TWENTY-ONE: THE PARTY I
TWENTY-ONE: THE PARTY I
Xavier adjusted the cuffs of his black suit, flickering a single strand of his hair away from his face. His fingers lingered around his buttons as he contemplated loosening one more button for a while before he eventually got pissed at himself and stepped out of the car, the cool night air settling against his skin as he straightened.
The lights of his father’s mansion burned brightly ahead. Music drifted faintly from inside, muffled but present. Cars lined the driveway in neat rows, expensive and excessive.
A celebration. For the deal he had closed.
He unbuttoned his shirt and paused, his gaze shifting briefly toward the entrance. The party was the last thing he’d rather be at yet here he was. Voluntarily at that.
Shifting his gaze from the front door, he looked at the array of cars driving in. Carlos was to be arriving any moment with Juliet. And once he did, he’d finally step in.
He almost scoffed at his own ridiculousness. He was actually attending his father’s party. And like that wasn’t insane enough, with a woman.
A woman.
He had managed to convince himself he had his reasons. Logical reasons that had nothing to do with him making the decision in the spur of the moment. It was carefully planned. Carefully calculated.
He glanced at his rolex, switching his emotions to impatience. They should have arrived already. Their car was supposed to be the next to pull over.
But it didn’t. instead, another car pulled in. another car he wished he didn’t recognize, his jaw tightening in response.
The door opened and his stepmother stepped out, heels clicking softly as she crossed the driveway. She looked as composed as ever, perfectly put together, as though tension did not exist between them. Their eyes met, and the air between them grew heavy.
She smiled first then walked over to him, Xavier letting out an exhale as she closed the distance between them.
“Well,” she said when she reached him, her gaze sweeping over his suit. “You ended up coming after all.”
“I was invited,” Xavier replied coolly. “In case you’ve forgotten.”
“Sure, Xavier,” she lifted a brow. “Like a mere invite has ever moved you.”
He did not respond.
She studied him for a moment, her eyes searching his face as though trying to read something beneath the surface. He gave her nothing.
“It’s a big night,” she continued lightly. “Your father is very proud of you.”
“He sure is.”
A soft laugh escaped her. “You’re still so cold. Seriously, Xavier?”
She lifted her hand to reach for his arm, Xavier immediately reacting with a speed quicker than lightening.
His hand shot up, closing around her wrist before she could touch him. Not gentle. Not slow. Her breath caught as she looked down at his grip.
“I warned you, Clarissa,” he said quietly. “Don’t ever try to lay your hands on me.”
“Sure, I forgot,” She withdrew her hand, smoothing her expression. “You can’t blame for forgetting once in a while though. You didn’t always react this way.”
“Yes. And I’ll always hate myself for realizing it too late.”
“Seriously, Xavier?” she let out a huff, taking a step backwards. “Can you really do this? Can you honestly live the rest of your life hating me?”
The answer came without hesitation. “Yes.”
Her eyes widened slightly. “Every day? Every moment?”
“Yes.”
There was no anger in his voice. Only certainty.
She exhaled slowly. “Hatred like that consumes you, Xavier. One day you’ll realize you’ve wasted your life holding onto it. What happened is in the past. You need to let it go so we can both be happy. So you can be happy.”
A suitable response for her would have been hard to come up with. Not immediately. But luckily for him, before he could bring himself to utter the wrong words, movements at the end of the driveway drew his attention.
Another car pulled up. The black familiar car he had been waiting for.
He unclenched his fists.
Carlos stepped out first, then opened the back door. And then, Juliet emerged.
For a moment, Xavier forgot everything else.
She stepped out of the car, one hand on a silver clutch, the other on her dress. He could spot tiny diamonds wrapped around her wrists, matching the ones around her neck and ear.
Her hair was styled tonight, falling softly around her shoulders. The dress- utterly stunning with all the right slits and curves clung to her in a way that made something tighten in his chest. She looked even more beautiful than she did the night before in that dress. So elegant- effortlessly and dangerously beautiful.
She lifted her eyes and found his.
Clarissa followed his gaze, turning back to him almost immediately to continue. “You can’t hate me every single moment of your life.”
For the first time, it didn’t take a lot of control for Xavier to not look at her.
“Maybe you’re right,” he said. “Because instead of wasting my time hating you, or even talking to you right now, I have something better I’d rather be doing.”
Her face hardened but he paid no attention. He simply stepped away from her without another word, walking towards Juliet with every step measured.
Carlos was still by her side, waiting for him to arrive and take his spot. He nodded to Carlos as he stood in front of them, Carlos nodding in response as he took a step backwards from Juliet.
“Shall we?” was all he said as he stretched his arm towards her.
He watched her eyelashes flutter then slowly, calmly, raised her arm to link it with his. He felt her body stiffen next to him for a while before he could eventually feel the tension fade away.
He didn’t mind though. He remained frozen in place until she was ready to move her feet again. Because as she linked her arms with him and tightened her grip, something eased inside him.