Loving Lewis

Chapter 8

"Are you sure I was invited?" Lewis asked.

He'd parked his truck at the end of Olivia's long driveway, and it looked out of place among the Mercedes, Camaros, and Cadillacs. There was a skeptical look on his face as he stared up at her house, a huge brick mansion that sat atop a hill.

"Yes, Lewis. I swear," I said, grabbing him by the wrist and dragging him toward the party. "Now, come on. I can't wait to introduce you to everybody."

Knowing that I wouldn't be able to go home and change before Olivia's, I packed an outfit to change into. After we finished our shift, I spent half an hour getting ready in the small employee bathroom at the shelter. It'd been a long time since I'd been able to get glammed up, so I decided to go all out. I went for black, backless dress, my tallest pair of heels (even then I still wasn't as tall as Lewis), and I brought my curling iron to do my hair.

When I'd stepped out of the bathroom, Lewis's eyes widened slightly as he looked me up and down. "You look, um—nice," he'd said, scratching the back of his neck. "Am I dressed okay though? I didn't think I'd need anything fancier for a party."

Lewis was wearing his usual: a black v-neck, jeans, and converse. I smiled at him before reaching up and pushing his bangs out of his eyes. "You look perfect."

But even after my reassurance, he'd been quiet the entire drive. It was easy to tell he was uncomfortable—I could tell from his tight grip on the wheel and the stiff set of his jaw—but I knew once he met my friends that everything would be fine.

As we made our way up the drive, I could hear the rhythmic beat of music and a thrill of excitement pumped through my veins. It'd been too long since I'd been to a good party, and I felt like a caffeine addict getting my first sip of coffee in ages.

The moment we walked through the front door, someone shrieked my name. "QUINN!" Two seconds later my best friend barreled into me, throwing her arms around my neck. "Ohmegee! I didn't think you'd make it," Olivia exclaimed. "Let's go to the kitchen. Liam and Kabel are in there, and you need a drink pronto!"

She took my hand and tried to pull me down the hall, but I laughed and shook her off. "Hold on a moment," I said. Then I turned and gestured at Lewis, who was silently standing behind me. "Liv, this is Lewis. Lewis, this is my best friend Olivia."

"Very nice to meet you, Miss Olivia," Lewis said, immediately reverting to the ever-so polite manners he had when dealing with strangers. "I've heard so much about you from, Quinn."

"Nice to meet you too. I'm glad you could come," Olivia answered, offering him a flirtatious smile. Then she elbowed me in the side. "You never told me he had a sexy accent," she whispered in approval, as if that made up for the fact that he was poor and she was suddenly interested. Liv was clearly already tipsy, and her voice wasn't as quiet as she thought it was. A light pink color rose in Lewis's cheeks, and I winked at him before turning back to her.

"You never asked," I said with a laugh. Then I hooked arms with her and steered us away from the front door.

When we entered the kitchen, I immediately spotted Kabel. He was leaning against the counter with a beer in hand—and god, did he look good. His dark hair had grown out a little since I last saw him, and he'd styled it up with a bit of gel.

I was so focused on him that it took me a moment to notice the girl at his side. She was pretty, with long auburn hair that was braided into a crown and bright blue eyes. She didn't go to St. Mary's Prep, but I recognized her as one of the girls who attended the all-girls private school a few towns over from ours. She was laughing and touching Kabel's arm. He didn't seem too interested in her, but he didn't push her away either and I felt my stomach twist.