Chapter 3
I glanced at Ethan, who was focused on the road.
He was dressed simply in a black casual button-down, sleeves rolled to his elbows, revealing strong forearms and a seriously expensive-looking watch.
Yeah, he was definitely rocking that main character energy.
"Nervous?" I asked to poke him.
Without taking his eyes off the road, he shot back, "Why would I be nervous?"
"Seeing your ex," I said, as if it were obvious. "The one you were crazy in love with."
He finally turned to give me a look that clearly said, "Are you serious?"
"Lauren, we've been married for three years."
"I know," I replied and nodded. "That's what makes it so much more fun."
He was probably too tired to argue, because he just shook his head and focused on driving.
We parked in the garage beneath the karaoke bar.
Before I could open my door, Ethan stopped me.
"What's up?" I asked.
He didn't speak. He just reached over and gently tucked a stray strand of windblown hair behind my ear.
His cool fingertips brushed against my skin, sending a tiny shiver down my spine.
"It's going to be crowded. Don't wander off," he murmured.
A warmth spread through my chest, but I kept my tone playful. "Don't worry. I'll stick to you like glue. How else am I supposed to watch the show?"
He just shook his head with a resigned smile, took my hand in his, and led me to the elevator.
When we arrived at the private room, the party was already in full swing.
The sound of deafening music, a spinning disco ball, and a group of thirty-somethings screeching a classic, over-the-top rock ballad hit us like a wall.
Wow. The nostalgia was weapons-grade.
David's eyes were sharp. He spotted us first. "Hey! Look who it is! Our star student, Ethan Shaw, has finally graced us with his presence!"
His shout sliced through the noise, and the room fell half-silent.
Every single pair of eyes swiveled in our direction.
To be precise, all eyes were glued to Ethan.
Then, slowly, those eyes, now filled with confusion and curiosity, drifted down to the hand he was holding.
I could feel the festive atmosphere in the room curdle. For a split second, everything froze.
I could practically hear their brains short-circuiting. Ethan held hands with Lauren?
In their collective memory, Ethan and I were just classmates who occupied the same room for three years.
We were the ice king from another planet and the weed growing in the cracks of the pavement. We lived in different universes.
Ethan, however, seemed completely oblivious to the fifty-odd stares dissecting us. He calmly led me into the room.
"Traffic was bad," he said simply to David.
David blinked, his gaze flicking from our joined hands to our faces, before a vaguely suggestive smile spread across his lips.
"No problem! Glad you could make it! Come on in. Sit down!" he boomed and yelled to the room, "Samantha! Look who's here!"
The crowd parted.
I followed the newly formed path with my eyes, and they landed directly on Samantha.
She was seated in the center of the main sofa, surrounded by admirers like a queen holding court.
Hearing David's call, she stood. Her face was a perfect picture of delighted surprise, mixed with a hint of bashful shyness.
"Ethan," she murmured. Her voice was just as I remembered, so soft and sweet.
Her eyes, fixed on him, were filled with the joy of reunion and a dozen other complicated emotions.
But when her gaze fell to our intertwined hands, that joy froze on her face.
A flicker of pure confusion crossed her features.
I felt Ethan's grip on my hand tighten, a protective reflex.
Internally, I was squealing with delight.
Here we go. The main event was about to begin.
"Long time no see," Ethan said casually, as if he could have been talking to a bank teller.
He didn't let go of my hand. In fact, he pulled me a fraction of an inch closer.
That small gesture made the already strange atmosphere in the room crackle with tension.
No one in this room was an idiot.
They looked at Ethan, then at me, then at Samantha, whose face was now noticeably pale. The air was thick with unspoken questions and the electric buzz of high-school-level gossip.
"And this is Lauren?" Samantha's eyes finally dragged themselves away from our hands and up to my face.
She seemed to be genuinely struggling to place me.
"Yeah, Lauren Rivers, from our class," Chloe chimed in, trying to break the awkward silence. "The one who ran track, remember?"
"Right. I remember," Samantha said, offering me an indifferently polite smile. "Hi, Lauren."
"Hey, school queen," I replied, giving her a friendly grin.
If you're here for the show, you might as well enjoy it.
"So, you two are..." Samantha couldn't stop herself. Her gaze fell back to our hands, locked together.
It was the question on everyone's mind.
I could feel dozens of eyes on me, hotter and more intense than any spotlight.
I said nothing and looked at Ethan with an expectant, amused expression.
It was his turn.
Ethan met everyone's stares without a change in expression.
He didn't answer her question directly. Instead, he led me to an empty spot on a corner sofa and sat down, pulling me with him.
Only then did he look up at Samantha, keeping his tone still impossibly level.
"I came with Lauren."
The answer was brilliant.
It said everything and nothing.
It explained our joint presence while perfectly evading the question of our relationship.
What a master!