54
“Let the battle of the worst singing commence” she announced, looping her arm with mine and trudging towards the living room.
As expected, the boys were waiting outside in one car which seemed strange to me considering Connor claimed to not like Ivan. I walked towards the passenger seat and slid in as Sierra sat in the back with Connor.
“I thought you were scared of him” I immediately asked Connor turning my attention to the back seat, a glare already plastered on his face.
“I changed my mind, I like him better than you” he teases, sticking his tongue out. I rolled my eyes at his child-like antics and directed my attention towards Ivan. There was a faint smile on his face from Connor’s response but he appeared to be tense which was visible by how tightly he was gripping the steering wheel.
“If you’re trying to crush the steering wheel with your hands, it’s not working” I joked trying to avert his attention to me. His grip immediately loosened as his tense composure melted and I watched as the smirk grew on his face.
“I really thought I could do it” he played along.
“Maybe if you recite a chant at the same time, you’ll have better luck” Connor said, leaning in towards the front of the car, his response causing Ivan to chuckle. I reached my hand back towards his hair and ruffled it, to which he jerked back while attempting to fix the damage.
“Jesus woman, I spent a half hour on this” he exclaimed dramatically.
“That was a waste of your time considering Sierra will ruin it within 10 minutes” I bit back which earned me a slap on the back of the head from Sierra.
“Don’t even get me started on you and Ivan here, you guys literally undress each other with your eyes whenever you get the chance. Not to mention you always seem to come out of his office, disheveled. Or so I’m told” she snapped back, Connor roaring with laughter at her response.
“He literally works me to the bone with the amount of work he has me doing, of course I’d be a mess” I justified, my cheeks slowly turning pink.
“Your bones aren’t the only part of you he works” Sierra mumbled just loud enough for us to all hear it. Connor took a moment to process what she said before bursting into fits of laughter along with Sierra, both looking like complete idiots. My face heated up at what she said but I couldn’t help but laugh along, Ivan joining in shortly after.
Reaching the karaoke bar, we began walking to the entrance, the excitement oozing out of Sierra and I. An employee guided us to an excluded room which no doubt was where we’d find Philip and whoever else he invited. As expected, the room was filled with people dancing, drinking, shouting into the microphones on stage and even making out in the darker parts of the space.
“I already want to go home” Ivan huffed, looking completely out of place in the bar. Just by taking a quick glance, you could tell that he was an authoritative figure just by the way he carried himself and the power he exuded.
“Sucks for you because Amelia is going to get her karaoke on whether you stay or not” Sierra responded, pulling me away towards the stage.
“Shouldn’t we get something to drink first” I asked
“One song first” she answered, turning her attention to the dj to tell him what song to play. She not so politely took the microphones out of a couple’s hands which would’ve gotten her into trouble had they not been so drunk. She handed me a mic and all too soon a melody I was far too familiar with filled the room which caused a couple people to clap as they recognized the song.
A/N: I don’t know why but “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton is the first song that came to mind so we shall go with it.
Throughout the song, Sierra and I were dancing, jumping and screaming the lyrics so much that I’m surprised none of us got injured. The song came to an end and we both bowed before making our way to the bar where the boys were enjoying a drink.
“Thank god the torture is finally over” Connor grumbled as he threw back a shot.
“That song is a classic”
“Yeah a classic piece of trash” Connor bit back causing Sierra to smack him playful on the chest. I chuckled as the two continued to bicker, the attraction between them so evident that I was mentally high-fiving myself for putting them together.
Before I could react, Ivan’s hand snuck around my waist and pulled me back into him making me shriek in surprise.
“You know, it was quite amusing watching you prance around like that knowing you hadn’t had a drop of alcohol yet” he whispered in my ear eliciting a shiver from me.
“That song is too catchy to not dance to” I replied with a smile, turning to face him. He was also sporting a similar grin as he leaned down to rest his head against mine.
“How about next time you dance for me in a more private environment”
“You would like that wouldn’t you” I smirked, a voice shouting my name grabbing my attention. I watched as Philip waved his arms at me frantically, ushering me to go to him. I looked back at Ivan who gave me a nod, reluctantly releasing his grip around my waist. Not wanting to go alone, I grabbed Sierra’s wrist and pulled her with me towards Philip.
“C*ckblock” Connor shouted after us, Sierra mumbling in agreement beside me. Once we reached Philip and his group of friends, he immediately pulled me into a hug.
“It’s nice to see you too” I said, awkwardly patting his back as he continued to hug me.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!
“Who’s this lovely lady” he asked after releasing me and focusing his gaze on Sierra.
“This is my friend-”
“Sierra Kelly” she interrupted, reaching her hand towards Philip. I watched as he took her hand and planted a kiss on it, giving her a small smile to which she return. I cleared my throat snapping both of their attention out of their daze and back to reality.
“Ah yes, I’m glad you lot could make it out tonight, it’s greatly appreciated” he thanked.
“Oh it was no problem really, we love karaoke and you gave us a reason to hang out so we should be thanking you” Sierra rambled. I raised my eyebrow in her direction slightly confused on her flirtatious behavior considering she was unavailable.
“Well if you enjoy karaoke so much how about you sing a duet with me” he asked stretching his hand out as an invitation. Sierra giggled like a school girl before taking his hand and I watched as they both made their way to the stage. I took this as the time to go back to Ivan and finally ask him about the mysterious letters.
Getting back to where we were seated, I was somewhat disappointed to see Ivan’s seat empty but sat down regardless.
“Lover boy was approached by some guy and they went outside to get some privacy” Connor answered my question as he took a sip of his drink. I watched him closely as he observed the scene on stage, his jaw clenching in irritation.
“How can she act like that knowing fully well I’m right here” he finally snapped.
“She’s just having fun, there’s nothing to be worried about” I reassured him, my words not sounding remotely convincing to my own ears. He closed his eyes and took big breaths in an attempt to calm himself or an attempt to get rid of the sight before him. I reached my hand forward to rub his shoulder, assuring him that everything was going to be fine as he opened his eyes and flashed me a quick smile.
All of a sudden, the doors bursted open and in came in Ivan wearing a blood stained shirt. Without even a thought, I immediately rushed towards him moderately worried.
“What’s happened” I asked, the concern evident on my face.
“It’s Alejandro, he’s-he’s been hurt” he stuttered, clearly distressed from whatever occurred moments prior. I rushed out the door just in time to seem my father being rolled into the ambulance on a stretcher. I charged towards the paramedics trying to get a glimpse of his injuries.
“I’m sorry ma’am but you can’t come any closer, this man needs medical attention” an paramedic told me.
“I’m his daughter” I sputtered without hesitation, hopping in beside him. I took in his condition, coming to tears at the sight before me, he laid on the stretcher completely unconscious with a black eye and a busted lip. There was also a gash on his stomach that looked to have derived from being stabbed.
“We’ll meet you at the hospital” Ivan shouted just before the ambulance doors shut, and the tears finally began streaming down my face. I grabbed onto one of his hands to comfort myself during the ride towards the ambulance.
“Please not again, I can’t loose you a second time” I whispered completely broken and hopeless.