenly kiss me tonight again Blackburn."
"I've actually never once mistakenly kissed you Sweeney."
I looked to him with a glare. He didn't return it.
We just stared at one another.
Slowly my glare softened without meaning to and when I realized that it did I looked away once again, eating an olive and tapping my glass as I looked around.
This was a smaller opening party for the Boston building that'd open next week, but if this was considered the smaller one, i'd wondered just how many people were wining and strolling along a huge building in Boston.
This was not a small gathering at all.
"You look so fucking beautiful."
I think I choked.
"Rhys." I hissed as I turned back to look at him, sending him a pointed look.
He looked completely innocent. "What?"
"Stop- whatever this is you're doing! Today and yesterday? Just stop."
"You were the one who was jealous, I have no idea why though, but im just making sure you don't have a self pity fuck."
I grimaced before I shrugged and partially lied, "If I want to have self pity sex i'll bloody have it."
He scoffed lightly as he stood up to fully height, I felt him lean down to my ear, his warm breath on my ear when he said, "If you have a pity fuck with anyone Calliope, it will be with me."
I looked to him with a glare, our faces too close for my liking. What a lie. I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes at myself.
"And it won't be out of pity, because you want me." He said, my cheeks grew hot. "Don't you?"
Yes.
Maybe.
I don't know.
Yes.
Just before something happened and my brother saw I pushed him back lightly on his chest, slowly lowering myself off the seat till his hands came to my waist, helping me down by pulling me off a little and setting me down to my feet.
It was easier to sit down but getting off a high seat with this dress and heels was just a little bit harder.
As sweet as the action was done i'd glared at him.
"You- we just-" I looked around us, hoping no one noticed whatever was going on between us. "Just leave me alone for tonight Rhys, okay?" I mumbled. "We'll talk some other time but all this crap is-" Confusing? Yes. So damn confusing.
"Its complicated okay? So later, okay?"
And with that, I left.
✶ ✶ ✶
Rhys POV
Honestly.
Calliope was good at ignoring me.
Or at least she tried to be good at ignoring me and so I let her, but that didn't mean I didn't notice her glances in my direction whenever a woman spoke to me, and i'd be lying if I said that it didn't feel like a relief to know she actually cared enough to be jealous.
I noticed her blatant glare earlier when Millie kissed my on the cheek and even now I felt like rubbing the spot where she kissed, as if I was rubbing it away even if it had happened hours ago.
Now yet again another woman walked here, even if I was with Ambrose, Kiana and Calliope gone hunting for food and the thought of Calli finding food and practically sighing in relief brought a smile to my face.
I was really fucking whipped.
"Ambrose?" The girl said, looking to him beside me, stunned and he cocked his head to the side before realization seemed to dawn on him, his features softening at the girl, "Laura?"
She nodded frantically and I blinked at her blonde bouncing curls, "Its been so long, how're you?"
I looked between the two before my eyes moved away, looking for my girl in that purple dress that I wanted to peel off of her tonight, but before I could find her the girl said my name and I looked to her, a tight lipped smile.
"Rhys, right?"
I nodded, not exactly knowing her, or seemingly remembering her, "Sorry rude, im Laura, we were in high school together."
I nodded again, not at all remembering her even if what she said was true because Ambrose remembered her.
I looked to see him eye me, probably wondering why I didn't take any sorts of interest in her but honestly, I only wanted a brat that had a love for baking me cheesecake.
"I feel like you don't remember me."
I almost snorted at that because it was true, I didn't remember her, "Bad memory, I guess."
This time Ambrose snorted, knowing full well it was a lie.
"Really? You were really smart."
I shrugged, looking away from her and finally that was when I saw her brown curls and almost sighed till i'd noticed she too was talking to some guy, that damned polite smile on her face and my blood ran cold.
Another fucking guy?
I looked away from them and to Laura again, wanting nothing more than to rip Calliope away from the crowd of people and take her to the car to have a repeat of my sisters birthday.
Before Laura left she'd passed a napkin over to me and I rose a brow at the number on it, only taking it because I knew Calli would possibly be pissed and honestly, I wanted to see her reaction.
I smirked at Laura, knowing she was helping get my girl riled up for me and she smirked back as she walked away, not knowing that I really didn't care about her number.
"What's that?" Kiana asked, too nosey for her own good as she moved around to the other couch with a bowl in hand and Ambrose spoke, "A woman's number."
I looked to Calliope and im pretty sure her jaw ticked as she took a bite of the cake she'd been eating.
Ah, there it is.
It felt like heaven itself knowing she was actually jealous.
She licked her fingers of the cakes icing she'd purposely dragged her finger through, not before she groaned, "I need to wipe this, can I borrow that?" She asked me, taking the napkin from my lap before I could say yes or no and using it.
I had to stop myself from laughing as she smiled at her fingers, seeming quite proud of herself for what she did, honestly, I was proud too at just how discreet she was with it.
She sighed as she took the napkin and threw it away and sent me a fake smile that I could see right through, but the one I sent back at her was completely real.