Chapter 47 "Wanna Bet?"
Chapter 47 "Wanna Bet?"
Aellorah
A dozen dresses later, I stood outside the fitting room, unable to decide between my two favorites. “Which one did you like?” I asked Max, holding them both up.
“The red one suits your figure, but I like the blue against your skin,” Max replied, apparently unable to choose one over the other.
“So…?”
“The blue,” he finally declared. “Let’s get you some heels, as well.”
“I have heels—”
“That Hayden probably left behind,” he finished with an indulgent smile.
By the time we left the boutique, I had multiple bags in my hands, the dress and various accessories. “All of this wasn’t necessary,” I told him with a smile.
“Baby, a thousand dollars is hardly a dent in my monthly allowance,” Max replied with a laugh. “I want you to look absolutely beautiful tonight.”
“And you?”
“I already have a suit, but… I got a matching tie,” he said as he lifted his own bag, grinning at me. “We’ll knock the socks off everyone tonight, my love.”
Back at the house, Hayden, Jax, and Killian were lounging on the couch, surrounded by boxes overflowing with my belongings.
“Did you bring the entire dorm?” I asked, cocking a brow at Hayden.
“Hardly, little mouse. There’s still half of your closet left, and some of your books,” he replied, glancing up from the TV. “Shopping trip went well?”
Max
“Yeah, it went well. Why aren’t you assholes getting ready for tonight?” I asked, tightening my arm around Aellorah’s waist.
“Relax, bro,” Jax replied, sitting up on the couch. “We’ve still got… an hour.”
“Come on, baby,” I said, turning to Aellorah. “Let’s get you all dressed up.”
Picking up one of the boxes, I nodded to her and led her upstairs to my room—our room. “I’ll clear some space in the closet for you,” I promised, setting the box at the foot of the bed. “We can take your costumes down and hang them in the studio.”
Aellorah had been in my room before, but now she was looking around as if seeing it for the first time. She spun in a slow circle, eyes appraising every wall, traveling over the bed and sparse décor.
“What is it?” I asked with a smirk.
“You don’t have enough room in here for me,” she replied bluntly, eyes still fixed on the walls around us. “And the bathroom?”
“Hayden claimed the master when we got the house,” I reminded her. “You’ll share the one in the hall, the same as us.”
Aellorah’s pretty pink lips turned down into a frown of displeasure. “You want me to share a bathroom with three men?” she asked, raising a blonde eyebrow at me.
“You don’t have much of a choice, Princess.”
“Wanna bet?” she asked smugly, crossing her arms over her chest.
I opened my mouth to reply, but she was already hurrying out of the room.
“Aellorah!” I followed after her as she descended the stairs two at a time.
“Hayden?”
“What’s up?” He looked up from the TV.
“What do you want in exchange for your room?” Aellorah asked bluntly.
“Excuse me?” Hayden sat up, cocking an eyebrow at her in disbelief.
“You’re one person. Max and I need more room,” Aellorah said. “So, what can I give you in exchange for the master bedroom?”
“What do you have to offer?” he countered with a wide grin.
“If you suggest anything sexual, I’ll punch you in the throat,” Aellorah replied with a glare. Hayden and the guys burst into a fit of laughter.
“Tell you what, little dancer, how about you promise me we’ll all benefit from your ballet career, and I’ll give you the room?” Hayden suggested.
“How would you—”
“Tickets, photo shoots, traveling…” Hayden explained with a grin. “You really can’t go anywhere alone, anyway, so…” He rose from the couch, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “I wouldn’t complain if you hooked me up with one of your little ballerina friends,” he added. Aellorah tilted her head, looking up at him thoughtfully.
“Actually, I do know someone who might be interested,” she finally replied. “When the spring auditions start, I’ll have you all come up to the company with me.”
“Deal, shorty,” Hayden agreed, ruffling her hair. “We’ll swap rooms tomorrow.”
Aellorah smirked as she looked over at me, her expression smug as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“Alright, little brat,” I finally said. “You got what you wanted. Come on, let’s go get dressed.”
Aellorah
It would have been a lie to say I didn’t feel smug as I followed Max back upstairs. Hayden hadn’t needed all that much convincing to give me what I wanted. Perhaps some part of him agreed that Max and I needed more space than he did.
“What are you planning to do with your hair?” Max asked, dumping the bags out on the bed and laying out our purchases.
“Messy bun with a braid, with some loose areas framing my face,” I replied turning to look into the standing mirror in the corner of his room.
“Need any help with it?” he offered.
I shook my head, smiling at him in the reflection. My mother taught me how to do my own hair when I was eight. It would take longer to let him help me. “How about makeup?”
“You can ask Hayden if he brought anything from my bathroom,” I replied with a shrug, already going to work on my hair.
“I’ll be right back,” he assured me, leaving the room and closing the door behind him. The bedroom was quiet. Too quiet. I pulled out my new phone and opened a playlist, turning the music up and filling the silence. As I braided a section of hair, my thoughts wandered toward my family.
I didn’t want to, but I found myself wondering what my father was doing, where my brothers were at that very moment. A shudder rippled through me as I imagined them on campus, keeping an eye on my now-empty dorm room.
“Baby? Everything okay?” I hadn’t even realized Max had returned with my makeup bag until he stepped into the reflection of the mirror.
“Sorry. Yeah… Everything’s fine,” I replied, taking the bag from him and setting it on the floor beside me.
“You sure?”
“I’m sure,” I agreed with a reassuring smile. “Just got lost in a thought. Come on; I’ll help you dress.”