a / n dedicated to @nkorenica for her encouraging votes and comments! they're very appreciated, so thank you a lot x
this is the chapter we've all been waiting for *hands you a tub of ice cream and a box of tissues* May God be with you all. also make sure you read the previous chapter before this, because you might not understand a few things.
Y O U C O U L D B E H A P P Y,
A N D I W O N ' T K N O W.
B U T Y O U W E R E N ' T H A P P Y
T H E D A Y I W A T C H E D Y O U G O.
A N D A L L T H E T H I N G S I W I S H I H A D N ' T
S A I D, A R E P L A Y E D I N L O O P S ' T I L L
I T ' S M A D N E S S I N M Y H E A D.
YOU COULD BE HAPPY – SNOW PATROL.
▂ ▂ ▂ ▂
"A BROOM, MAMÁ? SERIOUSLY?"
My mother nodded slowly, nursing her cup of tea in-between her hands. "Because you don't clean your room a lot," she explained.
I let go of a quiet scoff as I shook my head from side to side. Unbelievable. "So you resolve to get me a broom for Christmas," I muttered in conclusion, earning a self-satisfied nod. I sighed as I rose up from the ground and took a seat beside my mother, watching Nina tear through her Christmas presents with glee.
It was officially Christmas today, and I couldn't help but feel a surge of buoyancy course within me; even though today's my last day with Blaze.
Our house was relatively quieter, seeing as the rest of my family members have returned back to their homes. Fortunately, though, my grandpa and grandma (from my father's side) were taking a flight from Mexico to stay with us for a few weeks.
My father was awaiting their arrival at the Melbourne International Airport, and I all but declined when he asked me to accompany him.
I sighed as I peeked over at my phone, which was blowing up with unreturned calls and texts. I was never one to become a coward, but desperate times call for desperate measures. And, obviously, I was by all means desperate.
Both my parents weren't too keen on my sudden arrival yesterday, but surprisingly, they left it at that.
And I couldn't be more grateful.
I wasn't too keen on returning Winston's calls either, even though he had participated in my 'promiscuous actions'.
In an attempt to clear my mind, I sighed and rose up from the couch, heading to the kitchen. I poured myself a mug of coffee, and although I wasn't too fond of it now, I was, well, desperate. Bringing the cup to my mouth, I took various sips as I scrolled through my messages with my heart plummeting to the ground.
I turned off my read receipts off as I skimmed my messages, first going through Winston's and then Jade's. She was by far the most one who was furious. I guess Blaze told them. He has no right to, anyway. I hung my head down low in shame as I turned my phone off and gazed down at my steaming cup of coffee.
I couldn't bring myself into reading Blaze's texts, even though he only sent two. In the end, after an internal debate, I scrolled through my contacts until I reached his. Pray for me.
Then I opened them.
My hands hovered above the keyboard for a few transient moments, and then I sighed. Should I reply?
I spent five minutes typing a reply, only to backspace and delete it. Then, with an impetuous shake of the head, I replied back to him.
My heart was racing as I closed my phone and slid it into the pockets of my high waisted shorts. There was no way I'd allow him to come over. My mood grew bashful as I hopped off the stool and returned back to the living room, rubbing my palms together.
It's over. You don't need to be so scared. I let out a lengthy exhale, attempting to slow down my heartbeat.
Or so I thought.
Because not only fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang and my breath caught in my throat. My mom glanced over at me expectantly, and I gave her a shaky smile as I heaved myself off the couch and in the direction of the front door.
I flexed my fingers, before reaching for the doorknob and slowly twisting it open. A sudden wave of confusion enveloped me as I looked around, stepping further out of my house. When I brought my head down, I felt a gentle smile tugging at the corner of my lips as I noticed a whimpering Grant lying there. "Aw, come to mama," I murmured, scooping him up in my arms.
My stomach plummeted to my feet when I looked up from Grant and noticed a hesitant Blaze standing there, his hands tucked in the pockets of his black jeans. He was clad in a short sleeved white shirt with images of candy canes and reindeers scattered across it, and the words 'Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal,' was sprawled on the front in red ink.
Blaze took a few steps closer toward me and I instinctively took one back, until it was a game of 'step forward and step backward'. "Are you going to let me in?" he finally asked, lifting a single finger at the door.
I swallowed harshly as I ran my hands through Grant's fur. "Why should I?"
He smiled as he rocked back and forth on the heels of his feet, flashing his small dimples. "Why shouldn't you?"
Gah, his dimples are my weakness.
"Why are you here?" I found myself asking.
"If you let me in, I'll explain," he responded in a matter-of-fact tone. I exhaled noisily as I stepped to the side and permitted him to enter my house, to which he did.
I followed close behind as he paced into my living room and chucked my mother a wave. "Hi Mrs. Rivera," he greeted with a little smile.
I was surprised to spot the smile that crept across my mother's face. "Call me Camilla," she told him, waving a hand around.
I struggled not to gasp as I looked between the two. Is she for real?
Blaze nodded, and before he could fully comprehend things, Nina had rushed up toward him and wrapped her tiny figure around his leg. "Bwaze!" she grinned, craning her neck to meet his gaze.
Blaze crouched down to her height and embraced her small figure into a hug, before pulling back and ruffling her brown locks of hair. "Merry Christmas, Nina," he murmured.
Nina giggled brightly, her cheeks flushing red. "Did you get me pweasants?" she demanded in a quiet voice as she plopped down on his lap and played with his long fingers.
"Of course I did," Blaze stated as he patted Grant, his smile broadening. "They're in my car. Noelle, can you get them for me?" He tossed a set of keys at me and I threw him a glower, before reluctantly pivoting on my heels and steering in the direction of the front door. I swung it open and narrowed my eyes in the afternoon sun as I advanced toward Blaze's grey car, unlocking it with his set of keys.
There, laying in the backseat, was a whole bunch of presents -- probably over twenty. I floundered over what to do or say, and then plucked up five boxes, before heading back inside. My mother shot me a curious glance as I dumped them on the love seat and then returned back outside to grab another five.
This continued on for a while longer until all the presents were propped on the love seat, and I found myself glaring at Blaze as he crunched on some cookies that my mother and I baked earlier on in the day. Although I put on an angry façade, I was somewhat glad that Blaze was here in my house. Maybe this means something. Maybe he isn't as mad as I thought he would be.
Or maybe he came here to end his friendship with you.
At the sound of my footsteps, Blaze brought his head up and deflected his gaze to my face. His smile disappeared into thin air, and he pressed his lips in a thin line as he stood up from the couch. Skittishly, I watched as he took hold of five gift boxes and set them in front of Nina, ruffling up her hair. "Merry Christmas, Nina. I'm going to go speak to your sister now, alright?"
Nina giggled softly and nodded her head, tearing through the gift boxes situated in front of her. Begrudgingly, I tossed one final look to my mother, before making my way up the stairs. Blaze behind me was struggling to carry all the gift boxes, and we'd have to stop every ten seconds in order for him to steady his balance. In the end, I grew tired of his antics and helped him with the gift boxes, carrying at least five in my arms.
We made it to my room in a matter of minutes with Grant trailing behind us, and I watched in animosity as Blaze plopped my gift boxes down on my bed and then sighed, fixing his t-shirt. I settled down on my bed with a small sigh and tucked my hands under my thighs, sitting a little too far away from Blaze. He noticed this, but said nothing as he patted Grant and scooped him up in his arms.
Silence reigned for too long, and while I was more than okay with it, Blaze wasn't. He was the first one to break the silence with a loud exhale, gliding one hand through his brown hair. "So, um..." he started, wiping his palms on his jeans. He paused, biting his lip, and looked at me, eyes wandering across my face. "About last night..."
I toyed with the ends of my high waisted shorts, and then fed him a slow nod. "Yeah?" I muttered in a quiet voice.
"So you mean when I detected that something was going on between you and Winston, I wasn't wrong, was I?" he demanded, his voice growing hard.
I gulped. "Blaze..." I sighed as I stared at him. "It was a mistake."
He pursed his lips and looked away, settling for staring straight ahead of him. "Right," he muttered, busying himself by placing Grant on the ground.
"Are you mad at me?" I questioned. I claimed his silence as my cue to continue. "It was a mistake, Blaze. I'm sorry. It just...it just kind of happened."
"When?" he asked.
I furrowed my eyebrows. "When what?"
"When did it happen?"
His question rattled me, and I found myself at loss for words. Then, finally, I exhaled noisily and said, "On my birthday."
Blaze stared at me with furrowed eyebrows, ignoring Grant who was rubbing at his legs. "So that's what it was," he murmured, more to himself than me. "I can't believe I didn't realise this sooner."
"What are you on about?" I demanded.
"Remember when you completely broke down on your birthday, and told me that whatever you did would change the way I look at you?"
I nodded, slowly but surely. "If you're wondering, yes, Blaze, it was because I hooked up with Winston and felt guilty," I enjoined.
His eyebrows pulled together. "You shouldn't be," he stated. "Feel guilty, I mean. As far as I know, you and I aren't in a relationship and I don't have the right to be mad."
"So you're not mad at me?" I raised a brow in disbelief.
"I'm disappointed, actually," he informed me, drumming his fingers against his bottom lip. "You lied to me."
"I get it," I muttered bleakly. "But Winston and I have both agreed to not speak of it again because it didn't mean anything, Blaze. It was in the spur of the moment."
Blaze shrugged his shoulders. "It's fine. Like I said, I don't have the right to be jealous."
I quirked an eyebrow incredulously, a smirk pulling at the corner of my lips. "So what you're trying to say is that you're not jealous?" He shook his head and I gave a look of disbelief. "At all?"
"Well, maybe a little," he admitted. He held up his thumb and index finger and parted them a bit, squinting his eyes. "Just a little bit."
My expression grew bashful, and I found myself smiling. "I'm sorry for being such a disappointment," I said, toying with my fingers. "I don't even deserve your friendship."
Blaze shook his head, shifting closer toward me. "Don't say that, Noelle. We all make mistakes."
I nodded, sighing. "I guess," I murmured.
"Who picked you up from the party?" he asked curiously.
"My dad," I answered with a chuckle. If you can't tell already, I'm grounded.
A look of terror flashed across his face, and he noticeably swallowed. "He probably things I'm a bad influence for dragging you to parties. What happened?" he inquired quickly.
"I'm grounded, that's what happened," I reported, flourishing a hand around in a breezy fashion. "How long did you stay after I left?"
Blaze chuckled under his breath, using two of his fingers to rub at the back of his neck. "Your little confession yesterday kinda threw them off and the mood was dampened. Jade and Winston returned home."
"Oh," I muttered, internally cringing. "Whoops."
"I got you your presents," Blaze stated, nodding his head toward the pile of presents stacked on my bed.
I chuckled as I toyed with the necklace that hung from my neck -- the same one that Blaze bought me for my birthday. "Oh, I can see that," I said with a grin. "Your presents are in my closet. I'll give them to you later."
"Do you want to open yours now?" he inquired, raising both his eyebrows.
"I'll open them later," I dismissed, then took hold of Grant.
He whimpered quietly and I beamed down at him, scratching his left ear. "Who's a good little boy? You are, yes you are," I cooed, earning an odd look from Blaze. He shifted his body closer toward me and I caught a whiff of his familiar cologne as he reached forward and patted Grant. "How'd Jade take my confession yesterday?"
"Well, she didn't take it easy, that's for sure. You scared me, Noelle. When I returned back home, I felt guilty and decided to call you, but you didn't pick up. I thought you got kidnapped," he muttered in a quiet voice.
My heart fluttered against my chest, and I found myself internally squealing. "I couldn't just stay there, Blaze," I replied sombrely.
Blaze looked away, diverting his attention to Grant. "Oh." Although I couldn't stomach his crestfallen expression, I was still selfishly basking in the fact that he had forgiven me. God knows why. Everybody knows I don't deserve it.
Even I admit I don't deserve it. But I'm still grateful.
"Uh, so about that Christmas party," Blaze started, wiping his palms on his jeans. He gnawed on his bottom lip as he scratched Grant's ear, before peering up at me through his lashes. "Are you going to bail out on me?"
My eyes widened. "Course not! Why would you think that?" I exclaimed.
He chuckled nervously, then shrugged. "I don't know...I assumed you'd ditch me," he reported.
I wagged a finger in his face. "Don't ever think that because that will never happen, you hear me?"
He blinked. "Yes."
I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, a faint smile digging into my right cheek. "I have something for you," I declared, holding a finger up. I rose up from the bed and approached my drawers, yanking them open and shuffling through my stuff. Then, eventually, I pulled out a small box and sat back down beside Blaze, chewing on my lower lip. "Here."
With furrowed eyebrows, he reached forward and took the box from my hands, biting the inside of his cheek. "A...promise ring? But we're not even together," he mentioned which both his eyebrows raised.
Unfortunately. "I know. It doesn't have to resemble our love for one another. It just has to resemble that...you'll always be here," I mumbled. And that you won't leave me.
Blaze fiddled with the ring, nodding slowly. "Commitment, basically," he finished for me.
"Yeah," I muttered, wringing my hands together. "Commitment in a friendship, I mean."
He rolled his eyes. "Like that makes any sense."
I flourished a hand around in a breezy fashion. "You know what I mean.
I have a similar one in my drawer."
I opened my mouth to speak again, but stopped short when the door to my room swung open. "Nana and Tata are here!" Nina proclaimed with a grin. My eyebrows shot up to my forehead as I sprang off my bed and jogged down the stairs, Nina trailing behind me with all due exuberance. Blaze followed us, too, albeit a little confused and bewildered. He had Grant cuddled up in his arms as looked to the two figures standing by the doorway, his eyebrows drawn together.
"Where's your two daughters? I swear I never see them anymore..." I heard my grandmother muttering. With a vivid grin, I rushed up to her and embraced her in a bear hug, her familiar jasmine smell wafting up my nose.
"Abuelo Emilio, Abuelita Emily," I acknowledged, yanking them both in a hug. "Te he extrañado."
"Te he extrañado, tesero. Usted no llames más," my grandpa muttered bitterly, although a smile graced his features.
I grinned sheepishly. "He estado ocupado," I mumbled, hanging my head down low. Nina giggled and hugged my grandpa's leg, her brown curls of hair bouncing with each movement she performed.
My grandma placed a hand on her cheek, shaking her head. "Oh, los niños crecen tan rápido," she murmured, eyeing her short figure. She smacked my father upside the head and narrowed her brown eyes. "You don't call. You don't visit."
My father rubbed the side of his head and grumbled Spanish curse words under his breath. "Mamá," he chided warningly.
My mother chuckled. "Nice to know that I'm not the only one who hits you," she said with a little smile.
I stepped away from them and slipped beside Blaze, gauging his reaction. He looked so utterly awkward as he patted Grant, eyes fluttering around the room. "That's my grandpa Emilio and grandma Emily," I told him, pointing toward the two.
Blaze's lips parted. "Oh," was all he said.
Before I could further explain, my grandma's attention was turned to us and she all but grinned when she noticed Blaze. "Oh, eres un muchacho guapo," she muttered as she eyed Blaze from top to bottom. Her eyes fell down to Blaze's promise ring and a loud gasp slid past her lips as she placed a hand on her chest. "¿Estas comprometida? Caleb..." she trailed off.
I dug my nails into my palm, gritting my teeth. "Abuelita," I said quietly, attempting to capture her attention. She was cooing quietly as she squeezed Blaze's cheeks, reeling off in Spanish. "Abuelita, parar."
Her eyes narrowed and she fixed her glasses, perching them on her nose. "You treating her good, yeah?"
Blaze nodded, swallowing noticeably. "Y-yes," he stammered, setting Grant down on the ground.
"¿Tú la amas?" my grandma furthered, and I closed my eyes in embarrassment. Somebody save me.
Blaze nodded once again. "Sí, sí," he said, and I couldn't control the paroxysm of laughter that slid past my lips.
But even though I was laughing my head off with both my grandparents staring at me, I couldn't help but mull over his answer. Does he actually love me? No, don't be stupid. He doesn't understand Spanish.
Before anybody could interrogate poor Blaze any further, I grabbed him by the crook of his elbow and paced into the living room. "Sorry about that," I said as I let go of his elbow, brushing my brown hair away from my face.
"It's fine," Blaze said with a small sigh. "It's times like this where I wish I took Italian in high school instead of French. You know, because they're somewhat similar."
A little smile played at the nook of my lips as I squinted. "Say something in French."
"Tu as de très beaux yeux," he remarked, stuffing his hands in his pockets and flashing me his dimples.
Oh wow. "What'd you say?" I inquired with a smile.
"You have beautiful eyes," he responded in a quiet voice.
My heart was racing wildly at this point, and I couldn't help the smile that stretched across my face. "Are you flirting with me?" I accused in an unabashed manner.
He shrugged. "Maybe. Also, I'm just wondering what your grandma was saying. Care to inform me?" he queried, raising both his eyebrows.
"She thinks we're engaged," I choked out, struggling to keep my laughter at bay.
Blaze furrowed his eyebrows as he absentmindedly slid his promise ring up and down his finger. "Because of the ring, right?" he murmured.
I nodded my consent. "Yup. Let her be. She's delusional."
Blaze nodded, too. "I have to get going now. I'll pick you up for the Christmas party at eight, alright?" he asked as he started walking backwards.
I beamed and nodded, casting him a wave. "Yeah, okay. See you, turd!" A smile broke out on his face at the familiar nickname, and he spun around and took Grant from Nina.
After bidding my family goodbye, — he stayed over for longer than ten minutes just to properly introduce himself to my grandpa —, he exited the house and I watched him from the window, waving enthuasically.
I drew back the curtains with a sigh laden with contentment. When I turned around, I came face to face with my grandma, who was wriggling her eyebrows at me. "He's cute," she winked at me.
▂ ▂ ▂ ▂
I CAN DO THIS.
I inhaled a deep breath as I stared at my reflection in the mirror, tucking a loose strand of brown hair behind my ear. In approximately half an hour, Blaze would be here.
And I'm terrified. Most of our friends were attending the party as well, and I couldn't bear the thought of seeing them there.
Reapplying my bright red lipstick, I smacked my lips together and stuffed my makeup back into my makeup kit. A quiet sigh escaped my lips as I toyed with my necklace, eyes darting to the clock.
Half an hour later, in which I spent it sulking in my room, the doorbell rang. My head snapped upward, and I all but seized my black purse, crossing the room in an attempt to reach the door. My black heels clicked and clacked against the floorboards as I descended the steps effortlessly, biting my bottom lip at the sight of Blaze.
Although he was too busy engaged in a conversation with my father, I still brought it upon myself to analyse his outfit. The way his tight, black jeans hugged his long legs and the way his red button up shirt clung to his lean body rendered me speechless as I stepped out from underneath the shadows. He had his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a grey undershirt peeked out from under his button up as he glided his fingers through his soft tufts of brown hair.
"Okay, I get it," he answered, his familiar deep voice reaching my ears. "Where's Noell—oh wow," he breathed out as his gaze fluttered to me. My lips stretched into a coy smile as he eyed me from top to bottom, lips parting in shock. "How long have you been standing there?"
I strode up toward him and clutched my black purse in both my hands, chewing on my lower lip. "Long enough. You look handsome," I commented, eyeing his figure from top to bottom.
My father cleared his throat, a rather risible move on his part. "Nollegues tarde," he admonished in a sonorous voice, and I found myself nodding my assent.
"Shall we?" Blaze asked, nodding his head to the front door.
I beamed so wide that I could feel the muscles of my cheeks stretching. "We shall." In tow, we stepped out of my house and headed in the direction of his car.
Once I clambered into his car, I subconsciously tugged at the ends of my red dress, and then raked my fingers through the strands of my hair. As I reapplied mascara in the rear view mirror, I noticed Blaze's gaze on me, and I exhaled noisily as I looked over at him with a raised brow. "Yes?"
"You look very beautiful," Blaze said quietly, eyes roaming around my face.
My heart began racing and pounding as I tightened my hold on my purse. "Thank you," I murmured. I toyed with my necklace as Blaze started the engine, not bothering with a reply. We drove mostly in silence, save for the sounds of the soft hush of Heathens by Twenty One Pilots playing in the background.
I busied myself by skimming the variety of decorations that embellished each house, and found myself mouthing to the song. Sooner or later, Blaze pulled his car in front of a rather large building and turned the engine off, unbuckling his seatbelt. A state of bewilderment roiled in the pit of my stomach as I slowly unbuckled myself, and then kicked the door open. With my purse clutched in both my hands, I trailed behind Blaze up the intimidating steps, where a few people loitered by.
Majority of them where decked out in Christmas attire, their laughs echoing around the area. I followed close behind as Blaze led me up the stairs and in the direction of the front doors. He pushed them open and guided me toward the main lobby, a little smile enhancing his features.
My eyes grew rather wide as I struggled not to choke on a gasp. Ample amounts of people were crowding the area, and waiters jostled by with trays in their hand. A large Christmas tree intimidatingly stood in the middle of the room, and copious amounts of presents laid beneath it. To the side was a mini bar, and not to far from it was an all-you-can-buffet with various types of food scattered across it.
Blaze beside me chuckled at my expression, and set a hand on the small of my back as he led me toward an empty table. My breath caught in my throat as I noticed Jade and Winston sitting there, both staring in our direction. An encouraging hand was placed on my back as Blaze sat down on a chair and motioned to the one beside him expectantly. Gulping, I lowered myself down and gauged Jade's furious reaction.
In a matter of seconds, she lunged at me and wrapped her small figure around my body, sobbing loudly. Her cries were drowned out by the sound of the music, and I found myself exhaling slowly.
She's definitely on her period.
"We need to talk," she whispered, wiping at her eyes. I nodded numbly and followed her as he guided me toward the bathroom, where a large pack of girls stood. They laughed and chattered and reapplied their makeup, before exiting the bathroom and causing me to sigh in relief.
"Is it true?" Jade demanded quietly, widening her brown eyes.
I hung my head down low. "Yes, Jade, and I'm so sorry," I declared. "It just sort of happened."
"But you still like Blaze, right?" she interrogated, reaching for a few tissues and wiping at her mascara stains.
I nodded my head vigorously. "Of course."
She chuckled under her breath, playing with the ends of her black skirt. "Can I pinch you?"
I sighed, motioning to my arm. "Go ahead." Jade reached forward and pinched at my skin, twisting it to the side. I let out a yelp and stumbled backward, rubbing at the sore skin. "You bitch."
Jade smiled in a sardonic fashion. "You're the real bitch, Noelle," she said. Her features softened and she engulfed me in a hug, sighing in my ear. "What you did is wrong, but you're my best friend and I love you a lot. Sisters before misters, right?"
I chuckled, bending down to reach her short figure. "I'm so sorry, Jade; it was such a mistake, and both Winston and I agreed not to speak of it again," I murmured, running my hand through her black, silky hair.
She pulled back and bit her lip, her forehead creasing. "I think I might be in love with him," she whispered, playing with her fingers.
I rolled my eyes as I rummaged through my purse, and then handed her a tube of mascara. "Fix your eyes; they look weird. And no, you can't be in love with him, Jade," I sighed. Not this again.
She reapplied her mascara and then passed it back to me, wiping her palms on her skirt. "I haven't felt this way since I was with Joseph, you know," she confessed, picking at her nails.
"Whatever happens happens, Jade. Just go with the flow," I said, rubbing her back.
Jade nodded and puffed out a breath, eyeing her reflection in the mirror. She fixed her earrings, which were candy canes, and then nodded. "You're right. Now let's go." Looping her arm through mine, she led me back to the table and dropped herself down beside Winston, who smiled at the sight of her. He caught my eye and passed me a smile that didn't quiet reach his eyes, and I returned it sadly.
"Hey guys! You made it!" an unfamiliar voice joined us. I craned my neck to capture sight of an unfamiliar guy, who sat down beside me.
"Hey Michael," Blaze greeted, while Winston nodded his head at him in the form of a greeting.
Michael greeted them both, before swivelling his attention on me. He let out a slow exhale as his eyes wandered across my face rather lasciviously. "Wow, you're pretty," he exclaimed, his blue eyes widening.
Out of their own accord, my eyes enlarged and I smiled, puffing out a short breath. "Thank you," I grinned, unconsciously crossing one leg over the other.
"I don't recall inviting you though," Michael pointed out, draping an arm around the back of my chair.
"That's because I invited her," a voice cut in, and I turned my head to spot Blaze narrowing his eyes at Michael.
Michael threw his hands up in mock surrender. "I'm not hitting on your girl or anything, mate. Just curious." He threw us a wink, before sashaying past toward a group of girls.
Blaze tossed him one final steely glare, before deflecting his gaze back to my face. His features softened and a lazy smile stretched across his face. "Sorry bout that. He annoys me," he said, flashing me his dimples.
I nodded with a self-satisfied smile. "Right," I drawled. My gaze shifted around the room, and I sighed as I realised a few people were playing party games. "I'm hungry."
Blaze passed me a quick nod, and then rose up from his seat. I followed suit and placed my purse beside Jade, who propped it on her lap. Then, after shooting Winston one final look, I trailed behind Blaze as he steered me toward the buffet, wrinkling up his nose. "So much to choose," he muttered, earning a laugh from me.
He plucked up a single lamington and popped it in his mouth, chewing it quietly. I rubbed my palms together and rolled my lips into my mouth, eyes venturing around the long table. What to choose? In the end, I settled on a rice cake and brought it to my mouth, munching on it happily.
Both Blaze and I took our sweet time in trying almost everything on the table, and once we were done, I couldn't help but groan and pat my stomach. "I feel like I'm pregnant," Blaze muttered as he stared down at his stomach.
I wriggled my eyebrows. "With our baby?"
To my utmost surprise, Blaze let out a loud laugh, before nodding his head. "Mhmm, it's a boy. Wanna feel?" Before I could protest, not that I was considering that, he reached out and grabbed my hand, planting it on his firm stomach. I bit my lap as I felt his hard stomach beneath my fingers, bringing my head up to meet his gaze. Our gazes locked and the atmosphere between us changed, causing me to lower my gaze to his mouth. On instinct, Blaze's tongue darted out to moisten his lips, and I all but drew my hand back and wiped it on my dress.
"U-uh," I stammered, my heartbeat accelerating. Heat crept up my neck and face, and I dug my nails into my palms as I took a few steps back. "I'm going to go try one of those lamingtons." Blaze opened his mouth to speak, but I brushed that fact aside and spun around, navigating toward the far end of the table.
My heart plummeted to the ground as I noticed Kiera standing there, her brown eyes following my every movement.
She glided toward me, her short red dress billowing around her short but curvy figure, and stopped just as she reached my side. Instead of speaking, she leaned forward and plucked up a single cherry, before popping it into her mouth that was coated in red lipstick.
When I grew tired of her antics, I sighed and fiddled with my necklace in an unconscious gesture of frustration. "What do you want from me, Kiera?"
Her shoulders rose. "Nothing," she replied.
Before I could help it, I let go of a frustrated scoff. "Let's face it, Kiera. You're here to gloat about the fact that this is my last night with Blaze."
Her grin dropped and was replaced with a frown. "No,"—she took a deep breath—, "I'm not here to gloat about the fact that I told him about your secret."
I snorted. "What's next, Kiera? You're going to tell Blaze about the bet?"
To my astonishment, she shook her head. "No," she admitted. "I'm tired of fighting, Noelle. It's obvious he likes you, and not me."
I blinked. "Are you kidding me?"
"No, I'm not," she replied with a heavy sigh, one that had her shoulders slouching. "You can go off and live your life with Blaze, while I'll focus on Rick and my studies."
I openly gawked at her, finding myself at loss of words. "How...how come I don't believe you?"
She shrugged. "You don't need to. But I promise I'm not lying." And then, after plucking up a cookie from a plate, she sauntered by and left me speechless.
I swallowed down whatever words that were dying to escape my mouth, and numbly trudged back to our table. Sitting in the table in front of ours was Rick and Kiera, accompanied by Langdon.
Kiera caught my gaze and passed me a slow smile, but I didn't return it. When I glanced down at our table, I spotted Blaze waving me over, and I all but hastened in his direction and plunked down beside him, a grin creeping across my face. Finally. Things are going perfect. Nobody's forcing me into telling Blaze about the bet anymore, and I can't be more happy. I'll tell him one day, just not now.
Grinning goofily, I reached forward and placed a kiss to Blaze's cheek. His body froze, and a reddish tinge painted his cheeks as he gazed at me. "What was that for?" he breathed out.
I offered a shrug of the shoulders. "Just because," I said, then smiled slowly. He returned the smile, reaching down and lacing our fingers together. I stared down at our conjoined hands and bit on my lower lip to repress an oncoming grin.
"You guys are adorable!" Jade squealed. "I'm so happy for you, Noelle."
I rolled my eyes, sighing a little sigh. "You're so embarrassing," I muttered, pinching the bridge of my nose with my unoccupied hand and opening my eyes.
"Like, I'm so glad that you stopped the bet. I'm really happy that Blaze is over it," she said, grinning widely.
My eyes popped open.
And then my heart dropped.
"Right?" Jade spoke nervously, her eyes flitting to Blaze. I didn't dare look at his expression, for I was too terrified.
Winston looked lost. "Wait, what? What bet?"
Slowly, I turned and looked to Blaze, who was glaring daggers at me. His green eyes looked wild as he narrowed them at me, ripping his fingers away from my grasp. Then, slowly, he tore his gaze away from me and looked back at Jade with a fake smile, nodding. "Right," he uttered.
Jade laughed, sighing in relief. "Phew, I thought she didn't tell you."
Blaze tightened his grip on his glass, smiling through gritted teeth. "She's very honest with me," he told them with a smile.
Winston's eyebrows furrowed. "What bet?" he reiterated with a tinge of annoyance to his tone.
Blaze took a long sip of his wine, before violently slamming it to the table. He clasped his hands under his chin and turned to look at me over his shoulder. "Care to tell him?" he asked, traces of a bitter smirk evident on his face.
I gulped. "Blaze..." I drifted off, my lips wavering and my heart plummeting to my knees.
"Actually, we don't want poor Rick and Langdon out of the loop," he started, then waved them over. "Kiera, call them over and come over here!"
I dug my nails into my palms, feeling my heart clench as I watched them all stride over towards our table. No, no, no. This can't be happening. "Guys, Noelle has something to share," Blaze stated, gesturing to me.
I blinked back tears as I stared at the expectant faces of Langdon, Rick, and Kiera. She'd most likely get a kick out of this. "Blaze...stop," I whispered as I beseechingly gazed at him.
"Tell them," he snapped, impatiently pointing to them. "They want to know about how you were betting on me."
Langdon's brown eyes grew wide. "Wait, what?" he asked quietly.
Kiera looked panicked as her eyes darted to a furious Blaze. "Um, let's go dance!" she suggested. And then she latched onto Rick and dragged him away.
I couldn't take it anymore; I was too humiliated too care. I burst into tears as I shot up from the table. He hates me, God, he hates me. I bolted to the toilets and entered an empty stall, salty tears dribbling down my chin. My body shook with sobs, and I felt crestfallen and mortified.
"Noelle, is that you?" Jade's familiar voice rang through ears. She kicked the door open and I brought my head up to gaze at her, sniffling quietly. "I can't believe you lied to me," she hissed.
I shook my head. "Let me explain—," I began, my voice cracking, but she cut me off with a disgusted look.
"Not only did you lie to me, but you lied to him too. Do you have no heart?" she cried. "Don't talk to me. Seriously, don't. I'm so pissed off at you." And then she stormed off.
And just like that, the world started spinning.
My heart accelerated its pace, and I slumped down against the stall, trying to muffle my sobs.
Because when you play with fire, you're bound to get hurt. And I played with Blaze.
I played him.