Ashton's POV
I should not be this nervous to be going out with Emmie tonight. We hang out all the time, so why does it feel different now? I mean, yes, we're going to be dressing up more than usual, but our attire shouldn't make a difference, right? It's just another outing with Emmie and everything will be fine.
God, I am so nervous.
The boys and I are getting ready to pick up Emmie from her apartment. She has been texting me all day, telling me that she is a little nervous about tonight because she has never really been to a formal social gathering. I assured that everything would be okay and that I would stay by her side the entire time, and if I wasn't there, one of the other guys would. They want her to feel just as safe and comfortable with them as she is with me, which annoys me a bit. Technically she's not mine, so I don't really have a say in how close she gets to the guys, but that doesn't mean I can't feel a little jealous when she hangs around them.
I stuff my wallet into the inner pocket of my suit and grab my keys off the table in the entryway. Luke and Michael ride with Cal in his truck, while I take my car to pick up Emmie. My hands are sweaty, which makes gripping the steering wheel very uncomfortable and slightly disgusting. Thoughts continue to race through my mind, and I'm getting more and more nervous with every second until I finally reach her complex.
I take a deep breath before climbing the stairs and standing outside the door. All it takes is three short knocks before the door handle twists, which increased the pounding in my chest. The door slowly opens and I let out a long sigh of relief at the sight of Julia. I have no idea how I am going to hold myself together when I see Emmie.
"Hey, Ash," she says. "Em is just putting her heels on so it shouldn't be long. You look handsome by the way." She smiles. "If you're this nervous now, I can't wait until you see her." Julia smirks, knowing full well that I'm close to ripping my hair from the roots out of pure anxiety.
The sound of Emmie's bedroom door opening brings me back to reality. My breath hitches as I watch her walk out at an agonizingly slow pace. A small smile tugs at her lips as she stands no more than two feet away from me. She is breathtaking. Her hair cascades over her shoulders in large waves and she's wearing a small amount of makeup which is a significant difference from her usual natural look. But the dress. The dress just adds to all her beauty. The royal blue contrasts well with her pale skin and it hugs all her curves perfectly. It's a little weird having her at eye-level because of her heels, but it doesn't stop me from tracing every inch of her body, memorizing every detail of her beautiful self. Julia softly hits my shoulder, releasing me from my semi-lustful stare which only makes Emmie giggle.
"You look beautiful, Emilia," I choke, earning a dazzling smile from her.
"You don't look too bad yourself," she teases, eyeing my black suit.
"Are you ready to go?"
She nods and grabs a small silver bag from Julia. I hold out my hand and she willingly places hers in mine as I lead her out and to the car. Julia wishes us a good night before closing the door and letting us be on our way. Emmie's hand never leaves mine until I close the passenger door. This girl is driving me crazy and the night has only just begun.
During the drive to the convention center where the party is being held, Emmie was tells me the hardships of being a girl. Apparently, Julia made her go and get a manicure and pedicure this morning which she thought was a waste of money because she could probably do it herself. However, she did say she liked the little flower that they painted on her big toe. She also didn't like the idea of wearing makeup, but Julia insisted she wear it. With or without makeup, she looks stunning, but I'd rather see her without makeup any day.
Once we arrive to the convention center, I call Luke to see where they are and he tells me that they are already inside waiting for us. I help Emmie out of the car and guide her towards the building. I peer down at her small body and notice she's having trouble walking in her heels.
"You okay?" I ask, suppressing a laugh at her difficulty.
"Yeah," she says. "I'm just not used to wearing heels. Even with the strap, I still feel like I'm going to trip and break my ankle." She continues to focus on her feet as she walks, lifting each foot slowly in front of the other. I hold out my arm for her to take and she gladly does, holding onto me for stability. "This is much better. Thank you."
"Anytime."
It's a short walk from the parking lot to the center. The rest of the guys are standing outside the entrance for us. They all have a similar expression to mine when they lock onto Emmie. Her cheeks flush from their compliments, and I wish that I had the courage to tell her just how beautiful she really is without backing out.
"We should probably go inside," Michael says, holding the door open for us as we walk inside.
The interior of the party looks better than last semester's. There's even a dance floor open with a few couples already swaying their bodies to the music. Because nothing says 'professionalism' quite as well as young adults writhing about on a dance floor. The amount of business officials exceeds the amount from last time. At several of the tables covered in a white tablecloth is either a man or woman, who has been sent by their company to recruit. Trying to ignore the few stares I'm receiving from other guests, I guide Emmie and the boys to an empty table where we sit.
The last thing that I want to think of is finding an internship, but I know I have to do it, or at least attempt to. I really just want to spend my time with Emmie tonight, but of course, Dad would want me to do something that would in actuality, benefit only him. I don't want to be in the business field. The only reason I am is because it's the only thing I know and am good at. It's a terrible excuse, but even if I did pursue something else, I don't know what it would be.
"So what exactly goes on at these parties?" Emmie asks, glancing around to each of us.
"Well, we," Luke points to everyone, but me, "drink and dance while he," he points in my direction, "goes around talking to the business officials."
She grimaces. "That doesn't sound like much of a party."
"They just add the word 'party' to get more students to come," Calum says, using air quotations.
"Just don't go and get drunk again, Calum," I joke, and he shrugs in response.
I glance over to the open area where many faculty members are conversing, until spotting the man who can easily make my blood boil with a single look. His eyes find mine briefly before turning to continue talking to another professor. I take a sip of the champagne that one of the underpaid waiters brought to our table before speaking to Emmie.
"Come on, there's someone you should meet," I say. She doesn't have time to protest as I grab her hand and gently pull her to her feet, walking in the direction of my father.
Taking a deep breath, I tap on his shoulder and he excuses himself from the professor that he was previously talking to before facing us, expressionless.
I cleared my throat. "Dad, this is Emilia."
His eyes drift from mine to hers. "It's nice to meet you, Emilia," he says. "I'm Nolan Irwin. I am head of the business department at DU as well as a professor." He held out his hand.
Hesitantly, she shakes his hand. "It's nice to meet you as well," she says respectfully.
"You're a student at DU, right? What are you majoring in?"
"Um, I haven't actually decided on my major just yet. I'm sort of exploring my options right now until I find something that I enjoy," she answers, and the way he furrows his eyebrows is a dead giveaway that he isn't accepting of her answer.
"You should really start planning out your career, Emilia," he scolds. "The longer you hold off on finding a field of study that you like, the less likely you'll find a stable job in the future. From what I've heard from his mother, Ashton here has been planning to work in the business field since high school and has gained many opportunities for himself. You need to do that yourself. Finding something that you enjoy is immature. You need to focus on pursuing something that will benefit you financially. Didn't your parents teach you to plan and think about your future?"
Emilia's jaw slacks. How can he say things like this? This is going exactly the same way as when I introduced him to the guys. I need to get Emilia away from him before he says anymore.
"My parents are dead," she says coldly, gripping onto my arm.
His expression doesn't change despite her response answer. "It's a shame they couldn't teach you to be more responsible," he says indifferently, causing both our jaws drop.
Bastard.
I quickly turn her away from him, pushing her back to our table with my hand resting on the small of her back. I glance over my shoulder to see my father's eyes narrow before he walks away.
"I am so sorry, Emmie. I didn't know he was going to say that to you," I whisper in her ear as we continued our way to the table.
She shakes her head. "It's fine. At least now I understand why you don't like him." A small smile forms on her lips and I smile back apologetically. "Ash's dad is a complete ass," she announces when she sits down next to Michael, taking a sip of the glass of champagne in front of her.
"So you've met the devil, I see," Luke says with a sly smirk. "What did he say to you?"
"That I need to think about my future and that it's a shame my parents couldn't teach me to be responsible." She takes another sip.
"What a dick," Calum says.
She just shrugs, brushing off my dad's words.
More people begin to show up to the party, and it is beginning to get too crowded for my liking. We continue to sit and drink for a while, basking in each other's presence.
"Shouldn't you be talking to the officials here, Ash?" Michael asks.
I groan. "Please don't remind me. I still have time, so I'll do it later," I say, and he nods, dropping the topic.
The amount of people on the dance floor has increased since we first got here. It is mostly filled with other students, but I am surprised to see a few faculty members dancing to the slow music as well.
"Hey Emilia, let's go dance," Luke says, taking her hand and pulling her up and over to the dance floor. Emmie doesn't decline his offer.
I raise my eyebrows as I watch them on the dance floor, directly in my line of sight. Luke places his hand around her waist and Emilia wraps her arms loosely around his shoulders. My hands grip onto the tablecloth as I watch my best friend hold Emilia as she tilts her head backwards, laughing at something he has said.
"He's doing this on purpose, isn't he?" I ask Calum and Michael; my eyes still glued to the two dancing together.
"If you keep waiting forever, someone's going to snatch her away, and Luke's doing a fine job at it," Michael sneers.
I stand up from my seat and make a bee line over to them. Luke smiles when he sees me and breaks away from Emilia, patting my shoulder before letting me take his place. My hands grip her small waist and she willingly wraps her arms around my neck.
"You know, you should call me Ash more. I like it." I say, attempting to make small talk.
"What?" she says.
"You called me Ash a little bit ago. You also did on your birthday when you were drunk." I chuckle and she turns her head sheepishly.
She shyly smiles. "I'll think about it."
Our bodies sway from side-to-side as the music blares from the speakers. I can't keep my eyes away from the girl in front of me. Her gray eyes look so much brighter than they normally do, and I can't get over how lovely she looks. Those same gray eyes observe me and I can only wish to know what she was thinking.
"You really do look beautiful, Emilia." The words slipped from my mouth. When I see her cheeks flush, I don't regret saying it. She mumbles a small "thank you", still keeping her gaze on me. She tightens her arms around my neck, bringing us closer together. The small space that was left between us is no longer existent as I gently pull her even closer to my chest. Instead of craning her neck to continue looking at me, Emilia rests her head on my shoulder.
If I could stay like this forever, I would. Her presence alone is enough to keep me smiling for days on end. God, I wish I could tell her that I like her. Maybe even more. No, it's not love. Natalie taught me what love is and this isn't it, but it's close. I push Natalie to the back of my mind and focus on the petite girl in my arms.
Cutting our moment too short, a guy nearly my age stands to the side of us. His brown hair sweeps over his forehead, similar to mine but straight. He's also dressed in a suit, but he couldn't be a student at DU because I have never seen him around before.
"Em?" The guy's eyes brighten at the sight of Emilia as though he knows her.
Her body tenses in my arms. She lifts her head from my shoulder and steps back, leaving a large gap between us now. She stares at the guy; her eyes dilated and hand twitching at her side.
"It is you!" the guy shouts happily. "Do you mind?" he asks me, referring to taking my place as her dance partner. I don't know who this guy is or how he knows Emmie, but it's obvious that he is making her uncomfortable.
"I don't think-" I try to speak, but I'm interrupted by one of the business official tapping my shoulder.
"If you don't mind, Ashton, I'd like to talk to you for a minute," the official says when I turn to him.
I look back to Emilia and she is completely frozen. As much as I don't want to leave her, I can't back out. I bring my mouth to her ear and whisper, "I'll be right back. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on you."
She nods at my words, still frozen in place and I release her from my grasp and walk with the official.
As we move to a less crowded area, I see the guys look at me from the table. I mouth "watch her" to them as I pass the table and they all nod in understanding. It may not be my eye that is watching her, but from the way she reacted to that guy, I need to make sure that she stays safe.