I bid Aaron a quick and formal farewell to leave the company. I notice that he remains tense about everything. I let him guide me by the waist and hope that we'll be alone in the car to have a proper and calm conversation.
As soon as he closes his door and we're both seated in the car, I cross my arms, annoyed at not understanding anything, his attitude, his kisses, nothing.
"Explain to me right now what all that was about," I say, pointing towards the company.
"I'm sorry, but Aaron is an idiot who has always been interested in my conquests. For some strange reason, any girl I dated, he also did. You can understand that I don't like it, but my father does, so I have to put up with him once a year to renew the contract," he explains, frustrated.
"I understand that. What I'm asking is that you explain things to me before we enter any place so I can be prepared for the uncomfortable questions about us," I say, looking out the window.
"As for the kisses, I hope you understand that it's part of the show. We can't be engaged without kissing, don't you think?" he says, more relaxed now.
"You're right about that. As I said, I understand everything we have to do and pretend, I just ask you to mentally prepare me, so I don't make any mistakes," I say, feeling nervous.
"Noted. From now on, we'll be completely honest with each other to be more transparent," he says, serious.
"Good," is all I say.
I don't even notice where we're heading. I rest my head on the seatback, close my eyes, and try not to think. When I open my eyes, I see that we're at the hotel where Mason is staying. I watch him park the car and turn off the engine. As he gets out of the car, he walks towards my door and helps me out. As usual, he takes my hand.
We walk smoothly until he stops, and I see the same girl he was with in the morning in the hotel lobby. This throws him off guard because I was following behind him, and the girl didn't see me as she approached him to greet him.
"Darling, I've been waiting for you," the girl says flirtatiously.
I let go of Mason's hand, and he immediately looks back. I smile and adjust my bag, taking the lead over my boyfriend/fiancé and say with a smile, "Thanks for lunch. Have a good afternoon," not giving him a chance to respond.
I take out my phone and call Riley. I don't know what the hell I'll tell her, but she's the only one I can think of to pick me up.
"Can you come and get me?" I ask as soon as she says hello.
"Sure, where are you?" she asks.
I tell her the name of the hotel and head out of the lobby to wait outside. I'm behaving like a spoiled child, I know. I even keep my phone to my ear, pretending to be on a call, just to keep Mason from approaching me. Though I subtly turn around and see him talking to the girl who greeted him.
I don't understand why it bothers me. We're nothing, we won't be anything. He's probably with that woman or will be with her, I don't know anymore. Riley must have driven at full speed because she arrives in no time. I get into her car, and just as I do, I see Mason coming out of the hotel, looking in all directions. When he doesn't see me, he runs his hand through his hair, displaying his frustration with the situation.
Riley sees him but doesn't make any gesture to indicate that we're nearby. Seeing him go back inside, she moves forward to leave. Before we're out of sight of the hotel, I notice that the girl who greeted him is no longer in the lobby, but she didn't leave either.
I prefer to stop thinking about it. Besides, Riley is waiting for me to tell her what happened since I called her to pick me up, and I don't know what to make up. I'm not good at lying; I never have been.
"I'm not going to ask you anything, and I don't even expect you to tell me what happened. We're just getting to know each other, but I want you to know that if you call me to pick you up, I'll come without asking questions, just like now. Don't tell me anything, let's change the mood of the day and go out together. I've already dressed up for the occasion," she says, laughing and dancing.
Where do you find friends like this? She's too good for this world. If only everyone were like Riley, the world would be a better place.
"What's the occasion you dressed up for?" I ask with a smile.
"What do you mean? It's the welcome party! I won't take no for an answer. We're going, we'll have a few beers, and then we'll go to bed because we have classes tomorrow. We won't stay up too late, I promise!" she says, raising her right hand.
"Just a moment, no excessive drinking," I tell her, playing the role of her mother.
Seeing my motherly gesture, we both burst into laughter. She turns up the radio, and a popular song called "Miss" starts playing. We dance and sing at the top of our lungs. I'm becoming a girl my age next to Riley. I used to be too mature in some things, but we're taught to behave in society, so as not to embarrass our families at social gatherings.
Anyway, I think I can finally live instead of just survive. I'll be able to enjoy what I've always wanted to do: be a teenager who doesn't have to worry about what others think.
After singing, we arrive at the faculty where the party will be held. Before getting out of the car, Riley grabs my arm and stops me.
"We arrive together, and we leave together. No matter what happens, don't let me go without you," she says seriously, and for a moment, I'm scared by the tone of her voice.
"I say the same. We won't leave without each other," I reply, intertwining our hands as a commitment.
After that, we get out and enter what would be the best night of my life. It's worth mentioning that it's the first party of this kind that I attend. I feel very excited.
We start with a beer, taking care not to drink too much. We make sure they are sealed beers and refuse anything served in a glass. We dance, only with each other, refusing to dance with strangers. We both understand that tonight is about the two of us.
Several hours pass, I'm not sure exactly how many, not because I'm drunk, but because I haven't looked at my phone at all. Riley shouts over the music.
"Shall we go?" I nod.
We leave, and I realize that the sky is not as dark as when we arrived. It makes me wonder how many hours we've been here. I search for my phone in my bag, take it out, and as soon as I see the time, I almost drop it. It's 3 a.m., and I have many missed calls and messages from Mason. After noticing that, I see the time and can't believe my eyes.
"What happened to our 'just a moment' plan?" I say to Riley, who laughs.
"I think we lost track of time," she says, laughing.
"I think you lost track of your drinks. So, I'll be driving," I reply, taking the keys from her hands.
"I'm not drunk, just happy," she says, smiling.
"Yeah, sure. Just get in," I open the door, and she gets in, laughing.
I drive to the university residence while Riley sings and yawns. I just hope she stays awake. I don't have the strength to carry her to the room, especially with her boots and dress, without her clinging to me.
I park the car and help her get out while waking her up as she's falling asleep. We make our way, or should I say, we struggle to get to the room because my companion is moving more backward than forward. Mental note: don't let her drink so much when we go to a party unless I have help to get her to bed.
Finally, we arrive, and I take her straight to her bed. She falls like a sack of potatoes, and I cover her with a blanket. I go to the bathroom and calmly brush my teeth, at least until I hear my phone ringing. Who could be calling me at this hour? I step out of the bathroom and pick it up, nearly dropping my toothbrush when I see that it's Mason. What is he doing calling me at this hour?
"Hello?" I say hesitantly.
"Paige! I finally managed to reach you. I've been sending you messages all night," he says with a sigh.
"I'm sorry, I haven't checked my phone at all. Did something happen?" I ask about the timing of his call.
"Well, um, yeah, I just wanted to explain that the girl he greeted is..." he begins to explain something I didn't ask for.
"There's no need to explain. You have your life, and I have mine. I'm not angry or anything. I just forgot my phone in my bag and didn't hear it," I tell him as I walk to the bathroom to finish brushing my teeth.
"Oh, okay, but I don't want you to think things that aren't true," he insists.
"I'm not thinking anything, don't worry about it. Everything's fine. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to sleep because tomorrow, or rather, in a few hours, I have classes," I say, laughing.
"I'm sorry for calling you at this hour. I just wanted to clear things up," he says nervously.
"No problem. We'll talk tomorrow. Good night," I say, and when he says goodbye, I end the call.
I set the alarm and fall asleep fully dressed. I'm really exhausted. I just take off my boots, throw myself on the bed, and forget about everything as I close my eyes.
I hear the alarm ringing in the distance and don't want to open my eyes. I just closed them, and now it's time to get up. I groan, half asleep, until I turn off the alarm and sit on the bed. I'm more sleepy than eager to start the day. I'll never go to a party the night before classes, especially when I have an early morning class.
With all the sleepiness in the world, I take a shower to shake off the drowsiness. When I come out, I see that Riley is still asleep. I yell at her, but she doesn't move. I shake her, but she continues to sleep. I wet my fingers and gently brush them against her cheeks, which startles her awake. She covers her head with the pillow, trying to go back to sleep.
"If you keep this up, you won't have time to do your makeup or get ready like a proper young lady," I say happy.
That makes my partner get out of bed cursing at everything in sight. I laugh when I hear her in the shower, she claims and says the same as me, that she will no longer attend a party one day before a class first thing, I hope if we both follow through.