Shane kissed her long and hard after he pulled the car to a stop at the venue where Lara had informed him the reunion dinner with her friends would be celebrated.
He wished the night wouldn't end and he could have her in his embrace again. He knew the feeling was mutual as Lara caressed the side of his face gently with her hand.
Her feather-light touches on his skin sent heat cascading through him as if running down an electric current.
"Do you still want to go to that dinner?" His voice was low and husky as he murmured against her lips.
Their lips puckered as he briefly touched his lips to hers.
She smiled against his face, their noses teasing each other. "You wish." She pulled back from him.
"Thanks for today, Shane. I had a wonderful time at lunch."
The few hours they had spent together during the day had been an insightful and memorable experience for Lara. She had been plunged into a world of wild ecstasy, merriment, and luxury she had never known existed.
"I'm glad you did."
"I will get going now. Thanks for the ride."
"You are welcome, darling. Call me when you get home."
"Sure. Drive safely," she told him, pushing the door open to get out of the car.
She closed the door and waved at him, urging him to go on first. She watched as he pulled the car out onto the road, swerved, and drove off into the distance, a sigh escaping her lips in contentment.
She turned towards the bar and walked in. There were several dining spaces in the bar, fully packed with people with different interests who were patronizing the bar tonight. She perused the faces in the bar to locate the space that her friends had reserved.
She bit down on a smile as she spotted Kyle energetically waving at her to draw her attention to her over the din.
She weaved her way towards everyone gathered around the large table, filled with liquors, beers, whiskeys, and drinks for each as it suited their taste.
There were unfamiliar faces, and those Lara had an indistinct recognition of.
She had been an introvert throughout her days through high school and college, given the burden she coupled with getting through her studies, as her mom had wished.
Her presence was announced to everyone gathered as she approached. "Look who's here, fellas!" Kyle chimed loudly over the din in the bar.
"Wow! Lara?" One of the men sitting across from Kyle gasped in disbelief.
Lara furrowed her brows while she tried to recall where she had known him. He looked familiar.
She smiled slightly at him and waved. "Hi."
They all took turns exchanging greetings and reconnecting. The evening thinned into darkness, with conversations flowing as effortlessly as the drinks were being drunk.
Lara huddled between Kyle and Meredith, listening in on the conversations instead. She politely refused an offer to be poured a drink by the guy sitting beside Joe.
"I can't hold my liquor well. I will stick to non-alcoholic drinks," she informed him with a half-smile.
They exchanged banter and laughed as they recalled their experiences in school.
"What about you, Lara?" The guy asked, angling his chin in her direction as he raised his cup to his mouth. He took a sip and held it half-raised; his gaze on her was intent as he waited for her to reply. He had introduced himself as Marcus.
"I doubt you remember me." He had told her.
"You haven't been saying much. I could hardly reach you when we were in college as well."
"Oh! Me?" Lara choked on a scoff and shook her head.
Kyle butted in, sparing her the trouble of racking her brain to come up with a non-existent memory she relished during her college days.
She hadn't had the time to create notable memories worth reliving.
"Lara was more of a nerd in school. You have any idea how hard I tried before I could become her best friend?"
"So, you are naturally elusive?"
"More reserved," Kyle corrected. "That was then, though. Lara has changed pretty much since then," she added.
Marcus nodded in agreement, tilting a finger from the hand with which he held his cup in her direction. "Noticeably. She's gotten more beautiful."
Kyle's eyes were lit with a mischievous twinkle as she noticed the difference in Marcus' voice. She shared a definitive look with Meredith, both turning to look at Lara.
"What?" Lara mouthed at the two, pulling back her sleeve to check the time on her wristwatch. "I will have to get going early," she informed her friends.
"You've only been here an hour. That's not enough to connect with everyone," Kyle whined in protest.
"That's more than enough, Kyle. Unless you want me to get late to work tomorrow and be sanctioned for it."
"Please. I'm sure your boss will pardon you without hesitation. We are still leaving here to celebrate our reunion."
"Not me." Lara shook her head. She had enough fun for the day.
"You are staying, Lara," Kyle notified her firmly. She turned to face Marcus. "Mark, do you want to have a word with Lara?"
A corner of Marcus' lips lifted to depict his pleasure at Kyle's question. He looked at Lara for confirmation.
Lara turned a glare at Kyle. "You." She seethed through her teeth and clasped her lips shut before turning back to face Marcus.
Marcus was already up in his seat and coming over to where Lara was sitting. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, so she could hear him over the noise. "We should talk in a place quieter than this."
Lara turned to face him and whispered back. "That won't be necessary, Marcus." She rose from her seat. "I will be on my way soon."
He paused, then replied, "I understand it's late. We could then talk over the phone. Let's exchange contacts."
Lara nodded. "Sure."
They exchanged contacts.
Marcus smiled at her. " Awesome. I will give you a call.'
Lara twitched her eyebrows in response with a tight smile.
She caught Joe's gaze as she turned to bid everyone goodbye. "It was fun meeting all of you again, but I'm sorry I will have to leave early."
"No problem," they all chorused, most of them too engrossed in their chatter to mind her departure.
They waved briefly at her and refocused on their conversations.
Joe got up as well. "We should leave too. It's late. Kyle, Meredith?"
"Alright."
They waved goodbye to everyone and walked out to where they had their cars parked.
"Mark looks interested in you, Lara," Kyle notified her as they all walked down to the car park.
"I'm aware," Lara replied flatly.
"Do you plan on taking him up on his offer? I'm sure you are still as naive as ever when it comes to relationships," Kyle said.
"He looks to me like a great guy," Meredith added.
"I have no interest in dating him. Don't kid yourself into thinking I will consider that," Lara dashed her friends' hopes with an apathetic inflection in her voice.
"Wise decision, Lara," Joe said from where he walked with Laura.
"There's nothing wise in her choosing to be a prude for the rest of her life," Kyle hissed heatedly at Joe.
"I'm sure I'm old enough to make my choices about dating without your matchmaking attempts, Kyle."
"Sure. I vote for the legendary Shane Williams over Marcus. They will make a more lovely couple than she and Marcus will," Meredith said.
A soft smile spread on the corners of Lara's lips at the mention of Shane's name. She bit down on her lips as the adventuresome delights she had embarked on with him that day flashed through her mind.
Kyle furrowed her brows as she caught the subtle expression that flickered over Lara's face at the mention of Shane's name. She could read her friend like an open book, and she had a suspicious feeling something was going on between Lara and her boss.
"You are with Shane Williams now!" She spat abruptly.
Lara jumped, startled. "What? Yes! No.." She huffed a feverish breath, a blush painting her cheeks deeply at the abrupt exclamation Kyle had made.
They all stopped walking and stared at her, their faces pale from shock.
Meredith sucked her breath through her teeth. "Is it true?"
"It had better be false, Lara," Joe hissed through his teeth, eager to have Kyle's accusation denied and proven wrong.
Kyle hissed through her teeth. "I'm right. She looks flustered."
"That's correct," Meredith agreed, taking in the deep flush on Lara's face. "I knew those two shared too much chemistry to leave their relationship platonic."
Joe looked extremely annoyed. "Him, Lara? He's not right. So not right for you."
"No man's good enough for her, Joe. I noticed as much. How had I been so slow to observe the signs? You're so going to tell me all about it," Kyle gushed with open excitement.
She winked at Laura. "I'm driving Lara home. Have fun with your man."
"Kyle." Laura stifled a laugh, catching the unspoken message in her eyes. Kyle was as naughty as ever.
She shook her head, an amused smile parting her lips, and nodded. "Sure. Good night. Call us when you get home."
"Lara." Joe sighed, clicking his tongue at the back of his throat as he wheezed a dissatisfied exhale. "Is that what you want?"
"It is," Meredith replied in her stead.
"You don't answer for her, Meredith," Joe said, his tone laced with smoldered annoyance.
"Neither do you, Joe," Meredith quipped.
"Stop it, you two!" Lara barked at the two of them.
"You keep arguing over me as if I'm not present."
"Lara..." Joe began.
"I'm now dating Shane," Lara announced.
A triumphant glimmer lit up in Kyle's and Meredith's eyes. Joe looked rather dissatisfied; his displeasure was more pronounced.
"Listen. I appreciate your concerns, Joe, but I will be fine. I'm not naive. I'm not a fool."
"I never claimed you were a fool," Joe cut into her words. " But..."
"You think I'm unable to take constructive decisions for myself; hence, you have to constantly look out for me," she concluded for him.
He furrowed his brows in disagreement, his lips parting to express his dissent from her opinion about his true intention.
"Let it lie, Joe," Laura said softly, placing an arm softly on his arm.
Joe stopped, closing his parted lips.
Laura looked at Lara. "Don't mind Joe. He gets overprotective sometimes and forgets himself."
"She's right, Joe," Kyle told him. "She has the right to make absolute decisions on issues pertaining to her love life."
"I'm only trying to look out for her. I'm a guy, alright? I know the code better than you ladies, and when I tell you both Marcus and especially Shane Williams are not ideal for Lara to be involved with in a relationship, you should heed my words."
"You can't always be right, Joe," Kyle said. "Marcus, I may take your word on it; he's among your hangout buddies. But Shane, it's a no-no for me. Don't you see? He is taking good care of her. His intentions had always been obvious from the start, but Lara was the one ignoring the glaring signs about his interest in her."
"Of course he is taking good care of her. I bet he takes good care of all his women. He's a billionaire, for crying out loud, ladies. He will spend money on her. That's given."
"Joe!" Laura snapped at him.
"I'm sorry," he muttered in a quick apology. "Let's just go."
"You will apologize to Lara before you leave, Joe," Meredith declared harshly, annoyance fully etched in her voice. "The fact that you don't respect her choice is condescending. You belittle her ability to make the right decisions for herself."
Joe's lips parted, his eyes widening in an instinctive attempt to raise a protest against Meredith's words.
Slowly releasing his held breath and heaving a defeated sigh, he looked at Lara. "I'm sorry. I'm only trying to look out for you, Lara. I do not intend to hurt you or belittle you." His throat bobbed as he swallowed. "If you are happy with him, then I guess it's fine by me. Good luck and congrats." He twitched his lips and pinched the bridge of his nose swiftly while it flared. He turned to Laura. "Let's go home. Meredith, Kyle. I beg your pardon. Good night."
"Sure." Kyle nodded slowly, waving at both of them as they walked towards Joe's car.
Meredith looked mad, hissing under her breath as she watched him leave. "He's impossible, isn't he?"
Kyle sidled closer to Lara and tucked her hands around her arm. "Don't take his resentment to heart, Lara. He means well."
"Oh, he does," Meredith snarked, another hiss escaping the space between her clenched lips.
"You've made the right decision, Lara. Don't be swayed by Joe's misguided opinion," Kyle said.
"I wasn't. I understand Joe's worries vividly. I've done that as well, but Shane has proven me wrong."
"Of course he has." Kyle beamed and steered her towards the spot where she parked her car. "Now you will fill us in about how you two hit things off."
"He's made a tremendous impact on everything about you since you met him. Playboy or not, I like him. You've changed significantly since the time you met him. It's obvious you are happy with him," Meredith said.
"I am," Lara acceded, biting down on a smile.
"Why won't she? She's dating a freaking multi-billionaire," Kyle whooped. She pulled her to an abrupt stop and pulled her into her arms. "You deserve all of it, baby girl. You've been through more than people twice your age have ever experienced in their lives. No matter what anyone says, you deserve this much happiness."
Lara pressed her lips tightly as she swallowed; emotions surged within her in reaction to her girlfriends' support. "Thanks, Kyle." She returned the embrace.
Meredith patted her firmly on the back. "I'm happy for you, Lara."
"Right, thanks." Lara pulled back from the hug.
They continued their walk to the car and got in.
Kyle turned to face Lara, placing an arm over the headrest of the driver's seat. "When did you two..." She gestured with her fingers. "You know...do the deed?"
Lara coughed. "Kyle!"
Kyle winked nonchalantly at her. "What? You're not a saint anymore. No need to go all prudish on us. Is he as good as rumored?" She asked eagerly.
Meredith was as enthusiastic as Kyle was to fill in the details. "Alright?" She urged.
Lara rolled her eyes. "I'm not having this conversation with you. Drive, Kyle."
Kyle pushed her lips up to the bridge of her nose in faux annoyance and disappointment. "You are so boring." She pushed out her lips at her and turned to key in the ignition.
"Thank you," Lara mouthed at her back and settled in for the ride as the car was ignited into motion.
She relaxed in her seat with a contented smile on her face and savored the ride home.
_____