â Do I look like I work here? Fuck off.â Liv stifled a small laugh covering it with her hand to be a bit more discreet. âNow now, donât ask questions you don't want to hear the answer to. Because I could have sworn you looked identical to the waiting staff here.â It was a low blow, but if they were going to fight her verbal fists were coming out.
Her hands clutched at the flash as her other hand twisted open the top part. She heard Ben saying that she could take a sip and she rolled her eyes. âYouâre no fun, Benny.â Liv said as she then lifted the flask up and poured some of the contents down her throat. It was definitely more than a sip, but the light burning sensation that flowed down her chest was just enough liquid encouragement to make this sort of event bearable.
The redhead closed it and handed it back to Ben. â Think the barâs that way, bet they have all the fruity drinks you can get your hands on. Probably water the shit down, though.â Ben commented and she saw the direction he was pointing in. She would probably find her way there but scoffed at the thought of fruity drinks. âIf I wanted a spiked punch, I would sneak into the prom.â Liv was close to having zero patience left, but that was when Ben announced his leave.
âI didnât come here to talk to you.â the words echoed in her head, but left as soon as they registered. âHave fun, be safe! Donât do anything Liv would do!â She said teasing him one last time as she saw him sneak off into the crowd. She was clearly amused with herself and had no thought on how others even looked at her.
"Why do you let him speak to you like that?" Liv was about to turn on her heel and make it to the bar. A classic rum and coke were speaking to her, but none of that paint thinner white rum crap, a good smooth Cuban rum or any spiced dark rum would do. At the last minute, someone else came up to talk to her.
Liv turned to look at him, she knew him from around town, and she looked him up and down. âExcuse me?â She laughed a little bit while shaking her head. âIâm not some proper lady that needs to cover my ears from profanity for one, for two the words I say to Ben are much worse and you may want to check in on him rather. Lastly, a good olâ bant never hurt anyone.â She said with a bit of a smirk crossing her face.
The ginger would be damned if she was put in the shoes of some helpless woman who couldnât defend herself. She had no time to pretend to be stupid to get the male attention, it wasnât worth it. She could see his subtle clues to checking her out, and although Liv didnât care she may as well cause some chaos about it.
âNow, I am absolutely parched, Iâm headed to the bar to get a drink. You can either stare at my ass while I leave and be wishful the whole evening or you can accompany me and maybe youâll get beyond the wishful part.â She said with a small grin, as none of her words were hostile with Ciaran, and she had just been quite open with him, throwing the ball back in his court.
Liv turned so her back was facing him and she looked over her shoulder to him, âIâm going to start walking now. If youâre not next to me by the time I get to the bar, I won't be offended, but I will assume youâve decided to be wishful tonight.â She said with a light laugh and turned her head back to face the front as she sauntered off towards the bar.
Liana was thankful that Lorelei wasnât off in the clouds with her thoughts and she got a reply back. She listened to what she had to say about the swan quill while browning items on the auction table herself. "Quill, actually." She heard her friend specify and she nodded, making note that not much had drawn her to bid money on, but she knew she would have to find something.
"Not that I know how to use one." followed along with the words that maybe Paisley should acquire the quill instead caught Lianaâs attention away from this green hat she had been staring at.
âLorelei, I think if you are holding it and viewing it, you want it. Just bid on it. You can always have it on display instead of using it.â Then she leaned in a bit closer for only Loreleiâs ears and talked quietly, âI can cover some of your bid, don't worry about it.â She said and knew her friend probably would refuse the help, but she had to make sure she at least offered it.
As Liana turned back around to place a bid on the green hat, she wrote her number down and just put a small bid for now. She didnât want to deter anyone from bidding on something they would like and sheâd honestly probably bid on a few things.
It was only a few seconds later that she heard another voice, "Good evening! Don't you two look absolutely ravishing!" and she could only recognize it as Paisley. A smile formed on her face as she noticed the absolutely stunning dress she was wearing. It had a deep neckline, but Paisley rocked it. âAre you looking in a mirror, Paisley? Look at you!â The brunette exclaimed as she gestured to her friend. âIt is classy but still very flirty.â Lianaâs smile dipped a little as she heard what Lorelei was saying about Adrien. Her eyebrows knitted together as she sighed.
"I got a lecture from Mr. Duval before coming here... About how exquisitely wrong my dress is."
âDo not listen to that wretched man, your dress is beautiful, but only someone like you could make it shine the way it does.â Liana said, being very sincere. She hated the way Mr.Duval treated Lorelei, but there wasnât a whole lot she could do about it.
Lianaâs eyes scanned the room, until out of her peripherals she could see Paisley waving at someone until she heard her say his name. Her eyes met with Johnâs and sure she knew about him and knew he was in town, but she never really interacted with him much. There was a strange feeling she got when she looked at him, part of her felt fear but also a relief. There was a sense of familiarity when looking at his eyes, but she decided to ignore that.
"Oh come on, don't make me beg. Liana already has the dreamy fiancĂ©. Let me live vicariously through you." to this Liana laughed, but then spoke up, âLorelei, stop living through people and live for yourself a little.â She teased before she was startled a little bit by a hand being gently placed at the center of her back.
Immediately her head turned to look over her shoulder, she knew it wasnât Greg, but she was surprised to see Gray.
"Sorry ladies, I didn't mean to interrupt," Grayson apologized. When Liana's gaze met his, he smiled. "You look... nice." She could feel her heartbeat a little faster at the mention, but she nodded and mumbled a thank you before speaking, âyou look quite nice yourself, I like the suit.â She said softly before turning her head back to see Ricardo.
"You ladies are looking lovely tonight." He mentioned not before complimenting Gray. Ricardo was a good guy and was a true gentleman, Liana didnât have anything negative to say from her own experience.
"Anything interesting? â he asked, and Liana took this as her chance to maybe help Lorelei live a tiny bit. âLorelei was just looking at this swanâs quill. Iâve been trying to convince her she should get it, what do you think of it?â She asked, gesturing to the quill in Loreleiâs hand.
What Liana wasnât prepared for today were the words that fell out of John Waldmanâs mouth when he was talking to Paisley. "Maybe it's about a couple who can't be together because of extenuating circumstances . . ." why was he looking towards her and Gray? Is that what people thought? Did Greg think anything more of it? Liana could feel herself getting warm and flushed. She needed to be graceful about this if she were going to sneak out.
Liana laughed about Johnâs suggestions before adding in something of her own, âPerhaps it's more of an adventurous story. Paisley loves adventures.â She said, noting that she didnât end up making a funny suggestion as she could have. Liana began to slowly drink the rest of her drink before just drinking the rest and setting the glass down.
âIf you all will excuse me, I believe Iâm in need of a new drink and I might check out the rest of the night's activities.â She said and bowed out. That situation was turning into way too many people for her comfort.