The night of the party finally arrived, much to Ken's dismay. Steve had marked it on his calendar, crossing out the days every morning as if he was counting down the days till Christmas.
After finishing practice, the guy practically skipped all the way back to the dorm room, leaving Ken feeling exasperated.
"If you've got that much energy, we should be able to fit in more training." Ken added, only to see Steve's face pale in the next moment.
"Don't be such a party pooper. Remember this will be a great time to network for the future…" Steve replied, though he was not really convincing.
"Yeah… You just want to 'network' with girls."
Steve tried to hide the grin that tugged at the corner of his lips but failed miserably. "Ken, tonight's operation will commence in 2 hours. I'll need your support as wingman, please don't let me down."
Ken rolled his eyes, "I honestly don't know what you expect of me…"
But Steve waved it off, "You'll do fine man, just be your usual charming self and send the girls my way."
Ken flinched in response to the word, remembering his new skill Magnetic Charm. At first he had thought that it was not so bad, but this entire week he had been far more tiring than he'd expected.
People he did not know would randomly come up to him and start a conversation, either inviting him to an event or just wanting to get to know him. Cases like Archie's was frequent and he was invited to 3 more parties just this week alone.
Although Ken could not be called an introvert, he had a small social battery. Being forced to speak to so many people had left him drained, changing his initial perception of his new skill.
In fact, this situation had made him dread going to Archie's party even more. However, seeing how excited Steve was, Ken felt too bad to pull out this close to the date.
As they walked into their room, Ken laid down the law. "We're only staying for a couple of hours. If I see you drinking, I don't care who you're talking to, I'm dragging you out of there, kicking and screaming if I have to."
"Yes dad~" Steve quipped, rolling his eyes.
"I'm serious man." Ken's eyes narrowed as he spoke, "You told me that you wanted to chase your dreams with me here in Columbia. You sacrificed your relationship and left your family for this."
"Alright, gosh… I'll be on my best behavior okay?" But then he paused, an impish smile creeping onto his mouth, "But if I manage to get a girl, I need you to leave the dorm room for at least an hour."
Ken scoffed, "In the unlikely event that it happens, I think you're overestimating your abilities. 5 minutes should be long enough."
"Whatever man~"
Steve's mood couldn't be affected as he took the insult to his manhood in stride. He was already humming out a tune while picking out what clothes he was going to wear for the party.
Knock Knock
Ken's ears perked up as he looked towards the front door. He wasn't expecting any guests so he walked up to the peep hole to check who it was.
"Tara?" Ken opened the door, a little confused as to why she was here.
"Hey, I heard you guys are going to the Sigma Nu party tonight so I brought you some clothes to wear." She said, her eyes shining.
"What?" There were a lot of things wrong with what she said, confusing him even more. Firstly, how did she know they were going to the party and secondly, why would she be bringing him clothes?
"Anyway, take these and wear them tonight. Wear a black belt and some nice dress shoes along with it." She said, dumping the clothes into his arms.
Ken blinked a few times, not knowing what to say.
"I'll be coming along with my camera. We need some candid photos for your profile." She said with a grin, sending him a wink. Before Ken could reply she had already left, leaving him standing with the clothes in his arms.
Another girl walked by the room door and stopped in place, her eyes fixated on Ken for a moment. It looked as if she was going to come over and talk to him, so he quickly slammed the door and leaned his back against it, letting out a deep sigh.
'Is this what my life has become?' He thought bitterly.
"Let's see the clothes." Steve said, snatching them from his hands. He laid them out on the bed and let out a whistle of appreciation.
The shirt was a black long sleeve button up and the pants were charcoal. There was also a charcoal suit jacket which tied the whole look together nicely.
"Damn man, this is really stylish. How did she know your size though?"
Ken's eyebrow twitched, realizing that he indeed hadn't given out his size to Tara before. Inwardly, he hoped that the clothes didn't fit and he would be able to refuse wearing them. After all, he didn't want to stand out anymore than he had to at the party.
Unfortunately for Ken, the clothes fit as if they were tailor made for him.
After letting out some grumbles of annoyance, Ken decided it was time to eat. He and Steve went and got some food at the cafeteria before getting ready for the party.
Steve wore a smart white shirt and a gray blazer with long gray pants, making him look the part, however Ken's outfit was a show stopper. Although it was simple, the tailored fit suited his body tremendously, giving off a mysterious and dazzling look.
This paired with his deep brown eyes, handsome features and tall physique made him look like a model who was about to hit the runway.
"Alright, let's go~" Steve cried with excitement.
Around 20 minutes later, the duo arrived at the address they were given, only to see a three-story brick building. The architecture was classic and had four large white columns supporting a balcony which stood over the entrance.