Alfie and Hamilton began talking about sports, which made me lose attention. My mother and sisters came over and gushed over my date while I couldn’t help but watch Emilio and Rachel off to the side,flirting. He had his arm around her and whispered into her ear, making her giggle. I could vomit right here. What tipped me over the edge was when she went in for a kiss. Those were my lips not hers.
My brother’s voice beside me pulled me out of the thought of clawing Rachel’s face.
“Is everyone ready for the show?”
We all sat in the open area lined with chairs and watched the fireworks explode above us.
As the night sky lit up in colors, I rested my head on Hamilton’s shoulder. My plan of having Hamilton here worked well for everyone except Emilio, who didn’t even seem to notice. I got up to get a drink at the bar—every event, no matter how small, always had alcohol.
“Gin and tonic.”
The bartender handed me the drink.
“Let me get a Macallan.”
The sound of Emilio’s voice made my heart beat faster.
“Bethany,” he said my name, but I refused to look his way.
“Emilio,” I replied, sipping my drink.
“My phone.”
Slyly, I pull it out of my bag and place it on the bar. “Here you go.”
He took it and walked away without any further interaction. If having Hamilton here didn’t phase him, my video wouldn’t either. Feeling stupid, I take my drink and sit back down. He was playing along with this whole thing well. Toward the show's end, I go to the lower deck to use the restroom.
I hear whispering.
“The feds raided the house. They took Lorenzo in. Trust me, they have much more to focus on,” Emilio said.
“Is Aria still coming?,” Luca asked.
“She will be encouraged to. Grace gave me her word.”
My brother worries a lot about Aria and what is happening with her. I continued to walk to the bathroom. When I got out, it was quiet. Suddenly, I was pushed into one of the rooms, and the door was quickly shut.
Emilio stood in front of me, looking very angry. “You have some balls, sweetheart.”
“What are you talking about?”
“That video you have on my phone.” He spoke through his teeth.
I had practically forgotten for a moment, but seeing him agitated like this put a smirk on my face. “Did you like it?”
This seemed to upset him more. “What are you trying to pull here, Bethany?”
Continuing to act nonchalantly, “Nothing.”
Stepping toward me, he didn’t stop until I was pushed up against the wall. His dark brown eyes seemed darker. He wasn’t even touching me, but having him this close had my brain malfunctioning. I knew I didn’t have the same effect on him, and it killed me. I hated that he was so unphased by my presence that the only way I knew how to get a reaction was to get under his skin.
The fireworks outside continued to burst into the sky, casting different colors into the room through the small window. Emilio’s chest went up and down as though trying to control his anger, while mine was due to our tension.
“Why.” It was more of a demand than a question.
“It was an accident,” I replied.
We were locked into a dead stare-off.
