His Unexpected: A Demon Romance (COMPLETE)

Chapter Thirteen - Look at Me - PART 1

Blaise

I adjusted my dress for the hundredth time since I put it back on an hour earlier and snuck a glance at Ash across the dimly lit limousine.

Once I emerged from the dressing room just days earlier, Vel had gasped and then fumbled to pull a pair of glimmering open-toe heels from an Alt box. When I slid them on and did an awkward little turn in front of the mirrors, they'd clapped and told me that the dress must have been made for me, despite my hesitations on wearing it out of the fitting room, but Ash... Ash had said nothing, taking in my attire with an intense, guarded expression, and then walking across the studio to watch out the windows.

I wasn't able to linger on it then— I was too caught up in Vel's excitement as they jazzed up my outfit with a thin, gold accent belt and had me pose for their Polaroid collection— but as we rode to the event in near-silence, I couldn't stop thinking about how odd it was. Even with my headphones blasting music into my ears, I couldn't drown out the uncertainty. To make it worse, I hadn't been able to get a read on Ash at all since the fitting. Even around the house, he'd been oddly distant, and not having a single idea what was on his mind was almost worse than when I'd been afraid of his emotions.

I sighed heavily to lighten some of the pressure in my chest, but I couldn't stop fidgeting the whole ride to the venue. On the way to the "Smoke" event, Ash had been so reassuring, but tonight, we might as well have been in different cars. The neckline on my dress felt too tight, and I couldn't stop bouncing my leg. My hand went to the cut in the right side of my skirt that ran up to my hip and I scratched at my bare skin.

It wasn't until Ash's gloved hand covered mine, curling around my thigh and pinning it down that I stopped moving. My eyes snapped up from my lap and I bit my cheek nervously. He still seemed closed-off, and the last-minute addition to his outfit wasn't helping. The gold, satin Alt gloves didn't completely block Ash's energy, but they dampened it, made it harder to read. Even so, his aura was far less erratic than mine, and helped me get a grip on my spiraling anxiety.

"Breathe," he said, the word silenced by my headphones but his lips clear, and I did my best to listen. I closed my eyes and focused on his warm hand over my thigh, his even presence across from me, and felt my heart begin to slow. An intrusive thought snuck its way into my reverie, but before I could worry about Ash picking up on it, he was pulling away. He couldn't read minds— he'd assured me of that much— but I didn't need him noticing my energy shift as I remembered how his bare hands had felt running up and down my legs.

My skin felt cold where his palm had rested and I opened my eyes with a shiver. Ash was watching me, but turned away when I met his green gaze. Why won't you look at me?

I tugged my headphones down, Protest the Hero's lead vocals quieting to a soft hum on the seat next to me, and pulled my bag into my lap.

"How close are we?" I asked. We couldn't be far. It felt like we'd been in the car for an eternity. Ash glanced at his watch and then back out the window.

"A few minutes," he replied coolly. "There won't be a photo entrance this time."

"Because 'exclusive' or whatever?"

"Exactly."

"And what about New York Fashion Week?" I asked, reaching for something I couldn't put my finger on. Ash felt too far away, and I didn't want to be left alone at an unfamiliar event.

"What about it?" Ash replied.

"Will we be wearing these same outfits? Or something from Alt again?"

"No," Ash said with a faint laugh. "We are going to this preview because I was invited by the CEO of Alt. I'm not directly associated with the company, save the occasional modeling appearance. For the main red-carpet event we're attending next month, we will wear clothing from Vel's line."