Luke
"No, I want to stay here and wait for her!" Michael ordered, shoving Calum as he made a noise of disagreement in the back of his throat. They were fighting so intensely about who was going to wait for Evie we had to pull them to the hallway by their collars. I knew they'd made friends with her but the voice in the back of my head revved, watching them stoically. They were fighting over her like they had fought over Lily Hayes in primary school when they'd both had a crush and neither could decide who liked her more. They both wound up being in favour of their friendship over a girl-she had cooties- but the situation was similar and I didn't like it. Calum with his wide smile and thoughtfulness, Michael with his tough demeanour and kind-heartedness. Why wouldn't she choose one of them?
I stopped myself short, anger and jealousy swirling in a cacophony as I mentally kicked myself. She was mine, they didn't know that but still. I shouldn't be jealous of them, not my best friends. Am I jealous? Is this my jealous streak or my insecurities or am I just a horrible person who thinks his friends are low enough to try to get with her even if I told them I was with her? I settled for the latter.
"Could you two stop it? You're behaving like children. Neither of you are going to wait for Evie because those few beers are really getting to you and you would probably wind up in the pool or something." Ash sighs deeply, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose while the others pressed to Calum's chest. He shot me a pleading, if not straight up begging, look as the two started to poke each other's cheeks. "Would you mind waiting for her? I can take these two to the lobby?"
"Uh," I glanced back at the door, wanting nothing more than to wait for her but not wanting to come off as the creepy boyfriend-if that's what I am to her- or the boys to become a little suspicious if I am too excited. "Sure."
"Thanks mate. I know that the girl you are chatting up's gonna be there tonight and I don't want you getting there late."
My shoulders relax, unknowingly tensing with the boys going at it like that as Ash's words register. I nod quickly.
"Thanks Ash. It's fine though. She said that she'd try to come but might not be able to." I smile, acting like I wasn't bothered that I couldn't just scream at him that Evie was the girl. But she and I had an understanding. We were going to figure this whole what are we thing out with them.
I felt like I hadn't quite convinced him, his nose crinkling, so I quickly formulated something that sounded mildly believable. She has to work was a better excuse than she broke her leg square dancing. But I didn't need to, a rude interruption stealing away his attention.
"Wait, no! We didn't get a say in this." Calum whines, leaning bodily onto his friend. Ashton grappled to get a hold of him before he fell, rolling his eyes before giving a questioning you good here? Look to me. Far as I could tell, I had the better side of this deal. Ashton quickly grasped Michael's elbow, the two all but falling as Ashton tugged them to the elevator despite their disputes.
"Say bye to Luke." Ash was just teasing them at this point, shoving the boys in to the now open elevator.
"Bye to Luke!" Calum grinned, a happy wave and smile on his lips as the doors shut, Michael's Why am I wearing pants? All I heard before turning with an amused smile to Evie's door. Why was I friends with these people?
Sliding the key card out of my back pocket, smiling as I remember just how she gave it to me, I waited until it flashed. I did a simple tap on the door, letting her know I was about to come in so she could stop me if she wasn't, well you know, clothed.
"Hey, are you- Wow."
I'd seen beautiful people. I was in a band, and Ashton was pretty popular with models. I had travelled, I'd seen the prettiest of people in the oddest of places. I'd seen beautiful but nothing could compare to the incomprehensible woman in front of me.
She was standing on the other side of the room, a full-length mirror showing off the front side and I didn't know if it was something I could handle seeing full on when I was already smitten by her side profile. She was a vision, clothed in a black dress that seemed all but made for her. Strapless, form fitting, but abstract with the slit to her side that excluded the dress from the LBD variety with a floral pattern. It was keen length, showing her elongated legs that was downright making it difficult for me to form sentences. I knew that she was a bit taller than what was considered the normal height for women, bridging feet and while I hadn't really noticed it before, I was happy she was. She looked like she was on a pedestal but in reality, it was her studded heels. If beautiful had a face, had a body, had a being, it was her.
And she didn't notice me.
Or my stalker-ish stare. I was all but frozen in the tiny entryway, taking her in but I just couldn't look away from her. It wasn't like her outfit for the competition wasn't nice; it had been elegant, stunning in an authoritative I am professional way, reminding me of a princess. Hm, princess. I filed that thought away, I wasn't sure she'd take too kindly to a guy she was kind of-not-really-sort-of the girlfriend of calling her a pet name.
But this look, the way her body curved in tantalizing, teasing lines was just different. She seemed less professional, more her. And all she had changed was her dress and shoes, the jewellery looked different too but what did I know? Realizing she still hadn't noticed me, I took a tentative step forward wondering what had her so fully focused, or had her unfocused should I say, that she didn't notice.
Her eyes flicker to mine in the mirror as I step up behind her, her hands that previously smoothed the non-existent wrinkles of the dress dropping aimlessly to her sides as she stopped twisting her hip to look at all her angles allowing mine to slide carefully onto the curve of her hips. She borderline flinched, smiling brokenly as though it was an auto reaction when my hands squeezed gently at her waist.
"Evie?" I questioned, scared that I had hurt her but her eyes just flickered back to her reflection as she relaxed into me a bit with her back brushing against my soft blue button up. Realizing I'm not going to get answers when she can still avoid me by looking into the mirror, I gently tug her until she turns to face me. Her eyes level with mine, her chest pressed against me as she looked at me with wide eyes like she was just realizing I was actually there. "Baby, are you alright?"
She didn't answer more than another of those false, automatic half-smiles; not even that. The smile doesn't reach her eyes. Her usually vibrant eyes were a dull, sad blue like she'd cried and if I pulled her into a hug that was a little tighter than I probably should have to not go hunt down whoever had hurt her, well no one was the wiser. She hugged me back weakly, her body tense. When she pulled away, it was like she was in a second mind. Her eyes weren't red-rimmed like someone who'd cried but more empty. It was like she was in a different place then standing here with me. It was a look I would have preferred not to recognize. I'd seen it may times on the boys' faces, on my own. The look of self-doubt.
She looked at me blankly for another moment before shaking her head, seemingly to dispel all of her thoughts. She turned in my arms, a subtle way to step out of the hold without upsetting me but I still noticed.
"I'm fine." She tells me but her soft, small and unstably wobbly voice doesn't convince me. "Is this okay? For the party?" She wonders, her voice still a whisper as it quivers despite the confident tone she puts on. It was as though she was a different person.
"You look beautiful," I kissed her cheek. "Stunning," I run my hands down the sides of her arms. "Perfect," I slide my arms around her waist again to rest my chin on her shoulder; her head resting on my shoulder but mindful of her hair. I caught a glimpse of her blush, a roll of her eyes, despite it all being true. I had to tell her the truth. How could I not? "Want to know a secret?" She nodded into my collarbone. "I wish I could show you off as mine tonight."
Her head lifted up at the soft whisper, her dull eyes sparking for a minute like I had just told her the best kept secret in a whisper. I felt like teenagers, hiding in their rooms admitting their feelings for the first time in the dim lighting and quiet words so their parents didn't hear. She stared at me in the mirror, confusion in her eyes and the look was a bit unnerving, a little too long but it was fine because a thank you was swimming in there somewhere and I knew it was the right thing to say.
But I could tell that she didn't believe me.
She dropped her gaze quickly a moment later, a blush dusting her cheeks as she pulled away to shove some things into one of those over-the-should clutch purses but I wasn't giving up that quickly.
"Evie?" She ignored me. "Evie." She was stubborn. She would not admit that, she would not believe you and she certainly did not like to be called stubborn but I did not have a better word to describe her. "Evie-Rose. Will you look at me for a second?"
She froze on the spot, her lip gloss half out of the bag as she looked up at me with parted lips either at my words or the slight quiver to my voice, I wasn't sure. But now I had all of her attention and I did not quite know what to do with it.
"Are you sure you're okay? I can see something's bothering you, it's in your eyes babe. Do you want to talk? You can tell me anything." She sighs, dropping the bag on top of her bed as she looks down at her feet, her hands twisting together. I press my fingers gently to the curve of her jaw, sliding down before hooking one of my fingers on her chin and bringing her eyes to mine. I tried to convey all of my worry through my eyes and her dejected sigh told me I had.
"Yeah, babe." I really liked the sound of that name falling from her lips but I could think about that later. "It's just one of those- it's been a weird day. I've just been overthinking and my brain won't shut up and it's making it worse. I guess some comments that I have been told are sticking with me more than I should." She pulls her eyes away, a corner of the room a suddenly interesting spot before letting them drop to the floor as my hand falls. She seems to think something through and I can tell she didn't mean to tell me so much but I was happy she had. She quickly meets my gaze, her lips stretching falsely into a smile that I can easily tell fake while I'm still trying to figure out what's going on with her, or what went on today that suddenly had her doubting herself.
"Is this about your photography?"
"Yes! Yeah, it's just, ahhh. You know?" She laughed a bit at the scream noise she made, her eyes widening and something was telling me that she agreed too quickly, that the whole truth was a bit more complex but I wasn't going to push her when she was finally opening up to me.
"Evie, we don't have to go tonight. We can stay back, just us."
"Yes, of course we do. I'm fine. I'm great!" She stated, looking back into the mirror and shifting her dress a little before her fingers swiped near the corner of her eyes where her makeup had smudged.
"Are you sure?" It was that moment, that very second that I was startled to find that I had never cared for anyone the way that I cared for Evie. Sure, I'd love, been loved but there was a tether between her and I. I had never believed that much in soulmates or even true love but if this girl didn't make me want to believe in a happily ever after, I don't know what would.
Even just the thought of her feeling so unhappy, even if it was just her mind playing tricks on her, it tore me apart. It made me feel helpless. It was something I couldn't just let go, let alone handle it. I just want to stay here, be with her. I want to be there for her, talk, hold her, whatever she needed. Just show her that someone, that I, cares for her.
She's told me how she was the odd one out, was essentially the black sheep of her family. She was never accepted, nor were her passions. She was adamant that she was over it, that her feeling sorry for herself was a ridiculous notion because she was a different person now, happier. I don't know if that's something I can believe her on anymore.
I bit my bottom lip, the sharp sting of teeth going into flesh the only thing that stopped me from saying something before she did.
"Do you trust me?"
"Of course I do Evie-Rose." What kind of question was that?
"Then let's go. Let's have a good time. I'm fine. Are you?"
"Yes?"
There was a lilt to her voice that I didn't like, besides her changing the subject. I felt like I talked her ear off and the only things I know about her are simple, date questions. I vowed to change that but she was telling me what she needed and right now that was for me to listen to her, to believe she was fine.
Taking her hand in mine, I grabbed her purse with the other slinging it onto my shoulder and moving out of the way with a flourish.
"After you, my lady." Rolling her eyes, she pulled me along to the door that I held for her once she pulled it open.
"Can I ask you something?" I questioned, swinging our hands as we were waiting for the elevator.
"Of course." She was anxious but I just gave her a cocky smile, waggling my eyebrows.
"Is it just me or do these pants make my butt look good?"
And this time, her smile was genuine.