not your princess

“Okay fine, I tried. You should…probably change out of that. The stain is very prominent, kind of unsightly, and must be uncomfortable. I could take you home, if you need.”

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind, hopefully you don’t mind sticking around then. You know, so I can at least hold up my side of the bargain too.” Alec said through a light chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck, hoping to find something else to divert the subject. “There’s actually a restaurant called Butter just a few blocks away from here. It’s quite fancy, so I’m not sure if we’re dressed for the occasion. But who really cares, right? I’m not gonna lie though, this is my first time coming here so hopefully it meets todays quota for amazing food.”

     “Vodka soda, and you can put whatever she’s having on my tab.” Having given the bartender a thankful smile, she turned in her newly found seat to face the beautiful blonde beside her. “Sorry I was late, I had a catty Upper East Side mom to deal with.” (@louisabertil)

“We Salazar’s tend to hold onto things… My father being the most guilty of it. I could never quite change his mind.” Dark tresses shook then, as if clearing her mind of a childhood trauma which she refused to shed light on, especially not when they were having such a grand time without her dirty laundry being aired.  “Independence is hard won, but once you have it– nothing can take it from you unless you allow it. Remember that.”

“Think of it like this; you gained a smoothie he paid for. Smells like…I think I smell strawberries. It’s a win-win, chica. But yes, it looks bad.”

“I mean, honestly? I think it’s pretty shite, but I think everything is pretty shite. So make of that what you will.”

“Well, I appreciate the vote of confidence.” Alec said as he chuckled. Not hesitating, he stood up while simultaneously trying to put on his jacker. Once he had one arm in, he held it out to in offer to help her up. “Me? Say no to food? Absolutely not. If there’s anything I haven’t gotten more than sleep, it sure isn’t food. Lead the way.”

     It had certainly been quite a couple days for the raven haired beauty. Her phone practically worn from the amount of text messages and calls she’d received since Maya’s…rather unfortunate night at the Winter Wonderland Ball. As her personal assistant, anyone who couldn’t reach the interior designer of the hour felt the need to contact Nadia instead. Completely unaware of her true identity as the blogger they all loved to hate. “If you’re here to ask about Maya I’m afraid I can’t disclose anything, so you’re barking up the wrong tree.” 

“My father…” A sigh escaped her parted lips as she shifted her gaze to the city lights beyond the floor to ceiling windows, clearly lost in a memory or two before finally speaking words into existence. “It’s complicated. He is complicated. The man never wanted a daughter, have I told you that before?” A half-smile adorned her features then. “It doesn’t matter now. We’re not… close.” I did when I moved here. “Sometimes that’s all it takes. Distance, I mean.”

Ashton didn’t hesitate to shoot her friend a disbelieving glance. “You don’t have to lie, Lou,” the brunette sighed. “And I already told you, if you want to drink in front of me, it’s okay. I don’t mind.” While Ashton couldn’t exactly get away with casually sipping a glass of champagne in present company, that didn’t mean she could sneak off to the bathroom if she needed. “Well, assuming this goes like every other one of these parties that I’ve been to, someone is going to make a big speech and everyone will clap and then we’ll all go home and it’s right back to reality.”

MAYA: no i'm not okay

MAYA: the world hates me and my kids don't want to talk to me

MAYA: i'm distraught and i don't know what to do

LOUISA: Maybe you just need to ignore the world for a few days. Until the news die down.

MAYA: please stop texting me

MAYA: just stop

MAYA: i have nothing to say

MAYA: and if you're going to call me a heartless bitch, get in line

LOUISA: Okay, okay.

for @louisabertil

Ashton’s fingers tapped against her thigh, gaze shifting around the room at all of the people, bitter at the ones who were tossing back glass after glass of champagne. “God what I wouldn’t give for some champagne right now,” the brunette admitted, something she’d never ordinarily admit out loud, but felt comfortable in present company. And if she was being honest, it wasn’t as if Ashton hadn’t been sneaking off to the bathroom when the coast seemed clear. Turning to Louisa, Ashton sighed. “How long do you think it’ll be until something interesting happens?”

“I’m as clueless as you are on that one so I couldn’t even give you a decent explanation. What secrets could they possibly have to share? Maybe there’s a baby mama or two around that have been kept in the dark and are waiting for their moments. Who knows?” He took a sip of the rum in his hand. “Good idea though. Free alcohol is always best to focus on. What brings you here though? If it’s not that possibility of secrets of friends being let out, that is.”

“There’s not enough alcohol in the world to get through this fucking shit. I mean, look at these stupid pamphlets. And then this Saboteur shit? Who the fuck is that?” Callum stood near the bar flipping the piece of paper he was given by someone random while he took a sip of his rum. This whole thing was purely for entertainment at this point. “Maybe the alcohol being free will have to be good enough.”