Chapter 41

Khai ignored the shallow stares of admiration that followed him as he made his way to the women's dormitories. He picked up his pace, but a stranger persisted in approaching him. The girl struggled to keep up, but eventually caught up to him, obviously missing his hint.

"Hey, Khai. Do you have a moment?" she straightened her back and refused to break her eyes away as she spoke to him. "We've never been introduced before, I'm Isabelle."

Sensing that she wouldn't leave, he turned to her with a cold expression. "What do you want?"

Isabelle turned flustered at his bluntness, but somehow managed to hold the smile on her face. "I don't have a ride to Natalie's party, do you mind taking me in your car?" Her eyes turned mischievous, hinting at her intentions.

Khai frowned, already bored at her face before she completed her last sentence. "My car is full. Hope you find another ride." He walked away before she could come out of the shock of his rejection.

Sprinting up the stairs, his mind drifted to Ana. She hadn't been herself all week and the distance she was creating with everyone around her was growing worse by the day. He cursed at himself for ruining her happiness in the blink of an eye. If he had just kept his hands to himself, he wouldn't have awakened a pain she had buried so deep within her.

To his frustration, Meghan and George remained loyal to her and tight lipped to him, claiming that they couldn't reveal something that she refused to speak of. As he approached her door, he pulled at his tie to loosen it. The last time he wore a suit was on the day of Maeve's engagement. He was slightly uncomfortable, but put it on simply because Ana had asked him to.

She wasn't alone. Meghan and George were in there with her. He knocked softly on her door.

George opened the door with a smile on his face. He wore a suit just like Khai and his short hair seemed to look shorter today, as he sported a buzz cut. "They're almost done! Meghan and I were just leaving."

He nodded and walked in to see Meghan leaning on Ana's face with a brush in her hand. She glanced up at him with a small smile, but quickly looked back to continue her work. "There! All done. You look amazing, as always."

Ana was sitting on the chair of her desk, facing her back to Khai. Meghan wore a form fitting long black dress with a slit that reached high up her leg. She had a fake gun strapped to her thigh. She gave Ana a quick kiss on the cheek. "Okay, she's all yours Khai! Let's go babe."

George took Meghan's hand and they stepped out of the room, closing the door behind them.

Ana stood up and turned to him, her eyes suddenly lighting up at the sight of him. "You look so handsome." She said as her lips curved into a smile, one that he hadn't seen for the whole week.

Khai stood still, taking in the beauty that stood in front of him. Her hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail, revealing her perfect face. Her eyes and lips were highlighted with dark colored, metallic makeup, making her look like a space goddess. Her gray dress hugged her waist and chest tightly, but fell loosely down the rest of her body. Her legs peeked through the long slit of her dress, as if to tease him. Meghan was right, she looked amazing, as always.

"Wow." He muttered as he moved to hug her.

She laughed softly as she returned his embrace.

When he bent down to kiss her, she pulled back, stopping him. "My lipstick! It's going to smear all over you face."

Khai frowned, suddenly annoyed by the concept of makeup. He quickly straightened himself and adjusted his tie before taking a step back so she could look at him.

"So, I'm in a suit. You look like the goddess of rock metal. What's our costume?"

She stood on her toes to reach for his tie and slowly started to undo it. "You won't be needing this. Come with me." She tossed his tie aside and held his hand as she led him to her closet. Rummaging through some shopping bags, she pulled out a gauntlet, struggling to pick it up.

Khai quickly took it from her. "Let me do it. What else do you need?"

She pointed at four large shopping bags that he remembered carrying back to her room last weekend. "Could you bring them all out and place them in front of the mirror?"

He nodded and walked out with the bags in his hands. One by one, she helped him wear the contents inside the bags, her soft voice instructing him on how to fasten everything.

When he finished, he stared back at his reflection in amazement. He then looked down at her face in awe. She looked evidently proud of the outfit she created for him. A Pauldron, Couter, Vambrace and Gauntlet covered his entire left arm, while his right arm only had a Vambrace and Gauntlet. The partial armor was in stark contrast with his suit. He looked like a crossover between a businessman, a knight and a robot.

"Do you like it?" She asked him nervously.

"I love it! This outfit is amazing. You're officially in charge of shopping for me forever." He moved his hand to stroke her face when he suddenly realized that his fingers were covered by the armor. He couldn't touch her, or feel her soft skin against his fingers.

He frowned, instantly annoyed that he had the gauntlet on both hands. "Can I take this thing off of my hands though?"

Her expression turned concerned at his annoyance. "Is it too heavy?"

Khai sighed as he met her gaze, his frustration quickly melting away. "No it isn't. But I can't touch your beautiful face." He muttered.

Ana rolled her eyes, but smiled as she coaxed him. "It's only for a few hours. You look great, come on."

Khai sighed in resignation. "At least let me kiss your cheeks. I'll be careful with your makeup." He gently held her small face, careful not to hurt her with the armor, and pressed his lips to her cheeks. Lately, he had been spending all his free time with her. But every time he had to leave her, be it for class, or training, he started to miss her more than ever.

They walked out of her room and he insisted that she take his arm as they made their way to his car. Everyone was already in the parking lot, waiting to leave together.

Maeve and Elliot were riding with Ana and Khai. George was taking Meghan along with Fiona, Tammy and Lindsay. Jen was going to ride with Austin in his car.

"Shit! Nat's going to throw a massive fit." Jen exclaimed as she saw Khai and Ana walk towards them, holding hands, looking like a billionaire power couple stepping out of a spaceship. She went on to hug Ana despite her previous statement. "You look stunning, we've to shop together sometime!" She smiled.

Khai stepped aside as the girls rushed around Ana, showering her with compliments. Ana seemed overwhelmed by all the attention, but kept her smile as she returned their praise.

"I only wore the dress, Meghan did everything else. You guys look amazing! Tammy, I love the horns."

Elliot was dressed in a pinstripe suit and wore a fake handlebar mustache with twisted and curled tips. His blonde hair was covered in a black wig: he was dressed as Gomez Addams, to go with Maeve's costume. "Man, you look tough! That's a sturdy armor."

"It was all Ana, Mr. Addams." Khai drawled.

Austin, who was dressed as a pirate, walked over to them as he smoked his pipe. "I didn't get the memo to wear a suit."

"Alright, enough with the gushing and giggling. Let's all get a picture!" George's voice boomed, gathering everyone's attention.

He balanced his phone on the bonnet of a car while everyone shuffled to stand on their best sides. Khai watched Ana fumble to find a place and gently tugged her to stand in front of him, wrapping her waist in his arm. Elliot held a visibly flustered Maeve, firmly in front of him. Jen threw her arms around Austin, shuffling to find her best angle. Setting the phone on a timer, George gave the group a quick countdown before rushing back to stand next to Meghan. The other girls arranged themselves in front of the couples, kneeling so they wouldn't cover the girls behind them.

The camera clicked, capturing a perfect picture of the group, before the beginning of a long night that none of them could anticipate.