Need you | Miles Fairchild

14. the party

Once I got home, I rifled through my closet and finally found a really cute dress for the party tonight. I was excited, but a little nervous—I hoped Miles wouldn't mind that I was getting a lift from Luke instead of him. I held the dress up and admired it in the mirror, twirling a little.

After getting ready, I messaged Luke my address. He replied with a thumbs-up (👍🏻), and I waited eagerly for his arrival.

About 30 minutes later, a sleek Ferrari pulled up outside.

"Hey," I said, walking over to the car.

"Wow," he said.

"What? Too much?" I asked nervously.

"No, you look amazing," he said with a smile.

"Thanks," I said, blushing.

"Let's get to this party," he said, hopping into the driver's seat.

"Woohoo!" I shouted, throwing my hands up in the air as the cool breeze rushed past us.

I couldn't help but start singing to the music, and Luke joined in, laughing and singing along. For a moment, the world felt light and carefree.

Eventually, we arrived at Rebecca's house. Miles and Alice were already waiting at the front.

"Heyyy!!" I shouted, running to them.

"Hey," Alice said, hugging me tightly.

"You look beautiful," Miles said, kissing me lightly on the cheek.

"She sure does. Your lucky one, Miles," Luke said, coming up behind us.

"Thanks for the ride, Luke," I said politely.

"All good," he replied, before walking away.

Miles gave me a blank look for a moment, and I quickly reassured him.

"Come on, it was just one ride," I said.

"It's not that... I just missed you too much," he said, smiling.

"Aw, Miles, I missed you too," I said, hugging him tightly.

"You guys ready, or are we just gonna keep hugging?" Alice teased.

"Oh right, sorry," I laughed.

"Into the chaos we go!" Miles shouted, and we dove into the party.

There were so many people—friends from school and new faces. I grabbed a glass of punch and decided to mingle a little.

"Cutie! Over here!" a familiar voice called. It was Luke.

"Hey!" I said, walking over reluctantly.

"She really is cute," one of his friends, Bryce, said.

"Sure is," Luke said, putting his arm around my shoulder.

I immediately felt uncomfortable. I gently pulled away and said, "Hey, I'll be right back. Need to grab some more punch."

"Okay, cutie, be quick," he said.

Ugh, the nickname made me cringe. I quickly walked away, determined to find Miles. He was standing with Alice a little distance away, and when he saw me, his expression softened. I ran to him and wrapped my arms around him.

"Hey, girly, where'd you go?" Alice asked.

"Just to get punch," I lied, giving Miles a reassuring smile.

"Hey cutie," I heard behind me again. It was Luke.

"Ugh, just... go away," I said firmly, turning back to Miles.

"Hey, what's wrong? I thought we were friends," Luke called after me.

"We are, but I need some time with Miles and Alice," I said, firmly planting myself beside him.

"You're gonna regret that," he muttered as he walked off.

"Yeah, whatever," I said, hugging Miles tightly.

"Wanna go home?" Miles asked.

"I do," I said, smiling. Alice nodded, and the three of us left the party together, laughing and chatting. We ended up having a cozy sleepover at my house, and for the first time that night, I felt completely at peace.

I did regret going with Luke—Miles was the only one I wanted to be with, and this only reminded me of that.