"So what..?" || Kevin Álvarez

||1|| Stupid Parties.

I loved nights like these. When the city felt alive and vibrant due to festivities. I watched as the decorations, festivals, and people flew by us in a blur. Too bad this was the only glimpse of the festival I was going to get tonight because I was on my way to a stupid party. One like many of the other parties my family dragged me to when I was little. I hated them.
He was driving too fast, never paying attention to the things he should. Like always. "Slow down," I said quietly. It had been extremely quiet during the ride, so the sound of my own voice, as low as it was, startled even me.
"hm." He slowed down reluctantly.
We reached a red light. That's when he turned to me and placed a hand on my thigh. I shivered at his cold hand.
I hate the cold.
"Lighten up for God's sake. Why are you always so depressed." His hand had begun to squeeze my leg slowly. I kept looking forward not wanting to face him and scoffed. The unamused expression was bluntly on my face.
"Alejandro," I stated harsher than intended but I didn't mind. I didn't want to keep talking about this. I knew that I would end up getting way too frustrated, and the small chance of me having a little bit of fun tonight would diminish. That is if there even was any at all.
He began to drive again. We were close to the hotel where the party would be held. The cars parked on the road became increasingly higher in prestige. Almost serving as an indication that we were heading the right way.
"Don't be like that."
Alejandro sometimes never knew how to shut up.
"Come on, we're getting married in a couple of months. You might as well get used to my nagging."
I hate nagging.
"Maybe because I'm being dragged to a stupid party to be locked in for hours." I hissed finally turning to him and making sure he registered my glare. I noticed my shoulders were tense.
His jaw clenched as he retracted his hand from its place on my thigh. The rest of the drive was silent, and I sighed quietly in relief. I crossed my legs and leaned against the car door; trying to create as much distance as I could. My shoulders would not relax.
We parked outside the luxurious hotel. I'll assume the host of the party was whoever owned the thing. I was about to get out when he stopped me. His hand tightly gripped my wrist. "Listen. I don't like that little attitude you've been having lately nor do I plan on tolerating it for much longer. You're my fiancé. Act like it." His cold, blue eyes glared into mine. I stared back but stayed silent. "We're going to go in there and you're going to sit there to look pretty. Remember our parents will be joining us... and you don't want to disappoint them, do you?"
I felt my chest tighten,  yanked my wrist away, and got out of the car without saying anything. It smelled like tobacco and alcohol. God, I hated these stupid parties. As Alejandro locked arms with me and began walking towards the entrance, I felt like a bird being trapped in a fucking cage. Fancy music played in the background as I put on a smile and greeted people I pretended to care about. I let Alejandro do most of the talking like always. Not like he'd let me talk anyway.
Once deep in the building, my heart sank just a bit as I caught sight of my parents. Alejandro followed my gaze and immediately walked towards them. Fuck.
"Y/n! Alejandro!" My mother called out enthusiastically. "You two just make the cutest couple already!" She continued. I hesitated before smiling at her and greeting her and Dad with a quick hug.
"Hello Mrs. L/n, Thank you. We've been in extremely good moods living together the past month." He shook my dad's hand and then leaned down to kiss my mother's hand. Liar.
What a gentleman. I almost rolled my eyes. I decided to block out the rest of the conversation and just agree to everything in hopes of irritating him. It seemed to work because by the time Alejandro's parents showed up, he had sent me to get them a bottle of whiskey. I didn't want to greet them anyway. He was trying to hide the fact it was obvious that I was bored out of my mind. He didn't like it when people didn't act the way he wanted them to.
I started to regret zoning out so much the whole time because I was completely lost looking for the whiskey. I wasn't even sure what I was looking for. Whatever, I thought, maybe this was a good opportunity to escape and wander for a little bit with the excuse that I got lost. The more guests seemed to arrive at the party, the more stressed I became.
The hotel was more old-money style and had fancy furniture that seemed like it belonged on the set of Titanic. Some of the paintings on the wall were pleasant to look at but most of them were strangely creepy. The eyes of the creepy paintings seemed to follow your every move. Judging you. The paintings were like every other guest at this damn party.
After many turns left and trips up and down the stairs, I found a mini-casino area that didn't seem to have many people in it. The machines looked old but there were still people playing. There was a bar, one of many in this hotel, so I went and took a seat there. A couple minutes later a group of people sat down next to me. I didn't bother to check who they were, still insisting to myself to block everyone and everything out.
"L/n Y/n?" A raspy, old voice calls out. I instinctively look up at the sound of my name.
"..that's me" I respond finally taking a look at who the group was. It was an older couple, around my parents' age, and a younger... couple. I'm assuming. I didn't recognize any of them so I was a bit confused. The younger couple didn't seem to be paying as much attention to me as the older man who called out my name, and they had their backs turned.
(T: oh, of course, you look so much like your mother)
"o por supuesto, te pareces tanto a tu mama," said the older woman, her hands locked with the man's
"thanks..?" I said a bit awkwardly. I wasn't completely sure what to say to these strangers. "I uh get that a lot." I tried to smile but they could probably tell I was confused by the look on my face.
"perdón, we should have introduced ourselves." The older couple was now standing in front of me. I shook their hands. "I'm Mr. Alvarez, and this is my wife. I'm your father's new business partner, an old friend."
Oh. These are important people. "Gusto conocerlos." I smiled slightly, genuinely this time because they seemed like nice enough people. It was a bit refreshing.
(T: And, how old are you?)
"Y cuantos años tienes, mija" asked Mrs. Alvarez.
(T: I'm turning 21 this month)
"Cumplo 21 este mes" I answered politely
"oh! That's a nice coincidence- our son is also around that age. 22 or 23 I think?." Mr. Alvarez stated matter of factly. "Speaking of which, where is he?" He adds on. He glanced over his shoulder and seemed to be relieved as he saw the young couple had simply just moved to a small table across the room. "There he is! Always moving around so fast." He mumbled that last part.
I followed his gaze and saw the young couple had their backs turned to us. I internally groaned, not in the mood to greet any more people, but kept up the smile.
"Kevin! Come over here." Called out Mrs. Alvarez.
I saw the woman next to him look over. She looked almost frustrated. She had pale skin and short brown hair. Then I saw their son stand. Both his father and I followed his movements. I was a bit intrigued now.
He turned to walk towards us and that's when I saw him. Dark hair styled nicely and warm brown eyes. As he came closer I noticed the tattoos that peeked out on his neck. We made eye contact.
"Kevin, this is Y/n. She's the daughter of a good friend of mine."
Kevin held his hand out and I reached towards it expecting a handshake. Instead, he leaned down and planted a kiss on the back of my hand. I would be lying if I said I wasn't suddenly more awake.
(T: it's a pleasure to meet you, Y/n)
"Es un placer conocerte, Y/n," he said softly with a smile letting go of my hand.
"igualmente," I reply simply smiling back and keeping our eyes locked even when he would look away. Then I saw the woman that was sitting with him creep up and lock arms with him.
"Kevin, what's taking you so long?" She asked with a pout. She was prettier up close yet she didn't bother to glance at me.
"Well, I'll leave you three to talk. I'm going to go look for your father" Mr. Alvarez smiled at all of us as he walked away with his wife.
"Mmm, You guys are cute together," I say half-sarcastically. I didn't bother to ask if they were together by the way she was all up on him. Hm.
"Yes, aren't we so cute baby?" She asked looking at him. He didn't reply and looked down. I cringed at the corny pet name and held back a scoff. "We're married actually," She said louder than before.
"Congratulations..?" I say glancing at Kevin. He was quiet. Maybe he was having a bad night too.
"Y/n! There you are" called out a familiar voice.
I slightly froze then turned to see Alejandro. He changed his expression when he realized I was currently in conversation. There goes my little freedom.
"Alejandro.." I say in acknowledgment. The moment he reached us, his hand snaked towards my waist. His touch was cold.
He gives Kevin and his wife a quick, greeting nod but it seems more like an apology. "I got lost and bumped into my dad's new business partner. He introduced me to his son and his wife." I explain before he can even ask. I'm relieved when he nods without insisting and proceeds to properly greet the couple in front of us.
"I'm sorry about my fiancé. She tends to get lost." Alejandro emphasized fiancé like he always did when there was another man present. The audacity. Kevin had this woman attached to the hip and he was still acting like an insecure little boy. Sure Kevin was extremely handsome but it was beyond me to ever cheat, and he was married. He had nothing to worry about even if this engagement was completely materialistic. I think.
"No, there's no reason to apologize." His gaze flicked to Alejandro, to his hand on my waist,  then to my eyes. He smiled at us.
I smiled genuinely back at him like I had with his parents. His wife's eyes couldn't seem to leave him. I couldn't tell if she was really in love or frustrated. Hell, maybe she was just constipated for all I knew. But the little energy I had tonight had completely depleted.
I zoned out again while I let my fiancé do the talking. I would have stayed in my thoughts more if it wasn't for me catching the glances Kevin kept stealing from me when Alejandro and his wife weren't looking. It was a little weird, but he was the most interesting thing about my night so far.
"Well, me and my fiancé ought to get back to our families. It was nice meeting you." Alejandro states quite suddenly. It took me a bit by surprise. We make our goodbyes quick. As I walk away I can't help but look back at Kevin. I give a quick smile when I see him give a small wave. I was pulled to turn a corner before I could wave back.
The rest of the night went the same way it had started. Clinging onto Alejandro and forcing polite greetings. Making my parents think I was happy about getting married. The plain vegan food that was served didn't help either, nor did the smell of alcohol and tobacco. I felt nauseous by the time we got home.
"Was it that hard?" Asked Alejandro as he locked the door. Yes, it was hard, but I didn't reply.
"Goodnight Alejandro." I made my way through the big house and into my room. He didn't follow.
After a warm shower finally in solitude, and after lighting my favorite scented candle, I lay in bed to go to sleep. Considering how tired I was it was really impressive how hard it was for me to sleep. Maybe it was because I missed my old room, at least I didn't have to sleep in the same room as Alejandro yet. I groaned just thinking about it. In around 10 months from now, I'll be walking the aisle to my literal doom. Endless days of being muted and just letting life drift forward. Maybe that's why I couldn't sleep; I was utterly terrified. If tonight was a glimpse into what the rest of my life would be like, I would be willing to do everything to avoid it.

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If you read up till here uhm, have a cupcake 🧁
I doubt anyone will read this so I'm not worried about a schedule. I'll just write when I feel like it. Anyways make sure to stay hydrated
!!

Also please lmk if there's any typos or grammar I need to fix. I read through it only once to double check. 😭💕