Pool Hunny // Benny Rodriguez

31.

Benny. 

We had dinner at the appartment I made sure of that, I was not about to let Caroline bully me into letting her spend another abscene amount of money. I could tell that she was annoyed but I didn't care, enough was enough. Plus her chef made amazing food anyways so it really wasn't any different to eating in a restaurant. 

"We're only going to be a the after party for one or two hours." Caroline told me, "my cousins are coming to pick us up and take us out after. My father's sister Georgina lives here in New York so my couins know all the best places to have fun. Although I will warn you my friends here are a lot more wild than my friends back home so much brace yourself." 

I could only imagine what that meant. 

Once we were finished eating we went into our rooms to get dressed and ready for the party, I knew that Caroline would take a considerable amount longer than me, but I could just kill time playing cards with Rosita. Emmy told me she was a killer poker player. 

I showered quickly drying my hair with a towel and then going on to get dressed, I pulled on the shirt Caroline had forced down my throat earlier today. As much as I hated to admit it she was right, it did look good on me and so had everything else she's picked out. She really did have good taste. 

I put on everything else making sure to grab my wallet before we left, I was not falling for that trick again. I walked out to where Rosita was sitting eating her dinner a telenovela playing on the TV. "¿Qué estás viendo?" I asked sitting down next to her. (What are you watching?)

"El hombre de oro, es mi es mi programa preferido." She replied, "Emmy me lo enseñó." ('El hombre de oro' it's my favourite series.) (Emmy showed it to me)

Of course she did, my cousin lived for that crap, Emmy could basically talk along with all of them. She had gotten Lola and my mother hooked as well. The three of them waited every friday night for the next eppisodes to come out so they could watch them together. 

"How do I look?" I hear Caroline asked softly from behind us. 

Holy shit, was all I could think when I turned to look at her. She was wearing navy blue again because it was the yankee's colour. It was a long, flowy camisole dress that was navy blue with a shimmery blue floral pattern printed across it so that it wrapped like a spiral around her body. I had never seen her with her hair straightened before until today either but it suited her just as well as the waves usually did. She had a golden necklace clasped around her neck it had a little gemstone on it matching the colour of the dress. 

"Good." I finally choked out, "you look good."

She made a face, "I was hoping for a little more than that. ¿Rosita? ¿Qué te parece?" (Rosita? What do you think?)

Rosita grinned at her, "fantástica, te ves radiante Carolita." (fantastic, you look radiant Caroline)

That was probably a better way to describe how she looked. Absolutely radiant. 

Caroline smiled, "much better, now come on Benny we have to go or we'll be late." 

Rosita shook her head, "no, no wait! Primero quiero hacer una foto." 

"Okay, but be quick because Daddy will be so mad if I'm the last one there again," Caroline replied pulling me into the middle of the room, she looped her arm through mine, "you should take two so that we both have one." 

I was still looking at her when the camera flashed both times snapping me out of it, I should never have agreed to come on this trip it was completely messing with my head. Rosita handed us the developing polariods as Caroline pulled on her shawl. It was getting kind of cold, march in  New York was definitely not the same temperature as in California. 

Caroline grinned and tapped something on my shirt, "I knew you'd like it. But you were just to stubborn to admit it weren't you?"

I looked down to see her finger resting on the little blue Ralph Lauren horse, "don't flatter yourself the other one had a stain on it." I lied, this would totally go to her head. 

Caroline scoffed, "sure it did." She frowned at the picture, "you do realise you're supposed to look at the camera?" 

I looked down at my copy, she was right I was completely staring at her and not facing the front like she was. "Either way we don't have time to redo them." She continued flippantly, "come on or we'll be late. Adiós Rosie!" 

"Adiós Carolita!" She called after us as I closed the door.

I followed Caroline down the stairs and into the car that would take us to the event, she turned to me a slightly concerned look on her face, "are you alright? You're awfully quiet." She asked, "usually you would use this time to make an awfully witty comment with the word princess at the end of it." 

I grinned, "and I thought you'd never notice, I knew you'd miss them princess."

She groaned, "I set myself up for that one didn't I?" 

I nodded laughing, "yeah you kind of did." 

I had completely forgotten that the after party was televised, I usually watched them from my couch at home so it was surreal to actually be at one. When we got out of the car my eyes took a moment to adjust to the flashing of the cameras. Caroline however seemed perfectly prepared, she flashed them all an angel smile before making her way up the path leading into the building. I could see crowds, who were most likley waiting for the players waiting eagerly on either side of us. 

We walked inside and Caroline led me over to where her father was standing with some of his business associates. "Caroline!" Mr Baker boomed at the sight of her, "come and say hello! You remember Henry Dawson and Kit Passenger?" 

She leaned to me a slight smile on her face, "I guarantee you that is at least his third flute of champagne. He always gets obnoxiously loud when he's tipsy, he's just lucky they all do." Then she turned back to her father, "of course I do! Hi gentlemen, nice to see you again." 

All I was left thinking about was the smell of her perfume when she'd been so close to me. I was completely out of it.