My Promise To you: a Kian Lawley and Bethany Mota fanfic

Chapter 5

Kian looked at his reflection in his long mirror. He was wearing jeans with a few rips in them, a button up shirt, and black boots. Kian made sure he still looked casual, but not too casual for a party. He took a deep breath and practiced what he would say to Bethany when knocking on her door.

"Hey, Beth! You ready?" Kian said into the mirror, his voice full of cheer. He laughed to himself. It'll come natural. Just go with the flow.

"Kian!" JC yelled from downstairs. Kian groaned and ran to the top of the staircase. "It's 7:58." JC said, looking at his phone.

"Alright, alright. I'll be going soon." He grabbed his phone, and fixed his collar. Then, he shuffled downstairs and walked out his front door.

It was just getting dark, and since it was a summer night, the sun just went down. He got to Beth's house, and shook out the nerves as Kian rung the doorbell.

A girl in a maroon romper opened the door, her hair was straight, laid down over her shoulders. She smiled and waved.

"Hi, I'm Eva," she stuck her hand out and Kian accepted.

"Hello," he said, trying to smile back, covering up his eagerness to see Bethany again. He tried pushing the eagerness down, but it just came back up, stronger each time.

"Beth will be ready in a few. Want to come in?" Eva said as a strand of her hair fell into her face. She pushed it behind her ear.

"Sure," he walked in as Eva opened the door wider. He looked around as he walked in, noticing the loss of boxes. His eyes found Meredith, sprawled on the coach, with a towel over her head and she was tapping away on her phone. He was confused, wondering why Meredith hadn't been getting dressed.

"Hey, Kian," she mumbled, half distracted by whatever she was doing on her phone. He smiled and greeted her. She set her phone down finally and turned to him, fully. "I've been coming down with something. I can't go."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that," he said, stuffing his hands into his pocket. Kian had suddenly grown shy.

"Anything to drink? Water, tea?" Eva asked, walking to their fridge. He politely declined.

"Well, free to sit down," Mere gestured to the other coach across from the one she occupied. Kian nodded and sat. He tapped his fingers along his knee and looked up to the stairs, just in time to see Beth's hair bounce around as she gracefully walked to the staircase.

Kian struggled to keep his mouth shut and his jaw clenched.

In the light, her hair glistened. It was curled even more graciously than in the morning, her right side pinned back. She was wearing a pink sundress that hugged her small curves just right. She wore white sandals to top it all off. It was perfect for the occasion, not too formal, but not something you'd wear on just a day out. For goodness sake, it was perfect in general. She was.

Kian stood up, maybe a bit too quickly. He heard Mere's snickers.

"Kian!" Bethany said, looking down at him and descending down the stairs. She smiled and waved as the reached the bottom. Kian met Beth halfway.

"Ready?" He said with a glint in his eyes. He could feel Bethany's nervous tension as she slowly nodded. They walked out, Kian being sure to open and close the front door for her.

"You look great!" Bethany complimented, and despite her and nerves, she still never ceased to keep a positive tone. He tried covering his cheeks as his blood rushed to his face.

"Ah, thanks, Beth. You look fantastic yourself," Kian replied, smiling. Beth replied with a nice thank you and a small giggle. They got to Kian's house and he opened the door politely.

Already, the house was filled with a few dozens of people. The walls shook with loud music. Bethany instinctively grabbed Kian's arm, and he looked back at her. "I got you," he smiled, but Beth wasn't looking at him. Her face had gone pale, and she was looking at the crowd of people.

He led her through the swarm of people, into the kitchen, where it was a little less crowded. "I'm sorry," she said and let go of his arm. She hadn't realized she reached for it. She looked down and her hair fell over her face.

"No need to apologize," he said, disappointed Bethany's hand was retreated from his. She looked up and he flashed a smile. Beth's eyes twinkled as the smile was returned.

"Would you want anything to eat?" He asked, opening a cabinet and rummaging through a few snacks.

"No, thank you," Beth said and looked around. A girl had been stumbling over to the kitchen, clearly drunk. Kian turned around, with a bag of chips in his hand. He set it down on the counter, and just as he was about to get out the chip dip, the girl crouched over. Kian pulled Bethany to his side and the girl threw up. Beth clutched Kian's hand, which was the closest thing to her. The girl giggled and apologized quietly before scuttering away. Kian cursed and looked at Beth.

Bethany was horrified as she peered back up at Kian. Then she looked down at their hands, and she pulled back. Her hair had fallen into her face again. "I'm really sorry!" She squeaked as she pushed the hair out of her face. "I'm new to this stuff and there are so many people and I've gone to gatherings with lots of people but not as much and I've never been alone with a guy in a party like this," she gestured to the house, "And I don't know - ".

"Shh. Bethany, you're fine okay?" Kian assured and pulled her to his side protectively. "I brought you here, and I expect to bring you home safely after."

Bethany blushed at the sudden gentleness in his voice and touch. He only grabbed me protectively. Nothing else. Just to protect me. Because we're friends. All we are. All we'll ever be. She thought to herself.

"Thanks, Kian." She looked up and grinned sweetly. Kian looked away, unable to hold her gaze without wanting to cover her in his embrace.

Then, Kian heard shouts and cheers coming from the entrance. They both looked at what the commotion was all about, and bile rose up in Kian's throat.

Beth saw Kian's jaw clench and his fists squeeze together.

"Nick," Kian said, and the gentleness was quickly replaced with anger.