Page 37 of Moonstruck at Midnight
He shook his head with a smug smile on his face.
“I’m sure you won’t miss me,” I added with a chuckle, turning around and walking toward the elevator.
“You’re lucky your boyfriend’s out of town,” Caleb said, catching up to me. “There’s no way I’d let you go to a party alone with him.”
I wasn’t going to get into an argument with Caleb about Thomas, so I said nothing. Caleb summoned the elevator for me and waited for it to arrive.
“Text us when you’re back at your apartment,” he said as I stepped inside the elevator. I clicked on the fourteenth-floor button and took a deep breath.
Yay! My first party alone.
“You look great, by the way.” He smiled and the elevator doors closed before I could reply.
Thanks.
Damn it.
I STEPPED OUTof the elevator onto the fourteenth floor and walked up a flight of stairs to the rooftop.
Hell, I was shaking. I didn’t really know anyone but Eric, William, and Tobias. But Eric was the only one that actually talked to me. I’d bumped into Tobias a few times, and he would smile, say hello, and keep about his business. And so did I, in all honesty. And William, well, I hadn’t seen him since the day I met him. Luckily, Eric was near the rooftop access as I walked in.
“Hey, Billie! You look—really good,” he said with a big smile. He looked excited. I walked up to him and greeted him with the accustomed double cheek kiss I used when meeting my friends in Paris. Tobias quickly walked up to me and introduced me to Joel, who I’d never seen before. William was nowhere to be found—probably late.Is he showing up at all?
I greeted Nathalie, and then Eric introduced me to his father, Siv, the neighbors I hadn’t met, and Lily, Joel’s girlfriend.
Lily had silky butterscotch hair, and her eyes matched it almost perfectly. So strikingly beautiful. She looked familiar, but I couldn’t figure out why.
“Hi, Billie! So nice to finally meet you.” She grinned as I double cheek-kissed her too. “Come, sit. We’re making flower crowns. I’ll teach you how to make one.” Lily pulled me to the table where a bunch of flowers, twigs, and threads were used to make the crowns.
The rooftop was beautifully decorated with several flower arrangements. A foliage-coated pergola covered a white, wooden, farm-style table filled with various plates and bowls with food, sauces, dips, and fruits. The delicious smell of dill, chives, and other spices emanated from the platters.
A Swedish flag waved proudly at the far end of the rooftop, and lounge music played in the background. Everything looked gorgeous, and everyone seemed happy—it was contagious. My nerves were beginning to settle down.
Twenty minutes went by, and I had almost finished making my flower crown when I heard the rooftop access door close with a thud.
“Chef’s here!” Siv shouted, raising his beer. We all inevitably turned to look at William as he walked in, making quite an entrance.
He came in looking ridiculously handsome, wearing a white V-neck t-shirt, jeans, a navy-blue blazer, and his tortoise Ray-Ban wayfarers. None of his brothers wore jeans, but he probably knew he didn’t need much to look good. He could wear a freaking white t-shirt for the rest of his life and still look better than most people.
He walked in like he owned the place—like a bathed and shaved Viking ready for a garden party. I caught myself staring for too long, so I made myself look away and kept to my crown as he greeted his family and neighbors. If I were a cartoon, I’d be whistling, pretending to mind my own business.
I sat at the other end of the table with Lily and his mother, so I was going to be the last one on his greeting path.
William grabbed a beer as he walked beside the table that served as a bar and dashed straight to us like a bullet. He stood behind his mother and kissed her cheek. He then approached Lily and me .
“Hey, Billy!” Lily stood up and hugged him. I stood up too, because I didn’t want to seem disrespectful. Hearing people calling himBillykept startling me.
“9A,” William said, looking at me. I smiled and leaned in for a double cheek-kiss. His mouthwatering cologne was intoxicating as per usual, but he slightly recoiled after I greeted him, taken aback. I felt my face warming up after observing his reaction.
“You—don’t do cheek-kissing?” I was mortified. But that’s just how I was used to greeting people I already knew in settings like these. It was automatic.
“Believe me. I’m not going toeverargue about that.” He smiled playfully. There goes my blood up to my face again. At least he seemed in a better mood than the last time I saw him.
“I just double cheek-kissed the entire party,” I whispered, then covered my face with both of my hands.
“I don’t think that anyone will object to that either.” He laughed. “Don’t worry about it—it’s fine. I just didn’t know that you were going to kiss me twice.”
Kiss him twice,huh. They were more like air kisses, but okay.
