Selena
I'm shredding the white gel off my nails, staring at Marc's best friend's house as Adam parks at the front.
"Let's go, princess." He sighs, stepping out of the car.
Can I just stay in here? Will anyone even notice I'm not there?
Obviously. It's your stupid engagement party. Besides, you already canceled on Imaan.
My head is woozy with wine, but dear anxiety is quickly sobering me up. We approach the mahogany door, which I dreadfully knock three times.
We're here!
Should I say that?
We finally made it! Traffic was horrible.
Insert fake laugh.
The door opens and my breath hitches in preparation.
"Oh my Goodness, look who's finally here!" Marc's aunt, who has an endless number of wrinkles on her tanned face, throws her arms around me like a long lost relative.
Don't cringe. Just tolerate it. You have to.
"We made it..." I force out a pained chuckle.
"Wow, and who is this?" She gives Adam a dazed and sparkling once-over, in awe of his overpowering testosterone.
"Oh, that's just Adam," I wave her off. As if hang out with 6'5 tattooed brooding men like all the time. "He's kind of uh...my bodyguard?"
Body. Guard. Guarding. Bodies. My. Body.
Versions of what that can mean attack my mind. Inappropriate. Heart-throbbing. Store-for-later—
"Huh? Really? That's odd. Anyway!" She snatches my wrist and drags me in. "Come on, you're late. Everyone's waiting for you!"
"Well, Marc didn't even tell me about..." Chatters attack my left ear, whipping my focus towards the open kitchen area with all the party guests.
Oh no.
"Come on." Marc's aunt whispers, taking me in the opposite direction, towards the hallway with bedrooms. Adam's towering form doesn't miss a single beat, following closely behind us.
He also doesn't seem too fond of the crowd, even though he doesn't know them yet.
Frat dudes with trust funds and sports cars. Like dude, I bet you my toe that you completely suck in bed. The girls are gorgeous, of course. They're like the popular, mean girls of high school. Except, we've entered an 'adult' phase in our lives, where bullying others isn't 'cool' anymore.
Now it's fake smiles and meaningless small talk. I'm not friends with anyone here and I doubt anyone is even interested to really know me.
"Close your eyes..." Marc's aunt pauses in front of a white door, smiling with scary excitement.
"Do I have to?"
"Close them!"
I stifle a groan and shut my lids, counting every long second.
She shuffles in, rustling something that sounds like a thick plastic sheet. A zipper swipes wide. This could only be one thing and one thing only. Fuuuck me. I hope she didn't buy me a dre—
"You can open—"
I don't want to.
The instant they find the nightmare she's holding for me, my soul exits my body. An invisible fist punches me in the gut.
YOU ARE READING
Falling Forbidden (Unfinished)
Romance"Breathe, sweetheart. That's it. You're not going anywhere." She's anxious and sensitive. He's quiet and protective. A story in which she's arranged to marry, but falls in love with her bodyguard. Secretly struggling on the spectrum, Selena is furi...
