Chapter 11: Chapter Six-2

Lee folds his hands together. “I didn’t say I agreed.” I frown. “We still have to go over some things—rules. Things we are not allowed to do. Things that might end us both in trouble.” “Okay,” I nod. “Let’s write this down.” I randomly grab a notepad and pen from his desk, earning a glare from him, which I ignore. Together we start naming all the things we can’t do tonight, or we’ll both sue each other. In the end, our list concluded of the ten most things we couldn’t do: No kissing. Physical contact such as hand holding and small things are okay. No talking to any media. Ignore completely. No stretching the lie even further. No more of this relationship—only tonight. No telling anyone the truth about this, except for those who already know. No real physical contact between each other. No contacting each other after tonight. No being indebt to each other. No falling in love. No lying to each other. No falling in love. I am pretty happy about the rules. None of them were a problem to me. It was a win-win situation. I grin at that. “Sign it,” Lee says, pushing the paper to me. “Seriously?” I say, raising my eyebrows this time. “You want me to sign a piece of lined paper with rules as if it were a real contract?” I laugh. “Yes,” he says seriously. I stop. Offering a small smile, I take the pen and scribble Ivory Flores in the best handwriting I can muster. Then, he takes the pen and signs it too. “Wait, who’ll keep it?” I ask. “Don’t we both need a copy?” “I’m pretty sure I’ll remember these rules, Miss Ivory,” he says. “But you? I think you should keep this paper tucked in—just to remember every so often.” Lee smiles a devilish smile. I glare. “Of course, I’ll remember, Mr. Richardson.” I grab the paper and stuff it in my pocket. I stand from my seat. The clock on his desk reads 7:34. I’m late. “I’ll be late. See you at the party!” He just smirks as I rush off back to the suite. I’m groomed and ready in two hours. My blonde hair is pulled into an elegant side bun with a few strings of hair falling out intentionally. My blue-green eyes are outlined with mascara and eyeliner. I look and feel older by looking so fancy. I put on some blush and lip-gloss before putting on some red heels to match my strapless red dress. It’s just right for the party—elegant and suave at the same time. After grabbing my purse, I head out to the living room of Lee’s suite. I’ll never get used to how beautiful and expensive his place is. I realize he’s not in the living room and frown. Where is he? I walk to his bedroom—across from my room—and push open the door. The next moment goes by in a blur: a scream, a six pack, a room filled with ties and suits everywhere, and the door slamming in my face within six seconds. I stare at the door for five straight minutes before processing what just happened. I just saw Lee Richardson in his boxers. If it weren’t for the fact that my face was red as a tomato, I would probably laugh in a situation like this. How do I face him now? Great! Another awkward moment with Lee, I think sarcastically. I scold myself for not knocking or this whole thing wouldn’t have happened. Before I can react, Lee opens the door in a tuxedo except his collar is unbuttoned and he has no tie on. “S-Sorry for, um, barging in,” I apologize, looking at my feet. Lee coughs uncomfortably before glancing at me. His jaw falls just for one mini-second before quickly remaining cool again. “I-I wanted to know if my tie should match with your dress,” Lee says, avoiding all eye contact. “I could wear a red tie or I could just go with the casual black or something.” “Yeah, that’s fine. You should wear the red,” I say. He nods in silence. I can almost feel the awkward tension in the air. “I-I’ll go wait in the living room. Don’t be too long.” “Okay,” Lee says before I go to the living room. I text Candy: Ready 4 the party? R u bringing Kevin? I add a semi-colon and parenthesis at the end for an attempt of a wink. I end up watching some television before Lee emerges from his room. He looks… hot. So hot that my mouth is still hanging open even after he grabs his suite keys and tells me to get going. He’s smirking at me—as if he knew I was going to be drooling over him. What an arrogant guy. We ride the elevator in silence. The party is in the ballroom of the hotel. The hotel is bigger than it seems. I had to find out the hard way when I had tried to find my way back to the suite earlier after talking to Lee about the rules for tonight. Speaking of that, I have the paper tucked into my purse. Lee and I walk through the lobby, earning various stares from people—even some classmates from my school. Seeing them, I sneak my hand into Lee’s. He looks at me with a weird face before following my gaze to the classmates in the lobby. He nods, understanding, before we walk to the ballroom. When we walk into the party, soft violins are playing in the background and champagne classes are being clinked. But all of it stops when we walk in. It’s as if there’s a stage-light pointing straight at us. People gasp and whisper as we walk in. I spot Karen, Peter, and Candy in the crowd. They’re all separated in the crowd but their eyes are on me—like everyone else. I didn’t think tonight would have this much of an impact. I find Candy as Lee finds some of his friends and the stares settle down. “That was so embarrassing,” I say to her. “Everyone was staring at me like I was some exhibit.” “Well, you are Lee Richardson’s girlfriend for the night. How can that not be big news?” Candy says, smiling. She’s in a gold cocktail dress that looks beautiful. We talk about some small things and she introduces me to Kevin and we eat dinner together. Everything’s fine. Nobody’s asked me anything. I’ve stayed with Candy and Kevin throughout the entire thing—dodging everyone else. But it doesn’t last long. A reporter comes up to me when I go get some punch alone. I feel stupid for going alone. I should have brought someone. “Is it true you’re Lee Richardson’s lover?” the reporter asks, setting his camera up for a picture. Why was he even invited? “Er, I have to go, now,” I say, about to walk to walk off when he suddenly grabs my hand. “Excuse me.” He doesn’t let go. “This is physical assault. Please, let go.” “I just want to know. Is it true?” “Let me go, you creep!” I shout. People look over—eyes landing on me. This is not good. Not good at all. I’m such an idiot. A soft hand rests on my shoulder. I look over. It’s Lee. His face looks angry but cool and serene at the same time. “I think the lady told you to let go,” he says calmly even thought there’s a angry, possessive undertone. The reporter lets go and snaps a picture. Soon, all reporters surround us along with some guests. Questions are thrown everywhere. “Are you dating?” “When did this start? Are you eloping together?” “How did you two meet?” I’m about to deny this all because of the rules we had agreed on but I lock eyes with Karen in the crowd. She’s smirking her I’m-about-to-win smirk. This gives me all the motivation to do what I do next: I kiss Lee right on the lips and say, “Yes, we are dating.” I’m breaking so many rules. I know this. I know I’m ruining everything. I don’t know why. Cameras flash and snap pictures of the kiss and confession—some even video cameras. People are gasping and whispering all over again. I did all of this. Lee is giving me a confused look through his eyes even thought he is smiling. He’s telling me to stop all this through his eyes… But I just smile back with careful eyes.