Currently Ranked: #89 in The Mafia Queen as of 4/27/17
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"I can't describe him with words, I'm too shocked to do it. I just can't do any thing anything else but look at him like a fool"
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( Picture: Jay King
Actor: Colton Haynes)
( Song: Give me love by: Ed Sheeran: Play the song when I tell you!)
Chapter {8} The Masquerade Ball III
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Dedicated to Luka_Grace_24 for being an amazing fan!! This one is for you❤️
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And yes it's thebookworm23 I had a typo when creating the email!
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Lauren's P.O.V
At the ball... with Jay

I stared into deep hazel brown eyes, the ones evaluating me. My breath held, my eyes spooked wide, the limbs in my body became slack. He is here, right in front of me.

The room is dead silent, Eliza peering between the both of us, waiting for our first words. I honestly didn't have any words, my brain isn't comprehending the male figure standing before me. His blue eyes were evaluating me, crinkling at the corners. They weren't memorizing as the way books claim they are, the magical moment you feel when you meet the guy. They were just blue eyes, eyes with secrets and pain, eyes of loss.

I closed my slightly parted mouth, and have the urge to look behind me and find Kieth. I want to shout across the room and flip him off for not giving me a heads up, but I can't. Not ladylike, Carter would tsk. So I take a deep breath, stop my fidgeting fingers that I had entwined, and clear mt throat.

"Hello, Jay" His name rolls weirdly off my tongue like a foreign language. My voice is shaky, a faint whisper, the guests tipping over there seats to hear every word.

Jays eyes lighten, a faint smile forming on his heart shaped lips. "Hello, Lauren."

Eliza squeals, her hands clapping at the pace of her feet. " Oh how fun! You to are going to love each other!" She exclaims. I blush at the mention of her predicting my love life.

I'm only blushing because of the embarrassment of meeting a complete stranger. A hot one, I mentally add.

Jay scratches his neck, not sure what to say."Okay, maybe that was a little too soon. Um-I, how about a dance? Ah-yes a dance! I'll signal the music" and before I can protest Eliza signals the orchestra, gives me a thumbs up and makes her say off the platform with her team.

Where were they going?
( A/N*Play music now*)

The sound of Jay clearing his throat snaps my attention back towards him. He straightens his posture, as if he needed to be any taller, and offers his hand. "It would be rude to decline the first dance by her majesty."

I look for a flimsy excuse to try and excuse myself from the awkward predicament about to be presented. But find none. My hand trembles as I place it on his outstretched one. It's firm and slightly sweaty. I also resist the urge to wipe my hand on my dress like we did when we were little, and boys had cooties.

Gracefully he leads us off the platform and on to the dance floor. Once we're the center, I curtsy as he bows. Then we lock hands. His free hand rested on my waist, my free hand rested on his shoulder. I resist the urge to look down, to make sure my feet weren't doing stupid things, like messing up the steps, or tripping over themselves.

Our steps are in sync, awkward, but in sync.
"I see Carter has given you the proper steps when it comes to-"

"I-you-can you please talk normally like if you're around my age, please?" I ask finally meeting his gaze. He looked young, when you really looked at him. Behind grim face and tired eyes, you could see his youth. One that he had been compromised of.

Jay pulls me close to him, close enough that I can smell cologne. He smells of roses. That's a peculiar scent. His breath fans across the back of my neck as he leans down to whisper into my ear.

"Sorry, I was raised to be formal in events like these. I- I don't know how else to talk to you, or-or where to begin." Jay stutters. My head brushes against his chest and I can feel the rapidness of his heart, it matched mine.

"I have a lot of questions, ones that you can sense later of course. I-I don't know how to talk to you either. I feel this is almost to normal to accept if that makes sense." I'm twirled in an elegant way, which responds with a light applause from the crowd. Was dancing this entertaining?

Jay chuckles a little."I mean once you accepted the fact that your part of the Mafia everything after that doesn't really phase you." His comment bothers me a little bit. I don't know why, maybe because I didn't have the choice of accepting it. Granted I would have taken if, but I never had the option.

We are gliding across the room now taking up the entire dance floor as the music continues. My feet are starting to hurt again and I hope that this song ends soon because I'm itching to get some fresh air. Clear my head, and fully process what's happening.

There was so many things to be discussed and I wanted them to be talked about now. If he was willing too."You okay? You look uncomfortable?" Jay asks kindly slowing down our pace to the music. I shake my head slightly a nervous laugh making it's way out.

"It's not everyday you dance with the Mafia King." Or become the queen. " I want to talk, got outside. Like we both said and know we have a lot to talk about."

"Of course." And that is all we speak until the song is over. When it is,Queen Eliza makes her way back to the platform welcoming the guest to join the floor. Jay excuses himself for a moment to speak with her. That's when I'm bombarded my Ingrid and Astrid.

" Oh my god! You've finally meet!"

" Aren't you so happy?!"

" This is amazing!"

And I don't know what triggers me but I snap. The smile completely off my face. My own exhaustion settling in. "No it's not amazing. Actually it's terrifying, and annoying at the very least,"

"We don't understand?" Astrid ask dumbfounded. Hurt flashing across her face and I feel guilt, but I couldn't keep acting like this is completely normal.

"I've accepted this way to easily. I-I left home to come to a completely foreign country. Then you all keep this big secret from that I some how have this obligation to become a queen. So I go along with it because I didn't know what else to do. And now that I'm here I'm not sure what exactly is going on! Do any of you even know what's going on, because it seems to me like I'm completely kept in the dark!" And then I'm shouting. Shouting at the girls who've tried helping adjust, and I know I've touched them when I look into Ingrid's eyes which are glossy. Keith instantly rushes towards us and looks at me, not sure of what to do.  I'm breathing heavily and I realize for the first time that I'm angry. Angry that no one has been straight up to me or given me answers. I'm angry that I came to this stupid ball to only receive a heart attack from mysterious Jay. Angry that I so easily just accepted this life, without knowing what it is.

No, not anymore.

"Lauren, just relax okay. I know your overwhel-" Keith coaxes as he steers me away from the peering eyes of the crowd, trying to soothingly runs my arms.

" Stop, just stop."I yank out from his arm."I'm completely overwhelmed! Do-do you see what I'm wearing!" I point to the crown. "Kieth I'm supposed to be home with Ella, in my pajamas eating some raw cookie dough." I explain exhausted, trying to have him see that I needed to go home. Behind Keith I see Jay and Eliza with the girls and he's there giving them a hug and Eliza reassuring them.

" I- take me home." I plead. Not wanting to hurt anyone else tonight.

"I can't do that."

"I have done everything for fucking Jay King. Now Lauren Raine wants to go home and your denying her the one thing that can keep her sane. Take. Me. Home. Now!"

"Okay Lauren, we'll take you away from here." It's not Keith who answers, its Jay. I turn around and face him or, we'll look up at him. He looks at me with sympathy. "Come with me, I'm not much of a talker I'll give you the quiet you need." Yeah no kidding about the talking part.

I take a deep breath and nod my head in agreement, making my way up the grand stairs.  The music still plays on, but some of the guests have stopped their movements to inquire the situation. And that made me mad too. They had no insight to what was really going on.

I shake my head and continue upwards. I know someone would, on my behalf, formally thank Eliza for the lovely night, and gush over how perfect every thing was but it wasn't. I could feel the walls caving in on me as they all watched my descend those stairs and it wasn't even just in the palace. I have become some beckon of hope to bring everyone back together. And I don't know what they are expecting from me, but I can't do this.

I want to go back home and finish high school. Apply for colleges, get internships, and become a journalist. I want to go to prom, not a ball , and i don't want to wear dresses everyday and have tea with prissy Madam Maribel. Keith was wrong, I couldn't do this.

I lean against one of the pillars near the door and take a deep breath. Trying to calm the racing thoughts in my head. A hand claps around my shoulder, squeezing lightly. A shiver runs down my spine. Jay.

"Lauren." He says softly and I let out a sigh. He takes this as a cue to help me the rest of the way out. "I'm sorry." He says as we make our way down the steps. Halfway down I get frustrated that we can't move any faster to get off this property, so I take my heels off and go barefoot against the cool stone. My feet have that weird broken feeling at first, when they try to readjust by not being squished for hours.

Jay's limo meets us at the front of the steps. Doors held open on either side by what I assume are Jays bodyguards. I quickly get in, making sure my dress doesn't get caught between the doors, and slam the door shut and lean against the seat closing my eyes. The other door shuts shortly after mine and in a matter of minutes we're on the highway.

It's awkward, the tension in the air chilling. I could hear him tapping his fingers along the door handle, not sure what to do. I slightly peek my eyes open to get a glimpse of him. He was sitting across from me, on the brown leather interior seats. His face looked complexed and he was debating or not to grab a drink from the miner cooler.

Okay Lauren, just talk to him. Maybe he'll understand where your coming from. Just give him a chance.

I mentally slid my big girl panties on and fully open my eyes on Jay. I clear my throat, straighten my posture, and look at him. Then I realize I'm looking to hard and just decided speaking like a normal person.

"I,um, I didn't mean to yell at Ingrid and Astrid like that." I start, his head snaps towards me, startled. "I think tonight was just to hard for me to handle." I mumble. God I felt like a little kid about to get in trouble by her parents.

"Yeah I don't think introducing myself in front of England was the best way to go about it." Jay laughs an attempt at a joke. "Keith tried to tell me, but I thought you would just- you know.. like.." He stumbles on his words, not sure how to finish his sentence, but I know.

"Just go along with it, right?" I laugh to myself and let out what seems to be my one hundredth  sight.

"I'm really sorry Lauren, I didn't meant to make you.. panic like that. I should have thought about this better and talked to you first before.. you know- all of this." Jay says sheepishly gesturing to his decked out limousine. He had two tvs in each corner of the car, a mini fridge with a bar selection on top, a phone, and a mirrored roof top.

I bite the inner corner of my check, another nervous habit. "Yeah, there's a lot to talk about, but um-I- Hendrick told me what happened to your family and Jay," I reach across and squeeze his hand lightly, offering him a small smile. He's shocked by my gesture. "I'm really sorry about your family, I- I wouldn't know how to deal."

Jays eyes become glossy, his nose slightly tinted pink. I can tell he's holding back tears but blinks them back.  "Thank you, that's kind of you. I'm glad Hendrick told you, I-I don't like talking about that much." I nod my head and return my hand back to its place. "How's Ella, that should have been my first question."

My chest eases at the mention of Ella. "God, she's amazing. She's so filled with life and she's just this little bundle of joy. And Jay truly she's just amazing. I love her so much." I say, a smile forming on my lips.

"Wow I feel like I missed out on the last two months." He says slightly disappointed but with a glimmer on his eyes. "Lauren, I was just want to to thank you, you have no idea how grateful I am that you took Ella in. You don't have any idea how much I appreciate you doing that for us. We all really love you for that." My heart warms at his comments. A faint blush creeping onto my checks.

"Thank you that means a lot, it was just all so confusing at first. It still is, but for the most part I'm glad you brought Ella into my life, I didn't have much of a family before and it feels good to have people around." I mentally scold myself for taking out my frustrations on the girls they were only trying to do there jobs. I owe them a huge apology.

"Wow never thought I'd see the day behind the secret person." I say quietly and he nods in agreement."So um, what do you discuss from here? I really don't want step over any lines, especially when it comes to your family."

"How about we start with the basics." He says and opens the mini fridge taking out two bottles of water, handing one to me. I un cap it and take a big gulp, my lipstick staining the bottle.

"Um sure, I think that'll be easier." Yes it would be, get to know him, then get to the situation at hand. I could do that.

"Birthday?"

"March,11,1997, yours?"

"October 23, 1994. Your turn." He says and I rank my head for one.

"Um pet peeve?" I shrug my shoulders and he laughs, taking a second to figure out the answer.

"People who sleep with socks, it just bothers me. I honestly don't have a sane answer for that." He laughs and  I laugh at how ludicrous it sounds. People who sleep with socks?

"Well I'd say mine is more reasonable like having  people throw up on me. I've found that I don't like it very much." I say thinking of the horrid memory in middle school. I shudder towards the horror of that day.

"People who throw up on you? Oh god that has to be a good story."

And so we talked the rest of the way home, learning things about each other. His favorite color was yellow, he doesn't like cats but loves tigers, and he seemed like a really good person.

By the time we got home everyone was already asleep being that we stopped at a Wendy's to get some milkshakes. I offered if he wanted go see Ella but he said he'd saint until the morning.

With that I tip toed back to my room with Ella and fell asleep. Knowing I would have to make amends in the morning, and that was okay, because I owed it to them as much as they owed it to me.

And that night I went to sleep a little bit easier
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Woah!!

Now that we can all breath! Thoughts!!! Like we've just meet the Jay King and let's talk about Lauren's mental breakdown like holly crap. Girl got some  spice!!!

Anyhow I want to take this time to thank you all you so much!! We are #89 in general fiction like omg you don't know how happy I was when I saw that!!!

Thank you so much my bookies I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please don't forget to VOTE please I beg you guys, votes go such a long way. Love you guys

~ Kayla🌸