Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty Three
Cassi
When we get out of the shower, Nico and I dry off and get dressed.
Thankfully for him, he has plenty of spare clothes here and is back to looking ever put together in minutes.
I however, am rifling through my clothes, trying to figure out what to wear.
I know that Carly and my parents had plans to do some sightseeing.
Huge surprise, I’m not interested in participating.
So I think I’ll just hang back here, watch some TV.
Catch up on some assignments, pluck my eyes out with some tweezers.
You know, just a short list of the things I’d rather do than spend a day with Carly.
I’m digging through the dresser wearing only a towel when Nico comes up behind me, kissing up and down the side of my neck. I smile at the touch and turn my head to look at him.
“I have something for you,” he says.
“Yeah? Is it your hard on? Because, spoiler, you already gave it to me and I loved it.”
He narrows his eyes with a smile and swats my ass.
“Don’t be such a smart ass,” he says as he pulls a light blue jewelry box out of his pocket.
It’s dry, so I can only imagine it wasn’t on his person when we had our little shower together. As if he can read my mind he shakes his head.
“I’ve had it here for a week or so. I wanted it here, in our home, ready for you.”
How dumb am I for practically swooning at the words ‘our home’? We are sickening, I swear, but I love it.
Slowly, I lift the lid of the box, revealing a glittering diamond necklace. It has a circle pendant, again, absolutely drenched in diamonds. The entire box is practically shimmering as he takes the necklace from the box and lifts it into the air.
“Turn around,” he says.
I do as he says, facing the full length mirror as I watch him place it around my neck. This is really a good look for me. Wet hair, white towel, stupidly expensive necklace.
Once Nico has fastened the clasp, I touch it gently, looking down at it before back into the mirror.
“Nico it’s…perfect. I mean, it’s beyond perfect. I can’t wear this.”
He frowns. “Why not?”
I turn to look at him as I smile and shake my head.
“Everyone is going to think I robbed a bank, or maybe just a jewelry store,” I laugh. Girls like me don’t wear things like this. We can’t even afford to look at it.”
“You can now. It’s yours, I had it made just for you. I’ll have a thousand more made if that’s what it takes for you to start to understand how fucking precious you are,” he says as his thumb brushes against my cheek.
I can’t help but ruin the moment a little as I shake my head.
“A thousand more? How fucking rich are you? I want a number.”
Nico lets out a rough laugh as he smiles.
“Rich enough to buy you anything your heart desires, though I may need to sell a few summer homes to keep the funds liquid,” he smirks.
“Summer homes? Where are we talking?”
He shrugs. “The usual places. London, Paris, Tuscany, Maldives.”
My eyes bug out of my head. “The usual…sir, I want to go to the Maldives stat. Make that happen, will you?”
Nico grins and nods, wrapping his arms around my waist as he drags me into him.
“Deal.”
“Fuck, that was easy, deal,” I smile before leaning up and pressing a kiss to his lips.
Nico also tried to get out of sightseeing with my family but of course, my parents weren’t having it.
They insisted they spend time together. Luckily I was spared.
No one asked about the necklace because I decided to put on a sweatshirt.
Though I know you’re supposed to take nice jewelry like that off when you sleep, I absolutely slept with it all night, and have zero regrets doing so.
Now it’s the night of the engagement party, and the happy light feelings I was experiencing yesterday with Nico have essentially shriveled up and died.
Especially when we arrived at some ballroom and I saw a large sign welcoming us to the engagement of the future Mr. & Mrs. Sanders.
I wanted to puke right then and there. Hopefully onto the sign.
As we step inside, I’m overwhelmed with how many people are there.
At least two hundred people fill this ballroom, glittering gowns, black tie suits and waiters dressed to the nines serving passed hors d’oeuvres.
I look down at my simple black cocktail dress and suddenly feel so small in this world.
I look to my parents who are sharing similar looks of uncomfortability among one another.
My dad is wearing the best suit that he owns, though it really doesn’t hold a candle compared to the rest of the men in the room.
My mom opted for a nice lavender dress with a lace shawl.
Though looking around, she looks more ready for afternoon tea than a lavish gala like the one we have somehow found ourselves in.
Disdain filled looks and noses in the air are the only things we see until a warm face pops up through the crowd, hurrying his way towards us.
Oh my god. Nico looks like…heaven? His suit practically wraps around his body like a second skin.
His hair is perfectly styled and in place and oddly enough, I think my favorite part is the bow tie.
Why is he so cute in a bow tie? That’s it.
He’s wearing bow ties for everything from now on.
I don’t care if he will look like an eighty year old man at work, he’ll be my eighty year old man.
Nico heads straight for me, his smile growing and growing until he hesitates, his eyes darting to my parents as he quickly changes directory.
I’m disappointed, but relieved. My mom has been keeping an extremely close eye on me since we came to Boston.
It feels like she knows something is up, which I know is my own paranoia but still.
“You both look fantastic,” Nico says as he presses a kiss to my mom’s cheek before shaking my dad’s hand.
“Quite the fancy set up you guys got here,” my dad says as he looks up at the six chandeliers that are as big as my car.
Nico nods, giving the room a passing glance and a shrug. To him, this place is a dime a dozen. Just another Saturday night. To us…it’s unimaginable. I can’t believe this has been Carly’s life for the last three years. No wonder she never came home much.
“Cassi,” Nico says, “You look…stunning,” he says with a shake of his head.
I feel my smile grow wider than it should, but I can’t stop it.
“Thank you, I like your bow tie.”
He smiles like that was funny compliment, but he enjoys it all the same before nodding his head.
“That necklace is stunning.”
“Isn’t it?” my mom chimes in. “I asked her where she got it and she won’t tell us!”
I roll my eyes like I’m irritated as I look at my mom.
“I told you. I got it online. Super good deal on used website. I’m pretty sure it’s cubic zirconia,” I say with a shrug.
Nico chokes on his champagne that he’s sipping before he breathes through it.
“Yeah, I don’t think so. They look real to me.”
I look down at the necklace and nod.
“Maybe so. The guy I got it from seemed like a cheapskate, though, so who’s to say?”
Nico pins me with a look that is part amused, part irritated. He shakes his head as he takes another sip of his champagne, keeping his eyes on me like I’ll be punished for that later.
Can’t wait.
In the next moment, Carly struts on stage in a wedding gown. I shit you not, a full blown wedding gown. My god she is just embarrassing.
“Hello everyone! Thank you so much for coming! If you could all clear the dance floor, Nicholas and I would like to share our first dance as an engaged couple.”
“Is that a thing?” I scoff, earning my mom’s elbow to my side as Nico sighs, placing his empty glass onto a circulating tray.
“Guess so, excuse me,” he says as he meets Carly in the middle of the room.
They come together, Carly’s hands on his shoulder and in his hand while he holds her waist with the free one.
She smiles up at him like she has never been so in love.
You have to pay extra close attention to notice that she is scanning the crowd just as much as she’s looking at Nico, though.
Her head is on a swivel, ensuring all attention is on her. She’s so insufferable.
“She just loves the spotlight, doesn’t she?” a man muses beside me.
I look up to see Jake, Nico’s best friend.
“Hey Jake,” I smile.
He makes a little face that has me tilting my head in curiosity. Shaking his head, he takes a sip of his drink and laughs.
“Sorry, it’s nothing. I just…you’re nothing like her, are you?”
My brows furrow as I look at him.
“What do you mean?”
He smirks. “It took ten introductions with your sister before she remembered my name.”
I roll my eyes. “That doesn’t surprise me. She’s been with Nico for three years and can’t remember that he hates being called Nicholas.”
“Yeah,” Jake says with a softer smile, like he’s understanding something clearly. “Want to ruin her fun and join in?” he says as he offers me his hand to dance.
I grin at that. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Jake lets out a laugh as he escorts me to the dance floor before we begin dancing a few feet away.
Carly shoots a venomous look to us before gesturing for us to get off the dance floor.
It’s too late, though. Behind us five other couples quickly join in.
Then a few more, and a few more until I can’t even see them anymore.
As we sway to the music, Jake keeps an appropriate amount of distance between us before he whispers into my ear.
“How are you holding up?”
“What do you mean?” I ask as I keep myself facing his shoulder.
“You’re at your boyfriend’s engagement party to your sister. It would be understandable if you were freaking the fuck out. Though, I gotta say, from the outside, you’re playing it off well.”
I lean away from him a moment, watching him assessingly.
“You don’t like me,” I state.
It’s not a question, not a probing curiosity. Just a fact.
He shakes his head as he gently turns us with each sway.