The Next Best Thing: Part II

Twenty-Seven

I turned around and I was introduced to a familiar couple that roamed in Joss's circle, a famous production company heir and his former Miss World bride with the brightest smile I'd ever seen, Thomas and Tatjana Goldwyn. His father and Mr. Kanagawa also happened to be really good friends and golfing buddies.

I still had a grin plastered on my face and my cheeks still felt very warm. He gripped my waist, pulling me closer to him, his scent drifting all over my hair and his pale blues smiling down at me.

We had a light conversation before the gorgeous couple had to leave the exhibition. Tatjana was very pleasant and charming, her husband gazing transfixed at her the entire time, almost drooling even; nevertheless, Tom wasn't unattractive himself.

"Eoin, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine. Paige, Eoin. Eoin, Paige," I introduced the two fated lovebirds, turning him around to face the doe eyed blonde.

He kissed her outstretched hand and talked with her, a conversation in which she carried herself very confidently and maturely for a 17 year old.

He was throwing out compliments she politely brushed off like a pro quite impressively. Her mother needed her assistance with a few things so she had to go, leaving a lasting impression on Eoin.

"I'm marrying her, aren't I?" he guessed, making me laugh at his anxious ruffling of his hair. "At this rate, I'm considering polygamy. You wouldn't mind being my third wife, would you?" he said with a coy smirk. Sometimes he just left me speechless, at a loss for words.

He showed me around, pointing out all his work he'd donated for a various charity organisations. The entire tour of the gallery, his arm was wrapped possessively around me, as he lead me from painting after portrait after picture and dodged people he didn't want to interrupt our limited time together.

He was very passionate about his hobby, speaking enthusiastically and excitedly at its long-awaited showcase.

I bought one black and white image that showed off the beauty of being in love. "It's really just black and white love, isn't it? There are no grey areas," he explained.

We found Min seated on one of a few couches scattered around the place, laughing with Connor about the food she was greedily munching away at. She seemed to be getting along well with him, something she hadn't done in a long while.

We exited the gallery with Eoin, who escorted us to his town car and instructed his driver to take us home. He gave us both warm hugs and promised to see us in a bit.

"What does he mean by that, Zoe Moy?" Min asked.

"You'll see."

Min practically ran into the building, hurling herself into an elevator and almost breaking her key card trying to get to the apartment. She was afraid that Rae had destroyed her home or invited a bunch of stoned hobos to chill on our balcony.

Instead she walked into a modestly decorated living room with a select few guests yelling surprise and officially welcoming her to her new home. Lily was manning the bar, Rae handling the food after the caterer left and a clearly jetlagged Tyler at the gifts table.

Min was relieved and appreciative of her surprise party; she quickly got comfortable with the guests and a Trent's cupcake tower on the coffee table.

I was very surprised to see Tyler here after my extensive attempts to reach out to her and all the calls and texts going unanswered. "Hey Ty. You look exhausted."

She had bags under her bloodshot eyes and she looked much paler than usual. She was more than exhausted, not exuding her usual positive vibe and jolly spirit.

"I just flew in," she justified, refusing to make eye contact. Something was wrong and I had a pretty good idea what. I just wasn't going to get into it, not yet anyway.

Lily brought us both alcohol free cocktails, ones she had perfected and the only ones she could actually drink legally. "You look like you could use something stronger though," Lily said to Tyler in passing.

Rae made sure we were all fed, drinks were flowing and people were enjoying themselves, focusing all her energy on being a perfect hostess. She welcomed guests, conversed with them and poured the occasional refill.

Eoin showed up after finishing up his Saturday afternoon gig, arriving with two housewarming gifts for the grateful and happy Min. Rae was so glad to see him, stealing him from me for most of the evening and introducing him to everyone as my special friend.

He snuck away from her before everyone began to leave, wielding cupcakes and his trusty camera. "I saw you eyeing these earlier and the yearning was very apparent.  I figured you would like some."

"I was trying to impress you with my new healthy eating habits," I said, getting up from the breakfast bar for some good ole Cuban coffee to go with the assortment of iced deliciousness.

"You do know that you already impress me, right? You don't really have to try," he whispered with a smile. Oh, Eoin!

He helped me clear the plate, challenging me to eat them all while he took many shots of my stuffed face. At some point, I threw an iced red velvet one at his mouth because he was cheating, swallowing them whole instead of chewing each individual morsel.

He also helped with cleaning up the mess we had made in the kitchen - I wasn't the only one afraid of Min's wrath when she saw yellow icing flicked high up on her walls. He put me on his shoulders and I wiped the white walls while he kept watch, making sure that we were not caught.

Lily walked in on us before he had a chance to put me down, giving us both a curious look. But without a word, she took the coffee and she returned to the party; that could only mean one thing.

He said goodbye to all my friends, thanked Rae for her hosting and invited himself back without any objections from Min. Everyone, especially Min, had grown quite fond of him and they especially didn't mind him hanging around the house - this meant they could all drool shamelessly.

I escorted him to the lobby, and our entire elevator ride he went through all the pictures he'd taken off me, laughing at how I'd come out depicting a serial comfort foodie.

"You're the best, Zoe," he grinned, closing in on me in the middle of the reception area.

I smiled back at him and I felt his hand around my waist like earlier, holding me close now, firm against his body. My eyes moved from his to his lips many times as I waited, expected, him to kiss me.

He only brushed his thumb against my puckered lips, pulled me in for a long embrace, my body tingling pressed on him. His lips brushed my ear as he let go, leaving a burning sensation I knew would drive me crazy as soon as he left.

"Goodbye, Zoe," he breathed onto my lips, teasing me with his sexy tone. I was left standing speechless in the lobby, Nori's mouth opened into a gasp and Bartlett staring after Eoin as his car drove away.

"If he's not gay, Zoe, he's got real intimacy issues," Nori advised. He was a good friend and everyone's main gossip informant with serious dirt on everyone in the building. "I'd ride that pony any day. But if I wasn't gay, I'd want a piece of you too."