by S. G. Sonysa
I went downstairs to the living room where Kate, Chase, and my in-laws were sitting.
Chase looked really angry. His jaw was clenched while he was staring at the floor. Kate glared at me like everything bad that happened in this world was my fault.
“You asked for me?”
“Yes, Hailey. We need to leave today for Chicago to attend Kate’s painting exhibition tomorrow morning. She can only bring two people with her, so Eva and I have decided to go with her. We will come back tomorrow evening,” my father-in-law said.
“Chase needs to attend a very important party, and we don’t want you to stay alone here late at night.” My mother-in-law added.
“I can manage one night alone if there are no ghosts in the basement,” I said.
My in-laws looked at me then laughed loudly.
“Yes, I know you are an intelligent girl and can take care of yourself, but we think you should go with Chase to this party. It’s time he introduces you to his friends as his wife,” my father-in-law said.
I glanced at Chase, and he narrowed his eyes at me like telling me to say no to his dad. Instantly, I understood that he had no desire to take me with him to this party.
“I don’t like parties. I will stay at home,” I said.
“Sweetie, you should go to this party with Chase. It’s a great chance for you to meet his friends. I’m sure Chase will take care of you and Kate will lend you a dress. I think she wouldn’t mind doing your makeup.” My mother-in-law smiled.
Kate eyed me from head to toe then said, “Sure, I will do her make-up and lend her my dress because I don’t want my brother to feel embarrassed when he introduces her to his friends.”
I had no choice but to agree to go with Chase to the party.
Kate dragged me upstairs to her room and shouted at me.
“Remove that stupid ponytail and red hairband from your head,” she yelled, making me jump and remove the ponytail and hairband hurriedly.
I let my waist length hair fell down on my back and looked at her.
“I think we need to go to the salon. They will give you a haircut and do something to improve that face of yours. You’re not a case I can handle alone,” Kate said.
She talked on the phone for a while before dragging me downstairs. She picked up her car keys and then we went to the salon.
The salon owner, Lilly, knew Kate, so she approached us.
“Hello, dear,” Lilly said to Kate.
“Hello, Lil.” Kate kissed her on both cheeks.
I stared at them. Lilly was dressed in a black skirt and red silk blouse. Kate mumbled something in her ear then Lilly looked at me from head to toe.
“Girls, we have a target to achieve,” Lilly yelled and clapped her hands to gain the attention of the other workers.
A few girls dressed in black pants and black shirts came to me and dragged me into a room. After that, I didn’t remember much as to what happened to me. I screamed in pain when they waxed my legs and face. Lots of tears were spilled when they shaped my eyebrows and cut my hair.
For the whole hour, I was in extreme pain because of all the pulling and whatnot.
Finally, after an hour of torture, they let me look at myself in the mirror. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I couldn’t believe that the girl staring back at me was the same Hailey.
My hair was cut in many layers framing my face. The length of my hair was shorter than before, and it was shiny and glossy. My skin was glowing because of the mask they put on my face earlier. My legs and hands were looking smooth, and I felt nice.
“Hailey, stop looking at yourself like that,” Kate said.
I looked at my feet feeling nervous.
“Thank you, Lilly, for helping me,” Kate said then paid a hefty amount for all the services.
When we reached home, she dragged me out of the car and took me to her room.
I was standing in her room, staring at her rummaging through her closet for a perfect dress for me. She pulled out few of her dresses and told me to try them on. I put the dress on then she assessed me with hawk-like eyes and made me turn left and right.
“They do not look good on you, Get changed into this one,” she said, telling me to change into the black dress.
When my eyes landed on the black dress, I took a step back.
“I can’t wear that dress,” I said.
Kate glared at me, and asked, “Why can’t you wear this dress?”
“It is really short, and it doesn’t have sleeves.”
“Hailey I will pinch you hard if you don’t get into this dress in the next minute,” Kate said, throwing the dress on my face.
I gulped and went to get changed. The dress had a sweetheart neckline which was covered with jewels, displaying my cleavage. The dress hugged my entire frame like a second skin. It was too short for my liking.
Kate just smiled at me evilly.
“I must say, Hailey. You look good in this dress, but I suppose that’s only because this dress is quite pretty and expensive,” Kate said while I was pulling the dress down from my thighs and up from my chest so my breasts would not spill out.
I looked at myself in the mirror and stopped. The dress made me look like some model from a magazine Emily used to have.
When I tried to touch my hair, Kate glared at me, and it scared me. She was like a ticking bomb waiting to explode.
Kate pushed me on the chair in front of her vanity table and started doing my makeup. After fifteen minutes, she stopped stabbing my eyes and told me to take a look at myself.
I gazed at myself in the mirror. My hair was left open in loose curls, and my lips were painted red. She shaped my eyes with black liner and put something on my lashes to make them look thicker and longer. My face was *looking smooth and glowing. I was looking pretty.
Kate handed me black wedges and told me to walk in them. She eyed me from head to toe then smiled looking satisfied.
She took out her bag from the closet then started packing her things for the exhibition.
When she was done with her work, she walked to me and leaned closer.
“If I find a single dirty spot on my dress and scratch on my wedges then I will throw you out from this house,” she said in a slow, dangerous voice. “Is that clear?” she yelled, scaring me.
“Yes.” I nodded frantically.
“Good,” she said, patting my head like I was a puppy.
Now I thought there was nothing that could stop me from attending my first party.
Chapter Ten
Mesmerized By Her Beauty
Chase
When Mom, Dad, and Kate left for Chicago, it was already 7:30 pm. I was supposed to be at the party by 7:00 pm so I went to my room to take a shower. After showering, I changed into my jeans and black shirt, leaving the first two buttons of my shirt undone.
I combed my hair and ran my hands through it a few times to give it a messy look. After putting on my shoes, I went downstairs. I picked up my car keys ready to leave when suddenly I remembered that I was ordered to take Hailey with me.
Hailey was nowhere in sight so for a second I thought of leaving for the party without her. Then I groaned thinking that if I left her here tonight, my parents would not like it at all.
“Hailey, where are you? I’m going to be late! If you’re not ready yet, then I’m leaving without you.” I yelled.
I heard fast footsteps coming down the stairs, and that was when my cell phone rang indicating that I had a message. Retrieving my cell phone from my pocket, I checked it to find a text from Kyle. I was busy with texting him back when my eyes caught sight of smooth, bare, long legs in front of me.
I put the cell phone back in my pocket and dragged my eyes up to see the owner of those beautiful legs, but my eyes landed on the beautiful breasts hardly leaving anything to the imagination.
Suddenly, I was nervous to look into the eyes of this beauty but finally moved my eyes up to see her face. My breath hitched when my eyes landed on her face. I
was blown away by her gorgeous face and sexy looks. I couldn’t believe my eyes. She looked mesmerizing. I was immobile with my mouth slack just staring at her like some stupid lovesick puppy.
I didn’t know Hailey could be this sexy. I could tell she was cute, innocent, sweet, and shy but sexy was something that I could associate with Hailey.
Was she really the same girl I married a few months ago? The girl who wore baggy clothes and always smiled at me like a fool?
Then my traitorous eyes made their way to her sexy legs again. The mere sight of them made me imagine the unmentionable things I could do while these beautiful legs were wrapped around me. It started to make my mind hazy.
Her pretty face was covered in makeup, which I didn’t like at all because she was quite pretty herself without the support of all this makeup. But even the makeup couldn’t hide her innocence. It was still clearly showing on her face.
I felt captivated by her mesmerizing beauty. Her red lips called me like a siren. Suddenly, I felt like someone slammed a baseball bat on my head to remind me that I wasn’t supposed to feel this. I should stop feeling anything, and she should too. She was a beautiful distraction, and I needed to push her back to stay focused on the goals my parents had set for me.
I was not supposed to get attracted to her or to find her cute and sexy. I should stop thinking inappropriate things. I shook my head to get rid of any absurd thoughts.
She glanced at me biting her lower lip nervously, and that was enough to make my heart flip. I wanted to feel those lips and kiss them, but this stupid fear of what would happen in the future made me took a step back.
“She is your wife, and it means she belongs to you. You can kiss her,” the devil whispered in my ear.
No. I shouldn’t kiss her. If I kissed her, it meant I would be raising her hopes. I would be giving myself a chance to be loved. I would be destroying my planned future with my own hands. My parents wanted me to graduate then take over the business, and that was my priority.
Now I had to act like an ass to push her away. I wanted her to hate me. I didn’t want to make her feel like we could work this arranged marriage out. I knew I had been acting like an ass since she came here to live, but it was because I didn’t like her before.
But now I had to act like an ass knowing that we could not work this out because I shouldn’t make this relationship my priority and should focus on fulfilling my parents’ wishes before anything else. I wanted to decide how I would live my life and who I would spend my future with, but I couldn’t let my parents down.
She might be the girl for me, or she might not be, but right now it was not the time to worry about that. If we continued this relationship, in the end, it would break us both beyond repair.
To hurt her and make her hate me I said the cruelest words that came to my mind, “Why are you wearing that dress? It is revealing your fat figure. Didn’t you see yourself in the mirror after wearing that dress? It looks terrible on you.”
Instantly, her face turned pale, and her eyes lost all the shine they had on them earlier.
I felt guilty and wanted to take my words back. I wanted to tell her how gorgeous she looked in the dress and how much I wanted her, but I needed her to hate me.
If I would keep saying sweet things to her, how would I make her hate me?
She gazed at me with her big brown eyes then stuttered, “I… I am sorry if you… you want me to change I can do it. Just give me a few seconds.”
“I’m running late for the party. My friends are waiting for me,” I said, trying to sound irritated.
“I didn’t pick the dress myself. This is Kate’s dress, and she told me to wear it. If you are running late, you can go. I will stay here.” She looked down at the floor.
Her eyes were filled with tears.
I had never seen her so sad before even when I talked rudely to her. But tonight, I thought I crossed the line.
“It is not like I care about how you look. Just come with me and make sure you keep your mouth shut at the party,” I said.
She nodded. Her eyes were wide like I had scared her. I didn’t want her to feel scared of me.
I had no idea why she never got angry at me, yelled at me, or cursed me when I said rude things to her. I wanted her to fight with me and argue with me so I would have some valid reasons to do all these things.
We both stayed silent on the way to the party. When we arrived outside my friend house, I parked my car at the empty spot and stepped out of the car. She stepped out of the car and followed me into my friend’s house. I went to the poolside where the party was arranged. I glared at the guys who were staring at Hailey.
What was I going to tell my friends when they ask me about Hailey?
Sam, Kyle, Clara, and Michael were standing near the bar, drinking.
“Hi, guys. Sorry for coming late.” I went and greeted them.
“It is fine. The real fun hasn’t started yet,” Sam said.
Clara came to me and hugged me.
The boys of my group looked at me with raised eyebrows when she mumbled, “Hi handsome.”
“Hi Clara,” I replied.
Clara and I had been friends since kindergarten. Also, she used to be my neighbor until her dad bought a new house a little far from my place.
Sam asked me, “Chase. Who’s this pretty girl standing behind you?”
That was when I realized that Hailey was standing behind me and I still hadn’t introduced her to my friends.
I turned around to find Hailey tucking the traitorous tendrils of her hair behind her ear. Her act was so simple and innocent, yet it left me breathless. Her eyes were downcast like she was scared to look at people in the eye. She had an uneasy look on her face.
Clara, Sam, and the others waited for me to introduce her.
I cleared my throat, and said, “She is Hailey, the daughter my mother’s best friend. She is staying in our house because her parents are out of the city for some meeting.”
Hailey’s head snapped my way when I was done introducing her. The hurt, pain, and betrayal were clear on her face.
My friends still looked confused, so I decided to elaborate the lie I created to make them believe.
“My mother insisted I take her to the party that’s why I brought her here with me,” I said, patting Kyle’s shoulder when he came to stand beside me.
“Hello beautiful, I am Kyle.” Kyle extended his hand.
She looked at me in the eyes like silently asking my permission. I nodded, and she placed her small hand in Kyle’s large tan hand, shaking it.
“It is my birthday party. Chase is my best friend, and I am glad he brought you here tonight,” Kyle said, making her smile.
I was sure that I was not the only one who got starstruck when she smiled. Sam, Michael, and Kyle looked surprised when she smiled innocently. Her smile was truly beautiful like it would light up your world in seconds.
“Happy Birthday,” she said softly, making Kyle smile.
“Thanks.” Kyle had a shy smile on his face.
Sam pushed Kyle and took hold of Hailey’s hand.
“Hi, I am Sam. Chase and I have been friends from fifth grade,” Sam said, and I rolled my eyes.
Hailey nodded her head and mumbled, “Hi.”
I glared at Sam. He was my friend but a certified player in our group of friends. He knew better how to charm girls and lured them to do what he wanted because of his good looks.
“Hailey, you are really beautiful. Are you single?” he asked her, still holding her hand.
I clenched my jaw at his stupid habit of flirting. I wanted to push him away from her and told him to keep his hands to himself, but I controlled my temper.
“I… I am-m…” Hailey stuttered.
I interrupted her before she would drop the “married” bomb on my friends.
“She is not interested, Sam. She is here on vacation, and her parents are very strict. She’s not allowed to date until she’ll turn twenty-five so please remo
ve your hand,” I said, making him glare at me.
“Is he telling the truth?” Sam looked at Hailey.
She nodded her head looking at me like I just told her I murdered kittens in my past time.
“Your parents are not here, Hailey. And as much as I know, Chase is not your dad, so I don’t think it’s any of his business to state your parents’ rules to you. Let me give you a tour of the party,” Sam said with a smirk, which I felt like eradicating with a punch.
I didn’t know why I was feeling so angry towards Sam when I knew it was nothing more than a harmless flirt.
“Sam, she is off limits. Leave her alone,” I said harshly, and this time I caught Clara’s attention.
Her eyes went to Hailey and me like she was solving some puzzle.
“Oh c’mon man. I just want to be Hailey’s friend and give her company all through the party,” Sam said, smiling at Hailey.
Hailey looked really anxious. I could see her hand trembling, and she was biting her lower lip again. I guessed that she was feeling uncomfortable surrounded by new people.
“I think Sam should give her a tour. Chase won’t mind it if I keep him occupied,” Clara said, kissing my cheek and winking at Sam.
My jaw clenched when Sam smiled and placed his hand on Hailey’s bare arm then dragged her with him. She held my gaze until she was out of sight.
I was angry at Sam, but I knew he wouldn’t hurt her.
Clara gave me a drink, and I chugged it down. It burned my throat but instantly calmed me down.
“Let’s dance,” she said, dragging me to the dance floor.
I always felt like Clara assumed we could be more than friends someday, but for me, she could never be more than a friend. From the start of college, she had been acting weird, and my friends told me that they thought she had a crush on me.
I was dancing with her when she pressed her body to mine intimately.
“Clara, what are you doing?” I asked her.
“I’m dancing,” she slurred in my ear, pressing herself again.
I could feel every curve of her body and her rigid breathing.
“It’s not appropriate for friends to dance like this,” I said, creating space between our bodies.
