Mariana was sat on a chair next to Makayla against a wall with a drink in her hand. She was now at the party hosted by Micah and his siblings. She wore a black top with leggings, and she had her dear mother's necklace resting against her bare chest.

She was enjoying herself as the speakers above them played out music that fixed a smile on her face. Some people were mingling around in the opaque darkness that was tinted with pink. Some she recognized but the majority she didn't know.

"This is a nice party you know," she said, letting her eyes roam about.

"Yeah, I'm enjoying it too," Makayla said, having a bowl of ice cream. Her hair was in a small bun and her edges were laid like swirls swimming across her forehead. She wore a black pencil skirt, a white top, and sneakers that were dotted with silver sparkles.

"Whose idea was this?"

"Mason's but we all planned it together."

"Oh, that's nice."

"Yep!" Makayla exclaimed while lifting her glass of apple juice as her head turned towards the speakers. Her eyes suddenly lit up like the smile on her face, as the floor vibrated with beats underneath their feet. "Oh, my favorite song is on!"

Makayla took a sip of her juice and started singing along to Te Boté.

"Come, Mariana, you try," she said and brought the lyrics up on her phone.

Mariana was hesitant at first but tried reading the lyrics off the screen and sang along. She couldn't get the pronunciation right which made most of her words sound like gibberish.

Makayla blocked her mouth with her fist, trying to stop herself from laughing. The way Mariana looked was too funny, her tongue kept diving in and out of her mouth while her speech was not making much sense.

She couldn't help it any longer and burst out laughing and ended up landing on her lap. "Oh Mariana, you look so funny!"

"Stop laughing at me," she whined.

"No, you're too hilarious," Makayla said as her laughter faded down to a mild chuckle. Mariana smiled along even though she felt a bit embarrassed, she enjoyed the song regardless because it had a nice ring to it.

From the other side of the room, Micah came towards them with a big smile on his face. He had on a white shirt and gray pants.

"Hi Mariana, hi Makayla," he said with such cheerfulness.

"Hi!" Mariana said.

"I'm so glad you made it." He bent down and hugged her. He had been anticipating her arrival and was a bit worried she wouldn't come because of what happened on Thursday night.

"Me too, I'm really enjoying myself." She smiled as she let go of him.

"I'm happy to hear that. Is there anything you would like?"

"Um yeah, where do you get the ice cream?" She asked, pointing to Makayla's plate.

"It's over there." He directed her attention to a counter that had some cakes and other desserts.

"Can you get me some please?"

"Okay sure."

"Can you also refill my bowl, Micah?" Makayla held up hers with the sweetest smile while fluttering her eyelashes.

"Sure." He got her bowl and went away from them.

"Thanks!" she said while he went away. She muttered, 'my manservant,' under her breath while smirking innocently.

Even though Micah was too far away to hear her, Mariana certainly did and it made her laugh. She found the comment quite cheeky but also very funny.

He soon came back with two bowls filled with chocolate chip ice cream. They both thanked him and started eating.

"I also have a surprise for you Mariana," he said.

"Really?" She looked at him with her eyes squinting, trying to penetrate through the thick lurid light that pressed on them like fog. She was a bit surprised as she wasn't really expecting anything at this time.

"Yeah, I'll go get it," he said and went out of her sight.

While he was gone, Mariana kept wondering what he could have for her. Maybe it was some new clothes? A surprise trip? Who knows.

When he returned, he was carrying a plate which made Mariana more curious about what it could be.

"Here my love, I made this for you," he said and bent the dish down to her level. He made her a big piece of a chicken leg, with some decorations of other side foods.

She was shocked at how big it was. But it looks extremely juicy and delicious.

"That's one big piece of chicken," she muttered while struck with amazement.

"I know, I did the best one for you."

"Aw, thanks." She took the plate off him and started stripping off the chicken. It was very hot and spicy and rich in flavors.

Makayla couldn't keep her eyes off the food. She looked at it longingly because of its enticing, bronzed glaze.

"Micah, are you gonna make that again?" Makayla asked as she couldn't stop drooling.

"Yeah, I'll make it again another day."

"Okay good." She smiled and settled back in her seat.

Mariana ate everything on the plate, picking up multiple things with the fork. It was finishing quite quickly but she had to stop to get a drink. She placed her plate down on her seat and went to where the drinks were.

She got her cup and refilled it with a bottle of coke.

"Hi, Mariana."

She jumped slightly out of surprise because there wasn't anyone near when she first got here. But when looked aside, Mason was just stood there, out of nowhere.

"Hi, Mason."

"How are you finding my party?"

"Yeah, it's really good," she said while her feet shuffled awkwardly behind her. Ever since she found out what happened between Micah and Electra, she felt a bit uncomfortable around his brother.

"That's good, I hope you enjoy the rest of the evening."

"Thanks, Mason!"

He smiled and then went out of her sight once he got what he wanted. And Mariana with her newly-filled cup, dissipated into the crowd and managed to find Micah sitting down. She smiled when she saw him and went to sit on his lap.

"Hi!" she piped up.

"Hello my baby, don't you want to sit down here?" He said, patting the empty seat next to him.

"No, I'm comfortable here," she said, swinging her legs a little.

"Okay." He put his food down and pulled her closer to his chest. He showered her with kisses along her cheeks and neck, making her giggle due to his soft touch. She drank her coke while he continued kissing her.

When he gave it a rest, she sighed with content and laid on his chest, a happy grin appeared on her lips. She enjoyed that little moment of affection.

"So how are you feeling? Are you okay?" He asked as he brought up her chin a little.

"Yeah I'm good..." she murmured.

"Yeah, I just wanted to make sure you're not too shaken from that night."

"No no, well except..." she bit the nail of her thumb as she stared at the floor rather than his eyes. "I don't want you losing your life trying to save me."

"What do you mean Mariana? I'll rather not lose you," he said, slowly caressing her cheeks that were tinged with peach.

"I mean what happened in Majorca..."

"Oh, that..." He was shocked that night came into her mind. Although it wasn't a surprise because what they experienced recently wasn't that different than that shooting on the boat.

But he had pushed that to the back of his memory, after all, nobody wants to remember the last time they thought they weren't going to see the daylight again, or when they were hanging onto life by a tiny thread.

"Do you still blame yourself for that Mariana?" He wanted to know if that was why she was so troubled.

"Sometimes..." she admitted.

"Please don't," he said and embraced her so tight that it squeezed her tears out onto his chest. He never wanted her to feel guilty for what happened. True, the person was aiming at her initially but to him, it was just a result of being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Please don't feel guilty for what happened Mariana. I love you very much and I don't want you to blame yourself for anything. It wasn't your fault and will never be your fault," he said and whispered the last few thoughts into her ear. He rubbed her back and started rocking her gently to comfort her.

"I never did and will never blame you for what occurred. What happened, happened and even though I almost died, I didn't and I'm still here and that's all that matters."

Mariana sniffed and nodded her head in agreement. Her face had not left his chest because it felt too warm and comforting like a pillow.

"I love you Mariana and I wouldn't mind risking my life again to save you because I love you so much."

Mariana wiped her tears with his shirt and her eyes traveled up to his, locking at the moment. She found it hard to believe his words, that someone really loved her as much as he did, especially with everything she went through. But she was grateful for every single bit of it.

She sat up and then hugged him properly. "Thanks, Micah."

"No problem. Now, why don't we dance for a little bit?"

"Okay." She got off his lap and then he grabbed hold of her hand as he got up himself.

They swirled through the crowds, their legs and bodies twirled as the white lights danced around, with the colored ones diminishing to a deep purple.

With one hand connected to hers and the other behind his back, he gently whirled her around, with the music changing and a smile crawling on his face as he couldn't take his eyes off her.

"Girl I'll never hurt you," he said and smiled at her, his words were soft and gentle as if they caressed her very heart. They made her blush as she felt special.

"Everything you want, I'll get it for you, you can have it all."

Mariana smiled as he continued singing to her. She loved the sound of the words rolling off his tongue and how her ears warmly welcomed them.

"You're the only one I'm tryna make love to," he said, swiftly switching their places, just like the sudden change in his words, which made Mariana go scarlet.

"Picking and choosing."

"Body like a goddess." His voice went higher as he put more emphasis. He twirled her around as she stood on her tiptoes. She was smiling and giggling like the most happiest thing. Well, she should be because he meant every single thing he said.

Once the lyrics died down, he pulled her close and kissed her lips.

"I love you, baby."

A/N: Hey I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Thank you for 800 reads! ❤️❤️❤️