Kayden closed his eyes, as he banged his fist on the table. "Of everything to say, you stupidly blurted out 'you're beautiful' and scared the girl away" His mind was so preoccupied that he didn't hear his cousin walk in.
"Who did you tell 'you're beautiful'?" Kayden jumped at the sudden voice, but closed his eyes as a scowl rested on his face on the realization that it was his cousin.
"What do you want?" Daxton stood there, holding up two covered suits and a box by his legs, "What's with the suits?" Kayden squinted his eyes, quietly glaring at his cousin.
"We are going to the gala, and there is nothing you are doing about it. So c'mon, Andrea's address" Daxton dropped the suits as he pulled out his phone, but Kayden still stared at him.
"What happened at home?" Daxton froze, his gaze slowly going to his cousin, whose eyes were still trained on him.
Daxton didn't know if he should be annoyed at his cousin's observant nature or be happy to meet someone like him. His date went south, and his father had terribly scolded him, while his mother did nothing.
Ever since he was home, he felt he was being watched, felt like anything he did, he would be scolded, so he decided to have some breather, but he couldn't think of any where else, except his cousin's house, so here he stood.
"Noth–"
"Lie to me, and I'll banish you from coming here" This made Daxton rethink each word he was about to speak. He knew how well his cousin hated lies. He could tell one, but he hated being lied to. He knew. He always did
"Had my fifth blind date and it didn't go well, and I was reprimanded. Like always" The air became tense. Kayden didn't like his uncle very much, and everyday he was thankful that he got to be born with his father, as his father. He couldn't imagine being in Daxton's shoes.
He'd be mentally ill by now.
"So you're going to keep lying to him about who you are? Are you going to be happy, Daxton?" This was the silencing question. Nothing!
Daxton didn't have the answer and this wasn't the first time Kayden had asked him this.
"Cam we just send Andrea's dress to her? What's her address?" Kayden didn't speak o the topic again. Coupled with how observant he was, he was also sympathetic and he knew this was still an uncharted territory for Daxton.
He couldn't blame the guy. Living with a commanding officer instead of a father was bound to tell on you, sooner rather than later.
Kayden took the phone from his cousin and typed in Andrea's address, waiting for the pickup driver to deliver it. Few minutes later, the dress was on the way to Andrea's house.
"Who are you texting? Mateo?" The sound of his cousin's name caused Daxton to turned different shades of red.
"No. It.. it's Andrea" Daxton managed to come out of his fantasy, seeing that it was his cousin's devious means of teasing him.
Kayden's eyebrows creased. He couldn't understand how he didn't have Andrea's number and Daxton did.
"Andrea Wilcox? How the hell do you have her number? She didn't give it to me" Kayden's pouting face made Daxton know that his once cold cousin had been lost to the hands of love.
"She gave it to me" Daxton ignored the glare his cousin shot him, taking his suit, "C'mon. We would be late"
Kayden dropped the topic but made a mental note to ask Andrea, as he believed he would have been the first person to have her number.
***
Both boys took deep breaths in as they had arrived at the filled event. Kayden's mind went back to the night he met an unforgettable brown eyes.
Camera flashes increased at they both got off the car, the red bar line stopped the reporters from suffocating the two boys.
Kayden heard the whispers increase and the flashes of the camera followed, causing both boys to turn back.
Daxton nearly had his eyes out of its socket when he saw a very handsome blonde dressed in a black tux coming their way. He had to look away to avoid any rumour going out, but he felt his cheeks heat up, and without another word, he turned around and headed inside the building leaving Kayden to alone with his brother.
"Daxton?" Andrea's voice called to Daxton as the black haired boy was standing in front of her, lost in thought. Daxton jumped, coming out of his daze as his eyes met Andrea.
"Oh my. You look stunning" Andrea couldn't help but smile, as Daxton came to wrap his arm around her shoulder. Both got lost in their conversation, until a throat cleared behind them.
"What the hell is going on?" Kayden didn't want to, but he did. His eyes hooked on Daxton's arm that was around Andrea, and he felt like ripping it off.
"Cousin. See you who found me, isn't she beautiful in my dress?"
Mateo's eyes widened as he glanced between the both of them. He felt an unusual anger coming up, but he didn't know the brunette, so why was he annoyed?
Meanwhile, Kayden's eyes couldn't leave Andrea. He noticed how the dress hugged her figure, and how her lips looked so glossy. Thoughts of how she'd taste began floating in his head, and that's when he decided to look away.
"I'm Mateo. Mateo West" On hearing the last name, Andrea's eyes flickered between the two brothers, and see could see clearly the resemblance.
She smiled and took Mateo's hands into a handshake. "Andrea. Andrea Wilcox"
The gala began just immediately after the pleasantries had ended and Kayden took Andrea far away from the two boys he was related to.
"Is something wrong?" Andrea couldn't help but ask, as Kayden continued leading her to a dark corridor.
"I just want to apologize to you about springing up a compliment out of nowhere" Kayden didn't have any valid reason for bringing Andrea away from the crowd, but he just wanted to spend time with her, the same way they had in his house.
Andrea looked at Kayden. She didn't understand where the sudden apology was coming from but who was she to decline?
"It's okay. Is that all? The event is starting" Silence. Kayden didn't say a word, he had nothing to say, but at the same time, he didn't want Andrea to leave just yet. Andrea knew the conversation was over, and took the silence as a sign to leave, but she remained there, looking back at him, hoping for something more to happen.
"So, uh..how are you today? Your eyes look well rested, a little" Andrea's shoulders slumped, as she quietly accepted her fate. She was only going to be seen as a fallout model, or as a friend to Kayden, and although it made her heart break, she didn't have a choice.
"Yes. Uhm, moved yesterday. Got a call that there was delivery waiting for me. So, yeah" Kayden nodded, as he looked at Andrea intently. He noticed she had lost a little weight, not too much to raise alarm, but enough to know she's really running on low battery.
"I don't want to see you break, Drea" Andrea's eyes that once looked to the floor, snapped to Kayden, to see his intense stare. Break? He didn't want to see her break.
Andrea felt like waves were going through her whole body, as heat rose to her face. The sincerity in Kayden's words, made know he meant every word. But the silence remained.
"If you wish, I can help you, with anything you need" Her heart, her poor heart, couldn't take this. The sincerity of his words, his soft gaze on her, and now he's closing the gap between them.
Kayden could smell the faintness of Andrea's chocolate perfume, and he leaned closer. His heart drummed against its ribcage. He didn't know what he was doing, but all he knew was that he wanted to taste the lips infront of him, he wanted those pretty almond brown eyes to be hooked on him, he wanted to feel the softness of her skin once again.
They could feel the breath and hesitation of each other, as their lips were inches away. They knew the gravity of what that kiss would mean if it happened, and Andrea for one, was still in oblivion of the state of her world, but she knew it was hell of messy.
"Kay!" The sudden noise caused the brown haired to step back–really back, making Andrea think she had imagined the whole scene. But before she could get drowned in disappointment, a familiar warm hand held the back of her neck, and her lips were enveloped in a warm, wet kiss.
Kayden had wanted to leave, but he knew Andrea's lips would haunt him. He didn't know where his cousin was, but he wanted to kiss her and that's exactly what he did.
The kiss was a shock to Andrea, and before she could recover, Kayden pulled away, his eyes staring back at her.
"Kayden. Here you are. C'mon, your parents just arrived. And so did mine" Daxton could feel the tension in the air, but he didn't bother. He had his own crises waiting for him.
Kayden without another word, gave Andrea a glance and walked away, leaving the brunette in a mixed state of joy and confusion.