Chapter 48- Taunting Parties

[] L E O []

The house we were invited to was just at the outskirts of the city. It was an acreage that was owned by some wealthy family, and the son was throwing a party for his 21st birthday. I vaguely knew him, as he was one of the players on Jamal's basketball team.

The party was going on in full swing even before we arrived. Drunk people stumbled their way across the floor, and tipsy people lined the dance floor.

We were all standing near the door, wondering how to make our way forward. Gemma suddenly pointed to a spot near the backdoor, where there was an empty table with barstools, and we all made our way there. We took a seat around the table, basking in the scene before us. Jamal and Andre were already talking about how many pranks they can pull tonight, and Gemma pitched in on their conversation.

I stole a glance over to Amelia, only to see her shifting uncomfortably in her seat. The small smile she was wearing could fool others, but I saw right through it. Her figure was hunched over and she was gripping tightly onto the edge of her seat.

I wish I could take her away then. I wish I could whisk her away from this place and carry her back to my house. A place where she would be safe.

Now that I think about it, maybe it wasn't such a good idea to bring her here. What if she wasn't ready to be here? Gosh, now I feel sick. I knew the reason why she avoided parties for so long, and I still publicly pressured her into coming when I asked her out. But on the other hand, what if this was exactly what she needed? What if she was tired of hiding behind her walls and just wanted to let loose?

Wanting to get her to relax for now, I reached over and brought a hand to rest on hers. She turned to me surprised, her eyes looking more alive than they did a few moments ago. I leaned in towards her and her eyes widened further. Before I could make a complete fool out of myself and actually lean in to taste her red luscious lips, I switched gears and leaned towards her ear instead.

"Say the word, and we leave."

I pulled back slightly to see her response, and was surprised to see the small smile on her lips. Genuine this time. I grinned back at her and gave her hand a small squeeze.

Before I could say anything else, another voice broke us apart.

"Hey, didn't think you guys would make it!"

We all looked up and saw Eric and Joe standing by the edge of our table, each holding a bottle in hand.

They both looked around the table, and the moment I feared came. As he looked over to all of us, Eric's eyes suddenly froze when they landed on the girl beside me.

"Whoa, who the hell are you? And why have you been hidden from me all this time?" Eric said.

To my dismay, no one backed her up. Instead, Gemma, Jamal, and Andre all hid their laughter in their fists as they watched the scene play out before them. Even Joe caught on that this was Amelia, and was also hiding his smile. I looked over to Amelia, only to see that even she was biting down a smile.

Eric stayed oblivious to all of this and took a step closer to her. And then, the fool leaned down, his elbows on the table, only a few centimeters away from Amelia. I only squeezed her hand tighter under the table, my posture rigid.

"Hey sweet cheeks! Wanna tell me your name before we hit the dance floor?" Eric said in his famous flirty voice.

Could he not see that I was one second away from jumping across the table and pushing him away?

I couldn't see Amelia's reaction anymore, since she was turned toward him completely. Just as I was about to tell him to stop messing with my date, someone else cut in.

"It's me, Eric. Amelia," she said in an amused voice.

Eric did a double take and took a step away from the table as if he was burned. That did it for the rest, and they started laughing uncontrollably. It was when he stepped back, that I finally relaxed a little.

"And about that dance, sorry but, I already have a date."

With that, she finally turned around, her twinkling brown eyes capturing my own. And then she grinned at me. A grin so wide and full blown that I had to blink a few times before adjusting to the brightness of them. I smiled back at her eventually, not bothered by anyone else around me anymore.

If I had known this moment wouldn't last, I would've captured it somehow.

* * *

In a sense, I had to thank Eric. If it wasn't for his little stunt, I'm not sure if Amelia would be as relaxed as she was now. That's why nearly half an hour later after coming here, Amelia and I were making our way to the dance floor to join the rest of our friends.

Amelia didn't seem totally unenthused about the idea, unlike me. In fact, her face lit up with a small smile when she heard Andre yelling, "get over here you lovebirds!" over the music. Amelia had stood up first, giggling as she did so. So reluctantly, I stood up as well, my hand clasping Amelia's tightly. I pulled her to the dance floor with me, trying to stay in front of her to make way for us in the crowd. The place was jam-packed, and as much as I tried, we couldn't help but get jostled in the crowd. However, Amelia didn't complain, and only gripped my hand tighter. We wordlessly made our way to our circle of friends.

When we reached them, Andre, Jamal, and Gemma immediately turned to us. Unsurprisingly, Andre was already on his second drink of the night, and Gemma was also holding a red cup. Jamal opted for no drinks tonight, as he had an early morning practise tomorrow. We had lost Joe and Eric at some point, so now it was just us. As soon as we came to a stand by them, Gemma instantly reached over for Amelia.

"Amelia!" she yelled over the music, not sounding the least bit tipsy.

In response, Amelia let go of my hand to cover both her ears. Gemma laughed at her and reached for her hand. I let Gemma drag Amelia towards her and Amelia turned to me, a 'help me' look on her face. I only shrugged at her, and she pouted at me.

I couldn't help what I did next. In response to her pout, I gave her a subtle wink. This had her mouth falling open, and I couldn't help but grin at her actions.

She was too fucking adorable.

And beautiful.

Breathtakingly beautiful.

I let out a deep breath and turned away from her before I did something stupid. The urge to just grab her hand and take her away from all of this was getting unbearable. To distract myself, I turned to Andre and Jamal. They were now arguing about something, but the only difference was that Andre was drunk, and Jamal was laughing as he spoke to him.

This continued on for the next little while. We joked around and hung out on the dance floor, simply enjoying each other's company. Although I wasn't into the dancing scene, and Amelia wasn't moving around much either, it was still fun.

At some point, I had grown too thirsty. I was in dire need of something to drink, but no way in hell was I touching alcohol tonight. Not when Amelia was with me and was looking so darn irresistible. Hell, I couldn't get the thought of her lips on mine out of my head since the first time I kissed her.

But I wonder if I did it now, would she kiss me back?

We had something going now. She admitted she didn't run away from me because I kissed her, and she was more open with me since I came back from visiting home. But I still didn't have enough guts to face her with this. I still couldn't ask her what I wanted to.

I sighed as I stared at her now. Her hair was flowing down to her mid-back, swaying along with her. She was laughing at something Gemma was saying, and it was a full-blown laugh, the kind that had me going weak in the knees every time I heard it. She was nearly two feet away from me, but even from here I was itching to get closer to her. I wanted to just pull her into my arms and hold her as she danced. Maybe then all the bastards that kept checking her out would stop.

As I glared at the fifth guy that went by her, whose eyes were roaming her body, I felt a certain rage boiling within me. When he caught me glaring at him, my fists clenched, he immediately swallowed and scurried away.

I sighed once he was out of sight and turned back to Amelia. Surprisingly Gemma had now turned her attention to Andre and Jamal, dancing with them. Amelia was shifting closer to me then, rubbing her arm as she did so. Wordlessly, I took a step closer to her and reached out for her hand. This time, she slipped it in mine without hesitating. I grinned at her and slowly brought her hand up to kiss the backside of it. I didn't give her enough time to react before I started pulling her backwards. She gave me a questioning look, but I simply turned to Jamal, the sober one out of the three.

"We'll be right back!" I called out.

He gave me a thumbs up and went back to recording whatever Andre and Gemma were doing.

Amelia didn't ask where we were going. She simply gripped my hand tighter once we were out of their sight and moved along with me. When a guy pushed into her roughly, I finally wrapped my arm around her and pulled her right to my side, glaring at the drunk who had just pushed her.

"Watch it you fuck-"

Before I could finish my sentence, I felt Amelia's hand snake up to my chest.

"It's okay Leo. I'm alright."

Her blinding grin and her bright eyes were enough to make my anger diminish. However, I couldn't help but glare one last time at the guy's retreating back. When she saw this, Amelia patted my chest down once more.

I looked down to her at last. Her grin now dissolved into a small smile, her eyes holding a softness I was getting used to now.

"Really Leo. It was no big deal. But still... thank you."

And now I threw my head back and groaned.

"Really Moonie? Still going with the thank you's?"

She laughed at my dispense. Finally, we started making our way to the mini bar again. This time, I held her close to my chest, before another drunkard rammed into her again. And partly because I wanted her close to me. I wanted everyone to know that she was here with me.

We made it to the bar soundly this time, and I immediately found a spot for Amelia to sit. She took the bar stool and I stood beside her, turning to the guy in front of me.

This party was no joke. The people who owned this place were rich enough to hire someone as a makeshift bartender tonight. I asked him to make two mocktails, making sure there was no alcohol in either. As I was doing this, I found Amelia's hand tightening on my own. I turned to her, only to see that she wasn't looking at me. Instead her gaze was set on the dance floor, her eyes holding a soft look. She was mumbling along the words to the song, and I couldn't help but smile at her.

"Here are your drinks, man," the bartender said.

I snapped my attention away from Amelia and turned to him. Amelia did as well, startled by the voice. Grabbing our drinks, I thanked him and handed one to Amelia, while I took the other. Amelia didn't question what I gave her, which I hoped was because she trusted me, and not because she did this with everyone. We sat at the mini bar, drinking our drinks for the next little while. After we were done, we started heading back to the floor to search for the rest of the gang. I took hold of Amelia's hand before we reached the dance floor, and she shuffled closer to me.

(AN: PLAY SONG NOW IF YOU WANT TO! It's an absolute fave of mine right now!)

As we made our way to the dance floor where we last saw the trio, an upbeat song started playing. Apparently it was a popular one, since everyone on the floor got ten times more excited than before, making Amelia crash into my back.

I turned around swiftly, checking to see if she was hurt. To my surprise, Amelia was rubbing her nose, but other than that, a large grin was etched onto her lips as she took in the scene around her. The people around us were dancing like maniacs, grinding and some even slow-dancing with their partners. I watched Amelia with a small smile on my face, unable to see anything past her. Everything else around her seemed to blur, and all I could focus on was her hair that got dishevelled as the night went on, her eyes that were glowing as she took in the scene, the small sway of her hips, and her lips-

Goodness, she looked like a queen.

Unable to help it, I placed my hands on her hips, and pulled her close to me. A gasp left Amelia as she tumbled onto me, her hands falling on my shoulders. Her wide eyes caught my own, her breath close enough to fan my face.

I suddenly grinned, and started swaying along to the music, holding her close. Amelia grinned back, her hands tightening on my shoulders.

"I didn't think you knew how to dance," she yelled over the music.

I rolled my eyes at her. I leaned in towards her ear, a sly grin on my face the entire time. Her breath hitched as I moved in coser, and I couldn't help the beating of my heart as it seemed to pound against my chest. I leaned in closer, my nose touching the edge of her ear.

"I practised all night. Only stepped on my own toes twice before perfecting it."

At this, Amelia burst out laughing, her head falling onto my shoulder. I grinned, chuckling along with her. After a moment, Amelia stopped laughing, but her head stayed resting on my shoulder. Taking this as a sign to keep going, I tightened my arms around her, and continued to sway us along, careful not to mess this up.

After a few moments, she pulled back shyly, her eyes trained on my chest. I pushed her hair behind her neck, wanting to get a closer look at her. She tilted her head up then, a nervous smile on her face, as I brought my hand back down to her waist.

"This date was perfect Leo. But still second to our first one," she said with a grin.

She was flush against me, her toes touching mine, her chest lined with mine, and her face merely millimeters away from me.

And I stared.

I couldn't help but simply watch her. I couldn't believe she was here with me. I couldn't believe that I was here with her, as her date.

Even the thought had me going insane.

"Anything is perfect with you, Moonie," I said.

She bit her lip, her eyes still locked on mine. I didn't care how cheesy I sounded at this point. With her, it was hard to keep my emotions in check, so I simply didn't anymore. I reached a hand up, and slowly pushed another stray strand of hair away from her face, tucking it safely behind her ear. She shivered under my touch, her hands tightening into fists on my shoulder, taking my shirt along with it.

I leaned in closer to her and sighed, my eyes raking over all her features, trying to memorize them. Her eyes were glowing under this light, making me see stars. They were hypnotizing me, sucking me into a void I wasn't sure I wanted to get out of.

Her eyes always captured my attention.

That is, if it wasn't already on her.

"These eyes Moonie. I'd do anything for them," I said, tightening my arms around her.

She froze after what I said, her breathing the only thing letting me know she was still present. I smiled inwardly, loving the effect I had on her. Gaining enough courage for the both of us, I slowly leaned in towards her. My eyes shifted to her lips, and I looked back up, only to see the silent 'yes' in her eyes.

I wrapped my arms tighter around her, caging her in my arms completely. The rest of the people around us didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was the girl before me. Her eyes closed softly, anticipating my next move, and I nearly said it out loud then. I almost told her what I wanted to say all along.

I took one last look at her, her closed eyes, her trembling hands, her parted lips, and finally closed my eyes. Our shallow breaths mingled with each other, and I slowly leaned in closer to her. We were nearly there, our lips barely touching.

Just then, a shrill voice caught our attention.

"Amelia!"

We broke apart panting. Amelia's eyes were wide with fright, and mine in confusion. My arms were still wrapped loosely around her, and we both turned to see the source of the voice.

Gemma was making her way through the crowd, a bounce in her step. She crashed to a stop in front us, and immediately latched onto Amelia's arm. I dropped my arm instinctively, letting Gemma take the lead.

"Come on Amelia! This is my favourite song! The boys left me to go the balcony so you have to dance with me," she said squealing.

Amelia helplessly looked over to me, but I had barely gotten over what was happening between us just moments before, to decipher this now.

Gemma, just noticing the state both Amelia and I were in, smirked in my direction. And then, she quickly started leading Amelia away from me.

"You guys have all night to make out!" she yelled, pulling Amelia away from me.

'I wish.'

And then they were lost in the crowd, leaving me to fend for myself. I ran a hand through my hair and smiled to myself. I took a few deep breaths, before I finally started moving towards the balcony to look for Jamal and Andre.

However, my thoughts were consumed by Amelia Harrison.

* * *

[] A M E L I A []

As soon as Gemma dragged me away from Leo, she found a spot on the floor to dance. I laughed as she jumped into a dancing pose, and I couldn't help but start to sway along with her as well.

The entire night had been amazing so far. It was the most fun I've had in a long time.

And Leo.

Goodness, Leo.

I couldn't get the feeling of his hands on me out of my head. His lips so close to mine, and most of all, the comfort he provided me with all night. He stuck by me the whole time, no matter what I did, and that made me feel so darn mushy on the inside.

I felt so happy.

And as I danced along with Gemma right now, someone who I consider my best friend, I couldn't help but wish for it to always stay this way. For the burden that's constantly on my chest, to be removed permanently.

Just as I was busy with my thoughts, the music suddenly slowed down. Everyone groaned at once, turning to the DJ booth in annoyance. However, before more could be done, a voice spoke over all the others in the room.

"Yo everybody! Name's Tyson, and if y'all don't know who I am, then I'm the birthday boy who's house you're standing in right now!" the boy said through the microphone.

Whereas people were complainging before, now they were hooting loudly, welcoming the birthday boy. I couldn't see him from where I was standing, as the booth was a story above me and all the way on the other end of the house. However, I could vaguely make out the silhouette of the birthday boy.

"Ladies and gents, thank you all for coming tonight, I hope everyone is having a blast!"

Everyone hooted in the direction of the makeshift DJ booth.

"Before we all get too drunk tonight, my brotha' from another motha' here would like to make a special announcement," the boy said, handing the microphone to someone else.

However, like before, I couldn't see who it was from my angle.

"Hey everybody. I just want to tell you all something. Don't freak out yet, but there's a killer in this room."

Collective gasps were heard around the room, and Gemma and I shared a tense look as well.

"It's true. She was never caught for the crime she committed. Don't you all think that's wrong?"

The crowd wildly yelled out a, "yes!"

I instantly felt nervous. I turned to Gemma, ready to ask to leave. I wanted to find Leo, Jamal, and Andre. However, she was intently listening to the announcement, her curiosity getting the best of her.

"Hey Gemma," I said, poking her arm to get her attention.

She turned to me with a questioning gaze.

"Let's go find the boys," I suggested.

She nodded her head and we both started heading towards the backdoor, the announcement continuing behind us.

"And guess what? She's here, she's partying and having a good time, while the girl who died because of her, is rotting in a coffin somewhere," the voice continued.

My heart fell to my stomach. I froze, my mind instantly thinking of Brittany for some unknown reason.

'Does she hate me for doing this?'

I sighed and continued following Gemma, who had stopped with me.

"And do you all know how she caused this murder?"

The room was dead silent.

"She made her brother rape and kill her."

I froze. Every part of my body becoming paralyzed.

I slowly turned around, praying that this wasn't true.

However, when have my prayers ever been answered before?

Suddenly, a blinding light filled the room. My ears were ringing, and the stares that were directed at the DJ booth before, were now pointing at the supposed killer.

The spotlight was pointed at me.