41. Conflicts and Chaos.

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"Are you sure she didn't blackmail you? I mean, you don't look insane enough to be doing this willingly," was the first thing Caleb Miller said when he opened the door to Torryn Cole.

Torryn raised his eyes at the genuine suspicion in the young boy's eyes. He let out a small smirk, knowing that Aria Miller's mean streak was at work here and damn him if he didn't dig it.

Before he could assure Caleb that he had not been blackmailed and was doing this of his own free will—which was almost untrue if one looked at how determined his mother and Ethan were to make him ask Aria to the party; almost—a certain someone shrieked from somewhere inside the house.

"Mom," Aria Miller's voice travelled around the house, "your child is being rude again!"

"Aria," a different feminine voice that he guessed belonged to Mrs Miller roared back, "stop being rude."

Torryn pressed his lips to avoid smiling while Caleb started snickering loudly as he led them into the living room. Glancing around, Torryn could tell that all the Millers were the same. Bright, loud, and chaotic.

He had never been inside Aria's house before, even though he had dropped her home enough times to count two normal garden gnomes and three headless ones in their front yard.

Caleb slid down on a bean bag and pointed at the couch, maybe offering Torryn a seat or maybe telling him that the couch was broken. Hoping the latter was not the case, Torryn perched himself on the bright red couch that somehow fit in quite well with the surroundings.

Everyone who met Torryn was greatly intimidated by him. Caleb only seemed mildly intimidated. Perhaps because Torryn hadn't glared first and spoken later or maybe because he was her brother. She never seemed intimidated by him either.

Loud stomps echoed around the house and the devil herself entered the room. Only this time, she was disguised as an angel. Torryn's breath hitched and he wondered how even after preparing himself a hundred times she still managed to steal his breath away that easily.

Aria was about to say something but she caught his eye and paused midsentence, her eyes widening. Any other time, this would've made Torryn tease her and smirk arrogantly but right now his brain was too muddled to form a sensible sentence.

Aria's jade green eyes sparkled more under the kohl. Her hair was pinned to one side in soft waves. Her baby hairs that usually circled her head in a curly halo, were smoothened and pinned back. Personally, he preferred her wild hair but she still looked beautiful. Torryn was sure he'd find her attractive no matter what.

Then Torryn caught sight of the dress she had adorned. He gulped and thanked whatever instinct had told him to sit down because his legs would not have survived the sight standing up.

Aria was wearing a thin-strapped, dark green satin gown that fit her quite well. When Torryn noticed the slit on her leg, his jaw almost dropped to the ground. Before his gaze could travel lower, a voice interrupted the sound of his heart pounding in his ears.

"You're drooling."

Torryn's hand was halfway to his mouth before he realised that Caleb wasn't talking to him. His stomach warmed up at the mere idea of Aria Miller drooling at him.

Aria, not to be outdone by a snickering little brother, smirked right back. "Yeah, I was thinking about your secret candy stash behind the second drawer of your wardrobe."

His subconscious sighed dreamily and he would've done so too, if Caleb (thankfully!) hadn't started complaining, reminding Torryn that he wasn't alone.

Standing up from his seat, Torryn walked towards Aria, all the while thinking about how much sense it made for the devil to be a fallen angel after all.

"You look beautiful," he said after he was sure that his throat was in working condition. The faint scent of chocolates filled the air as it always did whenever she was around.

"I know, right?" She grinned giddily at him, as a soft smile tugged at his lips. Then she wiggled her eyebrows. "You don't look half bad either, Pigeon."

"Thanks, sweetheart." The endearment slipped out quite easily for someone who used to dislike endearments.

"Sweetheart?!" Caleb screeched and Torryn hoped he wouldn't try going all 'overprotective brother' on him. Torryn was very awkward as it was, he didn't need outer forces to make it extra awkward for him. "Oh, gods," Caleb whispered. "You are insane."

Torryn didn't take offence since it was kind of true—after all, he liked a girl who called him 'Pigeon'—but Aria didn't seem to share his opinion. She slapped her brother upside the head like she did to Ethan every time he did something stupid (which was every 20 minutes).

"Stop being rude, Cal," she chided and turned to face Torryn again. "My parents are going to the party too. But they'll be late; they have to drop Caleb at his friend's house. So, let's go," she reached towards his palm and lead him out of the door at a rapid pace as if afraid of something in her own house.

Before Torryn could question her on it, a voice called out, "Why are you hurrying away, love?"

Cursing under her breath, Aria turned, making him turn as well. A dark-haired man, dressed in a tuxedo, was standing near the staircase, smiling the same impish smile that Aria did.

The Dad, Torryn realized. Then, that's who she was running from.

Torryn frowned. Did Aria not want her dad to meet him?

He had to work hard to keep the pout off his face. He glanced between the father and daughter and the urge to pout reduced. Torryn knew the look Aria was giving her dad all too well. It was the same look Torryn gave his mom everytime Aria came over.

Knowing that Aria wasn't embarrassed of him, Torryn's spirits lifted again. He strode towards Mr Miller.

"Nice to meet you, sir," Torryn raised his hand for a shake. "I'm Torryn."

"Hello, Torryn. I'm Jack," Mr Miller shook his hand. "Aria's dad."

Torryn heaved a small sigh of relief that went unnoticed by everyone. Mr Miller seemed friendly and Torryn hadn't made a complete fool of himself yet.

"Yo, Dad," Aria called, trying to zip her golden clutch that seemed to be filled with what Torryn assumed could only be chocolates. "He's the one with the car."

Torryn frowned with confusion. The one with the car?

"Oh, he's the one?" Mr Miller's eyes widened as another smile broke out on his face. "You, son, have one fantastic car."

"Thank you, sir," Torryn smiled with pride.

Mr Miller is cool, he decided.

"Eh, you can call me Jack. Now, you two should get going before..."

"Before what, Jack?" A blonde woman, whom Torryn deduced to be Mrs Miller, appeared from the staircase. When she looked up from her bracelet, he noticed that Aria got her eyes from her mom. Mrs Miller scrutinized him for an uncomfortable second and Torryn was sure she knew all of his secrets by the end of her scrutinizing. He realized that Aria's father and brother had no need to be overprotective if this woman was her mother. She seemed to be intimidating enough for an entire city.

Torryn kept his face carefully blank but polite. He extended his hand, "It's nice to meet you, ma'am," he nodded. "I'm Torryn."

Mrs Miller nodded back and gave his hand a firm shake. Then, as if he had passed some sort of test, she smiled with approval and he was sure everyone in the room heaved a sigh of relief. "It's nice to meet you as well, Torryn. I'm Jade, Aria's mom."

"Yeah, we'll be leaving now," Aria grabbed his arm again and dragged him towards the door, her cheeks flushed red.

"Have fun," Mrs Miller yelled from behind them and he could hear the teasing laughter in her voice. That was when he finally relaxed.

Torryn had met the family of the girl he liked and he didn't spontaneously combust as he had thought he would. He decided to take that as a good sign.

"Your family seems pretty cool," Torryn said when they were out of the Millers' house. "Were you adopted?"

Immediately, Torryn wanted to cut his tongue off. After all the warnings he had been given on keeping his dark humour in check, Torryn had still said that. He could practically hear his mother screaming in his head that this was not date-appropriate behaviour.

"Of course, I was," Aria merely smirked. "Did you really think humans could give birth to perfection?"

Torryn chuckled, shaking his head. Of course, she had played along. This was one of the main reasons he liked her. His dark humour didn't seem to bother her at all.

When they reached Torryn's car, Aria halted. He raised an eyebrow as she turned to face him.

"I almost forgot; check this out," Aria lifted her gown a little, grinning like the troublemaker she was. Torryn glanced down to see golden sneakers peeking out at him, that she somehow managed to pull off quite well.

Torryn's breath hitched yet again, though he was sure she didn't notice just like any of the other times. She was happily rambling about her new sneakers.

Gods, this girl was going to be the death of him!

"Amazing," Torryn complimented, opening the door to the passenger seat for her.

Aria beamed with pride. "Did you know that the word 'sneakers' comes from 'sneaking around'? The rubber soles let you walk quietly, that's why they were named that," she got into the car, not noticing that the train of her dress was hanging out.

"I think so," he answered, bending down and quickly picking up the train of her dress. He shut the door firmly.

As Torryn walked to the driver's side, his phone vibrated in his pocket. It was probably Ethan asking him if he had chocolates in his pockets for emergencies. Of course, he had chocolates; he was with her, wasn't he?

Approximately 15 minutes later, they reached the hall where the party was being held. The hall, which was an extension to a hotel, naturally belonged to the Coles'. Which was also why Torryn had been hesitant about asking Aria to the party; he didn't want her to feel like he was showing off or something.

Torryn glanced at Aria to see her looking around with no particular expression on her face.

"A penny for your thoughts," he raised his eyebrows, anxious to know what she thought of the whole thing. He wished Milo could have come as well. Torryn always felt better whenever Milo was around.

"Make that a chocolate and I'll tell you," Aria smiled.

Torryn would give her all the chocolates in the world if that meant she would keep smiling like that.

"Sure," he shrugged, slipping a chocolate into her hand.

"I was checking to see which places I should avoid if I don't want to get lost," she admitted sheepishly.

He nodded in approval, that seemed a very good thought for her to have.

Pointing subtly at the huge open windows, Torryn murmured, "There aren't a lot of places you could get lost in but the gardens do have a maze."

Aria spun to face him so fast, Torryn feared she would get a whiplash. "A maze? Damn," she whistled. "Will you please, please, please show me later?" She clutched onto his arms and widened her beautiful jade-green eyes that he had once subconsciously painted. (Torryn hid the painting, of course. Gods forbid if his mother or Ethan ever found it, he would never hear the end of it!)

"Yeah, I'll take you there," he ceded quickly. "Just stop doing tha-that thing with your eyes," Torryn stammered. Aria Miller was dangerous in more ways than one.

Aria let his hands go, (which disappointed him for some reason even though he didn't let it show on his face), her eyes going back to their normal size. Smiling, she chirped, "Thanks, Cole. You're noic—oh hey, Arabella!"

"Aria! Darling, you have no idea how happy I am you came to the party!" Arabella Cole enveloped Aria in a hug, winking at Torryn over her shoulder, mouthing with my son, no doubt completing her sentence.

Torryn made rapid hand gestures that portrayed the sentiment, Cut it out! But his mother seemed to be having difficulty understanding his edition of the sign language as she clasped her hands together and giggled like a little child.

"Oh right," Aria snapped her fingers as if remembering something, then removed a little pen drive. "I couldn't decide on a gift, so I compiled a mix of romantic songs for you and Mr Cole," she smiled sheepishly. "Happy 25th Anniversary."

Torryn was sure his mom would burst from all the happiness she was feeling as she thanked Aria endlessly.

Arabella nodded at the hall. "How are you finding the party?"

Aria grinned. "Oh, it's awesome! The orchestra is doing so well. And the decorations are splendid," she rambled with what seemed genuine awe. "How do the tablecloths go so amazingly with the hall's colour scheme?"

Torryn raised his eyebrows. Sometimes, he forgot that he wasn't the only observant person in the room. They had been here for less than five minutes and Aria had already noticed so much. Even the tablecloths. He knew how much time his mother had spent after the tablecloths and how pleased she would be by Aria's observation.

"Thank you, Aria," she croaked. Aria nodded happily.

Torryn swiftly changed the topic. "Where's Dad?"

"Oh," Arabella frowned as if just noticing something. "Theo was with me just now. He was talking about the food, I suppose that's where he went."

"So he randomly disappeared, did he?" Aria murmured under her breath from beside Torryn, grinning like she had hit the jackpot.

Oh no, his subconscious sighed warily. Not with the Batman thing again.

"I'll introduce you both when he gets back," Arabella promised, quite oblivious to where a certain devil's thoughts were heading.

"Please do," Aria grinned.

"I think I saw Ethan and everyone by the buffet table but I'm not sure. Anyways, enjoy the party, sweetie," Arabella smiled at Aria and turned to Torryn with a manic, matchmaking gleam in her eyes. "And you make sure Aria has a good time, Torryn or I'll make sure you don't get any dessert."

"Your mom is so cool," Aria grinned at Torryn. Then she leaned closer and murmured low enough so that only he could hear. "Were you adopted?"

Torryn couldn't help it, he burst out chuckling. This girl really was something else. He shook his head and calmed down.

"We'll go now, Mom," he smiled and guided Aria away from his mom before she saw the older woman wiggling her eyebrows.

Most people were avoiding one section of the buffet table, so naturally, Torryn assumed that their friends would be there and sure enough, there they were.

Rhea and Brittany (Torryn assumed she was Rhea's plus one) were giggling in a corner. Matt, Mason and Mae were tasting the food. Torryn's eyes moved on to a smirking Owen and a blushing Kyle. He felt his lips tug into a smile.

At least his friends had more game than him.

Then he noticed Ethan trying to charm a lady by chewing the appetizers with his mouth open.

Maybe not all his friends.

In hindsight, Torryn probably should not have looked at Ethan, as Ethan caught his eyes and gulped down all the food in his mouth. Any normal person would've started choking after swallowing all that food but Ethan didn't fit under the category of 'normal person'.

And once again, Torryn wondered why he told this doofus everything. He wondered for the thousandth time why, after Aria had kissed him on the cheek—which made him smile everytime he thought of it—had he gone back to their tent and confessed to Ethan that he liked Aria Miller.

He's your best friend, Torryn's subconscious snorted. Maybe that's why.

Torryn glanced back at Ethan, who looked like he was about to start doing jumping jacks any minute now, and shook his head.

As the pair approached them, all their friends fell silent one by one, focusing all their attention on the two.

"You guys are late," Ethan wiggled his eyebrows at them. "What were you naughty children busy doing?"

"Meeting my mother," Torryn deadpanned.

"Meeting the parents already?" Matt smirked.

"What are you talking about, man? I've met Arabella before; we're good friends," Aria looked baffled as everyone shook their heads at her oblivious soul.

Torryn saw the glint in Owen's eyes and was suddenly wary of what his usually sensible friend was about to say. "And did you meet Aria's parents too, Torryn?"

"Yes," Torryn narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"And?" Rhea raised an eyebrow at the both of them. "How was it?"

"It was good," Torryn offered as Aria nodded with a smile.

"You two make a cute couple," Kyle smiled happily at them.

Torryn was certain that the tips of his ears were red and one glance at Aria confirmed his suspicions; she was blushing as well. Still, Torryn was very happy that someone thought they made a cute couple.

"Thanks, man," he smiled at Kyle. He hadn't known that Kyle was going to be at the party, too, but he was glad that he was. Torryn didn't mind the guy when he wasn't with his cat.

"Uh-huh," Brittany smirked, leaning against Rhea. "You do make a beautiful couple. I approve, Ari."

"Uhh...." was Aria's intelligent reply. "Um, thanks, I guess."

"What did we miss?" Torryn asked.

"Not much," Mae shrugged. Torryn noticed that she was wearing a black jumpsuit with her black leather jacket, looking deadly as always. He also noticed that Matt's eyes were glued to her.

"Yeah," Mason continued. "Not much other than the almost ego battle that Ethan had started among the caterers."

"Noice," Aria fist-bumped Ethan, smirking and Torryn was amazed at how much she seemed to like conflicts and chaos. No wonder he liked her.

After a while, they were all snickering as Aria teased Rhea endlessly, when Mae pointed surreptitiously to their left with her chin. "Look, idiots. Isn't that the hot dude from the cafe?"

They all spun. To Torryn's displeasure, it was indeed the "hot dude" from Mad Batter. His eyes immediately snapped back to Aria. She was drooling.

At first, he felt as if he had consumed something very sour. Then, he noticed who, or rather what, Aria was drooling at.

Ah yes, the chocolate fountain. Torryn ducked his head in order to hide the big ass smile spreading across his face. Aria was drooling at the chocolate fountain.

Seemingly in a trance, Aria trudged forward to the chocolate fountain, which Torryn had no doubt she had decided was the new love of her life. He started to follow her before a tiny figure stopped in front of them.

Torryn was sure he'd seen the old lady before but he couldn't place her. Aria probably could because as soon as she noticed the old lady, she snapped out of her chocolate-induced trance and smiled at the lady in delight.

"Ellie!"

"Aria, isn't it?" Ellie sniffed, a slight smile pulling at her lips. Torryn then remembered that she was the old lady from Elektra Queen's funeral.

"Yes," Aria smiled back, then noticed that someone had approached the old lady.

Torryn's eyes narrowed as the "hot dude from the cafe" stood beside Ellie. Torryn stepped in beside Aria and stared at them.

"I suppose I should introduce you all," Ellie decided. "This is my grandson."

Ellie's

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