Full Exclusive Rights (bxb)

24. The Lions Den

    Emma drags me to my bedroom and opens my closet.

   "I'm so excited. This is the first time I'm going to one of the famous parties of The Dark Prince," she chatters. "I've heard crazy things happening there. And when I say crazy, I mean it, you know, whips and handcuffs... Oh, boy! We'll step right into the lion's den."

   "Emma, please!" I look at her reproachfully. "Don't forget that it's Em you're talking about."

   "Oh, so now we're protective," she raises her brows. "Good! Then, you'll move your ass and finally get the boy, I assume."

   Emma starts digging in the piles of clothes with determination.

   "You're going to be the hottest thing at that party. You'll tell Em that you like him and I bet he'll smother you with kisses," she tosses a naughty look towards me, "If he can manage to restrain himself only to that, which I doubt." 

   She grabs a plunging V-neck fitness t-shirt and waves it under my nose.

   "Absolutely not!" I squeak terrified, grab the horrid thing and toss it under the bed. I didn't buy that. What is it doing in my closet?

   This will be a really long evening.

   The party for Lucky's birthday is tomorrow. It's going to be earlier than initially planned because next Saturday, when the actual birthday is, the band has a meeting with an agent from a record company to talk about making a record. 

   It's really important. Em told the boys that no alcohol was allowed the whole week. 

   I and Emma are invited to the party, of course. But we won't be able to go before ten p.m. since we have a dinner with her parents. It was planned a long time ago, so we couldn't cancel. I declined Em's offer to come and pick us and just took his address, assuring him that it's ok for us to go in a taxi.

   I'm nervous about the party. I haven't been to one for nearly three years. Emma's choice of outfit for me doesn't make it better either. I know, however, when it's pointless to argue.

   I'm sitting in the back seat of a taxi on Saturday evening.

   The super skinny white jeans leave nothing to the imagination because, according to Emma, "these gorgeous legs must be shown off". I don't agree, of course, neither with the "gorgeous legs" part, nor with showing off any part of my body. I obliged her anyway since, in some cases, disobeying this stubborn girl leads to endless arguments. She can be a real pain in the ass. 

   I'm not entirely comfortable with the fitted t-shirt either. It's glued to my body like a second skin.

   Obviously, Emma's idea of being sexy is wearing undersized clothes. 

   At least, I managed to slip in a knee long, open cardigan in light gray in the last possible moment and she couldn't snatch it out of my hands. It gives me some comfort along with my favorite red sneakers. 

   She smeared some kind of styling product on my hair, despite my protests. It made it even more tousled than usual and kind of spiky. 

   Now she's sitting next to me, fully content with her accomplishment. 

   "You look so hot that The Dark Prince will fall on his knees when he sees you," she grins.

   "Oh, please! I'll be glad if these damn jeans do not rip up in two when I sit down," I grumble.

   "This will only add to the effect, my dear" Emma giggles.

   Yeah, it will be quite a spectacle, the next one in the long chain.

   I sigh anxiously. Why is this so difficult? I had a whole day to repeat to myself that I could do this. I even made a plan and rehearsed what exactly to tell Em. Finally, I decided that I'd simply tell him that I like him and see what happens.

   But things never go our way, do they.

   After crawling for ten minutes up a steep, asphalt road, the taxi leaves us on the top of a hill, in front of the gates of a big, white, modern, two-storey house, overseeing the gulf. It's surrounded by a grove and no neighboring houses can be seen around, although, other asphalt lanes wind through the trees. 

   We hear the distant beats of the party and people shouting and laughing. It's almost half past ten and it's dark. The air is warm and smells like the sea. The waves are splashing somewhere below us. Although it's the end of September, it still feels like summer. 

   The alley, leading to the house is covered in dry leaves which rustle under our feet. The closer we get, the louder the sounds of the party are.

   Emma can't wait to get there but I'm nervous. I wonder if I'll have the guts to put my plans into action. What's more frustrating is that I don't know what the outcome will be. 

   There's an enormous pool in front of the main entrance. It's covered, probably because the water is not warm enough for swimming anymore. People are scattered around it, sitting on the deck chairs and chatting in the soft light of the vintage garden lanterns. 

   The main happening is inside the house. Beams of light in different colors escape the dark windows. Although the music is muffled, the vibrations of the basses can be felt as a physical sensation.

   Emma spots Lucky on one of the deck chairs, waving at us. She mutters "Come on girl! Be brave!" and squeezes my hand. 

   "Wish me luck!" she says more to herself than to me and scurries towards him. 

   I want to leave them alone, so I have no choice but to go in.

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A/N

Hello everyone who made it to the end of Chapter 24.

Thanks for reading and supporting! ❤❤❤

You're amazing!

How do you think the confession that Sunny's planning will go?

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See you in the next chapter.

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Love: Anny