ตอน 82: Chp 82 : A Dance?
The party was all fiction by me, no need to search it on the internet, just enjoy the chapter.
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"Tiring days?" A soft-spoken feminine voice traveled to his ears.
He turned around and spurted his drinks to her face in surprise.
"Geez, thank you for the wet greetings." She said sarcastically.
"Ione! What are you doing here? Ah, I'm sorry, let me clean it for you." He took out his napkins and wiped a little drizzle left on her face.
"Careful, or you'll ruin the makeup." She said.
She was clad in a beautiful frilly white dress, with her dark brown hair was done in a loose hairstyle and a lily hairpin sweeping back her left side hair.
While still holding her face, he started to admire this girl-next-door cute face in front of him who now was wearing makeup that made her matured overnight.
A fake cough awoke him from his daze as he saw a pissed-off Ione was staring at him. He realized he was still holding her chin with his hand and stopped drying her face.
"Sorry?" He said in embarrassment and got himself a white eye from her.
"Why you didn't tell me that you were also invited?" He asked after he made sure her face was clean.
"Why should I tell you? Every girl has her own secrets." Ione said with a haughty tone while looking at her fingernails.
Al groaned, "Ione..."
She smiled for her success pissing him off, "My father was the one they invited. So he asked me to come with him to enhance my connection he said."
"Wait, your father?" He asked in surprise.
"There, he was talking to Robin's father." He saw where she pointed at and was surprised to find that her father was someone he knew, nope, everyone knew.
"Your father is Donovan Phillips Leitch?" He turned to her in surprise. "I thought your last name is Skye? Why didn't you tell me?"
"You never asked."
He took out a notebook and said, "Okay, Ione tell me anything about you. Where you were born, your brother, favorite food..."
"Who are you? My boyfriend?" She giggled cutely.
"Nope, but I've been a failure as a friend, and this my retribution." He said, looking apologetic to her.
"Yep, you are a big bad friend." She said in seriousness but then she smiled sweetly.
"You said Robin's father was also here?"
"Yes, he and my father, they are kind of acquaintance. My parents introduce me to Robin and her family when I was a kid and we've been friends since then." He nodded, he also heard the story from Robin, but never knew their parents were also acquaintances.
"And where's she? She's not in this party right?"
"Turn your head to 6 o'clock, there you can see the prettiest woman in this hall, trapped in the sea of her suitors."
He turned his head in that direction and said, "Damn, it is her, and you're right, nobody could take their eyes from that lines."
He saw Robin in a black low-cut strapless dress that hugged her seductive curves. With a sour face, she was handling some flies who tried to flirt with her.
She was unable to see him and Ione talking as those suitors were blocking her sight of them.
He turned back at her face and said, "But you defeat her in terms of sweetness though. Do you know you have the sweetest smile I have ever seen?"
"Why thank you for the consolation prize E.D." She sarcastically said and Al responded with a smile.
"Learning from Robin, aren't you? Did you said, suitors?"
"Yes, are you jealous, Al?" She teased.
"Not even an inch. I even hope someone could change her attitude and tame her." He joked. "But why suitors, I saw her house, no, her mansion. At that point, I knew she was rich, is she a noble or something?"
"Oh, you don't know? Her father is one of the nobles in the UK, but he has forsaken his title to live in the US with his American Wife. He owned Graham Group Corporation, they were mostly engaged in mining business like minerals and golds, located in South Africa, Australia, and some oil petroleum in Texas."
'Graham Group? I think that does not exist in the other timeline.' He thought while frowning. But he quickly hid his suspicion with a surprised face.
"Damn! Really!? I didn't know about that."
"So much you don't know about your girlfriends, Al." She smirked, "Wanna dance?"
"I can't dance." He shook his head.
"Just follow me, it's not a complicated dance, besides, you have an eidetic memory right?"
Al groaned, "You know me so well."
She smirked, "Of course I do."
He heard an orchestra reverberated in the middle of the hall and all of sudden, the middle hall was devoid of any souls.
"A waltz?" He asked and Ione nodded happily at him.
At first, he followed her direction and sometimes stepped on her foot. But in no time, he was able to lead her waltzing around the ballroom. Long gone was their awkwardness.
Currently, their bodies were holding close to each other, following the slow tunes of the music.
He whispered to her ears and made her shuddered "You are a really great teacher."
She held back her blush and said, "And you are a stubborn student, Mr. Al."
"I heard you've been strolling over London City once you landed. How was it? You see, I was born here." She asked.
"Really? Turns out I have so much luck with British ladies. By the way, London is an amazing city, the best city I have visited so far." He said with a longing face.
Ione saw his look and guessed something happened to him once he reached London.
"Let me guess, you met a girl and fell in love? Then at some circumstances, you weren't able to meet her anymore?" She said.
"How the hell did you know?" He asked in surprise.
"Um... Girl's instinct?" She awkwardly said, "So, when you said British Ladies, you mean this girl?" He just smiled in confirmation.
"Can you tell me what happened, please?" She softly asked him.
Al didn't want to tell Ione about her because of the awkward position they were in. But saw her was begging him, he relented.
He told her everything that occurred to him two days ago, about his love affair with Minnie.
Ione soon laughed after Al finished his story. Al raised his eyebrows, asking what was wrong.
"No, I find it funny. You've been acted mature every time with us and now finding you did something so teenage-ish is really cute." She giggled.
Al's face flushed in embarrassment.
"So you're gonna keep that promise in 10 years?"
"Yes."
"Then in those years, do you not plan any dating or having a girlfriend at all?"
"No, of course, I'll date. Uhm, Ione, are you suggesting that we should start dating?"
She shook her head, "It's not me. You see Al, I've been friends with Gwen."
"Gwen? Gwen Stefani?"
She nodded, "Could you give her a chance? I mean, she's been infatuated with you. And as a friend, at least I could convey this to you. She is shy but really passionate when you know her."
Al didn't know what to say. Sure he was interested in her but his approach to her was only for her to sign with Vanaheim Records.
His meeting with her at Christmas Party was awkward but it showed him that she was still interested in him.
He sighed, "Okay, I'll give it a try. But I won't know how the ship will sail."
"Are you okay with it?" He hesitantly asked.
She gave him a sad smile and nodded at him. Her eyes watered but not yet let out tears. She planted her face on his broad chest.
"I wished that we met in different circumstances. I mean, you are really confident and funny when we first met. Who doesn't get attracted? As our friendship goes by, I'm not sure if I want to be your girlfriend, you're not really boyfriend materials."
"Ouch, that's hurt."
"Relax Al, you are a million times better. Maybe a husband material, or at least a big brother material. You cared about us too much."
"Besides, I think I'm the one who is forgotten you know! I was like a little sister that being neglected by his older brother." She suddenly said.
"What? Why would you think so?"
"You never spent time with me alone! I remembered you went to the arcade center alone with Anthony. Or you helped Max with his photography project. Or you come and go, spending time mostly with Robin. Or you took River to your film company. Or Keanu to an underground rock concert. But you never spent a time alone with me, and I'm super jealous of them." She huffed.
'Wow, this is the first time I've seen this side of hers. Though she got cuter when angry like this.' He thought.
"Sorry Ione, I've become a bad friend." He said with a guilt face.
"Yes, you are." She huffed.
"So milady, what I must do for you to forgive me?"
"Maybe a-a date will be nice." She blushed.
"A date I can give you, oh Milady." She beamed happily when Al agreed.
"But first, let's save Robin first, I think we have ignored her enough."
From afar, he saw Robin became more pissed than she usually was and slapped some of her suitor's hand that started to touch her shoulders.
He moved toward the swarm of those so-called alphas. As he walked past by, he bumped into some of them and got screamed at. He ignored their protest and arrived in front of her face.
"Excuse me gentlemen, but I need to pick up my dates tonight."
"E.D!! Sorry guys, but my date for tonight have arrived." She came to him and held on to his arm.
Some of these people voiced their approval but were silenced by Robin's menacing glare.
"You are jerk E.D., you were having fun with Ione while I'm stuck with these 'Higher than Thou' pricks."
"You saw us then. Serves you right, you don't tell me anything about coming here."
"Wanna give you a surprise." She winked.
"Wanna dance?" He challenged.
"You're on." She challenged him back.
Turned out Robin was better than he expected, no, better was an insult to her. She was a pro.
She confessed that she joined ballet when she was a little and her parents forced her to have a classic dance course. The surprise was just an understatement, he was shocked to the core.
They were dancing for a while with Robin deliberately stomping at his foot. He had to endure her torment and paid her back by tickling her waist.
As Al became better at waltzing, and they swapped their partners, and surprisingly, it was Princess Diana who was dancing with him.
"Wow, didn't know you are this good at dancing."
"I have a good friend." He turned his direction to Ione and she enthusiastically waved her hands at them.
"I heard you were giving your husband a surprise performance on Christmas." Al started the conversation.
"Ah yeah, one of the best things happened after my marriage. Then a sour point for us."
"It's not my business to probe in, but you can tell me your problem. Don't worry, I'm good at keeping secrets." He smiled cheekily.
Diana looked at his face and felt that she could tell anything about him. So while they were dancing, she told him briefly about her cracking marriage after Prince Harry was born.
How Camilla was sticking her nose at their marriage. About surprise ballet performance on 25th December then, and made Charles became mad at her, he hated surprise he said.
Princess Diana didn't realize she has told everything that has been a burden from her and felt her shoulder is lighter.
Al was a good listener and not a word he was interrupting her, just giving a nod and condolences.
Then they listened to the song and started to swapping back to their own partner. "Thank you, Al. It was a pleasure, it was very hard to tell someone this. I have no close friend in this palace."
"Hey, no prob Princess Di, I'm just glad I could help."
They swapped back to their original partner and held Robin's waist again.
"Old prick." She said.
"Who?"
"The almighty crown prince of England. I'm sick of listening to him compliment me, a compliment about Camilla or whoever she is, and the worst is he always complaint about Diana. He even wished the law that legalized 2 wives, that sick."
"Well, I also wish that happened you know. Taking you and Ione as a single package."
"Asshole." She deliberately kneed him in his groin direction. If Al only missed a second, he would lose his future.
"Careful Robbie, that's where our future children will come from."
She just snorted in response. Then both of them throw their head back and heartily laughed.
After the dance session was over, they assembled with Ione again in the corner of the hall.
"Let's go meet my father." Robin suddenly said.
"No way, did you remember the last time he saw me? We came with a wound and he almost shoots a barrel of a shotgun at me. Isn't he British, why he suddenly became a cowboy?"
"He loves American cultures. That's why he loves my mom very much, she was a wild Texan chick I tell you, he learned everything from her. Besides, he knows you E.D., about everything from Al and Ed. He knew you own some companies, he knew everything with his resources on his hands."
"Do I have to worry now?"
"You only have to worry about me, I'm daddy's little princess so as long as you fulfill my wish, you'll be okay."
"Is this blackmail?" He stared at Robin.
"Come on Al, let's meet my father too." Ione persuaded with her puppy eyes.
'Damn with those eyes, too cute!' He thought.
The 2 rich girls were finally able to drag him to their respective parents who coincidentally, were having a pleasant conversation with Mary and Jodie.
He greeted Robin's parents and Ione's father. Then, Robin's father started the conversation.
"Boy, I've been wanting to meet you since you took my daughter to the Homecoming party. You've played me well." He said loudly with intimidation in his voice.
"It's not my intention sir, you know I have to keep my identity hidden." He replied, with a stern tone.
Then he laughed aloud until all the people on the hall seemed to hear him, "See, that's why I like you, kid. You were able to talk back to me, braver than those pussies who wanted Robin's hand." He slapped Al's shoulder until they could hear a crack sound coming from it.
Al gave him a forced smile while the others just smiled at them, "Thank you, sir."
"I've seen both of your little projects, <The Man From Earth>, I didn't expect both of you were able to accomplish it. Okay, sweetheart, I approve you to go to USC in Film and Television Broadcast."
Robin seemed to want to let out her widest smile she had but she holds it back. Her father finally approved her, she didn't have to inherit his father's stupid company anymore.
"Alphonse Brandt, I checked your companies and realized you have potential in business. So I gave you my approval to court Robin. As long as you agree to inherit my company, I see no problem to let you engaged first."
'The fuck old man!? You suddenly approve me as your son-in-law?' Not only his jaw but also everyone's jaw was dropped to the ground. Except for Mary and Jodie as they gave Al a teasing smile.
"You've got to be a kidding dad."
He laughed again, "Of course not, both of you are a match. I also check your grades, Al, you are a straight A's student, you are athletic. You are a suitable partner for her, I guarantee that. Besides, I saw you look at each other that night, it was the same as I saw my wife when I first met her."
'Oh, he first has a delusion, and now he started to get nostalgic? What the hell happened to this man?'
Then he started reminiscing his first encounter with his wife in the small supermarket in Texas... blah blah blah.
He gestured Ione and Robin to approach him, and whispered, "Isn't this the time we should run?"
Ione and Robin nodded furiously.
In a second, there were no traces of these three troublemakers after Robin's father finished his stories. No one realized they were missing except Mary and Jodie.
"Mary, they were missing. Should we be worry?"
Mary didn't know what to say. She got a premonition that something would happen tonight related to him.
So she just shrugged at Jodie's question.
Stay tuned for their adventure with their new little friend.
To Be Continued...
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