by Kitty Parker
She smiled tightly at Harry. "If you don't mind I want to be alone."
He seemed quite disappointed at her rude tone but nonetheless gave her an assuring smile. "I'll wait for you here then, beautiful." Ugh, what a corny guy. She stalked off quietly without glancing at Carson's direction. He actually wanted to follow her. Did she really refuse to eat chocolate, her favorite food in the whole world? Did she really keep the bet? Did she really—
Wait a minute. What if she already ate some chocolate when he wasn't around? What if she just wanted to show him and pretend that she kept the bet because she thought that he already slept with other girls? What if she was lying?
Oh fuck it, if she was being an annoying show off while lying in front of him then screw her. Carson stabbed his fork into the soft cake and ate it angrily. Maggie was probably running along into the kitchen to eat a big whole cake for herself behind his back.
"Man, what the hell are you still doing here?"
He turned and gave Nick a confused look. "What?"
"You're supposed to follow her. Duh." Cameron shot him an obvious look and rolled his eyes.
He scoffed as he picked up his champagne glass. He was not going to follow somebody who was clearly lying to him!
"Screw it, screw her...I, ugh, I...oh screw my sexless life!" He sounded bitter, so full of disgust of himself and ended his mindless statement with a last gulp of his drink.
Everybody's eyes went wide at the sexless part as they all gave him funny looks and a raise of their eyebrows. Did he actually say that? Did the guy who would always have everything under control said that? Was he already getting that drunk? He laughed at himself as he saw Lisa standing up and giving him a vicious glare.
"Ugh, you both are so stubborn!" She hissed at him before walking away toward the door; probably wanting to join Maggie who was eating a big fat chocolate cake in the kitchen.
Whatever Lisa meant…he just didn't care enough. He grabbed Dolly's champagne that stood beside his hand and finished it in one gulp. Man, this was why he didn't like going too far with a girl. It would always make him weird and stressed out just by thinking of her. Dolly leaned closer to his ears. "Sexless life, huh?"
He smirked as he realized that he really did just say that. What was wrong with my mind? He thought coldly as he looked away and placed a quirk of his lips with full of bitter.
"Yep." He managed to answer as he popped out the 'p' lazily.
"Well come on then, what are you waiting for? Why don't we start with a dance? You can grab me anywhere." She pressed her chest closely on his arm as she stared at him with a look of desire.
Carson smirked at the open invitation and held her hand as they made their way to the dance floor where the music started to play again.
He regretted his decision.
Dolly really wanted him to grab her anywhere. She was clinging onto him so much as if her life really depended on him. She was practically grinding him everywhere and he knew she wasn't drunk. Carson himself drank more than her and he still respected that this was a ball where parents were everywhere watching them and not in a club. There were even kids for god's sake! Was she insane? Oh god he was stupid enough to even consider dancing with a girl with fake boobs.
"May I cut in?"
Dolly eyed Lisa angrily from head to toe as if she was dirt that came out from nowhere. Carson rolled his eyes; even though both of the ladies in front of him were blondes he was sure that Lisa was much better than Dolly. Lisa had class with her short blonde hair and her friendly ways with people. She was pretty with her big brown eyes and the dark blue dress that she wore with the skirt touching the floor swiftly…while Dolly on the other hand was wearing clothes that Carson was sure he saw a real prostitute wore on the streets. Everything about her just shouted fake.
"No you may not. Go find your own man." Dolly flipped her hair and hugged Carson's neck tight enough that he wanted to just shove her aside.
He opened his lips. "Um, Dolly—"
"See? Even Carson here wants me…not you, honey."
Talk about cocky. Lisa rolled her eyes and actually pushed her aside making her stumble in her freakishly high heels. Dolly glared at her while Lisa grabbed Carson's hand and put her other hand on his shoulder. "Get lost you freak."
Dolly gasped. "Carson! Did you see her? She just pushed me—"
"Not now, Holly."
Oh my god, did she actually stomp her foot like a child? What was she, twelve? "It's Dolly!"
"Whatever Holly."
"Ugh!" She finally walked away and Carson couldn't help but smile at the girl in front of him. "Thank you."
Lisa smiled back and squeezed his hand. "You're welcome."
After a minute of silence as they both tried to enjoy the tune from the band, Lisa finally glanced up to meet his blue eyes. "What do you see in her anyway? She's a freakin' fake bitch."
Carson shrugged. What did he see in her? He was so pissed about seeing Maggie with Harry earlier that he just agreed to flirt with the girl closest to him…but no way would he admit that. No fucking way. "Boobs."
Lisa had to laugh at that. "Oh god, boys will be boys."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Well you know; what does a guy see in a girl? Tits, ass and legs. If she has a hideous face you don't care as long she has 'the body'. Screw the hideous face, you can cover that up with a plastic bag. Now if a girl has a gorgeous face but has a chest like a guy with no apple bottoms, then buh-bye."
Carson lips twitched into a small smile. "A plastic bag?"
"Don't ask, worst experience ever." Lisa wrinkled her nose playfully that got a laugh out of Carson.
"What can I do? All girls are obviously the one parading their tits, ass and legs for my attention. Not that I don't enjoy it."
Lisa gasped and hit his shoulder. For a girl so tiny she could really hit. "I'm nothing like that! You and your friends are all the same."
They may seem to be flirting if people saw them dancing and laughing like this but he knew better. Carson rolled his eyes. "Lisa, your boyfriend is my best friend."
Lisa grinned from ear to ear. "I know right! I have a boyfriend. Isn't it great to have someone you love that loves you back? God I am so lucky to have him. He is so great with me that sometimes I just want to marry him someday. I feel so alive with him, I love it when he touches me—"
"Okay, stop. Too much information."
Carson gave her his trademark grin and they laughed while they danced to the smooth rhythm of the band that was playing. There weren't too many couples dancing as Carson looked around the room but his eyes spotted a girl with orange hair dancing with somebody. He couldn't see who he was since his back was facing him but he still wanted to grab the guy and punch him in the face. His body tensed and he could feel Lisa looking up at him weirdly. Damn it, the guy dancing with Maggie could make her laugh that loud!
Lisa cracked a grin and a loud laughter that caught back his attention to her. He gave her a quizzical look as she kept on bursting with laughter. "What?" He hissed between thin lips and clenched jaw.
"You should have seen your face! You're actually jealous of Maggie dancing with her own brother?"
What…her brother?
Carson's face softened as he saw that Maggie was actually dancing with Nick. He felt his cheeks getting warmer, oh stupid jealousy. He had never felt so possessed and jealous with a girl before and he felt stupid of himself as he groaned inwardly.
Lisa grinned and tilted her head while watching Carson getting red by embarrassment. It was so amusing to watch. "It's actually cute."
Carson would never hit a girl in his life so swaying Lisa a little bit harder wasn't a crime right? Lisa laughed louder at Carson's attempt to shut her up. He ignored her and was about to turn away until Lisa caught him and continued to dance again. "Stop being such a baby, it's normal to be all jealous when you like someone."
"I know what you mean; it is hard watching Nick dancing with a girl."
&nbs
p; Lisa grinned at his humor. "You should talk to her."
"Oh my god, Nick's a girl?" He asked in fake horror.
Lisa rolled her eyes and hit his shoulder playfully before setting her face in a serious expression. "Talk to her, she's really sad about you ignoring her for weeks."
Carson shrugged. "She was ignoring me too."
"That's because she thought that you think of her disgustingly."
Carson gasped slowly as the words sting his mind longer. She thought of what? How the hell could she think something absurd like that! "I would never think of her that way. There's nothing about her that's any close to disgusting."
"That's what I told her! She didn't believe me though, you know, being dense and all. She said that...well, she said that when you left her a week ago she thought that she was some kind of mistake you made."
Oh god, could Maggie be that stupid? What was wrong with her head? "She would never be a mistake." He said as he glanced at Maggie silently who was laughing with her brother.
Carson felt Lisa shrugged and eyed her again. "She never believes me when it comes to you. She always thinks that you're still this big player while I know the truth of you ignoring her is because you're too chicken to tell her you like her."
Carson's eyes shot up. She just hit the spot so hard. How could Lisa know all of this when he wasn't even sure that he really liked Maggie? He was struggling if this mutual feeling was a little crush but as the days passed by he just couldn't get her out of his mind. Admitting to himself that he liked somebody more than a friend was hard for him…no way was he going to admit that Lisa was right. "I don't like her."
Lisa snorted. "Yeah sure, tell me something I don't know Carson." she laughed while shaking her head at him.
"I don't like her."
"Carson, I've seen the way you look at her—"
"I don't like her."
Lisa finally sighed and met his blazing blue orbs. "Just talk to her. Be the man here and get your ass over there now and sort things out, she still thinks you're ignoring her because you hate her."
"I don't hate her." Carson saw the smirk on Lisa's face. "And I don't like her."
Lisa groaned and glared at him hard. "Just talk to her!"
He just shook his head and swayed her a little bit rough with a smug smile. No way was he going to tell Maggie that he liked her. Oh god. Carson saw Lisa's lips twitching into a big smirk before she eyed him carefully. "Talk to her now or before I make you uncomfortable and embarrassed."
Carson scoffed. "You could never embarrass me—"
"So Carson, tell me a little about your sexless life!" She actually kind of screamed the words, making people heads turn toward their direction.
Carson went red from embarrassment and range before he saw the smug smile on Lisa's face. He pulled apart from her and glared at her. "Fine."
Lisa beamed at him and shouted a loud 'thank you' as he made his way to the dancing siblings across the room. Oh god, he was going to do it wasn't he? Was he actually going to drop the balls tonight? No. Just dance with her for a while to make Lisa happy, that would do.
People might see him walking gracefully full of confidence now but deep inside he felt nervous. God, he never felt nervous because of a freaking girl before. Light blue eyes met his darker shade as he strode across the room where she stood there with her brother. He realized that they weren't dancing anymore as Carson stopped in front of Maggie without a trace of smile. He ignored the way Nick was grinning at their little exchange and just merely grabbed her small hand slowly, pulling her onto the dance floor again.
She seemed like she didn't mind as she followed him silently while her hand seemed to fit his grip perfectly. Carson turned around and faced her slowly to see the sparkle in her eyes, capturing a wave of emotion inside her. He stepped closer and grabbed her hands around his neck before he laid his arms around her waist as he pulled her tightly onto his chest.
God it felt so good to have her in his arms again. She felt so wonderful and her smooth body seemed to fit his larger frame. She didn't say a word while she looked away and placed her head onto the crook of his neck. They were slowly moving around with the soft music swaying their body before a tiny moan escaped from his mouth as she pressed her chest closer to him.
He couldn't get enough with her.
It had been just too long.
Just having her in his arms was a thrill of excitement for him. It was so different from the dance with Dolly; this dance had an emotional feeling twisting that he could feel in the air that even surprised him at the moment. He heard her sigh and hugged her body closer to him even though he knew they were pressing against each other hard that was enough to make him go crazy. She felt so fragile and soft; he was scared if he let her go she would fall into tiny pieces.
He didn't know how long they were dancing without speaking before Maggie's voice filled the air. "Carson, can I ask you something?"
He kissed her hair tenderly and sniffed at the beauty she was representing. He nodded calmly before kissing her cheek softly. "Sure."
"Do you love me?"
…
What?
Was she serious? Did she just ask him if he loved her? Did she just say the L word? Never in his entire life had he felt ridiculous and shocked at a question of love. Hell, no one has ever asked him before. Not one girl ever asked that question when he was sleeping with them. They knew he wasn't the type of guy to love so they just had him for his body. Maggie…it seemed that she wanted his body, mind and soul.
He stopped dancing and stiffened at the thought of loving her. He just realized that he liked her, he freaking liked her. Admitting that he had more feelings for her to himself was hard for him. It was the toughest mind he had to deal with. And now she was asking him if he loved her?
Really, love?
What does the word even mean?
Maggie moved back a little and peered up at him. "Carson?" Her voice was so quiet lt sounded like a purr to his ears that made him feel the butterflies he had never felt before.
Carson sighed as he let go of her slowly. He ran a hand through his hair and fought the urge to not grab her and kiss her sensibly. That would give her the impression that he might admit that he actually loved her. He didn't want her to think that. But her pouted lips just looked like it was inviting his lips.
He liked her, sure. He loved her…he didn't know. He wasn't even sure of his feelings now. Maggie was even lucky that he thought of her in a different way to be more than friends. But love? Carson was on the level of likeness. Love on the other hand has a strong meaning that could mean very huge to any person.
He felt nervous and every time he had to talk when he was nervous he would always stutter. He rubbed the back of his neck slowly as he avoided her eyes. "Maggie…look, I-well, I don't…I'm not sure what to, um, say—"
Maggie's eyes snapped at him fiercely. "No, you don't have to say anything."
Carson saw the pain in her eyes, seeing the sadness coming out of them. He didn't like it when she was upset like this…and to think it was because of him now made him feel weird. God! Just one girl could make him feel emotions he has never felt before. "Maggie—"
"No Carson, its fine. Really." She gave him a sad smile before walking away, grabbing her purse from the table they sat at dinner and turned around leaving the room.
Carson followed her behind closely the entire time but she wouldn't stop walking away from him. She was damn too fast for a girl walking in heels. He was trying to stop her when she grabbed her jacket at the front and started to make her way across the hotel lobby. "Maggie, you don't understand."
"Leave me alone." She sighed out as they both stepped into the cold air.
"Maggie just listen to me!"
She turned around then and what hurt his heart the most were the watery eyes she looked at him from. She sighed silently and looked away. "Carson, just leave me alone okay?"
He shook his head hard. "No—"
"Please! I wa
nt to go by myself for a while. Just…go back in there. For me."
"Where would you go?" He asked quietly after a minute of silence.
She shrugged and looked away as she wrapped her arms around herself. The wind blew her hair swiftly as she looked up at the stars in the night sky. She looked so vulnerable it ached his heart so much looking at her like that. Carson stepped forward to hold her but Maggie moved away as he stepped closer. He frowned.
Maggie shook her head. "Home, I guess."
Carson sighed in frustration as he looked at her. He didn't like it one bit that he was the one making her sad and upset. He knew he couldn't say he loved her when he would be saying a lie. Oh god, he wasn't even sure of his own damn feelings toward her! He was as confused as she was.
Maggie pulled her phone out of her purse and started hitting the buttons with her fingers furiously. Carson felt guilty if she was texting her brother or her parents for a ride home.
"Come on, I'll give you a ride."
"No! Why won't you listen to me? You're so stubborn sometimes. I want to be alone, Carson. Alone! Just leave me alone! Go away!"
"No, Maggie! I hate seeing you like this—"
"Then go away!" She sighed at the sight of him not leaving anywhere. "Look Carson, I'm going to be honest when I say this. I love you, I freaking do. And I know you don't feel the same way but you're not making this any easier for me!" She walked away with her heels clicking on the pavement.
Carson watched her with disbelief as she walked away further from him. Did she say what he thought she said? He frowned, maybe his drunk mind was messing up with him. He wasn't that drunk but hearing such things coming out from her mouth was probably impossible to hear. Why would a girl so great like her love a guy like him?
He shook his head fast. He was just hearing things, that was all.
She stood there crossing her arms while it looked like she was waiting for a taxi. It was stupid, if she wanted to ride a taxi then she could've ask from the hotel to call one and not wait on the streets. Carson sighed and ran his hand through his dark hair, it wasn't the time to think about that. "Maggie, wait—"
The sound of a humming engine getting closer stopped Carson. He turned to see a guy wearing a black helmet on a big motorbike stop right in front of Maggie. Carson was feeling possessive again at the sight of a guy in front of her, he could be a murderer was all he knew! Carson stepped forward to grab her away from the guy but stopped as the guy took the helmet off before he gave Maggie a smile.