Amber Eyes

10

"You are beautiful," Charles said with wide eyes as I put on my dress and stepped into the light in front of him.

The dress was red and reached down to the floor. The figure-hugging dress had a plunging neckline that reached below my breasts and a bare back. Of course, my back looked like I had been in a sex orgy and my breasts no better, but I knew that this dress was gorgeous and had no intentions of not putting it on and wrapping myself up like a nun.

I quickly put on a pair of shoes that I had borrowed from Mom and went closer to Charls to adjust his red tie. I looked him up and down and gave him a kiss on the cheek as I more or less reached his face in high heels and on tiptoe.

"You always look handsome but.... you look bombastic in a suit...", I stammered softly.

He grinned and escorted me to the door, where Mara was already standing in front of it. She had dressed as elegantly as she was able to and used a lot of make-up to hide her sadness.

I looked at her as her eyes widened. Of course she had seen the hickeys on my chest.

"Go ahead.", she said.

She was so predictable. Did she think I didn't know she was just checking to see if my back looked the same?

I shrugged and went forward with Charles, who took my hand and put it around his.

"You can't go like that!", she shouted angrily after a few metres.

I turned with a grin and eyed her.

"Watch me.", I said smiling and went outside.

A beautiful black Range Rover was parked in front of the hotel. A man leaned against the door of the car and gestured for us to come in.

"Who's that?", asked Charles as we approached him.

"Alec's nephew, Jacob."

"Alec? Your father's friend?", he continued.

"Mhm, that's the one.", I sighed.

"He looks beat up...", Charles mumbled, having spied the large scars on his face from a distance.

"Alec got him out of his old gang.... Mum nursed him for three weeks.... By now the scars are all that remind him of the bad times...", I sighed again.

I had seen him many times at family reunions or gang meetings our just in private, and talked to him a lot, so we were good friends.

"Davina.", he greeted me with a hug. "It's good to see you. I missed you, you little devil.", he continued talking and let go of me.

"I missed you too.", I smiled and grinned at his nickname for me.

Devil from Davina didn't make sense to outsiders, but we'd gotten into a hole lot of shit and I'd ended up blackmailing, shooting or stabbing a couple of people.

That's why Devil.

"Well then all aboard!", Jacob announced when he noticed Charles scowling at him.

He gestured into the car before opening the door for us. One by one we got in with me and Charles cuddled close together and Mara sitting on one side, motherless alone.

She looked angry. It pained her to see that I was right. She had rejected him too often and I had let him into my life with open arms, unafraid of the future. Mara thought she had lost Charles, but I knew he was just waiting for the right moment to make things right with her. After all, they had been friends for a long time, he would never throw something like that away.

After a 15-minute drive, we all got out in front of the fine restaurant.

"Who's all there?", I asked Jacob, who had to think for a moment.

"As far as I know, your parents, your sister... your grandpa and Alec.", he grinned at me, knowing that Mara couldn't stand it when people said grandpa to River.

Jacob didn't like Mara much, she was too simple and normal for him. But he didn't really have anything against her either, because they had never talked much to each other, four times at the most, and we had known each other for five years.

I got out together with Charles and took his hand as we went inside. I noticed him relax and smiled at him warmly.

"Mylady...", Jabob addressed Mara who was sitting in the car in a huff. "Let me escort you inside."

Reluctantly, she did as he told her and the two of them walked behind us. Once inside, I looked around, my eyes caught on a large table where my family was already sitting. Mum beckoned us to join them and once there I greeted everyone and sat down at the table. Charles sat down next to me, put his hand on my tigh and looked attentively at his foster father, Colin, who looked at my hickeys and smiled silently.

I hugged Ally, my little sister, who was wearing a beautiful dress. It fitted like a glove, although it was not elegant but more party-like, it described her character perfectly. Sweet like cottoncandy, mixed with crackhead.