The Fate Of Broken Hearts

Chapter 49

Berkeley was considered a renowned college, where a great sum of wealthy people went. There was no doubt that this city had expensive restaurants, but I feared Myra's standard for 'fancy' was very different from mine.

"What's the restaurant called?" I asked her as I sifted through my wardrobe.

"I don't know, but it's some fancy one I think."

"How fancy?" I turned to her.

"Nothing extravagant, but, you know, fancy." She adjusted the gold necklace so it centered over her collarbones. "Do you have something to wear for the occasion?"

I looked at my closet with little hope. We were supposedly leaving in an hour and I still hadn't decided what to wear.

"I should have something..." I mumbled to myself.

"Well, let me have a look."

I nodded and let her into my closet. Immediately, she started to pull out tops and skirts and dresses, even a few jackets.

With all the pieces splayed out on my comforter, she began putting outfits together, color coordinating them by similar shades and tones. She managed to choose two outfits I genuinely liked.

The first choice was a black dress. It had a sweetheart neckline, easy grip lining on the bust, boning in the bodice, short off-shoulder sleeves, and an invisible back zip that was secured by a metal clasp. The hem was beautifully designed in a soft fabric meant to sit at the middle of my thighs.

The second option was a delicate, pale green dress that came all the way down to my knees. It was comfortable and what I'd normally wear. But this was no normal occasion for me.

To Myra's delight, I picked and tried on the black dress. When I returned to show her, her eyes were wide with glee.

"Here, put these on," She handed me a pair of black heels enthusiastically.

When I saw them, I swallowed hard. I never learned to walk correctly in them, let alone run like Myra had the habit of doing. But, for tonight's sake, I made an effort and put them on.

When Myra led us to my mirror, I was taken aback by the change in my appearance. The comfort of my sweatpants was gone and a confident uniform had taken its place.

"We look hot as fuck." She giggled, fixing the little strands escaping her hair clip. "Lars is picking up but we're stopping by the frat house before we head to the restaurant."

I fiddled with the clip of my silver bracelet, observing her through the mirror. "What for?"

"We're all arriving together. Aubrey, Lars, Mike, and Zoe are riding with us, and Aiden, as per usual, said he wouldn't be sharing his car with anyone."

I didn't say anything in return as we both gathered our purses and coats.

When Lars' car announced his presence with bright headlights, we eagerly rushed down the stairs and entered his car.

Just as we clicked in our seatbelts, I received a message.

'I heard Myra and Lars are meeting us at the frat house. Are you with them?'

I typed my response quickly and watched the dark night settle further into the clouds.

'I'll see you in a few minutes then.'

After a few red lights and crossing pedestrians, we entered the frat house driveway and parked behind Aiden's long black car.

Everyone was streaming out the front door within seconds of our arrival. Even Aiden, who was the first to leave, was dressed flawlessly for the occasion.

Myra and Lars got out of the car first, greeting everybody. I hesitated to do the same, nervous and unsure of what to say to everyone there. But when Aiden's eyes landed on mine, I noticed myself opening the door and stepping out.

I almost twisted my ankle as soon as my heels struck the ground. Aiden tensed as he watched me regain my balance.

"Emma, right?" Mike greeted me first in his white dress shirt and shiny black shoes.

"Hi," I smiled back politely, greeting everyone else the same.

"Jesus, Aiden, you could at least say hello to her." Myra rolled her eyes at his lack of words and branched off the conversation with her other friends.

He turned his back to them and hid his face so no one could see the smile he shared with me.

I skimmed over his dark blazer. His shirt, also dark, tucked into his black pants. His hair was styled by a gel, keeping it in place and his face was freshly shaven.

"I don't think I've ever seen you so dressed up before." I smiled down at the sight of dress shoes instead of boots.

"Do you like it?"

"I do." I chuckled lightly. "I really do."

His smile turned into a grin as he stepped a little closer, his perfume enveloping me.

Aiden was about to say something in return when Lars suddenly called us both over.

"Aubrey and Peter are meeting us at the restaurant, so we should probably get going before we're late." He reported.

Mike got into Lars' car first. Zoe got in second, taking the middle seat since she was the smallest. I went climbing in after her when Aiden held me back and signaled to wait.

"I can take Emma in my car." He announced.

Lars looked back at him and Myra furrowed her brows so deeply that her makeup crinkled a little.

"Take Mike, then," Lars suggested.

"Zoe and Mike are a couple; therefore, they should go in the same car."

"So, you and Emma are a couple?" Lars laughed. "Right..."

"Zoe and Mike can both go in your car, Aiden," Myra bargained.

"No way." Mike jumped in. "We're not going with him."

"Why not?"

"Have you met him, Myra?"

Aiden's smirk raised his eyebrows confidently.

Myra sighed, "Aiden, I swear on my life that if you say anything unkind to Emma, I will twist your balls and set them on fire."

"As lovely as that sounds, Myra, we should get going."

Aiden and I watched as Lars left the driveway. Once they were gone, Aiden stepped in front of me.

"Hello, sweetheart." His voice was rich and equally smooth, looking down on me.

"You're really sticking to that, aren't you?" I smiled feverishly.

He nodded and a brief smile crossed his lips before they connected with mine, soft and dulcet.

"I've wanted to do that since I saw you come out of that car." He sighed.

"You mean when I almost fell and broke my ankles?"

He laughed, "Did you hurt yourself?"

I shook my head. "No, but there's a good chance I'll fall again."

"I'll happily catch you." He smirked. "That is if we're alone. If Myra is around, you're just going to have to hit the ground. Duck and roll."

"Jerk." I rolled my eyes with a grin.