Chapter 159 - New Friend
Rose glanced at Liam questioningly and he gave her a slight nod to tell her he was going to support whatever decision she was going to make.
She agreed to follow Noah since it did not seem like they were about to call her name for the award acceptance anytime soon. She did not expect the empty to seat to be in the front. The seat Noah led her to was the seat she was assigned to in the entry card.
"I don't know who did not arrive and left these seats empty," Noah said when they were seated comfortably.
"This seat was assigned to me. I did not want to sit in the front," Rose replied easily.
"I know you are brave so what is the reason why you don't want to sit down at the front of the hall?" Noah had to ask since she could not come up with any reasonable answer to her question.
"Look around," Rose told her find the answer herself since she did not state the obvious.
Noah took her time to dramatically look around at the eyes that kept staring at them. Their attention seemed to be pinned on the unusually handsome man sitting beside her. "They are also staring at you," Noah voiced her observation.
"That doesn't matter," Rose said brushing it off carelessly. She was not uncomfortable with getting stared at but when people begin to look at her future husband like he was available for public view, she did not enjoy that. So many eyes looking at them through the holes in the mask they all wore of different colors, designs and patterns.
She was not familiar with the tradition that led to them wearing masks during the party but she was very happy such tradition existed. She looked around for her sister and friends and after a while, she noticed them among the many other people present in the hall.
Eric looked particularly good in his suit. The suit had a few stones on it and he looked like a lovely jovial member of a boy band with the two first buttons of the white tailored shirt he wore underneath unbuttoned.
"Here," a warm male voice she recognized suddenly whispered so close to her ear.
"Thank you," she said when she noticed the glass of a clear liquid he moved close to her. She gulped when her gaze met his eyes. His grey eyes looking so warm. He was so close to her. It took a lot of effort to look away but when she did, she felt at lose. She wanted to see more, to keep gazing into those eyes that seemed to have very strong magnetic energy pulling her closer and closer to him.
"It's funny that you are the possessive lover," Noah whispered with suppressed laughter. "He is obviously comfortable but you really want him hidden don't you? A princess kept man," Noah continued although she clearly noticed Liam was not happy that Rose was looking at Eric earlier.
Rose glared at her surprised that Noah will actually say such a thing without feeling embarrassed or considering it inappropriate to be said especially to someone she was not close to. As a matter of fact, she knew nothing about Noah except the fact that she was her friend's ex-girlfriend which was almost next to nothing.
It actually did not feel weird that she was talking to Noah in such familiar manner. Within a few minutes of the conversation they had together, she found out that she was actually feeling comfortable around Noah.
Noah knowing about her identity no longer felt annoying when Noah courtesied and offered her a seat to sit on. Now, with Noah calling Liam her "kept man" actually felt it was funny.
She glanced at Liam whose attention seemed to be for her alone in the large hall with many other things that could possibly gain his attention. She blushed slightly.
That statement made her the boss of the relationship. But was she really the boss? Her skin immediately returned to its fair color when she thought of that and she frowned slightly.
Liam mirrored her action when he saw her frown. He then dropped his gaze to the drink her gave her and back to her half covered face.
Rose smiled at his action and took a sip of the drink in the cup. It was actually water. She was surprised by the content because she expected anything else perhaps a vodka.
"Do you want some other drink?" Noah asked when she noticed the shocked expression Rose wore as she looked at the glass of water she just moved away from her lips.
"No, water is fine," Rose replied immediately. Water was really fine considering that she had very low alcohol tolerance. She looked around the hall and exhaled. She will never have attended if it was going to be the ideal party for teenagers just like the party she attended in her past life that left her with really bad memories.
The occasional background music that was played was actually calming and comfortable for her.
"You said I was threatened by the teacher, right?" Rose suddenly asked reminded of another bad memory she had.
"Yes, that was what I thought but I guess it was just my thinking. I must have thought too much but I know very well that you two don't like each other," Noah replied cautiously.
"I don't dislike him perhaps we were not just meant to be friends," Rose replied easily.
"I see that your sister is back with him. Didn't she say something about him being the reason she forgot you went to the restroom when the fire started?" Noah asked glancing back at Anna who was sitting very comfortably with her supposedly new boyfriend.
She was really back with the teacher as Rose observed. "We are not in good terms again because of him," Rose informed Noah with a sad smile.
"And she still got back with him. I guess your sister is really indecisive or that young man is very persuasive. From what I saw earlier, she is also not in good terms with Debby," Noah told her displeased.
"Yeah and Debby is not in very good terms with me either," Rose said. She was not happy at all at the way things suddenly turned out to be in their friendship. They were all happy together but very little things began pushing them apart from each other. This probably confirms the saying that nothing ever lasts forever.
"I guess I am your latest friend then. I hope we remain close for a very long time," Noah said dramatically expressing her joy.
Liam glanced at Noah before returning his gaze Rose. He came to find Noah's presence unpleasing since she seemed to have taken up Rose attention from him.
He was enjoying watching Rose steal glances at him and blush when she notice he caught her.