Disclaimer: All characters are the property of "The Young & The Restless".
"The Price Of Trust"
Chapter 2- The Ice Princess
"Is this a private pity party, or can anyone join in?" The question startled her out of her thoughts. She dragged her gaze from the champagne glass she'd been staring at, and into the smiling face of her friend.
"What? Sorry, I didn't hear you", she said, and gave Daniel a half-hearted smile. Bored and depressed, she sat alone at a table, her companions long leaving her to mingle and tear up the dance floor. She had to admit that her family had really outdone themselves this year, with the auction. The food, the band, the decorations...all of it was a testement to the finest that money could buy. And it only brought into sharper focus the things that it couldn't.
"I'm not surprised. The way you were studying that glass of champagne, Amber and Cane could've used this table as a horizontal surface and you wouldn't have noticed", he said, and nodded towards the direction of the lip-locked couple.
She laughed, and glanced at them, her face turning to disgust. "God, seriously, can you believe those two? Good thing I skipped eating today, I don't think my stomach could've handled it." Daniel didn't laugh; instead, he stilled beside her and studied her with worried eyes. She shouldn't have mentioned not eating. Still, she couldn't help the feeling of satisfaction when she had been able to slip into a dress a size smaller than she should have been able to.
Suddenly, words spoken once before came crashing into her mind: The post-break up diet...She was consumed by the twin desires to both laugh and cry.
"Hey, hey, go easy on that", Daniel said, removing the champagne flute from her white-knuckled grip. Feeling suddenly bereft, she cast her eyes around, looking for something else to cling to. When he sat down beside her, she didn't dare meet his eyes. Instead, she ducked her head, hiding her face and the pain etched there behind a curtain of carmel colored tresses.
"Ok, look,' Daniel said slowly, 'I don't normally do this, but since I'm such a great guy, for one night only, I'm offering my services."
She lifted her head. It couldn't be helped, the laughter bubbling up and out. "Excuse me? As what? And should Lily be worried?"
"Tsk, tsk, you're mind's in the gutter so often they'll have to change your address." His wolfish grin was contagious and she playfully swatted his shoulder. "No, what I mean is, I'm volunteering to do agony aunt duty. So why don't you tell Aunt Daniel what's bothering you?"
She opened her mouth to laugh, but it died silently on her lips when she saw the look in his eyes. For a moment, she allowed herself to appreciate what a good friend he was. But the last thing she wanted to do was talk about her problems. Or problem, since there was one that was the root of all the others and could be summed up, not in a single word or feeling, but a name. Adrian.
"Look, Daniel, I appreciate the offer, I really do. But..."
"But you're not ready to talk. Yeah, it's okay, I get that. I just thought I'd remind you, you know, in case you forgot...that there are people who care about you. And when you're ready to talk, or when you're not- they'll be there. Aunt Daniel will be there", he said, and she found herself enveloped in a strong pair of arms. She threw her arms around him, squeezing Daniel until she worried that he couldn't breathe, and laughed despite her tears.
When he drew back, he squeezed her hand reassuringly. "See, you even manage to make the raccoon look seem hot", he said, brushing away a tear. "I hope the man who wins the bid for you tonite, realizes just how lucky he is."
"Thanks", she said, and for the first time in weeks, gave a real smile. Then she wiped her cheeks, and was horrified to see mascara smeared across her fingers. "Oh no!" There was no way she could go out for the auction with her make-up looking like war paint! She stood up, intent on finding the nearest powder room to begin damage control.
"Look, thanks for the pep talk, but I've got fix my make-up before the auction starts, so I'll see you later." She was only a few feet from the table when Daniel's voice called her back.
"Colleen. I know it hurts...when people don't live up the expectations we have of them. In a way it's inevitable, and sometimes, it can even seem unforgiveable. But all of it, the baggage- it gets heavy. And when it does...the best thing you can do is let it go."
Before she could respond, he'd left the table, falling into the crowd of faces, both familliar and unfamilliar. What the hell was that about? His words left her confused and angry. Was he talking about Adrian? The thought of letting go of the pain, the hurt, the betrayal, it was laughable! Didn't he think she'd tried that? Every day, every morning when she woke up, her pillow still wet from tears shed during sleep, and every night, when she prayed that she would stop feeling, for someone to put back together the fractured pieces of her heart.
Stepping into the crowd herself, she pushed aside careless party-goers to make her way to the powder room.
Let it go? The terrible truth was that somehow, Adrian had become part of her. Somehow, some way, during the time they'd been together, he'd gotten under her skin, and now he was in her veins, in her very being.
And as long as he was, so was the pain.
She was ice in every way. Her dress was a sheathe of frost, clinging to warm curves and glittering in the soft light. The frozen look in her eyes emphasized by the blue rimming them, full lips a pale pink that had crystallized from lack of warmth. She thought it was fitting that her outer appearance reflect how she felt inside; desolate and frozen. Standing silently on the auction stage, she was careful to look over the crowd, avoiding all eye contact.
"Our final bachelorette tonite is my own step-daughter, Colleen Carlton", Victoria announced. "Studying art at GCU, she enjoys art history, dancing, and kung-fu movies. She has some prettty killer moves, gentlemen, so I hope we have some brave men out there!"
Beyond humiliated by the whole situation, she fought the urge to push Victoria off the stage or demonstrate one of her "killer moves". What had she been thinking when she'd agreed to this ridiculous idea? Then she remembered, and bit her tongue. She'd participate in a bachelorette auction every year for the rest of her life if it meant never having to hear Adrian Korbel mentioned to her ever again. But she wasn't about to let Victoria know that.
"Why don't we start the bidding at...$1,000. Do we have a bid?"
A cacophony of voices rose up. "I see we're eager, but if we could have just one at a time, please", Victoria asked sweetly.
"$1,500.", a man called from nearby. She tried not to shudder, but couldn't help thinking that the money would definitely be better used for dental work.
"$2,300." $2,500". "$3,000." The bids continued, but she remained stony-faced and resigned, while her step-mother seemed to be in her element working the crowd over. Glimpsing Daniel off to the right, she allowed a small smile despite her earlier annoyance with him. He met her eyes her, but when he didn't return her smile, she became worried. Was something wrong?
"We're at $3,800. Come on boys, don't be shy, she doesn't bite. Hard.", Victoria added coyly with a mischevious wink.
Apalled by the comment, Colleen turned to give her a dirty look, but Victoria was wisely avoiding eye contact. This was getting way out of hand, and her patience had been running on empty for the last twenty minutes. She'd had enough. Folding her arms defiantly over her chest, she readied the evil eye and prepared to stare down the next bidder. Apparently, the aura of menace she'd tried to project was working, as the hall was silent for a moment.
"Remember, this is for a good cause!" Great, she was officially labeled as a charity case. Her night was complete.
"$5,000."
The voice came from the back of the crowd, and brought with it a cascade of emotions. People were turning around, trying to glimpse the man responsible for the bid. But she didn't have to see him- she already knew. And the realization had her heart contracting painfully.
Rooted to the spot by some unknown force, she wasn't prepared for the sight of him when he emerged to stand before her at the edge of the stage. A face she both loved and hated.
Adrian Korbel.
Authors Note: Wow, amazed how much I'm enjoying writing this. This plot bunny has manged to turn into a fully-fledged story that has managed to garner what little dedication I seem to posess. And as always, my muses accept circus peanuts and feed-back as incentive for continuing.