Appetizers

Logan heard Alex's breath hitched.

She stared at him hard, wide-eyed. For a moment, she wondered if she was awake. Another moment, she speculated if the person in front of her was actually Logan.

But then, he kept looking at her. The gleam in his green eyes enhanced as time went on. His lips continued to curl at the corners the longer she stayed quiet. The bright lights of the room let her see him clearly, she could even see the gold specks in his eyes.

Had he always been this beautiful?

She tilted her head, "I think there's something in your ear too."

Logan pressed his lips together, trying not to show how amused he was, "What is it?"

"No, I really think there's some dirt in your ear."

"So I probably heard the voices wrong?" He nodded and made a face.

"What? No" Alex snorted. She grabbed a glass of water and drank from it. She hoped it would ease the growing tension on her face.

"Admit it. That was what you were going to say."

Alex couldn't help anymore. She set the glass down on the table. A cackle flew out of her lips. She actually had thought to say that but when Logan did, she found it scarily accurate to what she would have said if she wasn't so distracted by his face.

"See? You're even laughing so it must be true" Logan didn't hide the smile on his lips anymore. He let it bloom fully. He thought if he had seen Alex this happy without being sarcastic.

"No, I won't admit to anything" Alex giggled, "Do I really sound like that?"

This time it was Logan's turn to snort, "You mean how you can't take a compliment?"

"If anyone is beautiful tonight, it's Emily. I'm pretty sure she caught more eyes tonight than I did" Alex sneaked a glance at her cousin. She slouched against her seat, texting on her phone. She appeared to be oblivious to the world around her.

"I don't mind. The only eyes that should be on you belongs to me."

Alex whirled her head back at Logan, a retort ready at her lips. Then, she felt a presence next to her head.

"What kind of cheese did you eat before the party?" Emily demanded. Okay, she was pretending to be oblivious, Alex thought.

Logan shrugged and counted with his fingers, "A bit of mozzarella, a bit of cheddar… and more since it was a pizza."

"How come I don't feel any cheese barfing out of my mouth?" Jae joined in. Since the blonde elf already jumped into it, he wasn't about to sit back and watch.

"Because nobody wants to see that" Emily snapped at him.

He grinned, "What about sugar then? Because you are definitely a cutie pie."

Alex covered her mouth with a fist. Her shoulders shook from the laughter she held inside. Beside her, Emily clicked her tongue, a deadpan expression on her face. She leaned away from her cousin. She placed an elbow on the table, cupping her cheek.

Then, she fluttered her eyes, "Jae?"

Jae mimicked her position, fluttering his own eyelashes,"Yes, sweet tea?"

Emily wanted to trim them. How could they be thick without any false ones? The look on her face changed into a disapproving one, "Stop talking. You're polluting the air."

"Then, can I express myself in body language?" Jae straightened his posture, waving his arms in the air and shaking his torso.

Emily closed her eyes. She shook her head, "I don't even want to know what you mean by that. Go back to talking."

"You're like cold coffee in the morning."

"I wonder where I placed my earphones?"

Alex chuckled to herself. She'd never seen someone push her cousin's buttons as many and as strongly as Jae did. Emily was used to getting the last word. It seemed like she couldn't always get what she desired.

"Is Jae's pickup lines funnier than mine?" Logan asked. He rested an arm on the backrest of the chair between him and Alex. The other one he placed on the table. His body fully faced her direction.

"I'm laughing because Emily's reactions are funny."

"I can hear you, you know."

Alex glanced over her shoulder, flashing a mischievous smile, "I know. Love you."

"Yeah, yeah" Emily rolled her eyes, "You're lucky I love you too."

Logan nodded slowly at the small exchange, "Oh, yeah. I can definitely see you have the same blood in your veins."

"But I'm wittier, right?" Alex questioned, shifting her attention back.

"Sure, sure."

She scoffed a little and gaped at him, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, fine. I'll tell you" Logan mockingly raised his hands in surrender. He sighed as if dejected to admit the truth, "I'm the wittiest one around here."

"What a load of crap" Emily remarked. She plucked out her earphones and leaned over the table to get a good look at the younger Parker twin. She pointed a finger at him, "That is so not true."

"I know, I know. It's hard to accept the truth" Logan stared at her with a gentle gaze. He reached out to hold her hand, patting the back of it. He let it go just as fast as he grabbed it, "But someday, you will be enlightened."

"Okay, who are you and what have you done to my brother?" Jae interrupted.

Chatter flared up around the table. Logan continued to speak highly of himself. The rest of his companions jumped to retort and rebut at each of his statements. Emily and Jae decided to team up against him. Alex laughed whenever someone spouted a good line.

None of them noticed the stares trained at their table.

There had been moments when the girls were seated with another group—mostly some of Emily's close friends. Naturally, they felt curious why one table remained half empty. Although they did only fill up half of the chairs, the energy from it didn't lose to the rest of the tables. The temptation to walk up and join them hit them hard.

One of the reasons was how Alex acted differently. She seemed more outspoken than the previous time they saw her at these parties. Another reason was Emily's facial appearance. They became used to her as a person whose smile never wavered. Now, she showed more expressions, ranging from happy to annoyed to frustrated.

"We definitely need to meet those guys" the same black-haired teen commented. She couldn't hear what they talked about since they sat at the opposite side of the ballroom.

Next to her, she heard a sigh, "They seem taken though."

"Hey, if Emily is in a relationship, don't you think we should get to know the guy?"

Her companion looked at her. A crease appeared between her eyebrows, "You're right."

"Of course, I'm right."

The servers soon went around the ballroom, handing over the first dish. They stood at the guests' right side and set the plate in front of them. For the appetizer, the menu handed out deviled eggs wrapped around in sliced bread. The pastry poised as a blanket under the egg, wrapping it in toasted butter flavor. They had been arranged like flower petals with a garnish of mayonnaise and several spices in a small bowl at the center.

Angie peeked at the youngsters' table like their other guests did. She already knew that it would catch immediate attention. She worried if Alex would take notice of the crowd of eyes. Luckily, nothing of the sort happened.

"Oh, Ange" Jaime scolded beside her, "Stop it. They'll be fine. I can tell those boys can handle any ill intention aimed at Alex. Also, Emily wouldn't let them have all the fun."

"I know" her daughter-in-law sighed, "Well, the party just started. I think they'll be swarmed later on."

"And why wouldn't they be? Our girls are gorgeous and those boys are as fine as wine. The difference is this time around you're not the only one who would look after Alex. Let them take the challenges on. They need to learn how anyway."