Coffee People - Pedro Pascal by Emma Star

Chapter eleven, Not You

I tie my mask back around my head and return to the party. The crowd on the dancefloor is still several layers thick so I don't bother trying to make my way through. Instead I stick to the edges of the room, searching for my friends.

'Mila?' I hear someone say from behind me.

I recognize his voice. I turn around and find a tall curly haired guy standing quite close.

'Miles?' I say hesitantly.

'It is you, I recognized the dress.' He says, smiling.

He's wearing a simple crème colored mask that hides the upper part of his face except for his eyes. His suit is the same color as his mask and his shirt is a dark green. He looks handsome.

He knows which dress I'm wearing. Could he have seen me dancing with Peña? Could he have seen me leave as well? Peña followed me, did he recognize him too?

Thoughts of Peña brings back thoughts of our kiss just a few minutes ago. I feel my cheeks heat. Miles seems to notice and grins. He thinks he's the reason I'm blushing and I can't clarify without incriminating myself so I don't.

'Right.' I breathe, slightly panicked now.

Lets just stay calm and find out what he knows.

'Have you been looking for me?' I say innocently.

'Ofcourse, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to dance with you looking this beautiful.' He holds out his hand.

He's definitely getting bolder, yikes.

I see no other option but to accept his outstretched hand, so I do. He leads me towards the edge of the dancefloor. Soon enough we're on the dancefloor moving between people, not quite in the thick of the crowd. We're still free enough to dance with a little space in between our bodies. I'm grateful for it. Miles beams at me as we dance and it feels good to be looked at like that but he's not the person I want looking at me like that. Instead of hot need, cold dread fills me. He's clearly interested and I don't know how to signal that I'm not. I don't want to ruin our blossoming friendship.

I feel an awareness prickling and I look around. Peña's eyeing us, he looks fucking livid. One of his hands is curled up in a fist, his knuckles white. I smile a little. I can't help but love the fact that he's jealous. When I look back at Miles he's looking at Peña in confusion.

'Who is that?' He asks, a hint of bitterness in his voice.

'I-'

'Mila, there you are!' Lydia fills up my view. Jessie pops her head around Lydia's form in greeting.

Thank god for my friends.

Lydia leans over to Miles and says something inaudible. Then I'm being dragged off the dancefloor by my friends. Once we're in the corridor they turn around to face me.

'You looked in need of saving.' Jessie says. It's both a statement and a question.

'Yeah, thanks.' I confirm.

We leave the party. I am exhausted but Lydia and Jessie are still thrumming with energy. They start talking about the girl Lydia danced with, the one in the red dress. We're waiting for the bus when the conversation shifts to Jessie's dance partner. Lydia fires her with questions, most of which Jessie expertly evades. I don't hear half of what they're saying out of exhaustion.

'Where did you go Mila? I saw you leave.' Lydia suddenly says. Well, apparently not that suddenly, because both my friends are looking at me in silence.