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Zaya and I were getting ready for the outdoor party, which was happening in Bonapriso. I went with a tight-fitting purple satin dress, crisscrossed in the back, with a slit on each side of the thighs. Black heeled sandals, a bag in the same color. I tied my locks into a ponytail, and put on some gloss as my only makeup. Zaya, on the other hand, went with a white sleeveless short jumpsuit, the top like a bustier, red pumps, a bag matching her shoes. She put her braids up in a bun, and did light makeup. -Oh la la! You really didn’t hold back, huh! Zaya: Don’t even look at yourself, with that scrap of a dress, she said laughing. -Leave my dress alone, I love it like this, I said rolling my eyes. Zaya: Good thing you love it, since I’m the one who gave it to you. -Oh right, lol, I forgot. It’s past 11pm, ma’am, it’s time to go. Zaya: Since when do you like leaving early? She raised an eyebrow. -I have no idea, I just feel like getting drunk and dancing all night, I said, all smiles. Zaya: Yeah right. I fixed my hair, then sprayed on some perfume one last time, before heading downstairs with Zaya following. Once at the parking lot, we got in the car, and I drove to where the party was. The party was already in full swing, there were people everywhere, drinking, dancing, you name it. Zaya: Are we even going to be able to sit down? I don’t see any empty spots. -Easy question, but didn’t you make a reservation? Who’d you book with? -I did book, with someone I know. Wait, I see him over there. Stay here, I’ll go find him so he can get us a spot. She said, heading toward her contact. I was just standing there like a potted plant, not knowing what to do or where to go. I spotted a few familiar faces, but I kept a low profile. I had zero desire to start up some bland conversation with people just as bland as their faces. Erwane: Good evening. Hearing that gorgeous voice, I turned my head toward it. -Good evening. I said, casually. Erwane: Are you doing well? He asked, all smiles. Of course I was doing well, I was doing more than well. Erwane Kohôl was standing in front of me, asking how I was doing. One of the most gorgeous guys on the national football team was asking how I was, how could I possibly not be doing well? He was tall, around 6’5”, caramel skin, light brown eyes, a beautiful rosy mouth set on a square jaw, with a perfectly trimmed beard. His body was so perfect it looked like it had been carved from stone, like a Greek god. He had a huge tattoo on his chest that I could just make out through his open shirt, another one covering his entire right arm, it was really sexy. And the best part, he smelled divine. Sweet Jesus! It had to be a crime to be that perfect. -Yes, thanks, and you? I said, still keeping it casual, I couldn’t afford to draw attention. Erwane: Sorry to bother you, but I noticed you were alone, and I wanted to invite you to come sit at my table, with my friends. -Oh that’s nice, but I’m not alone. I’m with my sister, she went to get our seats. Actually, here she comes now. Erwane: You can both come, it’s no trouble at all. He said, all smiles. “Oh Lord! I wanted to melt, his smile is gorgeous” I thought to myself. Zaya: Girl it’s super packed, but he found us seats. Knowing you, you’re not gonna like it, we’re sitting with other people… Oh wait, who is this Apollo. She said out loud, spotting Erwane. He smiled at the compliment, she realized she’d said that out loud, and turned red. -You’re unbelievable! I teased. Um Zaya, let me introduce… I turned toward him, realizing he’d never given me his name, and I didn’t want him to know I already knew who he was. Can’t let him get a big head, the national team guys already show off enough. Erwane understood. Erwane: Nice to meet you Zaya, I’m Erwane. He said, holding out his hand. Zaya: I know who you are, I’ve already seen you on the national team. She said, shaking his hand. Erwane: Oh nice. He said, all smiles, then turned to me. You know my name, but I don’t know yours. -You didn’t ask either, huh, you came in full seducer 3.0 mode. I said, shrugging. He smiled again, oh my god, that guy had such a beautiful smile. Erwane: I admit, I wasn’t very gentlemanly, can I make up for it by inviting you both to join my table? Zaya: With pleasure! She rushed to answer. I shot her a death glare, she winked at me, then we followed Erwane to his table. There were 7 guys and 2 girls, 3 of them were on the national team. Erwane: Guys, this is Mi futuro, and her sister Zaya. He said with a smirk. The guys looked surprised, me even more so. I wasn’t great at Spanish, but I knew that meant “my future.” It’s funny, why call me that? Oh right, I still hadn’t given him my name. I smiled. He pulled me out of my thoughts. Erwane: Girls, this is Ethan, Stéphane, Malick, Jeremy, Zack, Aristide and Junior. Zaya and I greeted them one by one, along with the girls present. Stéphane, Zack and Malick were on the national team like Erwane. Ethan was his best friend, he was from the Caribbean. How did I know that? Well, I follow Erwane on Snapchat, and he posts about it constantly. Erwane had us sit down, me next to him, Zaya between Ethan and me. Erwane: Can I get you some champagne? Zaya: Yes, with pleasure. She answered for me. Erwane nodded, and ordered 3 bottles for us. The party was in full swing, everyone was dancing to the DJ’s mixes. Malick brought more girls over to our table, they started dancing in a very provocative way. One of them was straight up trying to make eye contact with Erwane, to my surprise he ignored her and pulled me onto his lap. I was shocked, she was really pretty though, a light skin with a great body. She was shooting daggers at me with her eyes, I royally ignored her. Not my fault his prey wasn’t interested in her. It was 5am, we were all exhausted by then. The guys settled the bill, and we headed to the parking lot. Erwane: Come on girls, we’ll drop you off. He said to Zaya and me. -No need, I’m parked right there. I grabbed my key and pressed it, my car honked. The guys gave us a weird look. Erwane: It’s 5am, I can’t let you drive at this hour, especially after drinking. My driver will bring your car to you later. Give me your keys. I hesitated for a moment, but ended up agreeing, and handed him my keys. Malick said goodbye and got in his car with the light skin girl from earlier and another one, looks like he finally landed one. Stéphane left with a girl too. Zack, Jeremy and Aristide got into a big white Prado with 3 girls. Zaya and I got into the back of Erwane’s massive Lexus RX, Erwane took the wheel and started driving. I gave him directions, and about thirty minutes later, he parked in front of the building. Day was already starting to break. Ethan: Is this where you live? It’s really nice. -Thanks. Erwane: Would it be okay if we came up? Zaya and I looked at each other, confused. -Come up? You mean to our apartment? Erwane: Yeah, if that’s not too forward, I’d love to see the inside. Or, sorry, do you live with family? -No, just the two of us. Um… yes, you can come up. I said, looking at Zaya who nodded. Erwane: Awesome! I got out of the car with Zaya and went into the building, the guys following. I opened the door, and invited them in. -Welcome to our humble home. I said once they were inside. Zaya: You can take a seat, gentlemen. They sat down, discreetly looking around the living room. Ethan: I love your decor, it’s so cozy. Zaya: Thanks. I noticed them making eye contact, they’d been locked on each other all night already, it was almost s****l at this point. -What can we get you to drink? We have water, juice, white wine, red wine, rosé, whiskey, vodka, even champagne. Oh, also coffee and tea, what would you like? Erwane: I’ll just have water, please. Ethan: Same here. -Okay, coming right up. I went into the kitchen, and on a tray I put 2 bottles of water with 2 glasses, and a plate of small cookies. -Here you go, sorry I would’ve made breakfast but I’m exhausted. Erwane: It’s fine, we all are. We chatted for a while, then they decided to head out. Ethan gave us a kiss on the cheek, and left. Erwane said goodbye to Zaya, and I walked him to the door. Erwane: You still haven’t told me your name. He said once we were at the door. I smiled. -Mahalia. I said simply. Erwane: Mahalia, that’s really pretty. -Thanks. Erwane: Have dinner with me tonight! I was surprised, I wasn’t expecting him to ask that. -Sure, I’d be happy to accept your invitation. He smiled at me, then handed me his phone, I put in my number which he then saved. Erwane: I’ll pick you up at 7pm. -Okay. Erwane: Sleep well, Bella. He said in a smooth voice. He kissed my cheek, and left. I closed the door, flustered. I turned around and Zaya was looking at me, all excited. We jumped around screaming like little girls. -Girl, I need to sleep, we’ll talk properly once I’m in better shape. Zaya: You’re right, see you in a bit! -See you in a bit. Then each of us went to our room, I sprawled out on my bed and Morpheus carried me off without delay.