Why Won't You Love Me?: Sequel to Dazed & Confused

19

31st of December 2022
Claudia: Finneas
'Oh, I'm in trouble now, come and kiss me black and blue. Might last another round but I'm bound to fall for you.'

'Don't say anything to Isla but when it hits midnight, Ashton is going to propose to her,' Luke said as we walked into the party being held at the Bondi Icebergs restaurant, hosted by some of the boys friends.

'What the fuck and he didn't tell me?' I questioned and Luke just laughed at me as we made our way to the bar to get glasses of champagne before we made the rounds to say bellow to people. I had settled on a short white mini dress and nude wedges for the night, as Luke said nobody was going over the top for New Years this year, and he was right. Most of the guys here were in chinos and a shirt and the girls were dressed similarly to me.

'He wants it to be a surprise and he knows you are terrible at keeping secrets so he only told the boys and your parents,' Luke said after he handed me my glass of champagne and we began to walk over to his music industry friends, Josh and Xavier who were holding the festivities.

'I mean I guess that's fair,' I said with a laugh. If I get told an exciting secret, something like my brother proposing to his girlfriend of four years, I would most definitely blurt it out in conversation.

Luke and I began charting to Josh and Xavier who were extremely warm and welcoming towards me, which made me feel more at ease considering I hardly knew anybody here except for the boys and their girlfriends.

'C'mon, I think everybody is on the balcony,' Luke said and I followed him outside to the balcony. The restaurant overlooked the Bondi icebergs, which is arguably one of the best views in Sydney and on a night like this, it was even better.

'Hey! You guys made it,' Evie said pulling me into a hug. It was nice to be around Evie, Olivia and Isla again, as I was obviously not around them at all when the boys were living in England and Luke and I were no longer together.

'Where worse would we be Evie?' Luke questioned with a laugh and Evie just shrugged her shoulders as we went and did the rounds and when we reached my brother, I could tell he was nervous.

'You know don't you?' Ashton asked and I nodded with a grin on my face. My expression obviously gave it away, as I knew I was grinning from the moment I approached Ashton.

'Yeah, but I promise I'm not going to say anything,' I said pulling him into a tight hug, which he reciprocated easily.

'Luke, keep her away from Isla until after midnight, you know how she gets when she is drunk,' Ashton laughed and I just rolled my eyes at him. 'But, do you approve? Because I don't want to marry someone my sister doesn't like,' Ashton whispered to me and I nodded, because he knows that I love Isla like my own sister.

'You know that I love Isla and she makes you happy, which is the main thing,' I said with a smile and I could see Ashton breathe a sigh of relief.

'I would have asked you early Sienna but we know how you are with secrets most of the time,' Ashton laughed, a beer in hand and a smile on his face, indicating that he had relaxed slightly, making me feel more slightly at ease knowing I could talk to my brother without him freaking out about something.

Luke and I made our way back to the bar, before he led me outside and around the corner , to the side of the balcony where nobody was and we were suddenly alone, the sounds of 'Kiwi' by Harry Styles, our old school friend, playing in the background.