As the women blinked back at her from the mirror, Nova found her hands patting her dress from the waist down, flattening her palms open against its fabric. Taking a deep breath in, she eyed herself through the mirror, the lavender colour dress that she wore having taken a part of her soul with it.
Derek had taken her to that place again, the one from which they'd shopped previously and this time the receptionist was even friendlier with her. She had three dresses taken out for her already when they'd arrived, and as soon as Nova reached the floor she was rushed into the changing rooms with all the three dresses hanging in her arms.
The first one had been red, and Nova didn't want to wear red, so that was cancelled. The next one was a gorgeous sea-green colour which suited her perfectly and so she bought it. But when her eyes landed on the lavender one, her breath was literally taken away and Nova realised how other girls felt when they went shopping and gushed about their dress, for Nova hadn't really been that great of a shopper before.
Having bought the sea-green one already, Nova wondered if Derek would mind buying another dress; which was why she handed her own credit card to Olivia - which was the receptionist's name, Nova learned - and was about to discreetly sneak that particular product when Olivia froze in her tracks and pulled the card out. Nova was confused for a second before she realised who would have that affect and who would actually make her do that. Sighing to herself, she just let it be and took the credit card back and put it back in her bag, hiding a smile that wanted to break out - that traitor.
Now as she stood in front of the mirror of her house, the smile broke out and Nova blushed, brushing her hair behind her ear.
She hadn't done much with her makeup and hair; it was the same simplistic and minimalist look she'd gone for at the retirement part and anywhere she'd ever gone for, really. Her hair wasn't tied; it fell freely on her shoulders. Her makeup had been the subtlest she could manage. A purse that she took out from her closet that she hadn't taken with her to the penthouse, a pair of shining, silver block heels waiting for her. She liked how she looked and the smile on her face just won't remain hidden.
It did, however, vanish as soon as she heard a knock on her door and she gasped at the sudden sound. "Come in!" she said hastily, in a high-pitched voice, she cleared her throat. She adjusted herself on the stool then, patting down her dress once again and looking at the doors of her room wide-eyed, in anticipation, through her mirror when she heard the door click open. She knew who it was; of course, there was no one else apart from her and him.
"Are you ready to -"
When Derek cut himself off, Nova's breath hitched in her throat too.
"Yes," she heard herself reply to his incomplete question in a soft voice. Her eyes travelling from his form to her eyes, trying to distract herself and not make her eyes travel over him because she knew she would be stuck there. And she hoped to get done with the party as soon as she could. Because where she never really cared if Abby invited her or if she really had to go, this time she felt obligated because one, the party wasn't the usual college party; two, it was connected to her own company that she now worked for; and three, Abby had invited her just too many times and she'd declined just as many and now she felt something that seemed a lot like the feeling of guilt when she thought of declining again.
There was just one more reason, a reason that perhaps was the most important one - she got to have Derek by her side. She had no idea what a thought like that was doing there, but she had now decided to stop ignoring it. It was there, she was there, he was there. And they were together. Real or fake, it didn't matter because the fake now had to be real.
Nova had gone so deep in her thoughts that she didn't even notice when Derek had reached right behind her, standing so near her and looking down at her through the mirror. The hand that landed on her shoulders was the same one that pulled her out of her thoughts. And now that hand was squeezing her shoulder softly, making Nova shudder lightly.
He was staring at her. Straight out staring and Nova had no idea about what to do. He wasn't someone who stared a lot, it was Nova who caught herself staring at him more times than not. And now she was experiencing firsthand how that must've felt. But that didn't make Nova want to stop staring, no. It made her blush because it made her feel in a special kind of way. A kind of way she wanted to feel and a kind of way she wanted to make him feel too. Which was why she lifted her gaze up and caught his eyes. His eyes that were going through every feature on her face.
The moment that their eyes met was the same that introduced her to the jolt of electricity she'd read people felt. It came as a sudden realisation to her that she was actually feeling something that she thought was a made up thing to attract the readers. She wouldn't lie; she'd thought it was an excellent trick because it sure worked on her in the early days too.
"You look beautiful," he said then, his hand still resting on her shoulder, his eyes still on hers from across the mirror. The feeling was so new and so unreal; nova caught herself struggling to keep up.
"You do, too," she heard her voice say.
A tiny smile threatened to break into a full blown grin on Derek's face then, but he still managed to keep it just a tiny smile. Nova felt that weird thing in her stomach again, when he smiled like that at her. The corners of his eyes showed that the smile was real and Nova let her gaze fall on her fingers that rested on her lap because she couldn't fathom as to how to control the surge of feelings that were rushing throughout her body.
"You are beautiful," Derek all but mumbled that to her, just a notch about a whisper but one that she heard clearly. So clear in fact, that that was all that seemed to be ringing in her ears, her head, her body, her whole existence. Nova was called beautiful many times in her life, but no one ever seemed to say it like he did; like Derek did.
So, without her even knowing it, her eyes lifted up to his, and got lost in his blues. Nova wanted to tell him he was too, that he was beautiful too but before she even began to open her mouth to say that, a ringing phone startled her so bad she jumped from her stool and stood straight with a comb in her hand; her defensive stand on. But before she could realise and feel the embarrassment that would seem into her later, she heard a deep but soft chuckle that left her stomach feel that weird feeling.
The phones needed to be gone. They were a danger to bees and birds either way.
*
The party was, as Nova should've guessed, in its full form. And Nova should've known what it was going to be like because if Abby was known for anything in college by the most mass apart from the fact that she was a model, it was the fact that she threw amazing parties. Nova never went in one, but that's what people said the day after one of her parties. Though she was also sure that there was more of liquor and colourful lights and darkness in the parties she threw for college students than here. Because here it was professional, here it had to be elegant and classy and very much delightful.
"Oh, Nova!" A voice called and Nova already knew who that was. Turning to her direction she put a smile on her face and felt Derek turn in the voice's direction too. "You're here oh my god you-and oh is this Adam Watson? Are you Adam Watson? If you are I must say you look even more handsome in person-and oh, my god, my sweet, sweet Jesus! Nova! Girl you got a style! I'm so obsessed with this look! So simple yet so elegant and I don't know if my head some fixing but I find this look bold too! Oh and just kill me with that dress it's so fu-freaking pretty! And you're so pretty! And oh my god you finally came to one of my parties! I still can't believe it!"
Nova was seeing Abby after a while now and she wasn't sure if she expected her to be a bit changed and little bit more in control but now she knew that Abby wouldn't ever change and she also realised that nova wouldn't want her to change. The vibe and energy Abby came with was truly appreciated by Nova. It completely evaporated any and all tension anyone from her surrounding could be feeling. Which was why the smile Nova now had on was real. Not a show, not a polite gesture, but a real genuine smile.
"Oh you're too kind, you look so amazing yourself! I really love your dress," and it was true. Abigail wore a red colour floral dress that made her seem like a strong princess which also seemed comfortable. Her hair and makeup were equally as stunning and she seemed really gorgeous.
"Yeah? My mum made the designer make it just for me! And the hair and makeup, well I got it done from one of Mark's friends; she's amazing I tell you. Oh and have you met him though? Mark? No? He was just here, I swear he just was and now he-hey! There he is, told you he was just here." Waving a hand up she called someone - apparently Mark - over and she seemed so excited that now Nova felt guilty was always brushing her parties off before.
Though the someone she was calling was definitely Mark. Nova could tell because he was now making his way towards them. He looked gorgeous as well, in his black tux and a red tie, which matched Abby's dress. He had an earpiece stuffed in his ear and seemed to be saying something to himself - probably talking to someone through that earpiece. When he came and stood in front of them, his hand rose up to his collar and fixed it, trying to be discreet about it but Nova saw, of course she saw and she had a feeling that Derek did too. It would be suspicious if only Nova didn't know the reason behind him doing that.
He was hiding his tattoos. Getting tattoos was a show of rebellion for most, and she was sure that it had been just that for Mark too, but what he'd chosen after that never really needed the show and that was probably the reason why his hand had made it a habit to try and hide his tattoos whenever he came in spotlight-though he probably didn't know that his tattoos never really showed. Well except for a teeny tiny one which always showed, no matter how high he lifts his collar up.
Just as he came near us and stood beside Abby, she a hand over his shoulder and smiled widely - first at him, and then at us. "This is Mark, as Nova already knows but you, Mr. Watson, don't. Introduce yourself, boy, have I not taught you any manners?"
"Hey, Nova," Mark greeted her, after giving a weird look to Abby and then turning back towards them, nervousness showing clear as day on his face. Smiling, she took a step close to him and gave him a brief hug. "Hey, Mark."
He turned to Derek then and held his hand out form him to shake. "Marcus, or Mark, whatever you feel like," he said, smiling nervously. Derek took the hand he offered and smiled as well. "Adam Watson," he said.
"Oh, we know, we invited you, remember?"
"Yes, of course you do," Derek answered her.
"Wait. Have I introduced myself? Oh, my god, I haven't! How could I be-what was I even-why didn't I-oh, my god!"
"Um, you can do that now?" Mark said to her, almost asked her seeing as Abby was just being herself and maybe not just Nova but even Mark expected her to be a bit normal if it was going to be such a big social event. It seemed Abby didn't know normal. But Nova wasn't complaining; and as she looked at Mark and his smiling face when he looked at Abby as she ranted on and on about how she should have done that first thing, Nova knew that Mark wasn't complaining either.
"Yeah, okay, so I am Abigail Flair, Abigail for you, Abby for my mates and right now I swear I'm loving you two together but I'll just be a minute with Nova here, can I take her with me? Yes? Oh thank you a bunch!" saying that and without even listening to what Derek or Nova had to say, she gave a quick hug to Derek and dragged Nova on with her.
Glancing back at Derek, she saw his eyes glaring daggers on Abigail's way. And when he saw her, his face turned soft and her heart did the fluttering thing. First stomach, now heart, what even was going on with her anatomy?
*
What was only supposed to be a few minutes turned to who knew how long. And what Nova had guessed to be small talk or even gossip turned to shot after shot of pure alcohol. Nova declined of course and at one point, when Nova wanted nothing but to spill the whole bottle of vodka all over the counter, she saw press people and their cameras pointed at her. So, taking a deep breath and wishing that she handles all the alcohol that she was having, she went on with the show and drank as elegantly as she could, all the while hoping that she doesn't end up making a bigger fool of herself.
Thankfully, Nova managed just fine because Nova saw Abigail being taken away by a guy who seemed a lot like Mark. Abigail was complaining to him about something and Mark seemed to be very angry with her but he still said something about managing this event and Abigail fell shut.
Before Mark pulled Abigail away with him he took one look at Nova, to which she grinned widely and showed him double thumb's up, and Mark only lifted his eyes up at the ceiling, said something to himself and told her to be right where she was and that he would look for Adam.
Adam. Adam who? Oh right, she'd come with Adam here. Adam who was actually Derek. Derek who played with her stomach and heart. He was a magician, she was sure of it now. He definitely knew the dark arts. She should look for him. Nova must look for Derek and confront him about his abilities. So to confront him she went.
While she went to look for him, she saw two people were following her; so she stopped turning in their direction. When she looked at them and raised her eyebrows at them, the two shared a look and ran towards her.
"How may I help you?" Nova asked when they came and stood in front of her, grinning stupidly.
"Er..." the girl looked at the guy with the camera again and the guy only gave a weird look.
"Well? There must be something you would want my help with? Isn't that the reason you've been following me all night?" she asked the guy this time because when Nova talked to the girl, she seemed to look at the guy.
"Oh... Oh! I'm Jack and this is Jill-"
Nova almost laughed at that but managed to remain composed even in her intoxicated form.
"-and we're here from this news channel that we work for and we were just wondering if you could give us an interview?" The girl asked.
"Um, I'm here if you were still doubtful of that little fact. You can ask me whatever it is that you wish to interview me about," Nova said.
"Er... but wouldn't you agree this is a bit too loud of a place to have an interview...? Would help you focus more... no?"
"Okay, you listen here to what I have to say-"
"-Love?"
And that voice and that word in that voice was enough to make her forget what exactly it was that she had to say.
"Yes?" she whispered to herself as she began to turn around only to find Derek right beside her.
"I was looking for you," he said simply.
And went her heart.
"I have to ask you something," Nova remembered her query about him being a magician.
"Sure, go on," he said, giving her a weird look. But as soon as she opened her mouth to ask him, he spoke before her.
"And who would you two be?" Derek asked in his hard and demanding voice.
"We-sir, we were just-"
"Oh they were just asking me if I was free to give them an interview. Isn't that the truth, you guys?" nova asked, smiling at the two.
"We-err-yeah..." the guy with the camera trailed off.
"Is that camera turned on?" Derek all but grumbled and Nova felt the ground shake at his hoarseness. It was already becoming hard to stand straight in her heels; he shouldn't be shaking floors too!
"Yes, sir! No, no sir, not turned on. It's off, see? It's off," the guy stammered while telling Derek and that made her want to laugh but, she controlled it. She should not laugh. Nova must not laugh at people and their stupid behavior - it's rude. Nova should also not call people stupid, that's rude too.
"Alright, alright, boy. Now off you go. You want an interview; you call our secretaries, that's what they are for. Now off you go." And that's how Derek shooed them away. The whole ordeal made Nova giggle. Giggling was fine. Giggling was more than fine. Good ladies always giggled. Doesn't matter if Nova wasn't really a giggler but if she felt like giggling, she would giggle.
When Derek looked down at her though, her giggles died down and her heart did that thing again and Nova frowned. Along with the fluttery heart thing, Nova was also starting to feel a little shortness of breath. Along with that shortness of breath, she was now also seeing two Dereks. Good lord! It was messing with her anatomy as it was with just one Derek and now there were two? And how even were there two of them? It was impossible! Oh, Oh! There were three now! Aha, she knew that he knew the dark arts. She must confront him!
"Derek," Nova uttered out, her eyes wide open trying to make the three pairs of blue eyes morph into one. To no such luck.
"Derek, you-" Oh come on! Just say it! Take deep breaths now, don't be just standing there, panting.
"Derek, you're a witch..."
And just like that, all the Dereks were gone. What only remained was blackness.
And his voice. "Oh good lord, this woman."
---------------
A/N:
Hey y'all! I'm back! If you read my "announcements" you'd know where I'm back from but just to let y'all know either way, I'm back home! It's a great feeling I must say.
Anyways, so yeah, I updated. And I will keep updating hopefully. I must tell you guys that I made my ass sit for hours just to complete this bad boy. I'm not even kidding at one point I even punched my procrastinating brain right in the face because I wanted to complete it so bad.
Tell me how you like it tho, and really sorry for such a late update but I'll try to be frequent from now on.
Read, people, what else you gonna do being locked in your own home? Read and vote and comment and share and add and follow and enjoy!
-Z
(P.s. I tried to make it longer but it's clearly not as long as I would've wanted it to be but it still works right? Right? Tell me in the comments lol)