Invisible to My First Love (Harper and Maddox) novel Chapter 25

Harper 

From where I stood in the front yard, I could just make out the corner of the backyard. The glow of the porchlight stretched far enough to catch Maddox alone with Kate. He was kissing her hard. He had his hands tightly around her waist, shoving his tongue into her mouth. She pulled away for a second to catch her breath, but his lips followed hers again like he wanted her so badly. 

Zoey placed her hand on my shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Harper. Maybe we shouldn’t have come.” 

“Zoey’s right.” Ella said. “Are you okay?” 

My gaze lingered on Maddox and Kate for a while and it began to feel like he actually wanted me to see that. He’d heard my friends talking since they were a bit too loud. 

Looking back at my girls, my lips curved into a genuine smile. “I’m great. So what if he’s showing off? I already expected to see them together. This is a party, so let’s have a good time!” 

They both did a little dance while cheering, each of them hooking an arm around mine as we made our way to the entrance. We’d barely made it past the front door security and I could feel the hard techno beat crawling up my legs. 

The interior had changed so much just for his birthday party and it looked like we were in an actual nightclub. There were dim and purple lights, a light smoky haze in the air and a whole bar section with a neon sign glowing above shelves of expensive liquor bottles. 

In the living room, the furniture was gone or hidden and in its place were several large semi circular lounge seats, the few guests who had arrived early drinking and vibing to the music while facing the DJ booth near them. They were dressed to impress with a touch of elegance. 

“Well, let’s party!” Ella yelled over the music. 

Zoey cheered and I joined in, the three of us bopping our heads to the music as we headed to the bar section. 

We still had our arms hooked when Ella slammed the side of her shoulder into a guy who looked like a model. He smiled charmingly at the three of us, then leaned towards her and said something which made her grin like she had already fallen for him. 

“Hello, there, why don’t you ladies sit with us?” he said. 

He pointed at his lounge seat, his twin, who even had the same hairstyle, looking over at us and there was so much room for more people. 

Ella was so into him that she pulled us along with her as he led the way. 

There were smaller round tables in the middle with a mix of whiskeys, vodkas, wines, sodas and even water for all to drink. 

We took our seats right next to each other and he dropped himself right next to her. 

“I’m Adrian Barclay.” He leaned towards her as he said it. 

“That green dress is gorgeous. I’m Aiden Barclay,” the other one said to Zoey. 

Zoey was just about to introduce herself first when Aiden spotted a bunch of girls coming over to us, making 

him rise to his feet. 

She and Ella looked like they wanted to leave when the twins welcomed the other girls. But as soon as they took their seats and it became clear that they were all just friends, their faces lit up. 

We had to yell over the music just to introduce ourselves. 

“I’m Harper!” 

“Wait, aren’t you that girl from Tiffany’s post?” one of the girls asked. 

I nodded proudly. 

“You’re so much prettier in person.” 

“Thanks!” 

As 8 PM drew closer, more and more guests began to arrive. 

Grayson was right when he told me I’d have a blast. It hadn’t even been that long but I already had a great feeling about it. I also needed that as I had been working too hard. 

I was about to take a sip of wine when I paused at the sudden loud cheers from the other guests. I looked over and spotted Maddox with Kate, his arm wrapped around her body and hand resting on the side of her arm. She was already so drunk that she needed his support to move in those heels. 

Judging by the direction they were moving in, he meant to take her to a certain lounge seat but as he was looking around, he spotted me, whispered something to Kate and he changed direction, his hand now around her waist. They were coming right where I was and I leaned back in my seat, amused by the situation. I began to have a better understanding of what he was trying to do. 

He made sure to sit across from me and she seemed like she would pass out if she kept drinking, judging by how she threw her head back as soon as she took a seat. 

While he gave everyone the same level of energy as he looked all around, he barely acknowledged my presence, even quickly focusing on Kate as he poured her a glass of water. 

I decided to ignore it, but Zoey and Ella kept nudging me with their elbows from both sides, as if asking if I was okay. 

“Happy birthday. This place looks amazing,” I said to him with no bitterness. 

“Fine.” She rolled her eyes, holding him by the collar to bring his face real close. 

She stuck out her tongue and giggled flirtatiously, like she wanted him to taste it right there. I caught him glancing at me like he was about to do it and I actually hoped he wouldn’t. I was still certain of what he was trying to do, but I didn’t want to sit there and watch the two of them lock lips for everyone to see, like it was being thrown in my face. 

Then, she dropped her trench coat to reveal her outfit, making jaws drop. She was in the same dress as me. 

“Oh, wow!” Kate lazily pointed at her. “You’re wearing the same dress as Harper.” 

Tiffany rolled her eyes, like she was about to brag. “I know, but mine is straight from the designer. It was $3,000. This thrift store version doesn’t cost anything more than $20.” 

“Yikes! That’s such a huge difference.” Kate burst into laughter. 

As they continued to have that conversation about the dresses, the energy from the other girls shifted. I was looked at as an outsider. Kate must’ve known that would happen. It explained why she kept looking at me like that. 

How did Tiffany know about the exact dress I was going to wear? Was she in the store when I went shopping with Ella and Zoey? 

She took a seat right next to Kate, now being the life of the party, just like she wanted to be. She was Maddox’s popular sister and I expected nothing less. She smirked triumphantly as she looked right at me even while talking to the others. 

I still kept my composure with no plans of getting up. That was exactly what she would’ve wanted to see. 

I was glad that Ella, Zoey and the Barclay twins didn’t care much that she was there, so I paid attention to them instead. 

I was able to ignore her for a while, but it all changed when she suddenly rose to her feet and began to dance, the other girls cheering her on. She didn’t even seem to care about any of that, her gaze fixed in a certain direction.I looked over and spotted Grayson, who was already making his way to us. 

She then curled her finger, seductively telling him to come closer. 

He licked his bottom lip as that got him excited and it made my chest tighten. 

He spotted me right when he got to her, only giving me a nod of acknowledgement before placing his hands on her hips while standing behind her. 

She raised her hands, swinging her hips harder while looking back at him. Their eye contact was so magnetic that no one could get between them and my stomach twisted. I hated every second of it. 

She turned around to face him, resting her forehead against his and he grinned, holding her tight like he would never let go. 

I couldn’t watch it anymore, so I lowered my head but that wasn’t the end of it. Tiffany made sure to move from that spot and Grayson moved along with her. 

She stopped right in front of me, the two of them now dancing and touching right in my fucking face. Everyone was enjoying it, but I could see Ella and Zoey in my peripheral vision, constantly checking up on me, 

When she kissed him first and he responded by shoving his tongue in her mouth, I wanted to shut my eyes so badly but had to stop myself in fear of tears streaming down my face. The purple lighting might have been enough to hide what was going on with my eyes, but I couldn’t just sit there and watch it all. How could I possibly leave at that exact moment?