Yours to Own and Love

I scanned the crowded room, my gaze lingering on the sea of unfamiliar and phony faces. My father who had dragged me down to this gala was nowhere to be found. Probably schmoozing with the other guests, I thought, rolling my eyes in annoyance.

I took a sip of my wine, the champagne bubbles tickling my nose. I hated these events, hated the forced smiles and the fake laughter. And to make matters worse, I was stuck in a tight dress, my feet screaming in protest from the high heels. Gosh, I just wanted to have a nice time in Hawaii.

As I stood there, feeling like a fish out of water, my ex-boyfriend's words echoed in my mind. "You're such a coward, Stella." I groaned, taking another sip of my drink. Why did he have to say that? Well if I'm a coward then he's a bastard.

Scott, my very recently ex-boyfriend, was the kind of guy you look back at and sigh in relief that it ended, even if the ending was sucky. His charming smile and captivating charm was all he had. He's the kind of boy who made you feel like you were the only person in the room.

And nice and charming is what I wanted. Or so I thought. Except, it was all an act. A carefully crafted facade designed to lure me in. I remember the way my heart skipped a beat when he smiled at me, the way my friends envied our relationship. But behind closed doors, the real Scott emerged.

The problem was sex. Specifically, that Scott wanted it, immediately, and always, and I wanted to wait. No, it’s not like I’ve ever been that girl who wants to wait until marriage or something like that. But I’d gone through all of high school without doing more than freaking making out with a guy.

Scott was nice enough, but I wasn’t about to hop into bed for the first time three weeks after meeting the guy. Apparently, that was reason enough for Scott to go out and sleep with half the girls on my dorm floor, before telling me it was over.

He'd told me, “Guys have needs, Stella. I mean, if you weren’t going to, of course, I was gonna find it someplace else.” The audacity of that bitch. He even had the nerve to ask me if I still “wanted to bone.” I politely told him to go fuck his mother. But the thing is, it hasn’t just been Scott.

Before him, it was Romeo, from high school. We dated for a few months my senior year. I wasn’t ready to do anything more than kissing. Romeo, however, was ready, which is why he found time to sleep with Madison Hathway in the bathroom at a party while I was sick with fever at home.

And of course, I got the same “Scott” explanation: that I was a “prude” and that “of course” he’d gotten what he “needed” elsewhere. Before Romeo, it was Hudson, and even before that, Samir. The same story, different guy.

It was exhausting. In fact, it's exhausting to think about them all. I wasn't in love with any of those shitheads anyways.

I took a big gulp of my drink, feeling the sharp alcoholic taste burn my tongue. I wasn't about to ruin my evening some more. Just then, I felt a shiver run down my spine. I looked up, wondering if anyone was looking at me. I could feel it. And my eyes met a pair of dark grey ones.

I paused. I couldn't see his face properly but his gaze was intense and i felt a shiver go down right to my core. My face turned hot and I quickly broke the gaze. What was that? I had more drinks and when I finally got the courage to look back up, he wasn't there anymore. For a strange reason, my heart fell.

"May I have this dance?"

The sudden voice behind me made me jump in surprise. My eyes widened as I turned to look at who owned the deep, masculine voice. And I locked gazes with a stranger with dark eyes with thick dark lashes beautifully framing them. His hand was stretched forward as he waited for me to accept or decline. My eyes widened as I realised he was the one from few minutes ago. I flushed slightly. The light wasn't bright and I couldn't see his face clearly but I could tell he's gorgeous. Maybe aged twenty five. I nodded and placed my hand on his, causing my heart to skip a beat.

We walked to the dance floor where the light was even darker and his arm went around my waist. As we moved to the music, the stranger's hand rested on the small of my back, his fingers digging into my skin. I felt a shiver run down my spine as he pulled me closer, our bodies swaying to the beat.

"You look like you'd rather be anywhere else," he whispered in my ear, his breath sending a chill down my neck.

I nodded, "I hate these events."

"Do you want to get out of here?" he asked, his eyes gleaming with this magnetic intensity. I raised an eyebrow, skeptical. What did he mean by "get out of here"? Did he mean leave the event? With him?

Before I could respond, he turned me around, my back pressing against his chest. I felt a jolt of surprise as I realized that he was aroused, his hardness pressing against my buttocks. My eyes widened in shock, and I felt a rush of heat flood through my body. Just then, he spun me around and the next thing I knew, his lips were on mine.