Alex sat outside the ballroom. The moon rose high and a lake overlooked the low marble hotel wall. They had decorated a secluded area into a mini garden filled with lush grass and fully grown plants. Vines covered the archway of its entrance and a few tables and chairs had been set up in a corner, next to a marble fountain. She opted to stay at the opposite side where a double seated bench swing stood.
She used her feet to rock the swing, the thick rope in one hand. It didn’t creak which gave her relief. At least, noise wouldn’t attract people to search in this place.
“I am so done with this party” Alex whined in her seat. She had forgotten that when her mom calls her, there would be a roller coaster of people to come by. They came like clockwork, one after another, no breaks in between. They always try to pull her into the conversations—and more often than not, poach their kids into the process.
It had been a while since her last party like this. She should be more mentally prepared next time.
“It’s not even midnight yet” someone chuckled behind her.
Alex glimpsed over her shoulder. The ballroom lights behind them barely gave her enough chance to see the person’s faces since they reflected on his back. Funny enough, his pearly white teeth stood out against the darkness.
“There’s school tomorrow. The time where we get back to reality and I’d rather have a full set of sleep” she yawned. She turned her head back and rested it against the rope. She gazed at the large lake, its waters calm and hardly had any ripples or waves. They captured the moon’s image almost perfectly. The stars twinkled in small dots, blanketing the black sky with luminosity. The clouds were scarce which assured her that it wouldn’t suddenly rain.
Leather shoes brushed against the grass. The sound became louder as the owner approached the swing. Since Alex sat on one side, he took the other, his back facing the lake.
“Worry about things like that after midnight” he scolded her softly. He sat with his feet apart, resting his elbows on each knee with his fingers laced together, “Don’t you know your fairy tales?”
“I’m not about to lose a shoe tonight, would I?” Alex retorted with sarcasm. The weekend had been fully packed, she almost couldn’t remember the lessons they had last week. She dreaded the idea of a teacher suddenly giving a pop quiz.
“You are in this marvellous place and you’re thinking about school?”
“Aren’t you?” She cocked an eyebrow. Then, she shifted her head against the rope so she could see his side profile.
He saw the corner of his lip curve upwards, his eyes remained on the ballroom, “The night has been too enchanting for me to think about anything else.”
Alex shook her head, “You really need to stop talking like the male lead in a romance novel.”
He wheezed a snort, “Can’t I be a male lead in a romance novel?”
Then, he turned his head slightly sideways to look at her face. The moonlight illuminated her pale skin, emphasizing the blush and the lipstick on her face. He wondered why she picked honey brown hair for the occasion. Was it her natural hair color?
She pressed her lips, trying not to laugh, “Do you seriously want to be the male lead in a romance novel?”
He thought about it for a moment. His left eyebrow twitched from the effort. His eyes darted upwards.
“Hm, nah, I don’t think so”he answered, leaving the part out where he’d rather be in a male lead in.
“So you back to normal now?” Alex breathed out.
“Please” Logan snorted, bowing his head, “I’ve always been normal. You just feel this way because we don’t argue as much as we used to.”
“Those were the days” Alex sighed dreamily, “I always won.”
“Excuse me?” Logan scoffed, “I had my share of victories too, young lady.”
“Now, you sound like a grownup. Stop it.”
“How am I supposed to sound like then?” He asked. He wasn’t sure what they had meant, even before the meals were served. He didn’t feel any different but they talked like he was. He just didn’t want any more tension among them so he cracked on his shameless side.
“You’re right. That’s totally up to you” Alex replied. She kept her head tilted towards him but she changed the direction of her gaze back on the lake.
“I think you’re the weird one” Logan said.
“How so?”
“Or maybe it’s because I’m seeing you in a different light.”
“You mean, in the world I actually live in” Alex clarified. It certainly was unlike the environment they had back in Woodlands, “Although, you acted like a pro out there. How many girls have swarmed you in this kind of function?”
“Are you jealous?”
Alex gave him a deadpan expression, “No.”
Logan laughed with his smiling teeth clamped together, “I’ve had my share. Jae had the others. Sometimes Colin or Max would tag along—mostly because of Jae’s persuasive skills.”
“Why? To help the female population?”
“Exactly.”
Alex rolled her eyes, shaking her head. She could almost imagine the scenario. Max was the most sociable one among them. He would take the initiative to approach the ladies. Jae would keep an eye out for him in case he did something studpid. Colin and Logan would most likely converse with themselves. Since there were two of them, it made it harder for the females to approach them individually—unless they had an impeccable amount of confidence.
“You act like you haven’t had any experience like that in a party like this,” Logan remarked. He subtly checked on her from the corner of his eye. Alex did the same, a knowing smirk on her lips.
“There was a time mom would ask help from her acquaintances to introduce me to a couple of boys. Then, she would persuade the adults to go somewhere else with her and leave me alone with a guy” Alex winced at the memory. She could almost feel the same horrified expression she made the first time her mother did it. It didn’t go unnoticed by the guy either. Her hands felt tied between making up for such a rude reaction or just letting it be, “Since I didn’t know them, I’d think of a way to shift the conversation where I’d had to leave because I saw someone I needed to greet or I’d rant about school and see my teacher. It wasn’t nice but I guess the experience made me wittier.”
Logan exhaled sharply, a smile still etched on his lips. He played with his thumbs as he whispered, “Are you really that uncomfortable with the idea of being intimate with someone?”
Alex scrunched her eyebrows at the moon, “I can’t really say for sure. I think it came from the fear that my father and my grandfather would make a scene every time they’d find a boy talking to me at these parties. It became second nature for me to flee before it could happen.”
“So that means you never had a boyfriend?”
“I also never had a girlfriend if you still doubt my sexuality” Alex teased. She’d probably never let that one go. She didn’t think his mind would go that fair in making theories.
A new light glimmered in Logan’s eyes. His upper back straightened as he gaped at her, “Are you a first kiss virgin?”
“Are you my mom’s friend, Piku?” She answered with wide accusing eyes, “Such personal questions, Mr. Parker.”
Logan merely grinned, “It’s true, isn’t it?”
“Oh” Alex scoffed, “And you feel so smug because you’re not? What was it? Spin the Bottle or Five Minutes in Heaven?”
Logan’s shoulders began to shake. His laugh bursted out inside of him. He covered his mouth with his left hand, his eyes almost closing from the wide smile on his face.
“What’s so funny?” Alex asked, confused. Then, she said, “It’s true, isn’t it?”
“No, no, no. I never played those games” he finally replied. His words came out breathily since he still wanted to laugh, “Colin did though.”
“Colin?!” Alex gasped. With her mouth wide open, the corners of her lips lifted up, “Colin Hale? I would have expected it from Max!”
“I’m pretty sure Max had something to do with it” Logan’s laughter dying down, “He wouldn’t have taken the initiative.”
“Now, that makes more sense” Alex nodded. Her shoulders shook once from the image in her head. It was probably one of the first parties they had together—or maybe just Colin’s. It would be easier to convince him if Max acted like the experienced party person between them.
The night enveloped them in silence. If they listened carefully, they could almost hear a mother duck and her ducklings swimming on the lake. The music from the ballroom resonated behind them like a hum. A gentle breeze blew in, ruffling the leaves and swaying the grass. Alex tucked a loose hair strand behind her ear to keep it out of her face.
“Aren’t you worried that your parents might be looking for you?” Logan asked, breaking the ice.
Alex shrugged, “I think they’re used to it by now.”
“Well, I’m heading back inside. If I’m not careful, I might find my twin chopped into pieces and dad would put the blame on me.”
“Yeah, with Emily. That doesn’t seem far fetched” Alex smiled, “Your brother has some serious guts openly flirting with her like that. Most guys would have ran for it.”
It was Logan’s turn to shrug. He hid a smile, “Well, sometimes guys can be a bit more daring when they really like a girl.”
He stood up, brushing his slacks. He shrugged off his jacket and placed it on Alex’s shoulders, “Don’t stay out too long or you might get sick again.”
Before going back, he smiled at her one last time and kissed her temple, “See you later.”
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