After having been bombarded by the flashing of camera bulbs, the calm, warm lighting of the restaurant was highly regarded by Aria, earning a small sigh of relief as she saw that there were hardly any other people inside the restaurant, too. While it was a fancy, expensive little Italian place, it wasn't a loud one; she could hear the mutterings of the people that dined beyond the double doors that the hostess guarded, but other than that and the smooth jazz playing in the background, there wasn't much noise at all.
The hostess had a big smile set upon her small face, her green eyes meeting everyone else's when she greeted them, "You must be the big party that we've been waiting for," she commented, "I must say, my manager was really delighted that you decided to come here for your little get-together; don't be surprised if he stops by your table."
Something about the restaurant seemed terribly familiar to Aria. She couldn't quite shake this feeling, even when they were walking through it, to the back room where the rest of their party sat. The red carpeting, the dim lighting, it all seemed to ring bells in her mind, though for a good reason or a bad one, she couldn't really tell. Willing herself to shake off the feeling, she stepped through the door to the back room with Luke's hand in hers, bracing herself for the looks that she was bound to get from his band mates.
Sure, they'd been nice the first time that she met them, but would they extend her the same courtesy the second time around? It seemed that time was the only thing capable of answering her question, at the moment.
Before she could even gain her bearings and tell everyone hello, she felt a warm embrace, and her nose immediately took in the scent of an expensive, flowery perfume, "Oh my gosh, I've heard so much about you from Ashton!" the rich, feminine voice told her as she let go of her, "Sorry if I'm being a little too touchy-feely. I don't know how you feel about hugs, but I'm just an affectionate person." Whoever this was, she sure did talk a lot.
Aria took in a deep breath again, looking at the person once she let go of her; she was a rather attractive girl, who seemed like she was a little more than a year older than her, choppy, dark brown hair cut into a bob, her makeup so perfect it was approaching godliness. "My name is Ivy, by the way," she introduced herself, a small smile playing upon her pink lips.
Aria couldn't help but smile back; this girl was well-intentioned, she could tell. "My name is, uh," she felt everyone's eyes on her then, but she continued to give her name, "My name is Aria."
Luke's face fell only a little, and he quickly recovered as they sat down next to each other, but she could tell that there was a certain disappointment that he held within his eyes, then. And justly so, too. Even though he'd been calling her by that name for weeks now, she still wasn't comfortable with it. As hard as it was to say, as much as she wanted to accept that name for what it was, she still couldn't do that. Calling herself by that name that she had despised so much before Luke had come along felt like she was sacrificing a part of herself.
Luke could call her that name, but no one else. At least, not right now.
"So, I understand congratulations are in order," Ashton smirked, looking over at Luke, "Luke finally understands the concept of monogamy." Ivy giggled a little beside him, and elbowed him in the ribs.
"What Ash meant to say was that he congratulates you guys on getting together," she translated, earning a small eye-roll from Ashton; she retaliated by shooting him a look, "I imagine he said so as his last words, since he seems to have a deathwish tonight," she said icily, turning her eyes to the menu as Calum snickered on the other side of Ashton.
