"We all want to be a little glamorous, a little playful and a little mischievous at times."
- Jason Wu
Olivia Bennett
Aaron and Layla hugged multiple people as I stood closely behind, observing my surroundings. The lights were dim, with a few pointed directly at the dance floor, and each table was accompanied by a candle and a vase which held a beautiful arrangement of flowers.
"This is Olivia," Aaron took my hand, guiding me towards an older man.
"Oh, sweet Olivia!" The man took both of my hands in his, kissing both palms. I smiled at his kind gesture and tried my best to appear confident to the group of people forming around us.
Suddenly, an older woman approached us with a shocked expression on her face, "Olivia Bennett," She gasped. "Is that you, mi amor?" My face lit up due to her cute nickname for me.
"Hi," I responded, reciprocating her enthusiastic energy, even though I had no idea who she was. It felt peculiar that she recognized me while I remained clueless about her identity.
"Alright, I'm going take her to her seat." Aaron guided me to a vacant table with a gentle hand on my back with Sebastian and Layla following closely behind.
I let out a quiet sigh of relief and Aaron must have noticed because he leaned over, resting his hand on mine under the table.
"It seems Uncle Flores and Gramma Ortiz approve of you," Layla said cheerily across the table.
Acknowledging her point, I nodded before proceeding to familiarize myself with the new surroundings, aiming to settle in and get comfortable for the upcoming hours.
"Ma'am," I glanced up to find a young waiter standing beside me. "What would you like? We have the best wine selection in all of-"
"She's pregnant." Aaron intervened, picking my menu up from the table and handing it back. "She'll take a water."
The waiter eyed Aaron for a moment before walking away from the table with the menu and Aaron laughed into his glass of champagne.
"You're such an ass," I stated, prompting glances from everyone at my table. Layla leaned towards Sebastian, attempting to conceal her smile, while Sebastian remained silent, simply observing the situation from a distance.
Aaron glared at me, his eyes filled with intensity. "Why? Because I refused to let the fool serve alcohol to a woman who is clearly pregnant?" He gestured towards my unmistakable baby bump, but that didn't excuse his behavior in any way.
"You could have approached it with more respect," I replied, turning my head away from him, no longer wanting to engage in the conversation.
"Fuck this," he scoffed, rising from the table and storming off. Feeling exasperated, I rested my hand on my forehead, no longer concerned about what Sebastian and Layla were up to, as it was likely they were staring at me in disbelief.
❁
Layla is deep in conversation with a woman who's about our age, occasionally glancing over to check on me.
Since Aaron left, I've remained at the table without moving, and I still haven't seen him after the argument.
I look around, observing everyone at surrounding tables in hopes to find Aaron but my search is no use. The woman stands from her seat and disappears in the crowd, and Layla finally turns her attention back to me.
"Nice girl, right?" She asked, taking a sip of her champagne.
"Totally," I replied.
She frowns as she looks at me, "I'm sorry about Aaron."
"Don't be," I shake my head, brushing her off.
She stands from her seat, moving to the one closest to me, placing her hand over mine. "He can be an ass sometimes," She tries to reassure me our little argument was nothing serious. I look away, trying to blink away the glaze that's formed over my eyes.
"Hey," Layla tapped her hand on mine, "Do you wanna dance?" I smile at her and take her offer but she pulls her hand away, gesturing to a man standing near the dance floor by himself.
I glance back at Layla, "No!" I exclaim. "Why would I dance with another man?"
"Because your husband seems to be occupied with something else," She pointed to a clear shot through the crowd where Aaron and another woman sat, talking.
I felt a pang of jealousy hit my chest before I lifted from my seat, striding over to the man Layla pointed out.
"Hi," I gave him a brief smile. "Wanna dance?" I held out my hand and he took it without hesitation, guiding me to the floor.
An upbeat song began to play, helping to guide my rhythm and the swaying of my hips. The stranger maintained eye contact as he twirled me around, and pulled me back into his chest.
I let out a quiet laugh, feeling the spin in my stomach which nearly caused me to fall over. I took a quick glance over my shoulder to where Aaron sat at the bar and found his hardened gaze on us.
"Are you here by yourself?" The man softly murmured into my ear while his hands gently tangled in my hair.
I shook my head, pointing to the bar where Aaron was, "That's my husband." Abruptly, the man's hands dropped from my hair as he stepped back.
"T-that's your husband?" His voice carried evident fear. I stole another glance over my shoulder, only to see Aaron shaking his head, a sinister smirk dancing on his lips.
Creating further distance between us, the man vanished into the swirling crowd, leaving me standing there all alone.
I chuckled to myself, realizing my unsuccessful attempt to make Aaron jealous. Looking down at my revealing dress, I felt a wave of embarrassment wash over me as I glanced around at the dancing crowd surrounding me.
"You can wear what you want," Aaron's voiced sounded behind me. "Any man stupid enough to fuck with my girl can handle what I'll do to them." He guided my attention to the corner of the room, where Sebastian escorted the man I had just danced with out. I began to regret asking him to dance and listening to Layla's mischievous plan.
Aaron guided me by the hand to a concealed section of the dining hall, where the dim lighting shielded us from prying eyes.
"You don't care that I danced with another man?" I asked, staring up at him.
"You know who you belong to," He put a hand around my throat, gently pressing my back against the wall. "And you know who you're going home with tonight."
I swallowed against the grasp of his hand, trying to hide the sudden redness overcoming my cheeks but it was too late, he'd already noticed.
"Are you going to apologize?" I rolled my eyes, pulling his hand off of my throat.
"Are you?" I countered.
"What do I have to apologize for, Olivia?" His innocent act pissed me off further.
His eyes bored into mine as he waited for my reasoning, "Because you embarrassed me."
"I apologize," he softened his demeanor, removing the cold facade and placing his hand against the wall beside my head, drawing closer.
"Don't be," I brushed him off. "We should get back before people start to notice." He hesitated for a moment before stepping back, allowing me to return to the crowd.
While walking back to my seat, I noticed that the woman Aaron had been entertaining was observing my every move. When I looked back at Aaron, his cold and intense expression had returned, fixed upon her.