"You're such an idiot, I can't believe I'm friends with you." Ashley tells Max as we make our way around the block to the coffee shop down the street.

They seem to be bickering about some tv show I have no clue about so I pay very less heed to them. This last one week has made me realise that Ashley and Max are a package deal. If you're friends with one of them, you're naturally stuck with the other one.

"Hey, Lil. Do you mind if a couple of my friends join us for the coffee?" Max asks me, completely ignoring Ashley which only seems to piss her off more as she starts walking ahead of us, making me laugh a little.

I look back at Max and shrug, "As long as they're saner than you."

He mocks being hurt before going back to type on his phone. We turn around the corner only to see that the coffee shop is packed so we decide to wait for a vacant table. This is the place I used to come to during exams to get the best hot chocolate in Atlanta, so I don't mind waiting.

"Where are you staying now that you've moved out of the dorms?" Ashley asks me as we enter when just one booth gets empty.

"I got myself an apartment near home, to be closer to the family." I lie smoothly, having some of the answers ready in advance because these were the most obvious questions she was bound to ask in coming weeks.

"Alone?" Max asks and I nod.

The bell to the coffee shop chimes and two guys along with a girl enter before their eyes land on Max and they wave at him. These must be the friends he invited over.

"What's up Ash?" The guy with silver hair asks as he slides in the booth, taking a seat next to her and I'm glad that she's sitting in the middle of two of us now.

"It's weekend already and I haven't gotten drunk, that's what's up." She grumbles as the other guy and girl slide in next to Max.

The girl has black hair high up in a bun. She's shorter than me, and I'm 5'7, so she must be around 5'4-ish. The other guy has red hair with a piercing in his eyebrow. That must've been painful.

"Who's the new girl?" The silver hair guy asks and Ashley looks at them with a big smile.

"Guys, this is my long lost resurrected from the dead friend, Lillian." She looks at others, making Max and I laugh as I shake my head at her.

"Hey." I look at them, not really sure what else to say. I think it's kind of obvious that I'm socially awkward, like really awkward.

"I'm Caleb." The red head gives me a small smile which I return.

"Austin." The silver head says and I nod at him.

"Natalie." The girl says and I give her a smile.

After the introductions I get to know that Max and his friends all are seniors to us, pursuing MBA. I already knew that about Max, but it's good yet unsettling to get to know other people. They all know Ashley because she's his roommate.

They all talk amongst themselves while I quietly sip on my hot chocolate and Max keeps picking from my blueberry muffin, making me scowl as I swat his hand away only for him to offer me a cheeky grin.

"You going to come to the party tonight?" Austin asks me just as my phone starts vibrating on the table.

James's name pops up on the screen, making me frown while Ashley peeks at it, looking at me as I immediately move to pick up my phone but she's quicker as she snatches it away from me, arching an eyebrow.

"Who's James?" She asks and I remind myself not to let my anxiety peek because this could honestly be the worst thing happening right now.

"A friend."

"I know all your friends. It's me. And now Max. That's all the friends you have."

"Come on now, Ash, give me the phone." I say as I move to snatch it from her hand but she pouts, shaking her head.

"Well, if you wouldn't tell me, I'll have to find out myself." She grins, swiping on the phone as she picks up. I swear my heart stops beating. It just stops as I see everyone stare at me and Ashley speaks into the phone as she puts it on speaker, "Hello. Who's speaking?"

This is worse than I imagined it to be.

There's silence on the other end because I can tell he must be confused why someone else is answering my phone which makes me want to dig a hole and bury myself.

"Lillian?" He speaks and I look at Ashley's expressions.

"Sounds hot." She mouths to me before focusing back on the call, "This is —"

I don't wait another second as I snatch the phone away from her in a moment of distraction before giving her a deadly glare which only makes her shrug at me before I step out of the coffee shop.

"Hey." I speak into the phone, my nerves churning in my stomach as I put him off speakerphone.

"Mrs. Clark?" He asks and I thank heavens that he didn't say that earlier.

"Yeah, sorry. It was just a friend messing around. I'm really sorry." I say, trying to sound as apologetic as possible but then there's a long stretched silence on the phone.

"I didn't know you made friends." He speaks, making me gulp because I didn't think he would be interested to know in the first place. "Anyway, I called to ask if you were back home, but you're clearly not."

"What is it?"

"There's a client's party tonight. I would've told you earlier but it completely slipped my mind as well. Just be ready by 6:30, wear a dress. Chloe and Dad would be coming too, and your family as well." He says and a smile immediately makes its way on my face at the mention of my family.

"My family?" I ask, just to be sure.

"Yeah, it's with a common business client. Apparently he eloped with his fiancée and is having a reception party tonight." He explains and I nod, before realising he cannot see me.

"Yes, okay. I'll head back then."

"See you."

He hangs up and I go back inside as I glare at Ashley, because there are certain limits that you just don't cross, friends or not.

"They have already told me it was wrong, I'm sorry." She holds her ears childishly as soon as I stand by the booth, making me give her a look.

"Don't ever do that again." I tell her, my tone firm and she nods. I pick up my bag and look at everyone, "It was really good to meet you guys."

"What? No, don't leave because you're pissed." Max says and I roll my eyes. I'm not dramatic.

"I have somewhere to be. Also, I don't do parties, Austin." I tell him and he smiles at me, nodding.

"You sure you're not mad?" Ashley asks.

"Positive."

I walk back to the campus before getting into my car and making my way to the house. Sometimes I feel like I'm living two different lives. One is a role of a young adult who's enjoying her college while another is a role of a wife who's married to James Clark, the two completely independent of the other.

It's already six when I decide on the long dress James's assistant must've picked out. It's forest green in colour and has a bare back almost till my upper waist with a halter neck. I'm worried about how much it'll cover my bust because the neck line also runs deep but it fit nicely when I tried it with all other clothes last time.

I showered as soon as I came back and curled my hair, making it fall in loose waves down my shoulders. Now that I've settled on the dress, I do light make up that I know of, with only touching base and putting on eye liner to make my blue eyes look nice. Maybe I should look up some make up tutorials after coming back. It would help now that I will have to keep making appearances at parties with James.

As I change into my dress, I realise that it's already twenty minutes past six so I hurry to pull out the black heels to go with the dress. I can manage heels if they are till three inches, after that I'm a lost cause so I don't own any above that. Just as I'm touching up my hair, there's a knock on the door.

I already know by now that it's either Mrs. George or James so I open it. I let out a breath of relief to see that it's the former. She gives me a huge warm smile which is contagious as I beam back at her.

"You look beautiful." She tells me and I grin at her.

"Thank you, Mrs. George."

"Come on, Mr. Clark is waiting for you downstairs." She says and I nod, understanding that he must've sent her to ask me to come down.

I have no idea when did he come back home or even dressed up. I usually don't know such things, due to the separate rooms so I let it slide. I collect a small black clutch, pushing my phone inside as I turn off the lights behind me before locking the room and making my way downstairs.

James is on a call when I reach him, clearing my throat to make my presence known. Chloe and Carrack are nowhere to be seen. When he looks at me, his lips part a little, making me frown as I question myself if I over-did it. I mean, he didn't react to my wedding dress, but he's reacting to this? The thought leaves me a little anxious because I don't want to change.

"Huh?" He speaks into the phone, but his eyes don't leave me as he studies me with his heated scrutinising gaze all over my body, "Yeah, I'll meet you there." He says before hanging up.

He's dressed in a black tuxedo, and his dark blonde hair are neatly combed over his head as he stares at me. He looks extremely handsome but I don't tell him that, because I've never complimented him, neither has he. It's just some things we don't cross in this bond.

"You ready to leave?" He asks and I nod, my fingers tightening around my clutch.

"What about Carrack and Chloe?" I ask.

"They already left with Mark. I'm driving us there." He says and I nod, following him out of the house.

The drive to the hotel is spent in silence that I've now grown accustomed to. It was awkward at first but now it just looms with tension between us that can be cut through a knife. When we reach the hotel, James comes by my side to open the door while tossing the car keys to the valet.

He takes my hand in his and a sudden warmth engulfs me at his touch. I know he looks more handsome that I've ever seen before, apart from the wedding day but this is some new feeling I'm experiencing from him. I let it slide without paying too much heed to it because overthinking isn't going to get me anywhere.

"It's in the hall on the top floor." He tells me and I nod as we make our way to the elevator. I'm glad that it's just the two of us with another couple. When we reach the top floor, he lets go of my hand and his arm comes to set on my waist as his fingers brush through the bare skin on my back, making me gulp from the touch.

He seems to be oblivious to the effect he has on me as he glances at me briefly, "Come on, let's put on a nice show." He whispers and I nod.

"What's the name of the couple?" I ask because I think it's important to know it when I greet them.

"Cooper and Haley Nash."

I register the names in my head as we walk towards the huge entrance to the hall. There's a soft music that's playing in the background while everyone seems to be engrossed amongst themselves. The hall is a huge one with chandeliers hanging from top and servers carrying around food everywhere. Looks like a millionaire party alright.

My eyes scan the huge hall to spot the familiar face of my family but when I don't see them, a frown settles on my face. I was excited tonight to see them but they probably weren't here yet.

"They'll be here." James says, as if reading my thoughts and I nod, not commenting on it. "Let's go congratulate the couple to get it over with."

We make our way to a woman with blonde hair in off white dress, her dark brown skin complimenting her attire that looks very close to a wedding dress, and a white man in grey tuxedo with a strong jawline and almost as tall as me in heels.

"Nash." James speaks, catching the couple's attention and a huge smile takes over the man's features. They both must be in their late twenties.

"Clark! So good to see you." He shakes his hand and James smiles at him, but it's the kind of smile that's reserved for professionals.

"Congratulations, both of you." I say, looking at Haley and she grins at me.

"Thank you. Lillian, right?" She says stepping forward to hug me, which takes me by surprise and James let go of his arm around my waist.

"Yes, it's so nice to meet you Haley. You look absolutely beautiful." I smile at her, and it's almost a genuine smile because she looks so pretty.

"Oh shush, it's just the wedding glow. You would know, you're wearing it too." She says and my smile falters a little but not enough for anyone to notice.

"It's nice to meet you, Lillian. This one was too much in hurry to fly you guys off to your honeymoon to actually let us meet at the reception." Cooper says, making a blush erupt on my cheeks.

"Oh shut up, at least we didn't elope." James remarks before pulling me back to himself, smiling at his client and his bride.

The couple rolls their eyes at the comment, and soon they are distracted by other people. James pulls me away from the crowd and introduces me to some people from his office. There are so many new faces and so many new names that I immediately forget about them as soon as we meet a new person.

"Lil." I hear my name and turn around to see Jeremy rushing towards me, which makes me step out of James's arms without a second thought and rush to my brother.

He immediately engulfs me into a hug, and I sigh in his embrace, "Missed you too, kiddo."

"Come on now you too, don't make a scene." I hear my father say and I part from my brother to hug him, "Oh kid, I've missed you."

I part from him and push back the tears burning my eyes as I look at my mother and she gives me a tight hug. "It's so good to see you guys." I tell them with a huge smile. I feel a presence behind me, immediately knowing that it's James.

"Gabriel." James nods at my father, extending his hand to shake and Dad smiles at him. "It's good to see you all. I'm sure Lillian is happy." He says, looking at me briefly.

"Of course she is, brother in law." Jeremy gives James a cheeky grin.

"Would you like some champagne?" James asks me as a waiter stands by his side and I shake my head.

I'm surprised he offered me any at all seeing that he hasn't done it in the past. My parents leave us to go congratulate the couple but Jeremy sticks behind.

"So, how's Joan?" I ask him and there's an immediate blush on his cheeks.

"We kissed."

It's safe to say I'm surprised as hell, "Really? And?"

"Well... then we—"

"Oh no, I don't need the gross details, Jer." I scrunch up my nose making him laugh, my eyes flickering to James who seems to be listening to the conversation with an amused glint in his eyes, "Are you guys dating now?"

"I honestly don't know? I mean, we didn't have the talk. We just made out." He says, then adds on after a moment, "A lot."

"Rip off the bandage when you next see her." I hear James speak, surprising both my brother and I.

"What do you mean?" He frowns at him.

"Just have the serious talk. Don't drag it." James shrugs and I look at him, my lips parted in shock that he's discussing my brother's dating life with him. Who even is this person who's casually talking to Jeremy?

"What if she says no?"

"She won't. I know she likes you." I assure him because I've hung out with the two of these oblivious kids.

"What would you know, Lil? You've been on three dates two of which ended on our couch." He says, clearly not realising his words which makes James stiffen by my side.

I mentally facepalm as I try to ignore his words, "Just do what James said. Don't drag it."

He nods, "I'm going to go find Mom Dad."

As soon as he's out of my sight, James turns to me, a look in his eyes that's foreign to me yet his face is masked without a trace of a single emotion, "I thought you didn't date?" He asks, making me mentally whine at my brother.

"I don't. Like he said, they were just one time dates." I tell him and he's about to respond when three people join us.

One of them being Chloe, and there are two more girls with him. I notice that the girl in blue is a red-head and she has such beautiful face features, she's gorgeous. She must be in her mid twenties, I think. She's shorter than me though. The other girl has black hair topped into a fancy bun, her black dress's strap almost leaving her shoulder as she clings onto Chloe's arm for support. Someone had too much champagne. She's beautiful too, but not as beautiful as the red-head.

"Told you we'll find him." Chloe tells the red-head and she grins at us.

"Oh, that dress looks so beautiful on you. I was so worried you wouldn't like it but it suits you perfectly." She tells me and I immediately know that it's James assistant.

When I look at him, he looks a little uncomfortable with the new presence which makes me frown but I turn towards the woman, "It's nice to meet you." I smile at her.

"Oh, James! Where are your manners? You didn't even introduce us." She scowls at him, lightly swatting at his arm which immediately makes my eyes narrow at where she's touching him. James pulls me a closer to himself, tightening his arm around my waist.

"This is Monica, forgive her she had too much to drink. She's a friend of mine." Chloe sweetly smiles at me but I know what lies behind her smile.

"I'm Amy. His assistant." The red-head says and for the second time today I feel my heart stopping.

•••

double update for today because @LeoNitya69 asked for it. i'm sorry but daily double updates are not possible. i try to have some chapters written in advance but if i post them all, the updates can become weekly to daily. hope y'all understand. thank you so much for reading. means the world to me

have a nice day. let me know your thoughts!

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