Chapter 238: Keeping Appearances
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘⭒❊✿❊⭒∘∙⊱⋅•
Before I could muster a token protest, I was being pulled forward through the crowd, Adrien dragged along beside me like he’d become just another accessory to the evening’s agenda. The music swelled around us again, the hum of polished laughter and expensive confidence closing in, and I felt that familiar knot of anxiety tighten in my chest until it was hard to breathe.
We stopped at the first group, men in tailored suits that probably cost more than my tuition, women draped in silk and diamonds that sparkled like tiny stars, all of them smiling with that practiced ease of folks who had been doing this their whole lives.
Names were tossed around too quickly for me to catch half of them, hands shaken, compliments exchanged like currency. I nodded when expected, smiled when someone looked at me expectantly, but the words blurred together, slipping by without sticking. With every introduction, my shoulders grew tense, my grip tightening on my phone in my pocket as if that were the only thing keeping me grounded.
I felt myself shrinking inward, overwhelmed by the attention, the scrutiny, the way every gaze lingered just a second too long, assessing, judging, cataloging.
Adrien noticed.
He leaned closer, his voice low and teasing, meant just for me. "You look like you’re about to bolt for the nearest exit and never look back."
I shot him a sideways glance, half mortified, half relieved someone understood. "I might actually pass out if one more person asks me what I’m ’planning to do with my future.’ Like I have any clue right now."
His lips twitched, amusement flaring briefly across his face despite everything. "Relax. You’re doing fine. Just nod and look smart. You’ve got the smart part down."
We were introduced to another couple, then another, the cycle repeating until I felt dizzy from it all. At some point, Adrien subtly shifted closer to my side, his presence grounding me in a way I hadn’t expected.