I Adore You // Braeden Lemasters

Chapter 7: Drunk On Halloween

Natalie and Aubrey pulled up to the street and there were cars all up and down the block. Natalie immediately felt nervous. She didn't know many people in LA to begin with. But she really wasn't going to know anybody at the party, aside from Aubrey.

"I'm kinda nervous." She said.

"Don't be," Aubrey said with a smirk. "There will probably be alcohol. Just have some drinks and loosen up."

The inside of the house met the expectations the outside of the house had set. It was a giant home in the Hollywood hills. They let themselves through the front door and were greeted with a high ceiling that encased a chandelier which hung like a cherry on top.

"Wow," Aubrey exclaimed. "There is a hell of a lot of people here."

Natalie flashed her a nervous look. The house was buzzing with people all over. They made their way to the kitchen. A group of people were playing beer pong at the kitchen table. They were yelling and clapping.

Natalie found some vodka and poured it into a cup. Then she mixed it with lemonade. She clutched her cup like she depended on it.

"Hey don't drink too fast. I don't want you to get sick." Aubrey said.

They walked around the house, exploring and admiring its vastness a little. Aubrey ran into someone she knew from school and told Natalie she'd catch up with her later. Natalie spotted Dylan across the room. She wiggled her way through the crowd until she reached him.

"Hey," she said a little nervously. "I'm Natalie, we met the other night."

"I remember you." He laughed. "What's up?"

"Have you seen Braeden anywhere? I just figured I'd at least say hi."

He thought for a second. "Uh, yeah. Last time I saw him he was in the backyard."

She thanked him and made her way back to the kitchen to refill her cup. She swigged down another cup before finding her way to the french doors that gave way to the backyard. She looked around. There was a large pool in the center and lots of people all around. The blue light from the pool reflected onto everyone's faces. She searched for Braeden around the perimeter of the pool. Through a small group of people she caught a glimpse of his face.

"Hey," she said when she found him.

"Hey!" He said, clearly excited to see her. "I'm glad you could make it, thanks for coming."

He left his group of people and tossed his head back, emptying his cup.

"Who's house is this?" She asked curiously. "It's super beautiful."

He smiled, watching the ground. "This is Dylan's parent's house. They're in Indiana right now."

They headed into the house and made their way through the crowd. People tried to talk to Braeden here and there but he mostly just waved to them and shrugged them off. He lead her to a side door which gave off to the side yard. There was a bench swing with a fire pit in front of it.

It was dark out and they were alone. She took a seat on the swing as he tended the wood a moment.

"So," he said. "How's things been going? Has that guy tried to talk to you anymore?"

She sipped her cup and shrugged. "He blows up my phone every couple days. But I haven't said anything to him."

"Yeah," Braeden said, listening contently.

"I haven't seen him since I left that night... I don't know. Maybe I should just block his number, I guess."

"Well," he said. "You gotta do what's best for you. I know my opinion probably doesn't mean much, and it's maybe not my place... But that wasn't right, what he tried to do. That's super fucked up."

"Actually, I do care about your opinion." She said, pretty tipsy at this point. "I know... I know what he did was wrong. I guess I still think about him sometimes. I haven't really had anything serious since my first year of college. It's been like two years. I guess I missed having someone around... the attention. Someone who cares."

She looked down at her lap, maybe feeling like she shared too much. He watched her eyes carefully, until their eyes met.

"Well I care." He said.

She leaned in and kissed him softly. Then she searched his eyes for a moment. And he leaned back in and kissed her again.