Chapter 28
Alara
L ane wasn't what I expected, and in a good way. For some reason, I thought spending time with him would be awkward, or we would have nothing to talk about, but it was the exact opposite. He stayed in here with me while I did my hair, too, and the time just kind of flew by. He’s fun and funny.
"How long is the color going to last?" Lane asks while admiring himself in the mirror.
"It depends on how well you care for it. I can always plan to do yours every few weeks when I refresh mine."
A huge grin spreads across his face. "You'd do that?"
"It’s no problem at all. Do you like it?"
"I love it. We match." His eyes light up as they meet mine through the mirror. Brown specks catch the light, making him appear both inviting and mischievous. It’s making me nervous. He grins, biting the corner of his lip while running his fingers through his hair.
"I uh... I should go find Nix," I blurt out, not wanting him to catch me checking him out.
“Yeah, let's go find Nix so I can show him how good his girlfriend and I look together. "
Ummm… At least he acknowledged I'm Nix's girlfriend. That's something, right?
The two of us walk back through his room before heading toward the kitchen.
Almost immediately, my mouth waters from the intense aroma floating through the air.
Garlic. Basil. There's a rich scent from what I believe is the tomato sauce, along with the slightest hint of smoke to top it off. Oh my god, it smells divine.
"Hey." Nix walks up as I make it into the kitchen. "Your hair looks really nice." He leans in and presses a kiss to one of my cheeks.
"Do you think my hair looks nice, too?" Lane brushes past us, doing a little spin as he enters the room. “Do I get a kiss?”
"Your hair is fine." Nix swats him away.
"Gasp!" Lane makes a point to cover the shocked expression on his face. "Alara, Nix doesn't think you did a good job on my hair."
"That's not what I said," Nix counters.
"What did I miss?" River interrupts. I'm not sure when he snuck into the kitchen with the rest of us.
"Lane is finding new ways to annoy everyone," Ender says, while turning to look over his shoulder from in front of the oven.
This banter between all of them makes my chest warm. Having people you can be yourself around is a gift, whether or not they realize it .
"Your hair looks nice!" River leans in and kisses Lane on the lips.
My eyes linger on the way their mouths meld together for a little too long, as a strange heat builds inside me.
When Lane pulls away, he looks over at Nix and says, “See, he had no problems giving me a kiss.”
I can’t hold back the laugh that escapes me.
“I’m not kissing you. Leave me alone.” Nix rolls his eyes.
"You’re just jealous that your girlfriend and I have matching hair." Lane smirks.
"If you're going to be insufferable about it, I'll shave your head when you're sleeping." Nix leaves my side to go grab plates.
"Don't worry. I can dye it again when it grows back," I tease, siding with Lane.
"You shouldn't egg him on," Ender grunts. "It will give him a bigger head than he already has."
"How do you know how big my head is?" Lane winks, clearly not talking about the head on his shoulders.
"Don't be gross." Ender huffs, but Lane just shrugs.
"Do you need help with anything?" I ask, deciding to change the subject. Who knows how long the four of them would bicker back and forth otherwise.
"Everything is almost done. Can you just grab the big bowl of salad from the refrigerator?" Ender smiles.
"Sure."
Walking into the dining room, I set the salad down and find a seat, waiting patiently for the others to filter in.
River and Lane walk in first, carrying their plates full of food, and sit directly across the table.
Nix takes the seat next to me, and the last to walk in is Ender.
He sits at the head of the table after placing my food in front of me.
"This looks amazing." I glance at him. The fact that he cooks is impressive. It's not something you would expect.
"Cooking helps me get out of my head. I had to do it a lot when I was a kid, so now I find it a little therapeutic,” he admits.
I want to ask more about his childhood, but I decide now isn’t the time. He worked so hard on all of this food, I don’t want to dampen the mood. Instead, I simply say, “You’re really great at it.”
The five of us dive into our meals, each of us taking turns to place a scoop of the salad into bowls before taking bites of the chicken and pasta.
The flavor is even better than I expected.
A burst of spices hits my tongue, making me moan.
In an instant, four sets of eyes are on me, making my cheeks burn from embarrassment while humiliation threatens to take over.
I clear my throat, attempting to get their minds off of my salacious slip-up. "I've never been able to cook chicken. I always overcook it and dry it out."
"It's best to use a meat thermometer. A lot of people are intimidated, but it comes out juicy every time as long as you cook it to the correct temperature."
"Hmm. That's good to know."
Nix’s hand lands on my right thigh, which seems a bit inappropriate with everyone around. He squeezes it slightly in a silent, ‘don't let them know’ motion before sliding it further up my leg. This is wrong, yet it feels so right.
"It's nice having you around. He's never willingly offered to cook for us before," River jokes, but I’m struggling to focus on the conversation.
"Yeah, we've had to practically twist his arm to get him to use the kitchen for anything besides making drinks for the last two years," Lane agrees.
Nix's fingers dip further between my thighs, getting dangerously close to my center. My legs shamelessly part for him, granting him any access he’s after. I’m wearing a skirt, so the only thing standing between him and that spot between my legs is the black lace panties I’ve chosen for today.
"Do you like it?" Nix asks as his finger graces the outside of my panties. It makes me wonder if he’s referring to the food or his touch.
He pulls my panties to the side, brushing his bare skin against my clit. My hips jolt, but he doesn’t stop. Instead, he maneuvers enough to slip a finger inside me right in front of his entire band. Oh god, am I really letting this happen?
I cough, trying to regain composure and nod frantically. "Yeah. It's really good."
He grins, moving himself in and out, slowly at first, while everyone engages in casual conversation. My body feels anything but casual. Heat flutters through me as I try my best to keep a straight face without moving any parts of my lower half .
His thumb brushes against my clit with his finger beginning to move a little faster, and I have to bite the corner of my lip. I can feel how wet I am as he plunges in and out with those around us none the wiser.
For a brief moment, I let the control of my face lapse, and my brows tilt up as my mouth pops open. Lane clocks it immediately. His eyes lock with mine, flickering to my mouth, and then over to Nix, briefly, before landing back on me.
I can’t say anything to him without openly admitting what’s happening, so I divert my gaze. When I look back, he’s still focused on me. This is supposed to be an innocent dinner, but here I am letting my boyfriend get me off under a table full of his bandmates, while one of them watches.
River takes a bite of food, completely unaware of what's happening, before saying, "Having you here is really nice. Are you nervous about the tour at all?"
Tingles threaten to overtake me as I try to gather my thoughts. Nix chooses this very moment to curl his finger, hitting the perfect spot. My toes grip the carpet beneath them as his thumb continues to press against my clit.
"Um," I breathe out. "Oh," I accidentally say.
"Everything okay?" Lane's smug question pulls my attention.
"Yes, thank you," I snide.
It’s too late for any further composure. My breath hitches when Nix brushes over my clit again, and the overwhelming sensation starts in my center before flooding to every one of my limbs. I lock eyes with Lane while Nix watches me ride out the high from his peripheral vision.
My thighs tighten, and wave after wave seems to go on forever before finally receding, and shame begins to overwhelm me.
Nix gently removes his finger, resting his hand back on the top of my thigh.
I knew Lane was watching, and yet I didn’t stop what was happening.
That's all I can think about. Is that cheating? I don’t think it is, but I need to talk with Nix to get this off my chest. I won't be the kind of girl who keeps secrets from him.
“You never answered. Are you nervous?” River asks again.
My rosy cheeks turn to him, and I nod, deciding to ignore the fact that I just came all over Nix’s fingers. “I'm terrified, but sometimes you have to do things that make you uncomfortable in order to grow."
"That's a good way to look at things." River nods, looking away to take a bite of food. “It can be overwhelming at first, but if you have any questions, I’m an open book.”
Questions. I have no shortage of those. Will there be magazines and cameras in my face all the time?
Will that last forever? Should I be concerned about my safety?
What about my house? Should I keep paying rent so I have a place to go when the tour is over?
Should I move all my things to storage and let the place go?
Where will I go if I choose that route? I don’t even know where to begin.
A frantic knock on the door interrupts our meal as all of our heads turn at the same time.
Thankfully, we're all pretty much done eating, so Nix pushes his chair out before striding across the room to pull the door open.
It's hard to make out what the voices are saying, but it’s not long before he comes back with concern all over his face.
"Is everything okay?" I rush out.
"Yes and no." He sighs. “Someone took a picture of the two of us at Vector's Lounge."
"You went to Vector's?" Ender snaps his head over in Nix's direction. His nostrils flare as annoyance seems to ooze out of him.
"Yeah, and they took a picture of us. There was an article released today that wouldn’t normally be an issue, but someone commented that they saw Alara coming into our building.
There’s a bunch of paparazzi outside. Apparently, people want to know if I have a girlfriend and am officially off the market. "
"Well, you do, and you are." Lane shrugs.
"I think you should stay here tonight." Nix ignores Lane. “If you’re comfortable with it.”
"Oooooh. Yeah. You should stay here tonight.” Lane winks.
River grins, shaking his head, but decides not to get involved.
"You can sleep in my room, and I’ll sleep on the couch if that helps sway your mind. I just don’t want you getting bombarded by people if I take you home.” Nix gives me a soft smile.
“I don’t want that either. I’ll stay. You don’t have to stay on the couch, though." I grab his hand.
A loud clanking noise makes me jump as Ender forces his chair out from under him and grabs his plate. He storms off to the kitchen, leaving me thoroughly confused .
"Ender's in a mood. We should let him clean up," Nix suggests, but something about that doesn’t feel right.
"I think I'm going to help him do the dishes if that's okay," I offer without thinking.
Nix just nods. "Do you want to find your way to my room when you're finished?"
"Yeah, I can do that." I smile softly, and he saunters off.
When Ender walks back into the room, he stares at me, clearly confused. I’m sure he thought he’d be left alone to deal with all of this.
"Is it okay if I help you clean up?" I scrape some food off a plate, and he nods.