The new moon rose above the orchard that sat slight crooked outside the manor. A light fog hovered just above the ground, masking my feet with its misty complexion. My inner photographer yearned to take a picture, to capture the beautiful moment permanently.
There were more stars in the sky than I could really ever remember seeing, littering the darkness with their glitter.
Once you saw one, you saw them all.
We walked up the steps of the Manor house, and the music that was playing inside echoed onto the outdoor patio where we were.
Faint lights twinkled from the inside and reflected patterns on the porch, through the thick glass windows.
"Why did I agree to this?" I muttered, more to myself than anyone.
Levi grinned and winked. "It won't be that bad."
"Wow," I breathed. "That didn't make me feel better one little bit."
He laughed a rich sound that turned his face into something precious. "It won't. Just a few introductions, a little bit of chatting here and there."
Still, that didn't reassure me. "I hope you realise that bringing me here will only jeopardise any friendships you have." He gave me a questioning look. "I'm extremely awkward when it comes to new people. They'll think you brought some rude, dismissive person with you, and thus lower their standards of you." I shrugged. "Sorry, babe." I said with a joking smirk.
"You didn't seem that awkward when you met me."
I let out a sharp laugh. "That's because you pissed me off."
"So if they piss you off, you'll be good?"
"Define good." He tilted his head. "Well, if they piss me off I'm not exactly going to be charming am I?"
We walked over the small parking spaces which were packed full of identical cars. They all had a familiar look to them, a small cloud like logo stuck to the back of them.
"Oh, I dunno. I thought you were pretty charming when we first met." He winked, tugged my arm a little, and then we were surrounded by lights and people and music.
Straight away, there was a group of people surrounding us like they were just drawn to Levi. "Mr Remington. How nice it is to see you." One woman with greying hair and a bage dress said.
"You too, Clare." Levi said smoothly. They shook hands quickly.
"And who is this young thing?" She asked.
I felt like a teen at prom, blushing at my dates parents. I wanted to hide my face behind Levi's arm and pretend she wasn't talking to me. But I couldn't.
"This is Laken, my..." He trailed off as the opening was clearly that- an unknown opening.
What was I to him? What did he see me as to him? "A friend." I said quickly. I saw Levi look down at me sharply, but I didn't look at him, scared of what I'd see there.
"It's nice to meet you." I said politely, taking her outstretched hand in mine.
"You too," she replied, and then it was on to the next.
"I'm going to run to the bathroom." I said quickly, and once Levi had directed me, I made quick efforts to tidy myself up.
A couple minutes later, I found Levi standing my the drinks. "There you are." He said.
I smiled tightly and good beside him. Levi grinned at me and leaned in. "I just almost mistaked you for one of the staff here. I was this close to wrapping my arms around them and kissing her, like this," he pressed his lips to mine for a few seconds.
