Two Worlds Apart

Chapter 8: Party

                             Brielle

As I got to the castle gates I was surprised there was no one guarding the gates, talk about security. Well I'll take this to my advantage.

And like Stella had said she waited for me outside the gates and hiding behind a tree.

"I'm so excited it's the first time in well a very long time you came to a party with me" she said while wrapping an arm in mine.

"Yeah well it wasn't easy Jace saw me"

"Oh well what did he say"

"Well I blackmailed him to make me go to Rune's party nothing much" I smirked.

"If you say so. Let's get this party started" she giggled.

                               °°°

The moment I stepped into Rune's party, I could feel all the eyes on me. The fitted white dress hugged every curve, stopping just at mid-thigh. It was bold, maybe a little too much, but I didn’t care. I wanted to feel confident tonight, and judging by the way heads turned, it was working.

I spotted Theon by the bar, casually leaning against the counter like he always did, drink in hand, talking with some guys. I swear, the second he looked up and saw me, everything shifted. He paused mid-conversation, his green eyes locking onto mine. For a split second, I thought I saw something flash across his face—surprise, maybe? Or something deeper?

I kept walking, pretending I didn’t notice, but I could feel his gaze burning into me. It wasn’t just a casual glance. He was watching me. Like, really watching me. I could practically feel the heat from his stare as I made my way across the room, brushing past a few guys who were clearly taking in the dress too.

And Theon? He didn’t like that. Not one bit. I saw it in the way his jaw tightened when one of them smiled at me. I caught it again when I laughed with Stella a little too loudly. But what struck me most was the way he couldn’t seem to look away, even when he tried to act like he wasn’t bothered. He was. I know him too well not to notice that small flicker of jealousy hidden beneath his usual calm.

The attention from everyone else didn’t matter. It was his reaction that lingered in the air, thick with something unspoken, something we never addressed but always felt. And for once, I knew I wasn’t the only one feeling it.

"Hey, you came," Rune said, greeting us with a grin.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," I replied, my expression immediately twisting in disgust as he pulled Stella into a deep kiss.

"Ugh, you gross me out," I muttered, trying to look anywhere but at them.

"What, jealous?" Stella smirked, wiping a bit of lipstick off Rune's cheek.

"As if," I scoffed, crossing my arms.

"It's a party, Brielle! Go have fun and find someone to make out with," she teased, giggling as if the idea was the most obvious solution to my boredom.

"Over my dead body," I retorted, rolling my eyes. "I’d rather not catch some love-struck disease."

I felt Theon’s presence beside me, his usual silence stretching out like a shadow. "What about you, Theon?" Stella asked, turning her attention toward him. "Are you gonna let her mope all night or what?"

Theon’s lips curved into a slight smirk, and he finally spoke, his voice laced with that annoying calmness that always got under my skin. "She’s perfectly capable of having fun on her own."

"Wow, I didn’t realize you two were attached at the hip now," Rune teased, nudging Stella playfully. "Guess Brielle’s standards have dropped."

I was about to fire back when Theon took a step closer to me, closing the gap between us. "Let’s prove them wrong," he whispered, leaning in just enough so that only I could hear him. "Unless you’re too scared?"