“Well, welcome. This party is kind of an annual tradition.” He smiled. “I’ll put your jacket in the cloakroom. I’ll be right back.”
I apprehensively looked around, hoping to see Lexi, Mia or Jasmine, but I couldn’t see any of them yet. I didn’t like standing here all alone. Luckily, Julian came back quickly, putting me out of my misery.
“Now, can I get you something to drink?”
“Sure.”
“Alcohol or no alcohol?”
“No alcohol, please.”
He gave me an amused grin. “Not much of a drinker?”
I shook my head. I’d never been drunk and wasn’t planning to experience it for the first time at this party. Besides, alcohol had never appealed to me, just the thought of losing control made me incredibly anxious.
“Come with me.”
He grabbed my hand and started steering me through the crowd. People were dancing and laughing, all through the house. Girls who I’d never seen before came up and hugged Julian, and he politely returned their hugs, my hand still firmly in his. He turned to me and mouthed, “Are you okay?”
I nodded, and he started walking again, never once letting go of my hand. He took me to the back of the house and into the kitchen. It was much quieter down this end. There were a few people in there mixing drinks but as soon as we stepped in, they exited the room, leaving me and Julian alone. The kitchen was probably the same size as ours; you could easily accommodate twenty guests in this single space. Julian opened the fridge and turned his head towards me.
“What do you want to drink?”
I walked up next to him and peered over his shoulder into the fridge. “Coke is fine, thanks.”
Julian grabbed a can and handed it to me. I stepped backwards and leaned against the marble kitchen bench.
“So, where is your parents’ conference?” I asked and took a sip of my drink.
“They’ve gone to Vancouver.”
“Really? I used to live there. Have you been?”
He shook his head and took a step forward with a smile on his lips, closing the space between us. I tried to push myself further into the bench, but it was impossible to move any further back. I timidly took another sip of my drink. He was getting too close. His dark eyes were fixed on me, leaving no room to breathe or even move.
“Don’t be shy.” He reached out his hand and caressed my cheek. “You look beautiful tonight, Aurora.”
I swallowed and tried to hide behind my hair, which was almost covering my face. Was he going to kiss me? Did IwantJulian to kiss me? He picked up my hair in his hand and tucked it behind my ear.
“That’s better. I want to be able to see you. May I?” he asked softly.
I closed my eyes and made my decision right then. Yes, I wanted to be kissed by Julian. I needed to move on from whatever thisthingwas with Adrian. But just as I had made up my mind, the moment was broken when a voice I didn’t recognise interrupted us.
“Julian, you better come out here – there’s a fight.” He looked over my shoulder towards the kitchen entrance, before his gaze fell back on me.
“I have to take care of this. I’m sorry.”
“T-that’s okay. You should go,” I replied with an uneven voice.
“I’ll come and find you.” He left me leaning against the kitchen bench, taking short, shallow breaths. That had been close. Did I really want Julian to kiss me? I felt less certain now. Maybe it was for the best that we’d been interrupted. Deep down, I knew that my heart was yearning for somebody else, no matter how hard I tried to shut those feelings down.
I stayed in the kitchen another few minutes, before I left to look for Lexi, Jasmine and Mia. Once again, I found myself in a crowd of people. I followed the music, which led me to a massive entertainment area. It looked like an old ballroom, with beautiful chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. I spotted the three of them dancing at the other end of the room, and I made my way through the dancing crowd to get to them.
I reached the girls and we exchanged a hug before I started to move to the rhythm of the music. It was an extraordinary feeling. I had never experienced anything like it before. It was like the whole room was under a trance. They were all here, but their minds seemed to be taken somewhere else. I relaxed, closed my eyes and let the music carry me away.
The next time I opened my eyes, I had drifted to the opposite end of the room and Lexi, Jasmine and Mia were nowhere to be seen. It seemed to be even more crowded now than it was when I walked in. I stretched my neck in an attempt to see any of them, but with no luck. Just when I was about to go and look for them, I heard someone calling my name.
It was the strangest sensation, but it felt like the voice was calling from right next tome. It was like someone was whispering my name in my ear, or inside my head. I stopped and looked around, but there was definitely no one standing that close to me. I shook my head. There was no way I would be able to hear anyone calling my name in here anyway; the music was way too loud. Then I heard the voice calling my name again. I turned around, and that’s when I saw her.