"Kimberly-"
"Sebastian," Kimberly warned cutting him off mid-sentence as she rolled her eyes heavenwards and traipsed her way to the lobby of Columbia.
She had been procrastinating this chore assigned by her cousin; Blair Windsor and she couldn't find any mitigations to put it off anymore besides she needed a reason to avoid Sebastian and Maxon and that was the perfect excuse. "If you're not willing to tell me why the cops arrested you, we're done talking."
"Kimberly this is preposterous. You cannot-"
"I can." The sternness in her voice was a clear cut indication that she was not playing around, that she was somber. This wasn't the first instance where Maxon and Sebastian had kept her in the dark, there were many such incidences where she'd find herself not included in the loop and that made her feel like an outsider, amongst her own group of friends.
Kimberly hated feeling like an outsider.
Preliminary to college, the trio never had secrets amidst the three of them. They had always stuck together and shared even the deepest darkest secrets they withheld, without judgment. And now suddenly the boys wanted to keep her in the dark, push her out of the loop?
That was unacceptable.
"You're being stubborn, Kimberly. Where are you right now?" It was Maxon who was speaking now, from the other side of the call. His thick, unsmiling voice melted Kimberly just a tad bit and she was tempted into telling him her current location but even the guy she has been infatuated with since the tenth-grade couldn't break her ground this time.
No matter how persuading Maxon was, she had to hold her fort. She couldn't risk becoming a pushover just because she had deep untitled feelings towards Maxon.
Those darn untitled sentiments. Was it love? Friendship? Infatuation? Kimberly didn't know and she knew better than to address them. Addressing those suppressed feelings would only cause drama and end up breaking the three of them.
"Maxon, I don't understand why you're not willing to tell me the truth." Kimberly walked into the long awaiting queue as her black pumps made a slight pitter-patter on the stone-flecked ground. The number of people standing in front of
her was enough to stifle a suppressed headache.
She hated how crowded New York was. During seldom, fleeting moments of weakness, she often contemplated relocating to a small town in Ireland, quaint and homey. But Kimberly was aware that she couldn't literally run away from her problems, they would end up following her wherever she went.
Maxon sighed, contemplating whether to tell her or to stand his ground. After a minute of discussion with Sebastian, which was quite incoherent, he decided otherwise. "You want to know the truth? Fine. Come back and we'll talk."
"I'll be there in-."
He had hung up before Kimberly could even finish. Maxon loathed her mulish and obstinate nature, every time she refused to put her foot down he'd get all frustrated and let her have her way but not before throwing an unnecessary tantrum with spiteful words.
But she was prone to handle them.
"Trouble in paradise?" A husky masculine voice with a thick English accent caught her attention. Sighing in defeat, Kimberly stuffed her phone into her Chanel purse soon turning around to check the culprit who had dared to eavesdrop.
The south Asian boy with a thick English accent was about her age and had tousled dark brown hair, which was thick and lustrous. His eyes were a mesmerizing deep brown, flecks of silvery light performed ballets throughout. His face was strong and defined, his features molded from granite. He had dark eyebrows, which sloped downwards in an anxious expression.
"None of your business." Scoffing, she rolled her eyes as she heard a small chuckle before the noisy crowd chattered through the silence.
"So...you're a student here?" He leaned in, giving it another try, his husky voice reverberated through her ear and she felt something.
Something deep in her stomach that caused it to twist into knots.
"No." Deciding against looking at him, Kimberly tugged her purse closer to her arm as she pretended to scroll through her social media.
Her stance was failing as she wanted nothing more than to turn around and take a good longing look at him. His eyes were enticingly tempting and all Kimberly wanted to do was push him against a wall.
"Wow." The brown-eyed boy scoffed with a glint of amusement swirling in his pitch.
"What?"
"Nothing." His lips tugged into a slight frown as he beckoned his hands, waving it off.
"Really? It doesn't really seem like nothing. If you've got something to say, spit it out." Kimberly moved a step ahead, watching the queue close into the counter. It would soon be her chance and she could be out and about that place for good.
It was something about closed, chattering crowds which often caused her to sour.
"You just seem..."
"Bitchy? Rude? Mean?" Kimberly probed bracing herself to hear the words which were often used to describe her.
In the beginning, she often wondered how people could be so mean to utter such spiteful and malevolent words. But then, as time passed and as she grew up, she realized that no matter what she did, no matter what she achieved, people weren't going to stop calling her names.
So she became what they expected of her.
"Woah." The brown-eyed boy looked taken aback, knitting his eyebrows across as his lips curled into a frown. "I was going to say unapproachable."
A reddish blush spread across Kimberly's cheek as she mentally slapped herself for being too pretentious.
"That's a first." Kimberly spat with mirthless eyes before turning around to face the counter.
His hoarse chuckle was enough to drop her to her knees and sway her off her feet. Snapping herself out of a growing crush, Kimberly sighed in relief assuming it was the end of the conversation.
Her eyes flicked over to the huddled university students. The crowd had a life of its own, the vibrant yet tacky clothes shone in the morning light and the people moved like enchanting shoals of fish.
Disgusting, Kimberly thought.
"I'm Ayaan Irani." The English boy slipped his hand forward in anticipation that the beautiful girl in front of him would take it. Kimberly flipped her head in just a slight tilt as her eyes met his.
"Kimberly Hexington." Slipping her hand into the larger mold of his, she smiled.
His warmth radiated through her skin sending tingles down her spine. She had never felt this kind of heat from anyone, not even Walter - with whom she believed she was in love with, and such a rush of emotions even the slightest hint of this estranged boy's smile was enough to make her weak in her knees.
"That accent tells me that you're not from around here." Kimberly arched her eyebrow, shifting her weight from her left foot to her right. But as soon as those words left her lips, she regretted saying them. Kimberly thought that asking too many questions was cringed at and that only desperate women did that to web in a wealthy man.
Kimberly was taught to be poised and esoteric at all times.
"That's right. Born and raised in London. But originally, I'm from India." He smiled, retracting his palm from hers but Kimberly noticed how his touch lingered for a minute longer than necessary. And she had to pretend to cough to stifle that blush creeping on her cheeks.
"It's your turn." Ayaan pointed towards the empty counter with the clerk looking at Kimberly with his big grey eyes and a monotonous expression which stated that he'd rather be anywhere but there.
Kimberly smiled before asking for the form and filling in the required details. Signing it with her name, she grabbed the application papers and shoved them in her purse.
Not sparing another glance at the brown-eyed SouthAsian boy who'd managed to take her breath away, she walked over to the parking lot, ready to drive off to the trio's lair. Sebastian and Maxon promised her answers and she would not stop before she discovered the entire backstory behind Sebastian's arrest.
As she dug into her purse with an intent to find her keys, she realised that she'd left them back on the counter. Hissing with exasperation, she turned around in a quick fraction running towards the elevator.
She zipped through the automatic front doors of the college building and dashed into the elevator, hitting the button for the registration floor. The ride seemed to take forever and she tapped her foot impatiently as the elevator slowly passed every floor.
She couldn't risk getting her car stolen.
She would have to run back at the Hexington Manor for another set of keys and she'd rather take a bus like a peasant than encounter her mother.
When the elevator finally dinged and came to a stop, Kimberly rushed forward just as a nerdy-looking girl around her age was walking in, one hand holding the coffee carrying tray and the other holding her cellphone.
They barrelled into each other, sending the coffee flying. Lids popped off in every direction and coffee spilled absolutely everywhere- including Kimberly and the Nerdy Girl.
Kimberly threw back her head, eyes landing on the culprit when she realized it was the same Nerdy Girl who had dashed into her before in that same university.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me."
"Not you again." The Nerdy Girl threw up her hands, completely fed up.
"Can't you ever watch where you're going?"
"Can't you?"
"You owe me two Prada blouses." Kimberly countered.
"You owe me two coffees." The Nerdy Girl shrieked with anger synchronizing Kimberly's wavelength of wrath.
"Are you serious right now?" Kimberly huffed indignantly as she dusted her clothes in frivolous attempts of getting the coffee droplets off. Her milk-white shirt was now drenched with brown liquid and the spectators giving her humorous glances wasn't really helping her ego one bit.
"People like you shouldn't be allowed to walk without a fucking license." The Nerdy Girl stormed away down the hall before Kimberly had a chance to respond, leaving a dripping trail of coffee behind her.
This was the second time this girl had left her stunned to silence. Usually, it took a lot for someone to come up with comebacks that would stun her but this girl had managed to succeed twice.
So Kimberly stood there, hot under her collar, eyes boring into the Nerdy Girl's back until she stormed off Kimberly's eyesight. The hot coffee had seeped through her flimsy Prada blouse and the burning sensation came back to her soon after.
Burning rage hissed through her body like deathly poison, screeching a demanded release in the form of unwanted violence. It was like a volcano erupting; fury sweeping off her like ferocious waves. But she couldn't risk an outburst, not in front of those spectating eyes. So she swallowed the anger while it was still burning and decided to drink something cold which would seemingly calm her down.
"You look like you could use a coffee." The same English accent with that pretty face greeted her soon after. She scoffed, clenching, and unclenching her fists.
"Very funny." Despite saying that, there wasn't one ounce of humor in Kimberly's tone, only vexation, and murderous instincts.
"I'm guessing, you were coming back for this?" Ayaan pulled a Chevrolet Corvette's keys from his pocket as it dangled between his thumb and forefinger.
"Yes, thank you." She managed to put a smile on her face but it was far from genuine.
Ayaan's grin on the other hand was fresh as a mellow. Kimberly wondered how this boy had managed to keep that smile constantly on his face, it hadn't faltered even an inch since her last rendezvous with him.
"I cannot walk in public like this. Gosh, this is embarrassing." She threw her hands up in the air, fed up with her bad luck and the people around her. "I have to be somewhere immediately and I cannot show up like this."
"Well, if you don't mind, I live a few blocks down the road. Do you want to come back to my place and wash up before you leave?"
"Uh, gee, I don't know. My mom always told me to not go home with a stranger." Kimberly smirked with a hint of humor.
But they both knew she was going home with him.
Kimberly and Ayaan were soon in the parking lot, heading over to Ayaan's car. Kimberly wondered what type of vehicle he drove, with his current semblance and the increasing radar of niceness she could only peg him as a peasant.
Because all the rich guys she'd ever met were neither nice nor helpful. Just dickheads, plain dickheads who broke your heart.
But she was wrong.
And she knew it when he drove out his Buggati from the parking slot and pulled to the curb in front of her. Kimberly was taken aback, first stunned to silence by a disgusting nerd and now she'd failed to judge someone's character.
Was she losing her sagacity?
"Get in." Ayaan grinned as he stared at Kimberly with his milk-white teeth and amusing brown eyes. Kimberly yanked open the door and slid inside quickly.
"We'll be there in five." Ayaan slapped the steering wheel as he navigated the car down the narrow street.
Kimberly let her eyes shut as she leaned her head against the cool window though part of her wanted to get to the boys as quickly as possible.
"Thank you for the ride. You saved me from public humiliation. I really appreciate it." Kimberly's eyes drifted back to Ayaan who was spinning the wheel as she felt the car take a sharp left turn.
"Oh, no problem." She could sense Ayaan's sparkling brown eyes linger on her for a moment before they drifted back onto the road.
"I'm assuming you haven't had your morning coffee yet." Ayaan sneered, referencing to Kimberly's coffee drenched blouse.
"No, actually, an idiot spilled hers on me." Kimberly rolled her eyes reminiscing back to the dreadful event which had managed to ruin two of her Prada blouses.
Ayaan only grinned, seemingly focused on his driving. Meanwhile, Kimberly's heavy eyes scanned the streets, watching men in Khakhi shorts and overcoats and women in last season Gucci boots as she scrunched up her nose in disgust. She couldn't imagine being seen in last season's shoes, she wondered how they wore it without being chagrined.
Peasants, she remarked.
But right now she would prefer a lasts season Gucci blouse than the coffee drenched garment she was currently wearing. She thanked every deity up there that Vogue and TMZ hadn't spotted her amidst the little drama or they would have a field day parading her dignity across gossip articles.
The conversation between them had lapsed into an amicable silence as Ayaan navigated the dense New York traffic. The car sped past numerous shopping centers and salons until the car came to a halt in front of an apartment building which galloped up in the clouds as Kimberly's mouth fell wide open. The skyscraper towered above them as great monoliths of concrete and glass.
The window in the lobby was so large it reminded Kimberly of a storefront. It was triple-glazed and so clear that the panorama was like a high definition screen at the movie theatre.
The doors were thrown open a moment later and Kimberly found herself being ushered to the vast reception area. The music in the lobby was a serene tune but chattering in that lavish room had managed to overpower the music.
"How did you manage to get an apartment in The Monterey?" Kimberly voiced, wide-eyed as she took in the interior of the futuristic lobby. "I've been wanting to buy an apartment here for ages."
"It's not hard getting an apartment in a building that you own." Ayaan leered with a slight glint of humor.
"Oh my god!" Kimberly gasped. "You're Abhimanyu Irani's son?"
Kimberly had managed to sneak glances at Abhimanyu Irani at a variety of social events but she had never received the opportunity of introducing herself to the richest man in all of Asia and Europe combined.
"Guilty." He shrugged before leading them to a posh black elevator with a crystalline surface. Kimberly was still in a star-struck semblance as they quickly rode up the skyscraper and into the penthouse suite.
"The bathroom is down the hall and to your left," Ayaan instructed and Kimberly followed his verbal map before she found the gold-tinted bathroom.
She rinsed herself quickly as she wrapped a towel around herself which managed to cover only the essentials, leaving nothing to one's imagination. Stepping out of the gold-tinted bathroom, she reached for her clothes only to notice a presence in the room.
Her hazel green eyes moved to note the intruder's dark brown eyes lingering on her glistening skin. Ayaan looked like he couldn't breathe.
His upbringing amidst the most paternally cultural family had taught him to lower his gaze at the sight of an underdressed woman. But Ayaan couldn't bear the thought of looking away from her. So he swallowed hard and Kimberly smirked at the effect she had on him, seemingly enjoying the little trance he had divulged into.
"I'm-I'm so sorry." Ayaan flipped around quicker than light as if he couldn't seem to watch her anymore. Kimberly took a little offense to that, but she wasn't backing down. She'd had a terrible day and making Ayaan her next conquest was the only thing that could flip this day around.
So she smirked, that sparkly venomous smile striking its way back onto her face. She took slow steps, lighter than feather as she approached him. With her long slender manicured finger, she tapped on his shoulder. Then with a grasp as soft as pillows, she turned him around to face her. His dark eyes bore into hers, captivating and lost.
"You should get dressed." He edged the minuscule heap of clothing between them but Kimberly grasped it, tossing it onto the bed.
His mouth went dry when she leaned in closer, tilting her chin up just as he looked down, lips mere inches away from his own. He was so distracted by her nearness, by the scent of vanilla and jasmine swirling around him that he almost didn't hear her speak again.
"Am I making you nervous?"
No, he wanted to scream. But his mouth defied him, uttering no words but just a very timid gulp.
"Let's find out." Her smirk made him swallow hard again.
And then her mouth was moving over his, her soft plump lips scraping across his bottom lip before letting her tongue slide across it. She tasted of strawberries and champagne and something else Ayaan couldn't seem to place but if he had to put a name on it, he'd call it trouble. She tasted like strawberries, champagne, and a whole world of trouble.
Ayaan froze, caught between whether to pull away or lean in, but Kimberly made the decision for him when her hand found his jaw, thumb brushing across his cheekbone. Ayaan wasn't sure how his arm ended up around her waist or why his hand was suddenly cupping the curve of her hip but he didn't care.
Mind blank saved for thoughts of her, he slid his other hand behind her head, up into the loose black waves that tumbled down her back. Her surprise was palpable as he took control of the kiss, compelling her to be submissive for once in her life but she was one who rarely let things out of her control.
Ayaan let her win after a moment, feeling the thrum low in his stomach as she pushed closer and figured he wouldn't have won the battle anyway.
Her body with just a flimsy towel wrapped around it was fully pressed to his now, soft curves middling against hard muscle. Ayaan had to swallow a moan when her hips rolled against his and found his hand slipping lower in order to keep them there.
Suddenly, something shocked him out of it, a harsh reminder that he had indeed made a mistake by kissing this beautiful girl in front of him.
Breaking away, Ayaan stared down at her with a mix of awe and shame knowing he could never take back what he had just done. Despite that, it didn't stop him from noticing how neither a smirk nor a smile played around her swollen lips now, as if she was just as shocked by it all as he was.
"I-I-" He stammered as if he wasn't sure if the words were coming out.
"You should get dressed." Ayaan managed to utter at last. Kimberly looked like she was about to say something but Ayaan didn't stick around long enough to hear the words.
That didn't just happen. He didn't just reject me. Kimberly thought, taking steps towards the bed where she'd strewn her clothes off to.
Kimberly sat down, feeling abashed and disregarded. Her thoughts were blank which was a very strange occurrence. Normally, her thoughts were twisting and turning; suffocating her with their whispers. But Ayaan's subtle but piercing rejection seemed to have astonished her.
But she couldn't feel vulnerable, she refused to feel vulnerable. So she quickly unfolded the clothes as her mouth immediately curled into a grimace. It was the tackiest looking pair of hoodie and sweatpants she'd ever seen.
Firstly, she'd never wear sweatpants and a hoodie in public. Instead of wearing those disasters in the name of fashion, she'd rather wear her coffee-stained Gucci blouse.
The ruined piece of Gucci had more class than that Target hoodie.
Secondly, even if she merely considered wearing sweatpants and a hoodie in unfortunate circumstances like a zombie apocalypse or an alien invasion, it would be from a brand like Balenciaga not from Target for crying out loud.
Having no other option but to wear it, she put it on but not before scoffing multiple times and thinking that this was karma getting back at her.
Although Kimberly was ashamed of the hostile rejection, her confidence didn't waver even a little bit. Instead, she put on her sexiest smile as she exited her room and over to the living room. She refused to believe that any guy could reject her Aphrodite-like appearance.
But they had. Walter had. Ayaan had. This bitter realization sunk in, swirling in her stomach as she felt nauseous.
"Ayaan?" She called off, worried that he'd left her there all alone. But her doubts brushed away as she heard his voice coming from the kitchen.
"I'll get you some tea." The clonking of vessels was a clear indication of his activity. Within a few moments, Ayaan was out and about in the living room with a tray and two cups perched on it.
Kimberly sat up on the couch, taking a mug gratefully and inhaling the scent of a much-needed fresh bold cup of a hot beverage.
"Thanks for not making coffee," Kimberly said, noticing how Ayaan's eyes were settled onto the ornate glass table, far away from her hazel ones.
Ayaan smiled, though it felt like there were walls built up around him now, ones she hadn't noticed before. "I figured that you have had enough coffee for the day."
Kimberly chuckled, trying to inch closer to him. "Thank you again, for the ride and the interesting choice of clothing."
The comment was as sharp as a knife and anyone who knew her would've known that it was an insult. But Ayaan didn't seem to catch on. Instead, he nodded, shifting a little away from her with his cup of tea.
Sighing, Kimberly stood up from her position, tired of seducing this boy who seemed repulsed to her charms. So she forwarded towards the humongous bookshelf attached to the right wall.
The bookcase with its inky treasures adorned the quiet living room, quiet in that sense of easy solitude and in the sense of gentle seaside hues, soft blues, greys and browns. The bookshelf was ornate as if carved by a person with a profound love of literature. The engravings were of leaves, of autumn berries and birds on the wing - so sublime as to invite the fingers to take it in just as much as the eyes.
It was made all the more beautiful by the raw bark on the edges. It brought nature into Ayaan's home, a reminder that he was still a part of the living world even in his temperature-controlled home.
"Wow, aren't we hooked on phonics." Kimberly grazed her slender manicured fingers from book to book as if the mere touched gifted her the knowledge within.
"I read a lot." Ayaan stood up, following Kimberly's steps over to the large bookshelf. "Do you read?"
Kimberly pulled out a book, A Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, her fingers grazing over the worn-out cover as she realized that it was indeed a first copy, rare and expensive.
"Not much." Flipping through a few more pages, she settled on one particular page. Her eyes fixated on the words engraved in the book as she didn't notice the close proximity between her and Ayaan.
Kimberly slowly walked away from him now over to the couch, taking a seat on the edge, her eyes refusing to wander off anywhere but on the book.
"I could loan you that if you want." He took a quick sip of his beverage before settling the mug idly in his hands as he took a seat adjacent to her.
"No thanks." She slammed it close rather gently so as to avoid any ripping, before placing it on the ornate glass table.
"Well, if you change your mind let me know." Ayaan smiled, genuinely as he picked up their empty mugs and settled them onto the tray.
Kimberly's gaze followed Ayaan as he went into the kitchen and she heard the tap water gush out of the socket and hit the sink metal.
She'd never felt like this before rather she'd never experienced anything like this before.
She was sitting in a stranger's house, who she had tried to seduced but was brutally shot down - in clothes she would never even contemplate wearing and her expensive Prada blouse still somewhere in the house with its deep brown coffee stain.
She couldn't understand how Ayaan could ignore those sparks flying around with his calm demeanor. Kimberly wanted to yell and scream and let out her frustration. The day hadn't begun so well and it certainly wasn't ending well.
But she was sure that she felt him kiss her back or was it just a figment of her imagination?
A doorbell interrupted her thoughts. She blinked, surprised. Kimberly stood up and walked to the door, yanking it open.
Her words died in her throat, leaving her speechless and stunned. Finally, she spluttered. "Oh, for fuck's sake. Are you following me? What are you doing here?"
"What am I doing here?" The same Nerdy Girl who'd managed to ruin two of Kimberly's expensive blouses was staring back at her as she'd just seen a ghost.
Kimberly floundered for words, her mouth moving but making no sound.
It was at that moment that Ayaan appeared beside her, his eyes widening for just a wee bit with shock but his pupils dilated back to normal when he recognized the Nerdy Girl.
"Ester?"
"Where have you been?" The Nerdy Girl or formally known as Ester demanded, looking at Ayaan with exasperated familiarity. "I've been waiting for an hour. I couldn't spot you anywhere in Columbia. We had plans, remember?"
Ayaan stood, stunned as he listened to the girl in the glasses berate him. Her big grey eyes were flashing with anger which somehow made the nerd seem a little attractive.
After a moment of silence from Ayaan, the Ester whipped around to look at the familiar stranger, with her tone accusatory. "And why the hell is she here?"
Kimberly's confusion about the whole scenario was quickly replaced by annoyance. It was her who should've been angry at the nerd for ruining her clothes - not once but twice. Kimberly wasn't about to allow some scholarship student to make her feel like a cheap whore.
Kimberly narrowed her eyes at Ester, her words addressing the Nerdy Girl's non-existence in her life. "Why the hell are you here?"
"This is my house."
Kimberly stared at her for a solid ten seconds, analyzing the possibilities before finding her voice again.
"Your house?" This time she looked at Ayaan, who was still frozen to his place with a guilty look.
"Uh-Ester, this is Kimberly. Kimberly, this is Ester." Ayaan swallowed hard, still trying to make sense of that situation.
"His girlfriend," Ester added with a callous smirk.
Ester's eyes seemed to widen even more when her gaze settled on Kimberly's clothing. Ester glanced down at her own clothes as she soon realized that it was indeed her sweatpants and hoodie that Kimberly was wearing. "Why is she wearing my clothes."
"Do you two know each other?" Ayaan quirked up his one obvious question.
But the girls were locked into an intense stare down to notice Ayaan and his inquisitions.
Kimberly could practically feel the burn from Ester's eyes as they looked her up and down, her lip curling in displeasure. But Kimberly couldn't let Ester get away with any of that, so she gave her a boasting smirk which could mean a million things.
"Your clothes? Makes sense. Only someone like you would wear this trash."
"High fashion isn't always flattering." Ester pointed out as sweetly as she could, eyes flicking up and down her own clothes on Kimberly's body.
Kimberly arched an eyebrow. "What exactly are you trying to say?"
Ester ignored Kimberly and turned to glare at Ayaan. "You still didn't tell me why she's wearing my clothes."
"Because some bitch spilled her coffee on my expensive classy clothes," Kimberley answered for Ayaan, her pointed glare settling onto his girlfriend.
"So you brought her into my home?" Ester's sharp claim over Ayaan's apartment didn't sit well with him as he narrowed his eyebrows with a frown.
"This is my apartment, Ester." Ayaan addressed sharply and Kimberly snorted. "Besides, she needed help. I couldn't just leave her there all by herself."
"Ugh, your constant need for validation from complete strangers is bothersome not to mention quite unattractive to me." Ester kicked off her shoes as she further took a step into her-no Ayaan's apartment.
Kimberly looked taken aback as her eyes merely wandered over to find Ayaan's. Hurt flashed across his dark orbs but he swallowed it before putting on a nonchalant front.
"It's not called seeking validation, it's called being chivalrous which obviously you know nothing of." Kimberly placed her hands on her hips, clearly pointing out to the times' Ester had spilled her coffee on Kimberly and not even so much as apologized.
"What are you still doing here? You should leave before you start embarrassing yourself." Ester folded her arms across her chest, the intent in her tone quite clear. Kimberly couldn't help but feel a little intimidated by this measly looking nerd.
"Ester!" Ayaan warned, his tone half surprised and half repulsed.
"Honey, your clothes are already doing it for me." Kimberly eyed the unfortunate pieces of garment that she was wearing before flashing Ester a tight smile which was less genuine and more hostile.
"And you're right, I should leave. I fear if I remain in the presence of trash for long, it might start rubbing off on me." Kimberly tilted her head just a little bit, with a victorious grin as she dashed into the living room to gather her purse and her wet clothes.
Her gaze momentarily stopped on the book she was previously reading, A picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, her head debating whether to take it or not. But before she knew it, she involuntarily thrust it into her Chanel purse before walking out in the foyer to find Ayaan and Ester bickering.
They soon noticed her presence and stopped yapping.
"I'm sorry on her behalf." Ayaan managed to pull a little tug at the corner of his lips but Kimberly could tell that it wasn't genuine but obligatory.
"Let me drive you home." Ayaan offered, and it was this niceness that Kimberly felt attracted to immensely.
Kimberly opened her mouth to answer but Ester beat her to it. "Absolutely fucking not. We have plans Ayaan which do not include giving rides to whores."
Kimberly clenched her fists, ready to take a swing at that girl but Ayaan walled himself between the two vultures before anyone could spill any blood.
Kimberly rolled her eyes, slipping on her three thousand dollar pumps before scoffing.
Ayaan sighed as he gave Kimberly an apologetic shrug. Kimberly nodded before wrenching the door open and leaving Ayaan with his stupid girlfriend.