Chapter 21 - The First

Kelsey stared at the beautiful woman in front of her. She had a very light make-up on but it made her face looked flawless and made her eyes popped. Her lips were as red as a rose and pink tainted cheeks. Her cheekbones were well-define and her hair was curled then placed into a low, yet elegant bun. She wore a simple, but exquisite red off-shoulders gown that hugged her figure. She looked gorgeous and extravagant.

"Are you sure it's not too much?" Kelsey asked staring at herself in the mirror once again. She couldn't even recognized the woman standing before her.

"You look perfect, Kelsey. Trust me." Ella beamed at her as she placed the last bobby pin in Kelsey's hair and clapped her hands in excitement. "There! We are officially done!" She declared as she stared the Kelsey's reflection in the mirror.

Kelsey faced her with scrunched forehead. "I don't know if I can do this." She admitted as she finally felt the anxiousness settle at the bottom of her stomach. She placed her hand on her neck to play with her necklace, but realized that Ella made her take it off when she put the dress on. According to Ella, the necklace didn't really match her outfit.

"Stop!" Ella practically screamed, surprising Kelsey and had her eyes widened. "Sorry." She quickly apologized. "But you have to stop scrunching your forehead like that or else you're gonna get wrinkles." She warned her earning a chuckle from Kelsey.

"I have bigger problems than getting wrinkles, Ella." She said as she pictured what tonight was going to be like.

"Relax, Kelsey, okay?" Ella commanded, holding her by the shoulders. "Just breathe and everything's going to be fine." She assured her realizing her hold onto her. "We went through the whole binder, you know which fork and knife to use for the course meal, you know how to firmly shake the guest's hands, and most importantly, you look amazing!" Ella said as she started packing her stuff and cleaning up. "Nothing could go wrong. Besides, I'm gonna be there and I'll try to stay close whenever Mason's not, okay?"

"Okay." Kelsey hesitantly responded. She was relieved that Ella was going to be there. She was technically the only person she knew and was comfortable to be around with. She needed a person who was going to stick by her side the entire night and someone who would support her when she feels like collapsing and fainting.

"Alright, I'm gonna head out so I can get ready myself. Lance is waiting for me outside." Ella hugged Kelsey goodbye and took her make-up kit with her. "See you later." She waved before the elevator doors closed.

Kelsey glanced at her reflection in the mirror again and let out a deep breath. "You can do this, Kelsey. You can do this." She told herself.

~ * ~ * ~

Once Mason got home at around five o'clock, he went straight to the kitchen as the smell of new baked cookies wafted through the hallway. He entered the kitchen finding Georgia busily pulling out the tray of cookies from the oven. She placed it on the counter and let it cooled as she took of her oven mitt.

"Mhmm, that smells really good." Mason said sniffing the smell in one long breath.

"I'm glad the smell satisfy you." Georgia said chuckling as she watched the growing man's eyes shine staring at the batch of cookies as if he was a little boy who received a new toy on Christmas day. "You wanna try it?"

Mason didn't respond but hurriedly took one and took a bite. "Mhmm." He moaned as the sweet flavor exploded in his mouth. "This is so delicious. You're always been the best, Ma." He said as he placed a kiss on her cheek and took another bite of the cookie.

"Yeah, yeah. I know." Georgia muttered ruffling his hair. "Why don't you go and freshen up? The ball starts at seven, right? You should go and get ready." She ordered.

"That reminds me, where's Kelsey?" He asked glancing around and looked through the window that separated the kitchen from the living room.

"She's upstairs in her room. Don't bother her now. Go and get ready and once your done, then you can go and see her." Georgia demanded wanting to make sure that Mason sees Kelsey after and imagine his priceless reaction. Georgia knew that the boy was about to fall for the girl's beauty.

"Oh-kay?..." Mason obeyed unsure of what was going on but didn't push the topic.

Mason made his way upstairs and glanced at the door across his before entering his room. He let out an exhausted sigh from work and from thinking about what was going to happen tonight. He just wished everything goes to plan and the public would believe that him and Kelsey were in fact a couple and totally in love with each other.

He went to the bathroom and took a quick shower. His thoughts suddenly brought him to frustration of thinking of what Kelsey would be wearing tonight. Hopefully not too sexy because he didn't know if he could contain himself any longer. Since that night he saw her in that short red dress that gave him such a good view of her curves, he couldn't seem to stop thinking about how she would feel against him.

Mason furiously ran his hands through his face as he felt himself feel something towards the south part of him. He let out a groan and finished his shower before it got even worse. He quickly took the suit out of the closet and got dressed.

Once he was done dressing, he glanced at the mirror to comb his hair back. He took the necktie on his bed and started fixing it. He did it multiple times but gave up at the end with a groan. It sat around his neck messily but kept it there so that Georgia can fix it before they leave for the party.

Mason took his wallet and his keys from the bedside table and got out of his room. He then decided to knock on the door across from his. He took a deep breath before the door swung open revealing a beautiful woman in a red gown.

Mason felt his world stopped for a moment. He was speechless by her beauty. She looked like a goddess from heaven. He couldn't stop staring and he admire her stunning curves and gorgeous face. He, once again, felt his little buddy get excited at the view. His eyes were widened and he felt dryness on his lips. He ran a tongue across his lips and this didn't go unnoticed by Kelsey.

Kelsey gawked at the wonderful man in front of her. He looked amazing with his hair combed back cleanly, his defined-chiseled jawline and little stubble of hair across his chin that made him looked hotter, and his black suit that hugged his muscles. He looked even sexier than in any normal day. Kelsey gulped at the sight of him.

"You look..." Mason started finally able to find his voice. "Wow." He stupidly said causing Kelsey's cheeks turn red. "Did I mention red is your color?" Mason grinned seeing her blush by his compliment.

"Thanks." She managed to utter. "You look amazing as well." She honestly told him. Then she noticed his necktie and her fingers were already there before she could even comprehend what she was doing. "Except this." She said fixing the tie.

Mason watched as she expertly tie his necktie with her fingers. He glanced at her face seeing her forehead scrunched a bit as she concentrated at what she was doing and her mouth slightly parted. He unconsciously placed his hands by her waist and was in a daze smelling her strawberry scent.

"There, done." She beamed up at him once she was finished tying his necktie. She then realized that his hands were now placed on her hips and that he was staring at her. She saw his eyes dilated and turned a shade darker. "Mason..." She quietly said catching his attention as her lips moved. He seemed to be hypnotized by her lips and all he wanted to do was kiss them.

Without a second thought, he leaned in and kissed her. Kelsey felt a tingling sensation in her stomach once Mason's lips were planted on hers. She couldn't explain the feeling except that it felt nice and heavenly. He tasted minty and it was addictive. It was Kelsey's first kiss and she didn't know what to do. She let Mason take the lead but responded back to his kiss.

Mason felt her response to him and he was getting excited all over the place. It was an amazing kiss but he knew he had to stop before he couldn't contain himself. He slowly pulled back resting his forehead against her with their eyes still closed. They were both gasping for air even though the kiss only lasted for a while.

"What was that for?" Kelsey inaudibly asked glancing into his eyes.

The question seemed to snap Mason out of his daze. He quickly untangled himself from her and moved away. Kelsey noticed the change of mood as he distant himself from her and turned cold. Mason cleared his throat and straightened his suit.

"That," he started finding his voice. "is a practice." He stated causing Kelsey's brows to frown in confusion.

"Practice?" She asked unsure.

"Practice for tonight's show. If we want to pull this off and make everyone think we're an actual couple, we've really got to sell it. And trust me, they'll expect us to be all lovey-dovey and kiss. At least later on, it wouldn't be as awkward." He casually said as he glanced at his watch. "We better go or we're going to be late." He said and left the room.

Kelsey felt a stab in her chest. Tears were starting to form in her eyes and she looked up and fanned it away. She couldn't let her make-up get ruin or even let herself cry because of that douche. She just hated the fact that he was her first kiss and that she responded back. She really hated herself at the moment for starting to feel something for the prick.

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