Anders Larzelere's PoV:

- "I'm Engaged."

My eyes pop out of my sockets.

Figuratively.

And for a second I thought it might actually do. Literally as well.

Fuck. What the hell is she doing?!

I gape at her, not able to say anything.

She looks up at me with smirking eyes, her hand not even wavering the slightest bit, as she opens the small black velvet box, revealing a platinum band.

It is concave, curving slightly outward with an industrial, matt-brushed finish to it. The plain, rich, silver color of the platinum ring, contrasts against the dark velvet cushion in which the ring is nestled.

My breath catches at the sight of it.

Oh God, I never thought that I would be put in the situation to say yes, rather than await the yes.

This is embarrassing.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"What the fūck is wrong with you?!"

"Are you kidding me right now?!" Are all the questions competing with each other to spill out of my lips, the moment I open them.

But, the moment they actually do open, only one word passes through the multiple filters that suddenly seem to have overtaken my brain.

One word that feels right at that second.

One inevitable word, which is the only perfect answer to this life-changing question.

"Yes?" The one word comes out like a question, the word sounding slightly uncertain and hesitant, even to my own ears.

Alarice's smirking eyes and cockily tilted up lips widen when I say it, and the way the happiness is so evident in her expression that one can never, for even a second, doubt it, makes me more sure and certain of myself, and what I'm supposed to say.

"Yes." I declare, shaking my head.

Suddenly, overwhelming joy fills my insides and my heart bounces like a soap bubble, making me feel light and almost floatable. The sudden joy is so out of the norm, so different and strange form what I'm used to feeling, I just can't control the endless stream of jumbled words pouring out of my mouth. "Hell to the fucking, yes!" I proclaim, feeling like all the pieces of the puzzle that forms my life, just fell into the right place, forming the most beautiful moment, in that second.

Her face splits into an enormous grin, as she bites her lip in excitement and she takes the ring out of the box. My heart beat echoes in my throat as I watch her put the empty box down and slowly reach out to take my right hand in both of hers. I blush like crazy when her fingers brush against mine as she grips my hand, and then, before I know it, the platinum band is sliding up my ring finger, and applause breaks out from the large group of three-hundred something audience.

I'm engaged.

She turns my hand and examines my finger with the ring, grinning mischievously. She then looks up to meet my eyes, and the way she looks at me, so intense and honest, with emotion so real and burning in her eyes, makes it all seem too real.

Like she just really proposed me.

And for some strange reason known only to God, my inner self seems to like that idea.

A lot.

She rises from her position, not breaking eye contact as she smiles at me with outstretched arms. My stomach drops when I realize what's coming next, and not a second later, my suspicions are proved right when she cups my face and pulls me down, connecting her lips to mine.

We kiss.

My mouth stops working a second after our lips meet, because, oh ma gahd...her lips are so freakin' soft. I almost turn into a pile of mushy goo when she opens her mouth and moves her lips slowly against mine, almost as if she's unsure of what she's doing.

Like she hasn't done it before.

As if.

I get over my initial incapacity to move, when she darts her tongue out and licks the seam of my lips, feeling a jolt of awareness traveling through me like lightning. I shake my head and lean forward, cupping the back of her neck with one hand and letting my fingers tangle in her chocolate brown locks as I pull her closer, taking control of the kiss.

Nothing, or nobody I've kissed before, feels like what I'm doing now.

Not like I've kissed hundreds of girls or anything.

But still.

She nips at my tongue accidentally, but it just doesn't matter.

Because we're so lost into it, I barely register the slight pain.

People's loud cheers and 'Oohs' and 'Awws' fill my ears like a dull roar, the way you hear things when you're underwater. It's like the two of us are detached from it all. Like we're in our own world.

"Mmm." She breathes into my mouth, when my fingers caress the side of her neck, and she tries to deepen the kiss by delving her tongue into my mouth.

The usual warning bells don't go off on my head.

Instead, she elicits a moan from me, and as if to make me suffer further, she grabs fistfuls of my hair, tugging hard on it.

God, this girl will be the death of me.

A person coughs loudly somewhere in the background.

She sucks on my upper lip, and my knees buckle, almost letting me crash to the floor.

The person coughs even louder, and that's when it dawns on me that we're actually surrounded by hundreds of people.

I pull back quickly, removing my hands from around her and stepping back abruptly.

Alarice looks at me with an almost drunk look, with her eyelids drooping and mouth parted sensually.

I swallow, turning to the intruder.

It's freaking Kade.

He's standing there with both of his hands shoved deep into his pockets, rocking on his heels slightly with an obnoxious smirk stretching his lips.

"Your Father was getting uncomfortable," Kade shrugs, grinning mischievously.

"Father saw it?!" Alarice exclaims, looking at Kade with wide eyes, all blood draining from her face.

Oh no!

Kade jerks his thumb backwards and I scan the place to see that Mariano DeVega is nowhere in sight. But as my eyes wander upwards, they widen in shock when I see Mariano standing on the top of the stairs, with his arms crossed and a disapproving look in his eyes.

We're in a load of crap, with a capital 'C'.

"Fuck." Alarice curses, shoving her hands into her hair in frustration.

"Oh don't worry, Reeci. I've assured him that the two of you have never behaved in such an...open manner, in public before. And, I told him that this is the first time this have ever happened, because it's 'The' Proposal." He shrugs, grinning cheekily.

Alarice blows out a sigh of relief, color slowly returning back to her face. "Goddess. Thank you so much, Kade! You are a life saver!"

Then she jumps forward and hugs him.

I avert my eyes.

Kade laughs at her, but hugs her back in a second. And then something strange happens. It's like he just realized something, because he starts coughing violently and then pushes her off him.

Alarice's brows crinkle together in confusion.

Kade is still coughing, bending over now.

What the fùck? He's acting like a TB patient.

Then Alarice seems to have some sort of realization as well, because suddenly, she's patting his back as if he's really suffering from the baddest cough—which we both know he isn't—and then yelling at someone to bring water.

"Xander! Jessica! C'mere! Take Kade to his room!"

What the hell is she doing? Doesn't she know that he's acting?

Two people around our age rush over obediently, with an almost reverent look on their faces as they execute Alarice's order. The quickly bend and put each of his hands around each of their shoulders, and then the three of them are out of sight.

My brows shoot up.

Alarice turns to me with a grin, clapping her hands together.

"You up for a drink?"

Exactly what I need right now.

★ ★ ★

Next update: Sunday [TOMORROW] :)

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