“Turn around,” he says.
I do as he says, facing the full length mirror as I watch him place it around my neck. This is really a good look for me. Wet hair, white towel, stupidly expensive necklace.
Once Nico has fastened the clasp, I touch it gently, looking down at it before back into the mirror.
“Nico it’s…perfect. I mean, it’s beyond perfect. I can’t wear this.”
He frowns. “Why not?”
I turn to look at him as I smile and shake my head.
“Everyone is going to think I robbed a bank, or maybe just a jewelry store,” I laugh. Girls like me don’t wear things like this. We can’t even afford to look at it.”
“You can now. It’s yours, I had it made just for you. I’ll have a thousand more made if that’s what it takes for you to start to understand how fucking precious you are,” he says as his thumb brushes against my cheek.
I can’t help but ruin the moment a little as I shake my head.
“A thousand more? How fucking rich are you? I want a number.”
Nico lets out a rough laugh as he smiles.
“Rich enough to buy you anything your heart desires, though Imay need to sell a few summer homes to keep the funds liquid,” he smirks.
“Summer homes? Where are we talking?”
He shrugs. “The usual places. London, Paris, Tuscany, Maldives.”
My eyes bug out of my head. “The usual…sir, I want to go to the Maldives stat. Make that happen, will you?”
Nico grins and nods, wrapping his arms around my waist as he drags me into him.
“Deal.”
“Fuck, that was easy, deal,” I smile before leaning up and pressing a kiss to his lips.
Nico also tried to get out of sightseeing with my family but of course, my parents weren’t having it. They insisted they spend time together. Luckily I was spared. No one asked about the necklace because I decided to put on a sweatshirt. Though I know you’re supposed to take nice jewelry like that off when you sleep, I absolutely slept with it all night, and have zero regrets doing so.
Now it’s the night of the engagement party, and the happy light feelings I was experiencing yesterday with Nico have essentially shriveled up and died. Especially when we arrived at some ballroom and I saw a large sign welcoming us to the engagement of the future Mr. & Mrs. Sanders. I wanted to puke right then and there. Hopefully onto the sign.
As we step inside, I’m overwhelmed with how many people are there. At least two hundred people fill this ballroom, glittering gowns, black tie suits and waiters dressed to the nines serving passed hors d’oeuvres. I look down at my simple black cocktail dress and suddenly feel so small in this world. I look to my parentswho are sharing similar looks of uncomfortability among one another.
My dad is wearing the best suit that he owns, though it really doesn’t hold a candle compared to the rest of the men in the room. My mom opted for a nice lavender dress with a lace shawl. Though looking around, she looks more ready for afternoon tea than a lavish gala like the one we have somehow found ourselves in.
Disdain filled looks and noses in the air are the only things we see until a warm face pops up through the crowd, hurrying his way towards us. Oh my god. Nico looks like…heaven? His suit practically wraps around his body like a second skin. His hair is perfectly styled and in place and oddly enough, I think my favorite part is the bow tie. Why is he so cute in a bow tie? That’s it. He’s wearing bow ties for everything from now on. I don’t care if he will look like an eighty year old man at work, he’ll be my eighty year old man.
Nico heads straight for me, his smile growing and growing until he hesitates, his eyes darting to my parents as he quickly changes directory. I’m disappointed, but relieved. My mom has been keeping an extremely close eye on me since we came to Boston. It feels like she knows something is up, which I know is my own paranoia but still.
“You both look fantastic,” Nico says as he presses a kiss to my mom’s cheek before shaking my dad’s hand.
“Quite the fancy set up you guys got here,” my dad says as he looks up at the six chandeliers that are as big as my car.
Nico nods, giving the room a passing glance and a shrug. To him, this place is a dime a dozen. Just another Saturday night. To us…it’s unimaginable. I can’t believe this has been Carly’s life for the last three years. No wonder she never came home much.
“Cassi,” Nico says, “You look…stunning,” he says with a shake of his head.
I feel my smile grow wider than it should, but I can’t stop it.
“Thank you, I like your bow tie.”
