Alistair's Pov

I gathered my hair into a spike and posed in front of the mirror. Evelyn was in the shower, so I decided to dress up for the time being. I buttoned my shirt and kept the topmost two buttons open. The other reason rather than being sexy was dying out of exhaustion. After tucking my white shirt in the trousers, I attached a belt to it and completed the look. I brushed my jawline, realizing how perfect it looked.

"Hey. Arnold, can you pass me my dress?" I heard a voice from the bathroom.

"It's really long and stuff. You can come out and change", I suggested. Maybe, my eyes craved for her naked body. She didn't hesitate much, as expected, at least how they showed in the movies in which a couple has sex and the other day, the woman has shyness plastered all over her face, and when she wakes up naked, she's reluctant towards that happening so she covers herself quickly, like her partner never saw her naked. It always made me cringe so hard.

I couldn't take my eyes off her, of her body. My jaw dropped as I adored her. She had a towel draped around her body which covered the area between her breasts and upper thighs. Her body was wet. Wet enough to turn me wet. Small droplets of water rested on her body and glided through it. I gasped, and then breathed in so as to express myself sane. Her hair was wet and messy.

I propelled the outfit's hanger in her direction. She grasped it and loosened the knot of the towel. The towel slipped off her body, and at that moment, it felt like my heart slipped out from its place. She looked uber sexy. The black laced lingerie complimented her skin tone. I couldn't control but travel my eye-balls around her body, from up to down, and from down to up again. Our eyes locked with each other, I just needed a sign, to pounce on her, and satisfy my hunger.

"You-uh", I cleared my throat, "You need to get ready quickly" I quickly changed the topic as I never wanted to showcase myself as a fan-boy.

She immediately unfolded the dress and made herself comfortable in it. She zipped the dress and looked at herself through the mirror. After combing her hair, she side-parted it and gathered it towards one side. She puffed some powder on her face, applied lipstick, and colored her eyes black. Beautiful would be an understatement, she looked ethereal.

The blazer, which was supposed to be paired with the dress, was yet on the bed. A part of her cleavage was visible, plus the dress she wore was sleeveless, which made her look sexier. Is it too bad to have a thought of 'You should reserve your beauty for me', or maybe I was jealous of the thought of other men staring at her? She wasn't mine, but it felt like I was possessed by her.

"Here", I passed the blazer in her direction. I didn't really want to be pushy by my point of view but at the same time, I knew how to get things clear by my way.

After releasing it from my hands, she caught it firmly, examined it, and wore it later. She yet looked beautiful, just not that sexy.

"Let's go', she stepped closer to me. I nodded and took the lead. She followed me silently. I didn't expect her to speak either.

"Aren't Alistair and Sandra accompanying us?" She questioned me whilst I opened the car's door for her. She took a seat, comforted herself first, and buckled the seatbelt.

I made myself comfortable in the driver's seat and thought for a witty reply. She had no idea that Alistair was already accompanying her. "They'll meet us there, directly" I answered fixing the key in the hole. The engine began that moment, so I pushed the gear and drove off. The journey was long, probably, 3 hours if there was no traffic.

After turning the radio on, I turned my head towards her direction, she was busy looking through the window. I kept driving, I didn't interrupt her. The weather was quite airy, and the road was clear too. I could keep driving, without any destination, if she was on the passenger's seat, by my side.

"Arnold", she called my name. I kept focused and replied with a "yes?"

"Did you inquire about Mr. Ashton Dickman?" I exactly knew where this conversation was going. I have already cut her off a lot many times, whenever this topic popped in. But, maybe, this time there was no exit for me.

"Him..? Who...?" I acted unaware. That was the best reply I could think about at the moment.

She thought for a while, faced me, and replied "I've already told you about him, right? The man who's helping my mom to run the organization, remember?" I looked at her for some milliseconds and then refocused my attention towards the road. It was getting quite dark, so I had to be careful with my driving skills.

"Yeah, you did tell me about him", I answered. She was silent after my answer. She may have considered it a dry reply. "Look, Evelyn, we aren't sure that Mr. Dickman is engrossed in those activities along with your mom. He's not just another man. He is a politician, which means that he has a name, fame, money, and power. He isn't some random man who can be challenged. We have to plan each step of ours", my reply was truly honest this time. I was in search of some relevant clues too.

"Yeah, you're right. I agree with you but I have no plans which include taking him down. I only want to have a word with him. That's it. I swear", Evelyn was too honest for words. If my father was included, words wouldn't be just enough. He won't even consider talking with her in the first place.

I didn't reply, just listened to her. I was extremely careful with my words choice because my statements could be defending on my father's side, which could possibly give her a clue. "Look, Arnold. I don't want to keep you involved in this. It's my problem and I have to deal with it myself. I just want you to serve as a channel between me and Mr. Dickman", she continued.

"Look.... It may sound very cheesy but", I paused and then continued "Your problems are not very problematic to me. At least I get to spend time with you because of them. Like I said earlier, I'll do whatever it takes to help you. Trust me on that", I consoled.

She softly rubbed my shoulders and responded "I trust you", these three words were even more dangerous than 'I love you' The word 'trust' brought some responsibility along with it. Trust is very fragile in nature, and I was playing with it. I knew the consequences and I refused to think about it for once.

I kept driving for hours, she watched me do the same silently. The conversation we had earlier was heavy already. I couldn't dare initiate another one.

After we reached the desired place, I interrupted the silence whilst parking my car. "And finally", I sighed. She unbuckled the seat belt and exited the car. I did the same, after pressing the 'lock' button on my keys."We should probably wait for Alistair and Sandra", Evelyn suggested.

"Hey bro. We've been waiting for you guys for a long time", Chace who was playing me aka Alistair patted me softly on my shoulder. I turned around in order to face him. Sandra stood right by his side.

"Yeah, Evelyn just reminded me of you both", I looked at Evelyn as she gave me a small assuring smile. "Let's get in", I rested my hand on her back and took the lead. Sandra and Chace walked hand in hand. They were kissing, hugging, and talking nuisance with each other throughout the way. They weren't just acting but overacting. Maybe, Zack would've been a better choice but he would've done the same thing. That's what friends are for right? They love embarrassing us.

The party was classier than I expected, the decoration consisted of white orchids, white lights, and white curtains. I turned around and watched the people. The women were all dressed casually, half a dozen of makeup could be felt on their faces, but despite that fact, they looked super sexy and beautiful. The men all over the place were either in bows or ties. It didn't look like much of a birthday party but a social event. Maybe, that's Aaron Reynolds's style.

I sauntered around the place with Chace by my side. Evelyn was escorted by Sandra. "Alistair", I heard someone call me from behind. I knew that the real trouble was starting to begin now. As decided, Chace turned first, and then I turned after him. "Jace", I memorized his name and hugged him after Chace did. Evelyn and Sandra watched us correspond with Jace.

"So, how are you, Alistair?" Jace questioned about my well-being. Little did he know that he was the one who was playing with my wellbeing.

I tapped Chace's shoulders and faked a smile "Alistair is fine", I answered his question, and kept patting Chace's shoulders so as to also create an impression in front of Evelyn that I was answering on Chace's behalf. "We're all fine", Sandra interrupted.

"Very fine", I exaggerated her statement and hugged Jace again "I'll see you around brother. Can you guide me till Aaron?"

"He's close to the drink's counter", I quickly turned around and avoided any familiar face I encountered. Sandra, as decided, didn't leave Evelyn's side. They followed me and Chace as we made our way towards that counter.

Someone back faced me at the bar counter. It wasn't really difficult for me to recognize that back. It was Aaron, the man who invited us to his party. We had a pretty good equation in school, but then he totally spaced himself out from our lives the moment he left school. I placed my palm on his shoulder, as a reaction, he turned around and faced me.

"Oh. Wow. Didn't expect you here", I hugged him "And I don't mean that in a sarcastic way. I'm glad you made it", Aaron clarified his statement.

"I'm well aware of your sarcasm and I'm okay with it", I grinned and pulled away. He started working with his father from a really young age. The results he achieved are clearly visible now. His hard work and perseverance made him a billionaire at a very young age. It wasn't like we didn't meet after he left school, but the only reason we met, was my father. He has collaborated several times with my father's business.

I couldn't really digest the fact of him throwing a party for some girl. The only girl he ever loved was his mother. I haven't seen him talking or even looking at girls after the tragic death of his mother. He has faced a lot in life and I was really happy that he, at last, found someone he can count on. I wonder what his love life would be like because whatever it had to be, it wouldn't be simple. That's something I can bet on.

"I really didn't expect you to throw some party. Especially for a girl, looks like someone's getting into that four-letter word", I teased him and later continued "Oh, love. L o v e", I spaced out each alphabet and spelled them out aloud.

He faked a smile and looked in Chace's direction. On recognizing him, he hugged him at once and looked around like he was expecting someone else with us "Where's Zack?" he finally question.

"He can't make it", I replied grabbing a glass of wine.

"Oh, I don't recognize this young lady", he glanced at Evelyn, his face plastered with confusion. Oh, I shouldn't have brought an uninvited guest to his party. But, that's okay, she filled Zack's place. He later looked at Sandra and gave her a smile, she smiled back. It seemed like they recognized each other. "Hey, Alistair, whose she....?" He arched his brows. The situation was critical, being Alistair I couldn't answer. I looked at Chace and nodded, giving her a signal to answer on my behalf.

"She's Evelyn, his friend", Chace answered him and pointed towards me. Chace was total savage.

"Nice to meet you", Evelyn greeted him and shook her hands warmly with him. "I'll excuse you Arnold", she turned away and started to walk towards the hallway's sitting area. I watched her grow distant and then turned back towards Aaron. His face clearly showed what he felt. In one word---confusion

"What's with the big fat lie?" he interrogated and observed me keenly.

"She thinks that I'm some random guy named Arnold. She has no idea that I'm the son of the famous Ashton Dickman. I wish I didn't lie to her earlier but since I have, I can't take a step back. Not that I tried but I guess the situation gets complex every second day. I brought Chace along with me so that he can be the fake Alistair and make the answers on my behalf when someone questions me, as we tricked you earlier, remember? The lie gets deep, and now it's almost impossible for me to say her truth. There are a lot many complications which can be discussed, but, not this moment", I paused and continued "I know one thing for sure, which is, I can't lose her. She trusts me, and I don't intend to break that trust"

He watched me complete the story. He was actually a good listener. He didn't interrupt me, even for once. "Damn. Make sure you say everything to her before the actual time slips. I've been through planning and plotting and trust me. It won't just break her heart, but yours as well", his advice felt like some experience of his which he was sharing indirectly.

"Oh, no, no, she's just a friend. A good one, but it's kind of complicated. The whole situation is", I clarified.

"Oh did I just hear the word 'complicated' from Alistair's mouth?" he joked. Damn, he was seriously in love. The man I knew never joked. The only thing which was humorous to him was his sarcastic comments and judgments on people. No, he never judged me but I watched him do the same to other people.

I hit him with my fists on his chest "I'm Arnold for the time being"

"I have my mouth sealed. Anyways, make yourselves comfortable around. Have a great time", he started walking away from us. I sipped on my wine and watched him walk.

But then, on some random thought, pulled him back through his arms and questioned "Where's your girl?"

"Probably, getting ready"

"Looking forward to meeting her", I waved him again and rested my ass next to Chace's chair who was busy gulping Martini.

*******

Hey guys, if you haven't read: If only it was an illusion, you probably should. It's on the verge of completion. You'll know more about Aaron and Amanda in that book. It's my first book and I've added a lot of drama, spice, and love. It sounds cliche, but I ensure, that it isn't very cliche. I'm sure you'll like it. At least, I hope so. Please give it a try.

Much love,

-Aafrynn.