A bet that changed their lives

Part 19 - Is that... Arya?

"Whoa! You never once told me you had a McLaren membership! You pig! You knew how much I wanted to visit this place!" Lana whisper yelled as they were about to enter the club, annoyed by Mason's smirk. As the two mock argued over his membership and how the elite club was finally not that elusive for Lana, Arya was lost in her world. This was definitely way out of her comfort zone, though there was a time when she would feel a part of such an environment. Not anymore. Yes, she wanted to be more accepting and open to new things, but based on what she was feeling right now, that would have to wait. She was awkwardly trying to iron out imaginary creases on her dress, subconsciously trying to adjust the deep V neck of her dress every few seconds. "You look pretty, stop fidgeting with your dress, will you?" Lana scolded her as she held her hand and they made way through the made crowd and loud music, with Mason leading the way to an empty table. Lana knew that Arya wasn't at ease, and the least she could do was hold on to her hand as some kind of an assurance, that the latter wasn't alone.

***

"Do you see that? Dude! Her legs are longer than the pyramids!" Mark exclaimed as he eyed a blonde seated on the opposite table, sipping her wine while sending a flirty smile his way. "What are you waiting for then? It's obvious she wants you too," Derek responded, not bothering to look at the blonde. She was not his type, too desperate for attention. Or maybe his type was now a certain someone with dark hair, comfortable enough in her own bubble to avoid drawing attention to herself; too busy minding her own business to even realise the kind of effect she had on him, or even other male employees, if his observations and the grapevine was to be believed.

"Yeah well, you haven't got anyone to give you company. Now what kind of a friend would I be if I leave you here all alone? The night's so good, I don't even need a wingman but the wingman needs me," he teased.

"Just go, will you? I'd rather be alone than listen t... Holy s**t!" Derek froze midway when his gaze settled on a familiar face downstairs, trying to make her way through the dance floor. He was mesmerised, her long hair styled in curls, her dress and the colour flattering her to perfection and that innocence on her face! If he thought he was fascinated by her beauty before, what he saw now was beyond his comprehension. He could feel his heart beat a little faster, as if it came alive on seeing her. He felt as if the world had stopped rotating, it was just her on the dance floor. Blood rushed in a frenzy throughout his body, making his heart rate quicken. He would've stayed the same way, had it not been for Mark's annoying voice breaking through his bliss. "What?" Derek turned towards him, slightly irritated.

"Chill man! What crawled up your ass? And what are you looking at so intently?" Mark leaned a bit over the deck railing. "Were you looking at... that receptionist of yours?" He asked, in a mocking tone but impressed nonetheless as Lana definitely looked sensual.

"What? No! What rubbish! You know who Lana is! Why the f**k would I look at her?"

"Then who.... Oh my God! Is it who I think it is?" Mark exclaimed, all thoughts of that blonde with long legs out of his mind now.

"I don't know what you are talking about," Derek tried to be dismissive and take a sip of his whisky but Mark wasn't letting him off the hook easily.

"Well, well... I think we forgot a little something that we had planned, in this very club. Remember?" Mark smirked as he glanced at Derek, before turning his gaze to Arya, seeing that she was drinking something while shaking her head to something that Lana was telling her.

Derek clenched his jaw, angry with himself for agreeing to that bet in the first place while also cursing his friend for remembering that stupid bet. "Don't do anything now, let them have their night out," he tried to reason as nonchalantly as possible. Damn it! Why couldn't he control himself when it came to Arya? Had he not looked at her so intently, Mark wouldn't have known that she was under the same roof! And now he had to deal with Mark's attempts to woo her. Could he simply sit back and let Mark try his luck? Hell no!

"Not going to miss the opportunity. And besides, she does look really pretty. I can't help it if my poor heart wants me to interact with that beauty," Mark responded, a bit distractedly as he couldn't believe at the sight he was seeing. He knew that he had hit a jackpot, that tricking Derek into agreeing to that bet over her was the right thing to do, because no other girl would be this perfect.

Before Derek could respond, Mark was already out of his seat and on his way downstairs. The former was fuming within. He knew Mark, he knew he would never be serious about any girl. Arya was just another quest for him.

What is she to you? His conscious chided him. He didn't know the answer to that, but he definitely knew that she was too important to be another quest. And he respected her much more than Mark could ever hope to. He couldn't let her be fooled by him. And if that meant that he had to act on his feelings, at least partially, he was willing to do that. Not for himself but for Arya to take the right decision. He gulped down his whisky in one go and prepared to approach his attractive PA, who was surrounded by Lana and Mason.