Hey Guys! I hope you guys are well! I'm feeling a lot better, thank you for those who wished me well. Hopefully the updates should be consistent from now on. The schedule is going to be Monday/Tuesday every week. (I'm keeping a day buffer in case of delays since I'm expecting a few in the coming weeks).

I'm sure you guys don't really remember what was going on in the book so here is a little recap. Though I do recommend reading a few chapters (can start from chapter 44?) before this one to get a better insight into the story.

Recap: After coming to terms with both their feelings, Kade finally opens up about his past, explaining how Montana was involved with his entry into the UVX World Championship, which is his ultimate goal in order to give himself the opportunity to take away something his mother is always boasting about, her other son.

Kyra is currently getting ready to go to Allison's ball with Darren while Kade has to go with Montana (their previously fixed dates).

-FIFTY-

I frowned at my phone when I realised that Cameron hadn't called like mom had said he would. Maybe he got busy?

I tried to keep my mind from conjuring up any negative possibilities. It was time for the ball and as annoyed as I was to not be going with someone I truly wanted to go with, I was at least hoping that I could get to spend some time with Kade.

The sound of a car pulling up caught my attention and I watched as Darren's red sports car pulled into the driveway. Thanks to Olivia, I had managed to get ready in time.

Darren, being a gentleman got out of the car to open the passenger seat's door for me. I smiled at him politely as I descended the stairs towards the car.

He looked as good as ever, there was no denying that. Darren would have been the perfect partner for me had I not already signed off my heart to someone else. He was nice, funny and charming. Not to forget, respectful.

He was essentially the dream boy every girl wanted. Except for me, that is.

"You look amazing," Darren complimented, sweetly.

"Thank you, so do you," I replied and he grinned at me before closing the door for me and circling the car to his own seat.

We carried on with small talk as he drove us to the location where the ball was being held. As the location neared, I felt myself grow all the more nervous. The realisation that all the influential people of the area were going to be gathered in one room, I suddenly felt my gut twist with nerves.

There were going to be families of all my friends there. I really hoped that I didn't have to meet too many adults there and could hang out with my friends the entire time. I really didn't want to make a bad impression on them.

Darren seemed to read my mind as he stopped right in front of the massive posh looking building that we were supposed to go in. "Nervous?"

I nodded, unable to get the words out. My wide eyes were trained on the guests entering the building accompanied with a lot of camera flashes. It was practically a mini-red carpet and everyone was dressed in expensive-looking outfits and professionally done hair and makeup.

Why didn't anyone tell me how big of a deal this was?

If I was nervous before, there was no word for the feeling coursing through me right now. How was I going to go survive this night?

"Hey," Darren called for my attention, placing his hand gently on my tightly fisted one.

I blinked out of my daze and looked at him. He had an understanding expression on his face as he gave me a small reassuring smile. "It's going to be okay. I'll have your back," he said, though his words weren't as effective but they did help me calm down a little.

Once he saw me loosen up a little, he got out of the driver's seat, handing his keys to the valet he rounded the car and opened the door for me. I was low-key glad that he offered his hand because I wasn't sure my shaky legs could manage on their own.

Darren wordlessly guided my hand to the crook of his arm where I was putting much more weight than necessary. Thankfully, he didn't seem to mind.

"Focus on the way in, don't let the cameras scare you. I promise the inside is going to be much better," he lowered his head to speak to me.

I nodded and clutched the arm of his suit tightly.

Don't trip. Look straight. Don't trip. Look straight.

I kept chanting in my mind, eager to climb the stairs quickly. I tried my best to school my expressions into a neutral smile as I let out a long breath. Darren was nice enough to keep the pace slow enough so that I didn't trip but fast enough to not stay on the carpet longer than required.

I tried my best to not show my nerves as the camera flashes focussed on us as we ascended the stairs. People were shouting words that I could barely make sense of as we made it to the top after what seemed like ages.

I let out a long, shaky breath as I finally felt myself relax.

"See? Not that bad, right?" Darren nudged me playfully.

"I'm not sure I agree," I replied, making him laugh as we walked inside.

The moment we stepped inside the main hall, I had to keep my jaw from visibly dropping in awe. The hall was huge and decorated beautifully with gold accents. I could see all the guests mingling and it looked like a scene from a fancy movie.

I let Darren pull me to wherever he intended to go because I didn't have any particular place in mind anyway. I kept my eyes out for anyone familiar as we made our way through people.

"There's Allison and Max," Darren spoke, catching my attention.

I followed his gaze and sure enough, Allison and Max stood with an older couple that I didn't recognise. Allison caught me walking towards them and waved me over. It seemed like her conversation had ended with the couple.

"You made it!" she smiled before pulling me into a tight hug.

I gave her a nervous chuckle and returned her hug. "Yeah, but can you tell me why you failed to tell me just exactly how big of a deal this is?"

Allison grinned at me sheepishly as she pulled back. "At least that saved you from chickening out?"

I rolled my eyes but smiled.

Max came in and greeted both me and my date. They indulged in small talk as I let my eyes wander around aimlessly. I felt a nudge on my left and turned to look at Allison questioningly.

"Kade isn't here yet," she said in a low, suggestive voice so that only I could hear what she had to say.

My eyes widened and I felt my cheeks go hot. "I wasn't looking for him," I lied, not realising that I spoke too loudly.

"Looking for who?" Darren asked from beside me.

I'm going to kill Allison.

I glared at the smirking girl in front of me who threw me a slight wink before turning to Darren. "I told her a famous actor was coming," she lied flawlessly before lowering her voice as if telling a secret,"She's kinda in love with him."

Darren looked a little amused and curious. "Is that so? Which actor is it?"

Before I could deny all that was coming from this girl's mouth, she beat me to it.

"What was his name, something with a K, wasn't it?" she asked, throwing me a feigned innocent look.

I glared at her but she seemed to be enjoying this a little too much.

"Aha! It was Kane or Kace something I think," she said as if remembering it suddenly.

I was going to strangle this girl.

Before I could put my thoughts into action, Darren started inquiring more.

"Haven't heard of him. What movie was he in?"

"There's one on car racing or-"

"Okay, enough about my love for fictional characters," I cut Allison off with a glare. She simply smirked at me. As much as I adored this girl, she wasn't giving me much of a choice here.

Thankfully, Max immediately changed the subject, successfully distracting Darren from the topic at hand. I plastered on a fake smile as I leaned closer to Allison.

"I'm so going to kill you," I whispered, making her grin widely.

"You love me too much for that," she said blowing me a kiss.

Why was I friends with her, again?

I rolled my eyes at her, trying hard not to smile. I opened my mouth to say something but spotted an annoyed Madison being accompanied by a grinning Lucas. The latter waved at us as they neared.

"Well, someone looks jolly," Allison teased as she spotted the pair.

Madison tightened her fists, her jaw clenching in anger. "Kyra, Allie, can you please tell Lucas - if he doesn't stop irritating me, the night might end with his blood on my hands," Madison gritted out, looking super pissed.

Lucas simply rolled his eyes, not bothered by her threat at all. "You're just mad that Bethany wants me all to herself."

"You can go kiss her ass as much as you want Luke, but not when you're my freaking date. Especially when you know how much I want to shove her sparkly talons up her Botox lifted ass every time I see her," Madison almost yelled at Lucas, getting a few dirty looks from the people around.

Madison looked ready to pack Lucas's body in a body bag and throw it out in the garbage dump. I was a tiny but scared just looking at her but Lucas barely seemed to have an effect.

This guy seemed to have a death wish.

How these two ended up deciding to come together to this gala was beyond me. Everyone knew no one could get under Madison's skin as Lucas did. They really were an odd couple. But then again, if the other option was Chase, she would've already done something worse because that guy was synonymous with trouble.

I watched amused and a tiny bit terrified as Lucas continued to bicker with her, disregarding all her threats. Even if they were empty threats, he was walking on a thin line here.

I would have continued paying attention to them had I not felt the slightest touch on the small of my back. With the goosebumps erupting on my skin, I had no doubt on who it was.

"Missed me?" Kade whispered in my ear as he stood right beside me.

I had to hold in the big smile that threatened to split across my face.

I let my eyes wander over to him and hot damn. I didn't think it was possible for him to get hotter but he looked like a Greek God had come to life. I had to physically stop myself from drooling.

He wore a deep blue fitted three-piece suit with a white shirt and a  burgundy tie. His hair was gelled into place but still carried that slightly ruffled look that I loved.

"You look gorgeous, but then that's just always," he whispered again before straightening up.

I could already feel the heat pool up in my cheeks. How could he say these things with so much ease?

It was super hard trying to keep a poker face and not burst into a giddy dance and grin like a madwoman.

"Kade, finally! Please get this guy away from me before I do something I might not even regret," Madison threw her hands in frustration and dragged Kade to stand between her and Lucas.

I was a little thankful for the distraction. I didn't want people questioning me on my reddening face.

Kade smacked the back of Lucas's head, much to Madison's happiness and went around greeting everyone in the circle, smirking a little before throwing me a 'Hi'. I rolled my eyes at that.

I hadn't realised Montana had come along as well. Of course. She's Kade's date.

I tried not to let that sour my mood. It wasn't his fault he had to hold true on his promise of being her date. Plus, it's not like I would've been able to come with him when I had already asked Darren.

Speaking of my date, he seemed to finish his conversation with the boys and came to stand with me, his hand going to my lower back in a slight hold. It didn't have the same effect but I didn't fight it because it would have looked rude.

I could see Kade not particularly pleased with the situation and that somehow made me feel a little giddy.

"Kyra, wanna dance?" Darren interrupted my line of thought.

"Huh?"

He chuckled at my expression before pointing to the dance floor. "Let's dance?"

I gave one look to the group before giving him a hesitant nod. He was my date after all. Denying him a dance would look bad. Plus, it's not like I could say that I didn't like to dance either, considering almost everyone knew it was the opposite.

I followed him to the dance floor where a relatively soft song was playing. I was hoping that the songs would a bit fast on the tempo to avoid the awkwardness.

I let him guide my hands to his shoulders as he circled his around my waist. He gave me a sweet smile, which I returned politely. As neither of us spoke for a couple of seconds, I let my eyes wander to where we were standing before but much to my dismay, I couldn't see anyone there.

"You like Kade, don't you?"

To say I was caught off-guard my that question would be an understatement.

"Wh-what?" I choked out, my eyes going wide. Was it that obvious?

Darren chuckled, shaking his head a little. "That's a bummer. I was kind of hoping to ask you out on a date or something."

My jaw dropped in surprise. I wasn't going to lie, it was a little flattering to hear one of the most popular and nice guys to want to ask you out. I would have instantly said yes, if were not for the blue eyed boy I had already passed my heart to.

Darren looked at my expressions and let out a laugh. "Why are you so surprised at that?"

"I-uh, I mean I didn't really expect..." I trailed off not really knowing how to put it into words.

He simply shook his head with a smile. "You really amaze me, Kyra."

Reading the confusion on my face, he continued. "I haven't met a lot of people who don't realise how beautiful they are, both inside and outside yet still carry the balance amazingly. You're someone who draws people in and I would be an idiot to not get drawn like the rest of them," he said.

I blushed. How could you not when someone was genuinely complimenting you like that.

"That- that's really sweet of you to say," I replied, unable to lock eyes with him. Why did he have to be nice?

He simply shrugged. "It's just the truth."

"But," he started, making me look up at him. His eyes were trained on something behind me. "I guess I'm a little too late in grabbing my chance."

Before I could see where he was looking or say something to him, he grabbed my right hand in his. I looked at him questioningly.

"Remember, this doesn't mean I'm giving you up right now. You're still my date for the night," he winked.

I opened my mouth to ask him what he meant but he didn't give me a chance to do that. Using my right hand, he twirled me around. Just when I thought he would pull me back to him, he let go of my hand, making me twirl into someone.

Two hands held me by my waist, keeping me from falling. Locking my eyes with two stunning Mediterranean ones made me realise what Darren was saying.

I quickly looked back to see him throw me another wink with a small smile.

I smiled back at him before turning my head back to the smiling boy in front of me. As sweet as Darren's words were, Kade's smile sent butterflies right down my stomach.

That is when I knew that this time, I was in this for good. It was a scary feeling, knowing that the boy in front of me held more control over me than he probably realised. The only thing I could do now was jump with blind faith, hoping that I wouldn't go crashing down.
*******

Hello peeps!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

I hope the new year is treating you all super well. Thank you for sticking around ❤️

Q: Can anyone suggest some super cute romantic comedies to watch? Like chick flicks and all

I want to get some feels - because my life is dry af right now lol.