Of course I am going to the party!

“Of course!” You happily reply to her.

“And here I thought you were gonna drag your feet again.” She smiled to herself, shaking her head somewhat.

“I- well…” you racked your brain for something to say. “I’m having guy issues, too. Home things and whatever.”

You can feel your cheeks getting hot at the thought of your step-dad—the fear of being home alone with him while your mother and brothers were out. You let out a shaky breath and then **** a smile. You aren’t going to tell Emily any of this, though. If Cindy hasn’t told Emily on her own, then there’s no room for you to do it either.

Emily looks a little awkward but doesn’t press for any more information. When lunch is finished, you both go back inside and complete the rest of the workload, which wasn’t hard between the two of you.

When you clock out, you pause before you leave the building. You saw one of your closest friends, Liam! Cindy wasn’t close to Liam, so you decided to stir clear of him. However, it seems he has different ideas. He approaches you with a smile and a small wave.

“Aye, Cindy!” Liam, with Cindy’s eyes, looked pretty handsome. His broad shoulders, white smile, and gentle green eyes were all excellent features. But, despite your opinion of Liam being above decent, Cindy didn’t think too much of him.

“Hi, Liam! How are you doing?” You beamed, surpassing his smile. Liam let out a little laugh and then stopped.

“You’re far too happy to be here right now. Are you leaving?” He asked.

“Yup!”

He nods. “Any plans for the night?”

“Uh, just the party tonight. I’m going to it, like obviously but, uumm…” Cindy ran her mouth faster than her mind could put the words together. You closed your eyes and inhaled. “Sorry, I’m talking really fast right now, aren’t I? I have, like, nothing going on for the rest of the day, though. So, I’m in no rush to be leaving.”

Liam sucks in his lips, eyeing you up and down. “You talk a lot.”

You blush. “Sorry.”

He smiles and then shrugs. “Don’t worry about it. Klaus was looking for you. Said you had something to talk about. Just thought I’d tell you before you got too far.”

“Aw, he does? Klaus is like, the coolest older brother to me!” Cindy spits out somewhat unexpectedly. Is that how she viewed you? You suppose that isn’t terrible, but also suppose that means you have no chance with her.

Liam’s smile widens. “We’ve been friends for a long time, so you don’t need to praise him around me.”

You giggle so cutely; Liam blushes as he watches you. “Well, shoot, I guess I should find him then. Thanks, Liam! Are you going to the party too?”

He shrugs. “I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure my girlfriend had plans for us tonight, but we will find out what she has in mind.”

You knew that Liam and his girlfriend were going through a little bit of a rough patch, but you didn’t know how to mention that without making Cindy look like she’s been watching him, so you keep your mouth shut about the whole matter. You thank him one more time and then spin on your heel, going to where you were supposed to be working at.

When you see yourself, there’s a strong urge you have to fight to prevent yourself from hugging your body. You think at first it’s because it’s your body, but you realize it’s just because Cindy likes you so much. Even though Cindy told Emily you didn’t like Klaus that much, she was getting significant butterflies in her stomach as she approached you. You hope this wasn’t how she viewed all her brothers…

Klaus turns around and works a weak smile. It looks fake, and your eyes look dead. There’s no life behind them. You’re just on autopilot. Did everyone think you look soulless right now? Ugh, no matter.

When you got within 5 feet of each other, you looked down at the toes of your sneakers. He’s so cute, damn it! Don’t say anything dumb!!

Wait, what? Now you’re confused. “Snap out of!” You told yourself as you looked back up. “I’m you, aren’t I?”

Klaus nodded. “We made a deal with the Fate, didn’t we? What’s going on with you?”

You smiled and put your hands on your hips. “Yeah! We did! Crazy, right? This is like, totally CR-A-ZY.”

Klaus knits his brows together and then asks you what you have in mind—your game plan and so forth. Still smiling, you roll your wrist. “Emily’s relationship isn’t that good with her boyfriend. I think after tonight, I’ll be able to expose him in front of her. There’s no way he isn’t going to slip up! Gah~ I knew he was douche! We both did!”

Klaus looks satisfied. He exhales, and a wave of relief goes over him. “So, this going to work then, isn’t it? You’re going to make yourself happy, and then we’ll be able to be in something steady for once?”

You nod vigorously. “Yes! I think we made the right choice picking Cindy to come in as our agent. Plus, she’s adorable, isn’t she?!”

Klaus eyes you up and down, unsure how to reply. “She’s just a kid, but I suppose your mind is mingled between two different thoughts, right?”

You wave your hand back and forth, blushing so hard you think you’re sweating. “I- I don’t know why you think I’m a kid still. I turned 18.”

Klaus still looks a little confused, but he doesn’t press any more than he has to. “Whatever, dude. Just...keep your head on straight. You have a lot to do still. So don’t fuck this up, please?”

You sigh. “Yeah, I got this. OK? Don’t think I don’t for even a moment.”

“I’m going home after work to clean up and whatnot. I’m going to tidy up and get everything put together like you’ve been putting off. Have fun out there, Cindy.”

“Can do, daddy-o!”

You both smile as you bounce off. When you get into your car, your smile fades, and your mind races. Cindy’s mind is a ride! She wants to go home and get ready for the party, but there’s also **** too. Gabe should be at work, but she’s worried that he’s home already...