"So wait," Kellie said looking up. She had been staring at the equation in front of her for a really long time and finally spoke up for help. "I have to do what to get the answer?"
"Divide it, multiply it by pi, then solve." Pierce told her. He made it sound a lot easier than it actually seemed. I remember it took me a few tries before even I could get the answer. And not to sound cocky, but math isn't my worst subject. I sort of need it for my profession.
We were sitting on the lawn of the campus, trying to study for exams. Classes were now cut short and no professor was giving out new information. They were simply reviewing and freaking us out for our exams. At home I had taken the time to calculate what grade average I would have depending on how well I would do on the exam. If I wanted to keep my GPA, I would have to study a lot.
"Don't worry," Jackson said causing Kellie to look back down at her notes. "You'll get it. Just keep practicing."
Ever since Jackson kissed Victoria on Halloween, Kellie has been acting less of a friend towards him. Pierce and I could clearly tell she was jealous, but if Jackson knew he definitely didn't show it. I tried to get Kellie to admit her jealousy, but she snapped instead and told me that she and Jackson are just friends. At the end she added there was no point in being jealous.
None of us were excited for exams. Then again, why would we be? They're the death of students. Mainly because we stay up late and drink way too much coffee. It's not healthy—physically and mentally, but the thought of Christmas break was the only thing that kept me going. Of course, it wasn't exam week yet, but the campus administrator's was already sending us emails and notifications on the rules and regulations of exam week. Like how the library is opened 24/7.
Pierce surrounded himself with several language books. He had carried four different languages and was currently looking at Greek. To his side was—what I assume is—Mandarin and a few other languages I would never learn in my life. He was twirling his finger around a strand of grass and plucked it before moving onto another strand.
There was a frown on Pierce's face as he read his textbook. It didn't look like he was at all focused on the information in front of him. His mind seemed lost in thought so I asked, "Pierce?"
He shook his head like he was returning to Earth. When he smiled it was covering the stressed out look in his eyes. "Yeah?" He asked.
"You ok?" Even I was frowning now. Pierce isn't typically the guy to get stressed out. If anything, he's the complete opposite. Whenever I encounter a stressful situation, I always go to him because he gives great advice. Or knows how to relax so that you're mind gets back on track.
"Yeah I'm fine," He answered with a sigh. "Just stressed out about exams."
I nodded, completely understanding. But there was something else there that I knew exams weren't the cause of. I didn't push it though. He might not want to talk about it in front of everyone.
"Pierce would you help me out with Spanish," Jackson asked.
"Me too," I stated. Jackson and I crowded around Pierce as he helped us with our Spanish homework. There were certain tenses and phrases we couldn't understand. Theoretically, Spanish wasn't originally in my curriculum. Mid-way in the semester I decided to take it up. It's been helping with my job and communicating with fast food drive-thrus.
Throughout the small study session between the three of us, Jackson's phone went off. He checked it quickly before standing up, "I have to go you guys."
"Why?" Kellie asked—in my opinion—a little too eagerly.
"Uh," Jackson grabbed his books as he quickly glanced at us. "I'm meeting up with Victoria."
Kellie instantly looked down, her face scrunching up like she was smelling something bad. "Have fun," She tried saying in her happy tone.
"Tell her I say hi," I said to Jackson.
"Will do," He waved at us as he walked away. "See you guys later."
Pierce raised his eyebrow, a small smile playing at his lips. "So are they dating now or something?"
I shrugged, "No idea."
"Hope not," Kellie muttered so quietly under her breath that she probably thought we didn't hear her. But we totally did.
Pierce and I gave each other a look. It felt as if we were telepathic. Through our 'mind-link' we rolled our eyes and agreed that Kellie was beyond jealous. She thinks she's really good at keeping a straight face about it, but she really isn't. And if Jackson hadn't noticed by now he's blind. Or he's just so tall he can't see our facial expressions clearly.
A part of me was somewhat glad that Jackson moved on. Yeah, my goal is to still have him and Kellie be together by the end of the year. But he's been waiting for Kellie for a long time. Seeing him stressed out over her liking people and her being with other people made me sad and aggravated to watch. Now, Kellie seemed to be on the other side. They switched positions and it's messing with how I should view the situation. In one hand, I'm glad for Jackson and in the other I'm upset that Kellie is suffering too.
Victoria is great. I love her to bits. Whenever we work she always brings life into the salon. She and I are the only young people there, so we have to keep each other company. I have a lot of respect for Victoria over the fact that she managed to work at the salon as long as she did and not become into an old lady.
The drama that was taking place in my group of friends was one that I wish I could stay out of. But Kellie already admitted she was somewhat angry with me because I introduced Victoria to our group. To be fair, I'm quite certain Kellie's jealousy was speaking.
We stayed out on the lawn for a few more minutes. After Jackson left, the three of us managed to relax and talk. We were laughing over stupid things that Kellie's roommate did. And then I would bash on my roommate and how he once forgot to put water into a microwavable mac-n-cheese, causing the whole apartment to smell like burnt marshmallow.
"One time," Pierce interjected. "That happened once."
"And I'll never let you forget it," I said with a laugh.
The three of us decided to take a break and goof around. We gossiped over a few people we know and talked badly about professors we hate. By the end of the ordeal I was lying on my stomach, playing around with grass while Pierce sat on his side and Kellie was sitting Indian style.
"I'm so excited for Shawn Parris' new movie," Kellie said eventually.
"Have you read his books?" I asked.
"Who hasn't?" Pierce scoffed. "The man is a legend. Along with his brothers and his step-sister."
That's right, the Parris triplets not only have each other to lean on for fame, but they have a younger step-sister named Tori Linean who sings. She's slowly becoming a well-known artist, especially because of her brothers fame to help her. Whenever the four of them are together on the cover of magazines or spotted by paparazzi, it's hard not to smile because they're all so close.
"When Shawn's movie releases," Kellie added. "Tori Linean is going to release her new album."
"We'll need to buy it," I said glancing at Pierce. He nodded in approval. Tori's music is making its way up the popular list because for some reason it's very unique. She's either singing about her family or her military boyfriend who's deployed.
My phone went off and when I checked it I saw a message from Aaron. He texted me, Where are you?
My eyebrows furrowed together and I messaged back, On campus...
Yeah but where? He replied almost instantly.
By the big thick pretty tree thing, I answered. To my left is this giant tree that looks like it belongs in the rainforest. When I first arrived at campus, I had never seen a tree like this one. I know it sounds like something stupid to say. But I was accustomed to pine and oak. Not tropical floral.
I set my phone down, suddenly looking around. Aaron couldn't be on campus, right? I don't think he's ever stepped foot on campus. He's always at home or working somewhere or having adventures. Honestly, I don't know what he does on a regular day, but coming to the university campus is definitely not on the list.
Pierce frowned, looking past me after a few minutes of us talking. "Aaron?" He asked.
I looked over my shoulder, sure enough Aaron was walking towards us. My eyes did a quick scan of what he was wearing. A black suit with a matching black tie that had little white dots making it look like stars. He was wearing his Ray-bans and he quickly took them off when he caught me staring. The moment my eyes came into contact with his they kept me in place. I tried to read what he was thinking or about to do but I might as well have been watching a wall.
He stopped in front of our group, his eyes never leaving mine. "Birdie," He said smoothly.
I raised an eyebrow, "Maybe I should come up with a nickname for you."
The edge of his lip curled, "I like it better when you say my name."
"Oh look Pierce," Kellie stated. "We suddenly mutated and now we have superpowers! We're invisible."
Pierce and Kellie started looking at their arms in a slow-motion sort of way. They moved them around, glancing at each other and poking themselves. They sort of looked like they were suddenly in space. "Do you think they can hear us?" Pierce asked in a loud whisper.
I rolled my eyes looking at both of my friends, "Really?"
Kellie shrugged letting out a small laugh that matched Pierce. "What are you doing here?" Pierce asked his brother. There was a small hint of fear behind his voice but it was layered in actual concern.
"It's about your skyscraper," Aaron said his hands stuffing in his pocket. He kept his intense eyes on me, not even flicking them in his brother's direction when he spoke to him.
I suddenly stood up and started twiddling my fingers together. I had given Aaron the final copies earlier this week. He needed the rough draft a few days ago but I gave it to him with some time ahead. I never believed in turning something in on the due date. It's better to turn things in ahead of time before falling behind. But there shouldn't be any issues on my part, I did my work. Maybe he spoke with his licensed architect and he said that my designs would be impossible to make. Or maybe he didn't get the job because my design was terrible.
"Cheesus," I said putting my hand to my head. "They hated it didn't they? I mean like they laughed and everything?"
Aaron raised an amused eyebrow at me, "No."
I frowned, "Then what?"
"I want you to come with me." He stated as he took my hand in his.
"Do you think we could rob a bank with these powers?" I heard Kellie mutter to Pierce.
I ignored her and asked, "Go with you where? I have classes."
Aaron finally made eye contact with Kellie. Her smile suddenly faded and she looked locked into her spot on the grass. "Could you get her notes?" Aaron asked Kellie.
"Sure," Kellie said suddenly looking down at the floor. She couldn't hold his gaze. Even I still struggled seeing all the misery in one glance, but I got used to it. I know it took me a while to.
"Thanks Kell," I said grabbing my backpack. "You're the best."
"You owe me," She crossed her arms over her chest.
Pierce was smiling again, his dimples showing. I think he knew were Aaron was taking me but I didn't have time to ask. He simply shouted after us as we walked away, "Good luck!"
Aaron turned back for a moment to smile at his brother. I hadn't thought he would find it encouraging for his brother to support him that way, but I guess it was. They seem a lot closer than they let on. And I'm sure sharing a room together means they tell each other a lot. That's how James and I were on days he would have to sleep in my room.
"So where are we going?" I asked Aaron. His hand was still holding mine as he put on his Ray-Bans.
"I'd say it's an adventure of sorts," He added with a small grin. He led us towards a small rotunda where cars were moving through. On the sidewalk, his motorcycle was parked and I was surprised to see the campus police didn't give him a ticket.
Aaron quickly unlocked his helmet from the side of his bike and handed it to me. "You're going to drive your bike wearing a suit?" I asked.
He raised an eyebrow at me, already sitting into his seat. He sarcastically asked, "Is it illegal?"
I gave him a small smirk, "No but you wearing a suit should be."
He tried hard not to smile, causing him to look away while I placed his helmet on. I've never seen Aaron blush, but the thought of it made me want to see it. Already seeing him on campus made my heart speed up. I could only wonder if he got the same reaction from me.
When my arms were securely wrapped around him he touched his hand to mine signaling he was about to take off. In two seconds we were flying through the city. Aaron's tie was whipping in the wind over his shoulder. I couldn't help but laugh and even though I was behind him, the image of him driving seemed to perfectly develop in my mind.
I still wanted to learn how to drive this bike. Once upon a time, the idea of me driving a motorcycle was like me jumping off a cliff. Deadly and never going to happen. Now, I really wanted to see what it would feel like being in control. I finally understood what Aaron meant by it being exhilarating. Whenever I'm in a car now, it feels slow. And too big. The only time it ever feels like I'm actually in a motorcycle is when Pierce lowers the top down of his BMW. But even then, it's not the same.
Aaron veered through the traffic that was situated in front of us. He made sure to slow down and ignore honking cars. I used to think this was rude and annoying—and I still do. But when I'm the one that isn't stuck in traffic, I can't help but laugh. It's like when you go to Disney or Six Flags and you have a FastPass. Sure, you feel bad for passing people that have been waiting in line for an hour, but at the same time—you don't feel bad. Because you didn't have to wait that hour.
Aaron stopped the motorcycle in front of a really expensive looking hotel. I mean, no way would I even be able to afford to stay the night in the janitor's closet. Aaron asked the valet where to park his motorcycle. They pointed at a corner where no car would be able to fit, but the bike would. When we parked it and got off, they placed cones around the bike and Aaron tipped them.
"How does valet work with a motorcycle?" I found myself asking as we walked towards the building.
Aaron grabbed my hand in his, the tips of his other fingers messing with his hair to try and make it look less wild. It didn't work. Maybe he tamed his hair a bit but it was still pointed in all sorts of directions. "Most valet doesn't know how to drive a motorcycle," He answered my question. "I just ask where they want me to put it, place it there, then tip the man. Sure, they're not doing the work but I'm still using the parking and they have to make a living somehow."
I nodded looking up towards the giant hotel. It was glimmering with gold and silver. The moment we walked inside I quickly noticed the chandelier hanging in the lobby. There was a fountain in the middle of the room, the furniture made of leather and pillows that looked more expensive than my TV. Everyone looked so...posh.
I couldn't help but compare myself to the people in cocktail dresses and suits. I was dressed in my university long sleeve T-shirt and a pair of jean shorts. Along with my Converse. It's the middle of the day and some people look like they just got out of a very elaborate brunch—which is probably the case. I was beyond under-dressed. Aaron fit in perfectly just because he was wearing his usual black suit. If I had known this is where we were coming, I would have disagreed to come.
If it wasn't enough that I already felt under dressed, I was getting looks from certain men and women. They all had raised eyebrows as they silently judged my choice of wardrobe. "Aaron," I said quietly. He looked down at me as he led us through the hotel. "They keep staring."
"Well when someone has legs and an ass like yours it's hard not to." He said rather smoothly.
"I'm being serious," I couldn't even focus on his flirting. That just screams how embarrassed I was with my lack of elegancy. My neck was slowly becoming redder.
"So am I," He squeezed my hand lightly causing me to look up in front of me.
Instead of using the elevator, Aaron led us up a large case of stairs. They branched on each side of the building, making it look more like a mansion than a hotel. It felt like I was staring in a Great Gatsby movie or even the Titanic. Either way, I was feeling like Leonardo DiCaprio. Which means I was going to die by the end of this adventure. Whether from sheer embarrassment or absolute humiliation.
We passed by several ballrooms. In one of them, staff seemed to be setting up a wedding. Another had a billboard in front of the door stating that some sort of convention was being held. The only thing I could think of as we were passing through was, Rich people really don't know what to do with their money and time.
Miami is like any other big city, there are the beautiful areas and the not-so beautiful. The thing about being here though is that all sorts of loaded people show up. Everywhere I turn on the street I see a Rolls Royce or a Bentley—rich people cars. The sport cars like Ferrari's and Lamborghini's—rich people who like sporty cars. Then the "regular" cars that are expensive but seem to run around the streets like a Honda or Chevy—the Mercedes, BMWs, Porsche. I swear, in Michigan if you didn't have a rusty car you'd be considered lucky. Here, if you have a rusty car you might as well just walk.
The fact that I was strolling through this extravagant hotel, simply made me think of the people that drive those cars. Granted, Pierce owns a BMW but I still don't understand how he afforded it if not through Aaron. Anyhow, these people are the ones that own big named cars, or have mansions, or even have yacht's—like the ones that go up and down the canal I can see from my balcony.
"Why are we here Aaron?" I asked as he continued to lead me past more ballrooms.
"It's that door right there," He pointed up at the door that was at the end of the hallway. There were lights that streamed down from the bottom of the door and Aaron walked us faster. "Dammit, they've started."
I frowned and we quickly jogged towards the door. When we opened it we snuck inside and luckily no one seemed to notice. I didn't have time to process what was happening. The lights were dim—not entirely off but definitely dim. When I looked in front of me someone was giving a presentation at the end of the ballroom. The ballroom itself was probably the size of my courtyard at school. Except it was filled with carpet and seemed a lot bigger. Aaron and I had to walk up towards the front before sitting down at the back seats. There were probably fifteen to twenty rows of chairs between myself and front.
When I finally felt like I could focus, I watched the person giving the presentation. There was a decently sized projector screen set up so that everyone could see it. By the projector, in front of the rows of chairs, was a table with about five people who seemed to be concentrated deeply. The screen showed a simple drawing of a skyscraper and everything in my head seemed to piece together.
I took my eyes off the presentation and looked around. There weren't many people. Then again, maybe there were but it seemed like few for such a big room. Some of them had poster boards in their hands, others looked nervous. All of them were men who were wearing what looked like tailored suits. Their ages ranged from 'middle-aged probably has a family' to 'old-age should probably be retired.'
I glanced at Aaron, he was lying back in his chair, a flash drive suddenly in his hand. Even with the dim light I could see his posture was relaxed. Although he was watching the presentation, he didn't at all seem interested. He was breathing softly, his breaths obviously controlled like he was telling himself when to breathe in and out.
I placed my hand on his and he lazily turned his head to face me. "You're going to do great," I said in my best effort to encourage him.
He grinned, "I know."
We both turned back to look at the presentations. I still wasn't one hundred percent sure what this was for. All I knew from watching was that this was where Aaron was going to present my skyscraper. I sulked down in my chair hoping no one would see me. When the man at the front finished, the lights slowly turned back on.
"Thank you Scott," one of the men at the front table said. He stood up and when he turned around my breath caught in my throat. Luckily the only person that heard me gasp was Aaron, and he was amused by the fact I was caught off guard.
"That's..." I whispered to Aaron. I couldn't even form words.
Aaron leaned back with me and whispered softly, "Cole Parris."
Cole Parris—one of my idols—was standing a few feet in front of me. His hair was combed back and his smile seemed to be contagious. The stubble beard he was growing matched his demeanor and smile. He shook the man's hand, thanking him politely and telling him they would keep in touch. Another man stood up to shake hands, I recognized him from Mr. Parris' firm. His name was Matt Kingsmen, the co-owner.
"Who's next?" Matt asked into the crowd. No one answered because he seemed to be holding the roster in his hands. He looked around for a second and sighed, "I could so go for a beer right about now."
A few people in the audience chuckled and Cole rolled his eyes. "Just call the next name Matt," Cole said taking a seat.
"Yes Mr. Boss-Man-McFancy-Pants." Matt said with a salute.
"You're so unprofessional," Cole muttered thinking no one could hear him.
Matt Kingsmen. Cole Parris. It clicked in my head and I turned to look at Aaron as someone else was called up. "Are they the investors?" I asked.
Aaron nodded, his eyes trained on the new guy presenting.
My eyes kept darting between Aaron and the table of investors. "The CEOs are Cole Parris and Matt Kingsmen?"
Aaron gave the slightest hint of a grin, not bothering to look at me. But his small grin told me I was getting a lot warmer.
I looked down at my hands trying to piece it together, "So...is this building going to a be a firm?"
The corner of Aaron's lip curled and he looked at me through the corner of his eyes. I took that as a yes and he seemed to be amused and proud that I was piecing the puzzle together.
"I built a building for the Parris-Kingsmen firm?" I said suddenly feeling sick. "The most..."
Aaron slowly put his arm around me and kept the amuse grin on his face. He whispered back, "The most notorious law firm in the world? Yeah. You made a building for that one."
I suddenly felt like I was going to throw up. I thought this was going to be a regular building. But it all started to make more sense. Cole Parris and Matt Kingsmen had released a statement a few months ago about wanting to expand their firm. They were going to be moving from New York to Atlanta to Miami. And of course, both of them are basically the CEO's of this enterprise. The fact that I made this skyscraper for these men—the most powerful men in law.
I'm not even licensed, Was my first thought.
The man that was giving the presentation didn't have a slideshow. He was presenting with billboards that showed the model of the building he created along with graphs that showed the progress of how long it would take to build. I was too busy trying not to puke to even concentrate on what he was saying.
"Who are the people beside Mr. Parris and Mr. Kingsmen?" I finally whispered to Aaron. He had patiently been waiting for my mind to catch up to the present to say something.
"Other investors," He said causally. "They want to take part in the creation of the new Parris-Kingsmen building."
Parris-Kingsmen building. The name itself made me shudder. How could I have taken part in something so big yet not know anything about it. My eyes trained on Aaron. He kept his gaze at the men in front of him, occasionally flicking his eyes to see the competition. When he finally noticed me staring at him, he stared back. Instead of asking me a question, he simply tilted his head slightly, his eyes never backing off of mine.
I was trying so very hard to read exactly what was going through is head. There had to be something beyond those miserable eyes, something that tells me exactly what he is and does. I finally opened my mouth and whispered even quieter, "Who are you?"
Instead of answering me, his eyes seemed to spark up with some sort of fire I had never seen before. It was probably the lights around us that was playing tricks but he quickly grinned and looked away, "Are you going say it out loud next and call me a vampire?"
"I said who not what," I said with an eyeroll. "And I have just about lost a lot of respect of you knowing you've seen Twilight."
"Pierce and his girlfriend forced me," Aaron kept his arm around me. An amused smile still on his lips.
"Uh-huh," I smirked. "That's what they all say."
The man at the front finished his presentation. Whispering to Aaron seemed to calm my nerves down a bit. But when Cole Parris stood up again it finally stopped feeling like a dream. "Ok," Cole said looking at the roster while announcing. "We've got one more presentation before break. Downstairs in the reception room you'll all find some drinks and food."
Mr. Kingsmen shot up his arms in the air giving out a soft but hissing, "Yes."
Aaron sat up slightly, his arm coming off of me and crossing over his chest. He waited to hear who would go last and suddenly it dawned on me, could it be that Aaron had already been called up but because we were late he missed it? I hope not. That's the last thing either of us wants.
Cole Parris smiled when he saw the name. He looked behind him towards the crowd like he was searching for someone specific. "Aaron Mosdenea," He said and my eyes widened as I stared at Aaron. "Come up here."
Aaron stood up, buttoning his suit together. Some people glanced at him, others didn't even bother moving. Aaron walked down the small aisle before stopping in front of Cole and Matt. He shook their hands, speaking so softly that no one seemed to hear. "Well," Matt said taking a seat in his chair. "Whenever you're ready."
Aaron went towards the projector that was linked to a laptop. He inserted the flash drive and cued for someone to dim the lights. With confidence, Aaron strutted over to the front of the room. He had a small remote controller in hand where he would click in order to change pictures on the screen.
When Aaron spoke, I finally understood why he was such a persuasive person. He started the presentation with a video that promoted Parris-Kingsmen. Aaron had made it himself with the help of a few people. The best part about the video—in my opinion—was the fact that Pierce was in it for a solid three seconds. Promo videos of law firms are typically unprofessional and mediocre, Aaron's was almost Super Bowl commercial good.
Then he went off on a tangent of what Parris-Kingsmen really means. It sounded like he was speaking from the heart. And I found myself being moved by his words. His voice—his honey layered voice—flowed so well with him that I found it difficult not to listen. When I looked around at the competition, I could see the change of posture of many of the men. They were sitting up to listen but sulking slightly like they realized they were going to lose.
After talking about the firm as a whole, Aaron finally spoke about the new building. I sat up straight as he presented my skyscraper. The original pictures I drew went by slide by slide. Every room that appeared, Aaron would explain in detail. He showed the panel of investors the CEO room—which Matt seemed to really like—and the typical offices for the bosses of the building. One of the slides contained the picture I drew of Aaron looking up at the ceiling in the conference room. I instantly blushed, especially when Aaron looked at me in the eyes from all the way in the front.
Aaron had a lot of aspects in his pitch that a lot of the men seemed to lack. But one of the major components I was shocked about, was the 3D model. After going through the drawings, he showed a small clip of the building as a 3D structure. I wasn't sure where he created the 3D model, but it would make sense as to why he wanted my drawings earlier than when this presentation was due. During the clip, he talked about how he had already contacted several companies and was ready to start the building process as soon as he got the green light. Everyone—including myself—was shocked.
"Now gentlemen," Aaron said reaching his conclusion. "I would like you to consider one more component to this extraordinary building."
He looked me in the eyes and I couldn't help but smile. I knew exactly what he was about to tell them. Aaron looked back at the investors and clicked on his remote. The slide changed to the drawing of my building to a skyline point of view. It was drawn to be in the daylight but I drew it with surrounding buildings and it still seemed to stick out.
Aaron took a sip of the water he had beside me and looked at the drawing quickly. "During the day the dynamic structure of the building is prominent amongst the rest. But what I believe to be my favorite attribute to the building is this."
He clicked causing the slide to change to the same drawing but during the night. I drew the background dark with the moon instead of the clouds in the sky. The skyline was shining with lights from the other buildings, but the one I drew shined the brightest. The model of my building was meant to sparkle at night like the stars do. Aaron and I discussed LED lights in order to keep the lights shining every night, and I even managed to put a few constellations on the actual design of the building. Far away it would shine like the stars.
"You are all stars within your field," Aaron stated looking at each of the investors. "You are the reason we are here today. The reason so many people have the opportunities they have. At night, the skyline will shine with your brilliance and people will know, that's Parris-Kingsmen. The place where people shine their brightest."
He paused for a moment before clicking the remote one more time. The slide show ended leaving us in the dark and he gave a half smile, "Thank you for your time."
The panel of investors all stood up as Aaron shook their hands. I took it as a good sign because the only people that seemed to have stood up before was only Cole and Matt. Aaron quickly snatched his flash drive before walking towards me. His face was as monotone as ever, as if he didn't just present one of the best thing I've ever seen in my life.
"Everyone," Cole stated as Aaron stopped momentarily to listen. "You may all head to the reception area for dining. We'll be back here in about twenty minutes."
A few people stood up and headed outside. Others stayed in their seats for a moment like they were trying to get their thoughts together. Aaron stood in front me and gave me his hand that I eagerly took. I was still in shock by how amazing Aaron presented. His presentation was longer than the other men who went up, but it was ten times better.
"That was..." I tried to say as we walked out of the ballroom.
"My worst presentation yet," He muttered with a sigh. "I was so fucking nervous."
I laughed. I mean, the idea of Aaron being nervous was something that would never have occurred to me, but more so the thought that Aaron had of himself doing terrible was a complete lie. "You did fantastic," I said when my laughing had subsided. He had been staring at me with a raised eyebrow. "Seriously Aaron, it so amazing."
"Yeah?" He gleamed slightly. "I didn't want to let you down."
I shook my head, "Trust me. I wasn't let down."
"Good," He grinned. We looked around the small reception room. There was champagne and wine. The food that Cole told us about consisted of expensive cheese and crackers. Some the other things I couldn't really tell what they were. Possibly caviar but I wouldn't know what that looks like.
I looked up at Aaron and asked, "I'd much rather have a Cuban croqueta."
Aaron nodded in agreement. A devious smirk took over his lips and he looked down at me. "How about we ditch this place, find some croqueta's, and drive around?"
People were still staring at me, now I wasn't sure if it was because of my clothes or because Aaron was holding my hand. Some of the men seemed to give him jealous looks like they knew all too well he gave the best presentation. I smiled up at Aaron, ignoring them all. "Let's do that," I answered.
He grinned, pulling me along until we walked out into the hot Miami air.
*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*
Disclaimer: Much like Marvel, my characters all take place in the same Universe. If you haven't read my other book, 3 Stepbrothers, I highly recommend it. If not, don't worry--I'll explain all the characters.
However, for my 3 Stepbrother's people--yes Cole is back. What do you feel about that lol? I love him so much
Y'all I post like every other day and I meant to post this chapter yesterday but I was too busy. Keep those votes coming through because it went from like #95 to like #270. Ugh, I promise I'm updating as frequently as I can. But thanks so much for the support! If you read 3S show some love and hit the vote button. If you haven't--still show some love because I'm all about flower power.
Bring in those comments too. They make my day--for reals.
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