Chapter 26 The Night Of The Party

• The night of the party, Maggie was true to her word. Claire and Debbie had turned up on the doorstep two hours before Aria was due to leave. Claire explained that when she wasn’t working for Maggie, she was a trained beautician. Debbie was a hairdresser. They had come armed with suitcases of equipment and immediately set about getting Aria prepared for what they assured her was going to be the most magical night of her life. Aria wasn’t convinced, but apparently Stefan’s parties were famous; people would do absolutely anything to get an invite. Claire had sighed pointedly while telling her this.
• “Have you really been living with Stefan?” Claire asked. “What’s it like?”
• Aria glanced at the girl. What was she supposed to say to that? She thought back over the last few days. Of course, Stefan hadn’t given her the pictures. He had walked away from her that night, as she’d known he would. And he’d been distant ever since, but she had felt him watching her whenever they were in the same room together, a puzzled expression on his face. He left early in the morning, not returning until evening, and she hadn’t repeated the mistake of interrupting his morning swim again. There was only so much temptation a girl could take. And face-to-face with a naked Stefan was way past her limit, so she’d loitered in her room until she heard him leave in the morning.