"Those really are cowboy boots." Paul said jeeringly, with a grin and eyes focused on his new phone, in continuation of making fun of Jake's white custom designed shoes.

They walked through the aisle-like pavement that trailed up to the entrance of Natalia's party house, between fancy cars of different sorts, ranging from low sport luxury cars of several bright colors to the high monster trucks of feisty designs.

Around the huge sites stood too many fancy ladies and gentlemen who stood and blurted highfalutin words and chuckles in pairs and small cliques. In their hands, were half-filled glasses of wine and on their bodies were fancy, but tad adventurous dresses and suits. The atmosphere was filled with chatter and ostentatiousness, but Paul walked briskly and had his whole mind focused on his phone. Jake tried to keep up. They had appeared, looking much simpler than others in plain black t-shirts and Jeans. Except that Jake's jeans were lighter blue and boyish, fashionably ripped at the knees and his shirt was woolly and long-sleeved which were pulled up to rumple over his elbows; while Paul's jeans were much darker and plain and he wore a neat fitting blazers over his shirt.

Inner peace. Jake sighed frustratedly, and, out of annoyance, he said, "For the hundredth time, these are bespoke professionally sown, Italian leather, classy designer boots that cost me over two grands. Not cowboy boots, okay? . . . I'm the American here. You're the foreigner. So when I tell you what's what, you should..."

"Bull shit!" Paul cut him off. "I've watched enough Hollywood to know what's what and I'm telling you, those are cowboy boots." He said, quite aware of how much he frustrated Jake. "Otherwise, why would they look like that? And why are they so high?" He paused mid-step, put his phone away and leaned a little to observe Jake's shoe's closer. "Did you tell them to make the heels high because you feel so short and small?"

Flabbergasted, Jake stepped back and his jaw dropped in disbelief. "How dare you? I'm not short."

Paul laughed heartily. "So, why so sensitive about it?" He asked before he began again to walk, and now, into the growing crowd within the party house.

In there, a soft song played and there was more crowd, but the huge expanse of the house softened congestion. Paul noticed a too fancy lady that wore a glittery steel-grey cleavage revealing dress and a pair of huge sunglasses that reminded him of welding goggles. Sunglasses in evening? inside a house?He sneered and looked up for a second, as if he did not already know that it was late in the evening and that he was in a house, and so, there was no way he could see the sun, but then he noticed the transparent roof of the house that exposed the sky in all of its glamour. He liked its SciFi-like design and so he smiled and walked slower to allow Jake to lead the way.

"I will make you a deal," Jake said, coming up next to him. "Let's ask any real American here if they think my shoes are cowboy boots and if I'm short. If they say no to both, then you'd have to kiss a girl, here in this party, tonight. Oh, and ask her out."

"Hmm," Paul mumbled and contemplated. "And if they say yes to both?"

Jake shrugged. "What would you have me do?"

"Um . . . you'd lay off my back." He said and expatiated. "You'd never bug me about asking any girl out or even suggest any for me . . . including Melanie." Jake felt a pinch on his heart, but he nodded, and Paul continued, "And if I prefer anyone else, you don't get to meddle or argue my choices."

Jake licked his lower lip, pondered over the deal for a minute before he nodded and said, "okay." And at that moment, just like that, he was able to let go of that idea he had held onto for almost a week. Paul and Melanie, was not going to happen, and it was his mistake to assume they would.

"So..." Paul blurted as his eyes roamed, taking in the entire space of the fancy house. It was themed 'party' and 'rich'. Designed with the fusion of a clubhouse architecture with that of a home. On its far left was a DJ stand, on which a DJ with a green mohawk stood with his turntable and speakers. On the far center, just opposite the entrance was a fancy open bar with a red theme, circled by ladies and men on the counter on high stools. Above the bar was a gallery that was restricted from view by matted ropes adorned with glittering crystals, forming a sort of curtain. Jake knew the wide staircase that led up to that structure above, to be  restricted to non-VIPs, which included even him. For a while, he had always wondered what went on up there, but was fairly sure that in there, went on the real party. On the far right was a mini-stage, elevated four steps above the floor, and featured with a big screen, a microphone stand, smoke machines and light effects. On the very centre, within the circular walls of the house was a cylindrical glass protuberance from the floor. It exposed a part of an artificial pond underneath the structure, within which small colorful fishes swam, illuminated by fluorescent blue lights. This caught Paul's eyes, and enchanted, he ambled right toward it, marching over the mirror-like marbles of the floor.

Jake followed him, squeezing through the cluster of people in the hall. "Should we call Melanie?" Jake asked. "We have to make sure she's coming and she knows her way to..."

"You know, Jake?" Paul started, cutting him of, as he put on his phone's camera and took a picture of that fancy pond. "For someone who was really rooting for me and Melanie, you seem kind of obsessed with her."

"Oh, come on."

Paul turned to and put both hands on each of his shoulders. "Can we forget Melanie for just one second and find me a drink that has the tiniest alcohol content? Okay? She's gonna come and find her way anyway."

"Fine." Jake said and threw his hands up in surrender. "Fine." He repeated.

Paul nodded and smiled, but then, just about when they were about to turn around and walk to the bar, they heard a voice.

"Hey, guys."

They spun quickly towards the voice, and right there, four steps away, stood a figure that they experienced a little difficulty in attempt to recognise. There, was Melanie, standing in a classy blue sundress and on flat fitting black shoes. Her dress was neither showy or skimpy, like that of most girls in the party, nor was it loud and littered with motifs. It was simple and extended to just above her knees, exposing her sleek long legs and shoes. The top part of the dress hugged her torso fittingly and accentuated her undeniably fine model shape. Her hair straightened, oiled to shine, and arranged to lie low on the left part of her head, leaning and extending shortly to the right of her face. She breathed confidently, but a little self-consciously as she locked eyes with Jake, avoiding Paul's. The blue refracted rays of the fluorescent light from the cylindrical pond, projected dancing blue water waves, faintly, on her face and smooth skin, illuminating her penetrating eyes and lip glossed heart shaped lips that hooked Paul's attention, causing his heart to beat fonder and his hands to quiver. Then their eyes met and so he swallowed and found himself speechless.

From the speaker played a fine soft romantic song, and for that fleeting enchanting moment, Paul did not see or here Jake, or any other person among the scores of people there. He only saw her, like they were alone in the universe and  felt that the song from the DJ's speaker played just for them. On until...

"I'm so in love, so in love..."
Jake moved toward and sang along to the song that played.
"So in love, so in love."
He sang the exact same song Paul felt played for him and Melanie, and then he swerved and spun like an artist performing on a stage.
"You look so beautiful in this light"
He sang on charmingly and danced and earned a shy chuckle from Melanie.
"Your silhouette over me."
He swiftly picked two glasses of sizzling champagne and the rose flower from the tray of a passing waitress in uniform. He gave Melanie the flower and a glass and continued singing coyly;

   🎤 The way it brings out the blue in your eyes
Is the Tenerife sea
And all of the voices surrounding us here
They just fade out when you take a breath
Just say the word and I will disappear
Into the wilderness
• • •
And should this be the last thing I see
I want you to know it's enough for me
'Cause all that you are is all that I'll ever need
I'm so in love, so in love
So in love, so in love 🎤

Melanie was having difficulty with keeping a straight face while all this happened. Jake stared into her eyes as he sang and danced around her, using his sleek champagne glass as a microphone, earning them some audience from the bystanders. He spun several times, threw hands up in the air, swerved, and sang heartily. And even though quite crude, he executed every move quite charmingly. Melanie felt blushes creeping into her cheeks and she fought strongly to hold them back. She did not want to appear so shy and so swept-off-her-feet, not only because they had audience, but also because, she still wanted to remind herself to not get carried away with how fun and lively it feels to be around these guys. She felt her deep dimples forming, and she folded in her lips in attempt to pin down her smile muscles, but Jake danced on, popping hips even, and showing off confidently, knowing that he had seized her attention and charmed her the moment she walked right in at the very moment the right music was playing.

Paul watched them and observed Melanie fighting her smile. Jake had seized and captivated her attention, dragging her out of the intense spiritually connective trance they were both in. He felt like Jake stole something from him and he did not like that. He did not like that Melanie could not even stop herself from being enchanted by his charisma.

Some bystanders clapped and cheered as soon as he finished and panted. "It's nice to see you again." He said to Melanie, then he hugged her and pecked her cheek.

Melanie blushed, but covered it up with a cackle. "Boy, your voice is so horrible." She said. "You totally ruined that song."

"But I totally got you to smile." Jake bragged. "Didn't I?"

"Nah..." Melanie denied. "This is my not-laughing-at-you-so-you-won't-feel-so-bad smile."

"Damn, your not-laughing-at-me-so-I-won't-feel-so-bad smile, is beautiful." Jake said and squinted sensualized eyes. "You kill me, baby."

Melanie exploded another cackle and stopped almost immediately, when Paul walked closer and said, "Hey."

"Hi." Melanie responded with a sigh, and immediately the atmosphere became too . . . unsettling. She put on a mechanical smile and consistently told herself to hold her calm.

"You - your um," Paul started and cleared his throat and Melanie observed him to be pathetically jittery. "Your dress. You look very uh..." He gesticulated a lot to make up for his loss of words, but only appeared more ridiculous, earning him a sneering smirk from Melanie. He swallowed. "The word is uh..."

Then he stopped as soon as his gesticulating hands hit the tray of a passing waiter. The tray was not thrown up or anything that dramatic, but the two glasses on the tray fell and the wine spilled and would have gotten all over the waiter's black and white uniform, if he had not dodged swiftly.

"Oh shit. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." He repeated and looked really confused and out of his center.

The waiter waved him off and a snicker escape Melanie's mouth. For the fact that she had watched Paul make a fool of himself, just after Jake's hilarious dance, she decided that perhaps she was going to enjoy the evening with the boys after all. Paul had stuttered. His eyes and mouth had gaped at seeing her appear in the blue sundress she had kept hidden in her closet for over a year. She had appeared stunning and definitely did stun Paul, and that was why Paul stuttered at a pathetic attempt to compliment her. And that was why she was wearing a conspicuous smirk, but then she heard a voice call from across the hall, over the booming Ed Sheeran's song.

"Paul! Jake!" The voice had called, and it was familiarly shrill and flirty.

Melanie spun so quickly that she almost spilled her drink. Her gut twisted and knotted at the realization of whose voice it was.

ASHLEY...

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Please give a merited vote 🌟🌟🌟
💖💖💖 Thank you.

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Music/Title Credit:
Tenerife Sea, by Ed Sheeran.