CHAPTER 10:
Where She Tries to Hide in the Bathroom
~~**~~
|Fallon|
I adjusted the pearl barrette I was wearing in my hair and looked myself in the mirror one last time.
I decided to wear my favorite pink tulle skirt and a matching pink satin crop top with cute ribbon straps that tied into a bow on each shoulder.
This was the fanciest outfit I owned. I'd even decided to tone down my normally zealous taste in fashion.
Even Spartacus who was lazily lounging on my bed gave me a once over with his good eye and meowed his approval before rolling over and going to sleep.
When I'd asked Archer about the dress code he'd told me to wear whatever I felt comfortable in but I seriously doubted that wearing sweats to a charity event hosted by his father's firm would be considered acceptable.
My phone suddenly pinged with a text from Archer followed by a knock on the front door. He had said he'd come to pick me up around 7 p.m. I checked the time, it was currently 6:45.
I smiled.
He's early.
I hurriedly put on my silver sequenced stilettos and hurried to get to the door.
I flung the door open and was just about to tease him about being early because he just couldn't wait to see me but the words died down in my throat.
My eyes widened in shock.
Holy
Fucking
Shit
Archer Hastings, who I'd only ever seen in oversized hoodies or sweatshirts was standing in front of me wearing a tuxedo that molded onto his body perfectly, showing off his broad chest and trim waist. His normally messy hair was slicked back with a single stray strand falling over his forehead.
He looked good.
Like sinfully good.
His eyes finally met mine and he inhaled sharply. He bit his lip, "You look. . ." he trailed off and I watched as his gaze slid over me from head to toe. His eyes darkened.
My whole body tingled.
"Shall we go?" His voice was hoarse, he offered me his arm.
I swallowed and took his outstretched arm before giving him a shaky nod.
~~
We reached the country club. The beautiful white, marble building loomed over us dauntingly. I suddenly felt completely out of place. I shifted my weight from foot to foot nervously while I waited for Archer as he handed his car keys to the valet.
He turned to me and his lips twisted into his familiar lopsided smile, his dimple appearing on one cheek. Some of my nerves eased.
We walked into the main hall, where the party was being hosted. Overhead a ridiculously huge chandelier hung, I felt nervous passing under it, the chain it dangled from looked nowhere near strong enough to hold it.
"Archer!" A rich feminine voice suddenly called out, catching both of our attention.
I watched as Archer's face lit up.
My eyes widened slightly as I watched a beautiful woman walking towards us. She was perhaps the most stunning woman I had ever seen. With bronze skin, and silky straight hair. Her features from her sharp jaw to her high cheekbones seemed like they'd been sculpted from marble.
She approached him and kissed both his cheeks affectionately.
"Shanaya." Archer said, sounding pleasantly surprised. He gave her a quick hug. "I thought you were working in Kenya?"
"I'm here for work-related reasons, just landed this morning." She said in her velvet-like smooth voice. "My parents forced me to come here." She rolled her eyes good-naturedly before her attention turned to me. "Who's your lovely companion here?" She gave me a breathtaking smile.
"This is my friend Fallon." Archer introduced us.
"Hi, it's very nice to meet you," I told her truthfully before giving her a shy smile of my own.
"Shanaya's an old family friend. She runs a non-profit Hospital in Nairobi." Archer explained
My eyes widened in awe. "Wow, that's amazing!" I breathed.
Could this woman be any more perfect?
Shanaya's eyes twinkled, "You know Fallon? I've known Archer ever since he was a little boy and I've never seen him bring a friend to one of these events, you must be special." She gave me a wink and I was surprised to find myself blushing at her words.
But then I remembered why Archer had really brought me here and my mood dimmed a little.
Right
Caroline Williams
I'm here as Archer's wing-woman.
I'm supposed to set him up with the girl he actually likes.
Why do I keep forgetting that?
Shanaya's eyes suddenly focused on someone behind us. She took a huge sip from her flute of Champaign. "Since I'm already here, and surrounded by people with a little too much money I might as well try to get some donations for my Hospital. Some of them might even be feeling generous enough to become long-term sponsors." I watched as she drained the rest of her Champaign and then marched towards a tastefully dressed man with salt and pepper hair with a determined expression on her face.
"She's a force to be reckoned with, isn't she?" I said in awe.
"That she is," Archer responded, he watched her with the fondness a brother would have for his sister.
"She was engaged to my brother," Archer explained, his mood suddenly darkening. "They really loved each other." His words seemed hollow.
"What happened?" I asked softly.
"My father didn't approve of their relationship, the pressure became too much and they ended up going their separate way." He swallowed. "But Jordan was never truly happy after that."
"I'm sorry to hear that," I told him sincerely.
"We should probably look for Caroline. She's got to be here around somewhere." I said hoping to cheer him up a little. I scanned the large hall trying to locate Caroline's familiar petite frame but came up empty. When I turned to look at Archer I was surprised to find him looking at me strangely instead.
I frowned, "What's wrong, do I have something on my face?"
He shook his head. "No nothing's wrong." He murmured. Suddenly, he grasped my hand in his. My breath hitched. Archer gave me a smirk. "Come on, I'll show you the only good thing about these parties." He tugged at my hand urging me to follow him.
My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when I caught sight of the large U-shaped table located at the very end of the hall. The table was so huge it would probably span the entirety of the living room of my apartment. It was filled with all kinds of colorful foods. From sushi and whole lobsters to a chocolate fountain and cheesecakes.
I picked up one of the fudge brownies, which was surprisingly still warm and took a tentative bite. The rich chocolate flavor burst on my taste buds and my eyes fluttered closed at how good it tasted.
"This is the best brownie I've ever had." I breathed as I took another bite.
When I opened my eyes I found Archer looking at me with the same expression from before, almost like he was in awe.
"Here, try this." He held up what looked like a vanilla macaroon, which was topped with what looked like small strawberry chunks and pomegranate seeds.
He brought the small pastry to my mouth and I took a small bite, my lips accidentally brushed against his fingers and I heard him inhale sharply. The delicious sweet tangy taste of the dessert coated my tongue and I had to suppress my moan at how good it was.
"It's delicious," I whispered.
My eyes locked with his, he stepped closer, his pupils were dilated, making his eyes look darker, and heated.
I swallowed.
"We should probably look for Caroline," I said again softly.
His expression shuttered. I swallowed thickly. "Right, yes." His voice was gritty when he spoke.
My eyes were still locked with his when a hard voice directed at us suddenly caught our attention.
"You're an hour late."
We came face to face with a middle-aged man. It didn't take me long to realize who he was. It was like I was looking at an older version of Archer, same large stature, and the same black hair, although his was streaked with grey, the same sharp cheekbones and jaw. The only major difference was their eyes, whereas Archer's were a warm forest green, his were icy blue.
I suspected that he was an intimidating man in general but right now, with a disapproving scowl on his face, he looked even more daunting
Maybe it was the way Archer's shoulders hunched a little at his father's voice or how his expression slackened but I found myself suddenly stepping in front of him and on my own accord I found myself saying,
"Sorry Sir, being late wasn't Archer's fault, it was mine, I took a little longer than expected to get ready and Archer had to pick me up so. . ." I trailed off.
Mr. Hastings's eyes finally slid to me, his lips curled in distaste as he took in what I was wearing. I felt my spine straighten involuntarily at his judgmental gaze.
I felt Archer's arm curl around my waist almost protectively "That's not true." Archer murmured. "I was the one who told her to get ready till seven because I know there's no point in coming to these ridiculous and boring parties early, she was ready even when I showed up early."
Mr. Hastings studied the two of us silently for a moment. His cold eyes settled on me once more. "And who are you exactly?"
I smiled at him. "I'm Fallon Chambers. Nice to meet you."
His eyes narrowed. "Chambers. . ." He drawled. "The name doesn't really sound familiar. Who are your parents?"
Archer's arm tightened around me. "You don't have to answer that." He told me but his livid gaze was trained on his father.
I swallowed and smiled at him reassuringly. "It's okay," I whispered before I turned my attention to his father. "My parents died in a plane crash when I was very young," I told him.
To his credit, Mr. Hastings did look a little embarrassed. He cleared his throat, "That's unfortunate."
"How do you two know each other?" He asked finally.
"We go to the same school," Archer said, his voice curt.
Mr. Hastings nodded.
"Where do you live, Miss Chambers?" He asked me.
"That's none of your business!" Archer snapped at his father. I squeezed his hand reassuringly.
"My apartment is located in Sycamore Lane. I share the apartment with my two flat-mates." I responded lightly.
Mr. Hastings visibly flinched. I wasn't surprised. The part of town I lived in didn't exactly have the best reputation.
He turned to his son, his expression like thunder. "You've been going to that shady part of town, filled with thieves and scumbags!"
My heart clenched. I kept telling myself that I shouldn't have been offended. That Mr. Hastings was only worried about his son's safety. But his words still stung.
I was reminded yet again of how different Archer's world was from mine.
"There are perfectly good people who live there. You don't get to judge people for not having as much money as you!" Archer growled. His hands were curled into fists.
His sudden outburst had heads turning in our direction.
"What are you two doing over here?" A woman who I assumed was Archer's mother suddenly came up beside Mr. Hastings and delicately laid a hand on his bicep.
Even though she was older, she was stunning in her emerald cocktail dress and matching jewelry. She had the same forest green eyes as Archer.
Her eyes trailed over me and widened a fraction in surprise before they zeroed in on Archer's hand around my waist.
I suddenly felt incredibly uncomfortable. I realized that I wasn't welcome here.
"Hi, I'm Fallon Chambers." I introduced myself quietly to Archer's mother before turning to Archer.
"I need to go the bathroom," I whispered in his ear before stepping out of his hold and hurrying away.
~~**~~
It took me a while to find the bathroom.
A couple of women stood in front of the mirror touching up their makeup, they didn't give me any attention as I walked in.
I stepped into one of the stalls and leaned against the door once I'd locked it.
That interaction with Archer's father had been intense.
And uncomfortable.
Maybe it was just better for everyone if I just left.
I should just tell Archer that I wasn't feeling well and take a cab home. I'd have to apologize to him for not keeping my promise about Caroline and try to make it up to him somehow in the future.
I was just about to step out when the sound of a woman's voice halted me.
I immediately recognized the voice, it was Archer's mother. She was talking to another woman.
"What was he thinking bringing someone like her to David's Firm's social gathering? Doesn't he know how image-conscious his father is?" She sighed. "Things between Archer and David are already so strained. Sometimes I think Archer purposefully does things like this to spite his father."
The other woman spoke. "What on earth was that girl wearing? It was like she stepped out of a Disney princess parade."
"Don't be so harsh." Mrs. Hastings chided her companion. "I'm sure she's a perfectly nice girl and she wore what she thought was acceptable. But the poor thing clearly doesn't belong here. David wants his partners to respect him and consider Archer as a serious future employee but if Archer shows up with his arm around someone like that girl it puts David in an awkward position."
Tears stung my eyes but I held them back. I waited for the two women to leave. It wasn't until their voices had faded completely that I finally stepped out of the stall.
The thought of going back to the party made me feel physically ill. I didn't want to face Archer's parents. Not to mention that Archer might see the look on my face and realize that something was wrong and the thought of telling him about what had just happened was absolutely mortifying.
The only exit I knew was through the party and I couldn't risk Archer seeing me so I did the only thing that seemed reasonable at the moment.
'I wasn't feeling well so I took a cab and left. Sorry, I didn't get a chance to say goodbye.'
I typed a quick text message to Archer and pressed send.
Now I just had to hide in the bathroom and wait till the party was over and everyone had left before sneaking out.
I panicked when my phone started ringing. My eyes widened when I saw Archer's name flash across the screen. I chose not to answer, I was a terrible liar and he would know something was up.
The phone started ringing again and I ignored it for the second time.
I breathed a sigh of relief when it didn't start ringing again.
But my relief was short-lived.
The bathroom door suddenly flung open and my eyes widened in shock. My lips moved but no words came out.
Archer