Conflicted

Elle stared at Adam with a blank face. Had he really just asked her to model for MK? Her?

"Are you teasing me?" She asked.

"I don't joke." Adam said seriously. "Certainly not about something like this."

"Why me?" Elle asked in a meek voice.

"I told you, you're the only one who meets all my standards."

Elle doubted him. Of course she did, after all she was a girl who didn't see anything good about herself. How could she believe that she met the standards of someone as high in the world as Adam?

"I have to refuse." Elle said with her head down.

"Why?"

"I'm not so pretentious, I can't pretend I don't know that I'm inadequate. It's such an important event for MK, you should find someone more suitable."

Adam frowned. "Do you not trust my judgement?"

Elle finally raised her eyes and looked at him with a sad smile. "You overestimate me. Either way, I cannot do this. It's best you find someone else Mr. Hayes." She said politely.

Then Elle walked off without allowing him to reply. Adam had expected this result. He watched her walk away for a moment. Instead of moping over this loss he turned around to leave. He had already greeted everyone he was supposed to. The only reason he even attended the party tonight was to speak to Elle. Now that she had rejected his offer there was no reason for him to stay any longer.

As he drove back to his condo he had a smile on his face. It had been a long time since his work had been this interesting. He spent the rest of his night plotting on how to convince her to change her mind.

Meanwhile, after leaving Adam, Elle wandered around the party until she saw Abby finish talking to Sarah and her family. Abby excused herself and came to rejoin Elle.

"Oh. My. God." Abby exclaimed as she approached her. "Can you believe Sarah's dress?"

"I told you it was something to behold." Elle laughed.

"I didn't think after all these years these girls could still surprise me." Abby said, shaking her head.

"She was so shy in high school, where do you think she got all that confidence from?" Elle wondered. She didn't say it out loud, but in her heart she wondered if she could ever find such confidence for herself.

"Not from where, but from whom." Abby said with a wink.

Elle elbowed her playfully. "Don't be rude."

"It's not rude if it's true."

Elle ignored her. "By the way, why were you so late today?" She asked, forcefully changing the subject before Abby could insult the birthday girl any further.

Abby's face broke out into a huge grin. "It's a surprise." She said mysteriously.

"Oh come on. You can't expect me not to be curious after that reaction. Just tell me." Elle pleaded. If Abby had said there was traffic Elle wouldn't have given it a second thought. But Abby chose to torment her instead, by dangling a secret in front of her.

Elle kept pestering, but Abby refused to give the information up.

"The timing isn't right yet." She said. "I'll tell you soon."

Elle was forced to accept that answer.

The two girls enjoyed each others company, the food, and the music. Late into the night Elle was finally making her way home with her father and Jacob. She had enjoyed the end of the night so much that her father's comments were already forgotten.

Adams proposal was also lost somewhere in the back of her mind until she heard her phone ping. Elle looked at her phone with a frown. Adam had sent her just one word "goodnight.". This one word forced her to recall his offer.

Elle sent the same word back to him, only to be polite. She pressed her forehead against the car window. In the dark she could see her reflection in the glass. Elle wasn't pessimistic, but she also wasn't delusional. She knew she wasn't that pretty, she certainly wasn't a model, so what about her made Adam ask her to do such an important event? Elle thought about it the rest of the way home, but no matter how much she thought, she couldn't find an answer.