Charity Event (Jake PoV)*

I stood by the front of my car, adjusting my bow tie. This was the second time I’d stood here before this particular apartment building. The last time had been Friday when I’d dropped Chloe off after school. It had been a surprisingly quiet ride. I think she was embarrassed I was waiting for her. It was a topic she liked to dance around, as if mentioning it would cause me to keep my distance. I guess it made sense. If my emotions weren’t numbed, would I still be able to maintain this level of contact with her? Not a question I had an answer to.

It didn’t help that on some level, I was attracted to Chloe. It was hard not to be. Beyond her physical presence, her Noise was something I enjoyed. Perhaps it was because it was always bolstered by that bit of euphoria from her Gift. It seemed to have a soothing effect on her emotions. She spiked and shifted like all people did as they reacted to the world around them, but there was a baseline to her that I could latch onto. The only other person I experienced this with was Sophie.

I was under strict orders to stay outside the building and text when I arrived. I didn’t mind. For some reason I kept fidgeting with my bow tie. I think I was nervous, which didn’t make much sense considering I had seen Chloe a good amount by now. We were going to an event and dressing up, but this should have been no different than any other time we hung out together.

The moment I saw her step out from the doors leading into the building, my hands dropped away from the cloth around my neck. My body unconsciously straightened and for a brief second, my lungs remained still.

I didn’t need my emotions to admire the stunning beauty before me. Chloe had completely transformed. Her hair was styled in a complex way and her makeup was flawless. The black slit dress she wore sparkled as it caught the fading sun. Heels clicked against the pavement as she approached. Each move forward teased the white leg beneath. That grace she always had when she walked had evolved into a sultry sway that would make Alexis proud.

This wasn’t the Chloe I knew. The hint of euphoria that always accompanied her was non-existent. She carried herself with dignified confidence, and the smile she wore was free of the shame, embarrassment, and guilt that normally accompanied her. There was a purity to it now that it was no longer tainted by the euphoria of her Gift. Seeing it now, her Noise resonated with me in a way I never experienced before. It had me at a loss. It was as if it had wrapped around the walls of my mind and filled in the cracks. It didn’t squeeze or **** its way inside. It made no demands, only existing in a welcoming presence that softened the more demanding things that constantly assaulted my mind.

“You wait long?” I said nothing, still trying to process what was happening inside my mind and body. She smiled as her Noise rippled pleasantly. “Seems I achieved the reaction I was going for—even if you aren’t showing it.”

A few rapid blinks as my mind reset was the only outward reaction. “Sorry. You are simply stunning.” A blush ran over her cheeks, reflecting her Noise.

Her eyes ran over me. “You clean up well yourself.” Her eyes rested on my hair. “Almost didn’t recognize you with actually styled hair.”

I cleared my throat. “Shall we go?” I opened the door, helping her inside before going around to my side.

“I hope my dress won’t embarrass me tonight. It’s not designer brand.”

“No one will be looking at your dress,” I said, starting the car. “Not when the one wearing it steals all the attention.”

She looked away, face red. I had meant that earnestly but was worried by the reaction in her Noise. I saw the expected. She was a tad embarrassed by my cheesy line, but I could tell she enjoyed the compliment. But it was marred by emotions I had not intended to cause. Guilt, shame, disgust, and loathing. It was directed inward at herself. For the life of me, I couldn’t understand why my truthful comment had made her react that way. This wasn’t the first time either. It seemed whenever I complimented her, it dug out unintended negatives.

We made small talk on the way to the event. I could tell she was nervous and I did my best to soothe her nerves. Arriving at our destination, she was surprised when we didn’t go to the front where the other guests were arriving.

“Even though we are guests and allowed in, we are here only because my uncle helped organize all this,” I explained as I helped her out of the car. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine! I actually prefer it like this. Less attention, the better.”

“I promise you, you’ll have plenty of attention tonight.” Once more, her Noise was a flare of emotions and I found I didn’t like how my complements were making her feel. They were supposed to make her happy, not this mixed reaction of positive and negative emotions.

Offering her my arm, I was pleased to get only good things from her as she took it. I’d noticed it in the car, but walking next to her made her perfume more obvious. It was stronger than what I was used to and reinforced the notion that this wasn’t the normal Chloe. Gone was the sweetness and flowery scent I associated with her. This had an exotic spice. An intoxicating blend that invoked ideas of maturity, sexuality, and excitement. In addition to the warmth of her body against my arm and her Noise wrapping around my mind, my body reacted to emotions I didn’t feel. It was a challenge to keep a steady pace.

Inside, Chloe was in awe. I enjoyed the look on her face as she took in the sights. The decor, the people, she was overwhelmed in a good way. I was smiling, my body moving on its own. The instant I realized it, the moment faded but not the memory of it. I hadn’t meant to smile there. It had been a natural smile. Fascinating. I didn’t know those could still happen.

If that was the case, I was enjoying Chloe’s presence here far more than I believed.

She hadn’t seen it, but she whipped around, eyes wide. “Oh my god. Is that Ayden Ruiz?” I looked past her to where she had been looking. Sure enough, the so-called teenage heartthrob was chatting happily with a few other people without a care in the world.

“It is.”

“I’ve never been so close to a famous person before! Let alone someone like Ayden.” She was dazzling. Her excitement was dancing in her Noise.

“There are going to be a lot of famous people here. Come on. We need to find my aunt.”

Chloe made no effort to stop me from guiding her away from the talking celebrity, but her head did glance back several times as we walked away. I don’t know why I was in such a rush to find my aunt. Was I jealous? That didn’t make sense. I didn’t feel jealous. Didn’t feel much of anything. We wandered the venue, Chloe gasping and gaping at numerous celebrities and otherwise famous people. Only twenty minutes in and she was having the time of her life. The most interesting thing was the chaotic Noise rolling off all the people here didn’t bother me. It had been so muted, I only realized now that I didn’t have a headache or suffer from exhaustion. My mind was filled with only one Noise: the radiant girl beside me.

“Jake! There you are.” I stopped at the familiar voice. It was strange how she had spotted me before I did. Usually I could pick out her Noise long before I saw her, yet Sophie had completely bypassed detection. Beside her was her husband, Daniel. A little shorter than I was, he was carrying a bit of extra weight around his waist and less hair atop his head. There was a happy energy about him though. A charm that made you want to smile when you were with him.

Beyond the nerves regarding this event, his Noise was dominated by warm and pleasant thoughts toward Sophie and myself.

“You made it!” he said, slapping me on the arm. I gave him a casual smile.

“Thank you for putting us on the list.”

“Eh, with so many people here, what’s one or two more?”

“And who is this with you?” Sophie could barely contain her excitement as she looked over at Chloe.

“Chloe, this is my aunt Sophie and her husband Daniel. This is Chloe.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Chloe said, her voice softer and more withdrawn than usual. I could see she was surprised. Thinking back, I forgot to mention my aunt was rather young.

“So nice to meet you. When Jake said he made a friend, I knew I just had to meet you. Thank you so much.” I could tell she was a bit overwhelmed by the outpouring of emotion from my aunt. Even I was shocked that my aunt was tearing up. “And such a gorgeous friend at that!”

She was blushing, holding my arm tightly. “T-thank you. But it’s me who should be thankful. Jake here has really saved me.”

“Come,” Sophie said, face lighting up. “I want to know everything about you! I’ll even share all the embarrassing stories about Jake!” Before either of us could say anything, she had swept up Chloe and the two were moving off toward one of the many tables set up. Daniel and I stood watching the two women walk away. Chloe looked back over her shoulder, eyes wide as she was carried off.

“She’s been talking about this all day,” he said with a chuckle. He looked over at me. “She’s quite beautiful.” I nodded as he grinned at me.

“What?”

“Have to admit, this is one hell of a first date.”

“We aren’t dating. I am p—” I cut myself off before I could incriminate myself. If I told Daniel I was compensating Chloe for her time, that would inevitably make its way to Sophie. My mistake had him interested as he quirked an eyebrow at me. “It’s not like what you think,” I finally said hoping it would throw him off the scent.

“But you’re interested, right? Sophie mentioned she was single.”

My mouth opened to respond but the words didn’t immediately come. Shutting my mouth, I took a second to think as I gazed over at where Chloe and Sophie were sitting. They seemed to be having a good time. Chloe laughing was a sight I didn’t see much. If there was one fatal weakness of mine, it was humor. I had zero talent or timing.

It was true that I enjoyed her company, but Daniel’s words weighed on my mind. I never considered that route before. I wasn’t even sure we could be considered friends yet. Close acquaintances, yes, but friends? What exactly did friendship look like?

Beyond that, what would dating look like?

A booming laugh sounded as Daniel clapped me on the shoulder. “I’m just teasing you a bit, Jake. No need to look so serious.” I **** a smile, knowing he was going for a joke. My face hadn’t moved, so my serious look didn’t differ from any other of my looks. “Come on. Let’s join them before Sophie spills all the juicy stories.”