Chapter 407: The Woman I'm With

With Mina and Willow having hijacked the stage, they set the relaxed tone and motion. As soon as Mina dropped the microphone, another woman jumped up to sing a different girl anthem; much to the delight of Willow, who was not keeping her promise. Mina had not realized it, but her friend continued to drink with Connor, and was in a much more drunken state than she had been.

Connor seemed to enjoy watching Willow unravel, because he kept handing her small glasses that Willow downed in a single gulp. Mina begged the man to stop, and only after seeing the pleading look on her face did he roll his eyes and agree, but the damage had been done.

Instead of karaoke, someone put on dance music and Mina and Olivia found themselves trying to coax Willow down from a table. She kept swaying her body to the music drawing attention to herself that Mina knew the woman would regret in the morning. She tried Pulling Willow down, but she was not as strong, and with Olivia's ankle still healing from the altercation with Mary, the women were helpless.

----

Oric listened to Mina sing, wondering why the woman would not just release an album and cash in. She had a beautiful voice and the song she was singing sounded as if it were made for her.

Oric was so distracted by the girl on stage, that he had not paid attention to what the song was about until he looked around and noticed the several women whose hands were over their chests, as if Mina were singing directly to them.

Once Oric actually took in the meaning of the song, he found Willow, wanting to bring up the past again.

"Are you done?" he asked. Willow was scrolling through music, looking for another song for Mina to sing.

"I'll need more than a few seconds," Willow said, walking away from the man, while he was laughed at by Connor and Bastien who had overheard the jab.

Willow took another drink from Connor who seemed all too pleased to get the woman drunk. Oric liked Mina, and he thought he was committed to the idea of being in a relationship with her, but he did not want to see Willow with any of his friends.

"Are you trying to make me angry?" Oric asked, feeling the green monster within him stir. He had not seen Willow in years, and he thought their reunion would be a good one; maybe over one of their weddings or an important family event.

The song rounded to an end and Oric heard Mina start singing again. He found his attention pulled in two directions because he could hear what some of Connor's friends were saying about the woman on stage, and none of it was pleasant. He snapped toward the speaking men and warned them that Mina was off limits. Even if he was unable to date her, she was still his friend and employee.

Swallowing his pride, Oric decided to hang back and make sure no one tried anything with Willow, and he was grateful for the support he was getting from Olivia. By the time Mina finished singing, Willow was drunkenly playing flinch with Connor and some of the women who were equally inebriated.

Oric had never seen Willow intoxicated, but it reminded him of her old self, laughing and playing. Only this time, she was focused on someone else, and she could not even be bothered to say more than a few words to him.

At some point, a less appealing voice started to blare through the speakers and Oric could tell it was not Mina who was singing. After a quick scan, he caught sight of the woman making a beeline for Willow.

Getting to the other side of the room had become much more difficult as more people flooded the area. Mina was not aware, but Connor had a guest list of close to one hundred people; some who planned to stay for the weekend, and some who would randomly show up.

----

Cylus cuddled Vanya in his arms, feeling as though he had made the right decision. He had poured his heart into Lisa, and had opened himself up to Mina, but neither woman appreciated him the way Vanya did. She traced the shape of his face with her fingertips, only stopping when she leaned in to place gentle kisses on his lips.

"I want you to change your hair back," Cylus whispered. He saw Vanya look away, as if his words hurt, but he stopped her from turning her face. "You don't have to, but I liked your natural hair color." Cylus stroked Vanya's cheek. He could have stayed that way all night, but there were things he had to do before he could get lost in her again. "I need to go check on the girls." Vanya's face fell.

"You mean you want to go make sure Mina is okay." Cylus caught the hint of resentment in Vanya's tone, and he wanted to put an end to her line of thinking.

"I invited her, so it's only right that I watch over her. I also want to check on Olivia." Cylus had not told Vanya or anyone about what happened to his cousin, but he worried about her constantly because of it.

"They are grown women. They can take care of themselves." Cylus listened to his girlfriend speak, and Mina's words about running away from women who asked to be put before family finally made sense to him. It was a losing battle to try and convince someone that it was possible to have more than one important person in life.

"It is not that. Olivia is still recovering."

"She would have called you if she needed you, but she has people she can trust with her. Just be honest, you want to see what Mina is doing."

"Vanya, Mina isn't like other women." Cylus' tone was gentle, but to Vanya his words were antagonizing.

"And I am?" she asked, fully aware that Cylus had never gone to just check on her in any situation, and likely never would. Vanya was not an idiot, and she knew the reason he had come to find her in her room was because he did not believe she was there.

"Stop it," Cylus said as he pulled Vanya in closely. "I'll admit that I like Mina, but she doesn't see me as anything other than a friend. You are the woman I am with." Once again Cylus' placating words irked Vanya who heard their hidden meaning; if Mina wanted, she could have snatched Cylus away.

----

With Willow dancing on a tabletop, it did not take long for others to follow. The mood in the room had slowly shifted from impressing the men to 'we hate our exes'. Mina and Olivia seemed to be the only two women with no ex to speak of, but still found themselves laughing and giggling in enjoyment.

Many of the women began to flock to Willow. She was bold and uncaring, and she treated them all like friends, and not rivals. They also realized that Mina was more of an invited guest of Olivia; not CEO Rue, and it helped them to relax around her.

Aside from Mina being genuinely kind, she was also playing the vital role of drink monitor, cutting people off and giving them water when she felt they had enough alcohol. Although annoying, her actions helped make everyone feel safe.