The Devil is in the Details (Book 3)

Being a Lucifer

"I love you, Amelia, be my girlfriend?" 

I sigh and remember my father's words, 'love is a decision as well as a feeling, if someone says they love you, let them prove it through their actions leading up to the moment they tell you and then every day after,' and although I've always wanted a romance like that of my mother and father, I heard Francis talk to his friends before about him asking me this question just so he could have everyone know I was 'his girl' before he lets go of me at the end of the year. 

So, despite the eyes of everyone in the lunch hall being on us, whispering around, I smile and say, "Sorry Francis, as much as you love me, I'm not interested in you right now. Good luck on your hunt though, yeah?" I put a gentle hand on his shoulder before walking away from his hazel eyes which held shock in them. 

"Amelia!" I turn to the voices of my friends who stood waiting for me outside, they had watched the whole thing but at this point were used to watching me having to turn down people like that. 

"I can't believe Francis! I was sure he was going to be the one!" Katie said from next to me which made me laugh shaking my head at her enthusiasm. 

Lara, swung an arm around my shoulders whilst replying to the comment, "You say that about every guy Katie, just admit that almost all the guys in this place are assholes," 

Both Katie and I raised an eyebrow at her as she says this, "Except your guy I assume?" I ask and an embarrassed expression lands on her face before she shakes her head of it, 

"No, he's an asshole too, just my asshole." 

All three of us laugh at this until we get to the entrance of the school building where Lara's boyfriend was waiting for her. We said goodbye to the couple as they walked off home, leaving Katie and me alone for a moment. 

"I wish I could find love like that," Katie then says in awe which makes me shove her lightly, 

"You will!" 

"Yeah right, I'm not perfect like you, nor as fun as Lara,-"

Perfect, huh? 

I look up as I listen to her. The sky gleamed back at me but not the bright blue that it's known for, more so reflecting the colour of my eyes, grey and sad. 

"-I'll never have my happily ever after!" 

I take a lollipop out of my bag and pass it to her. She looks at me confused but silently takes it from me and opens it anyway. "You know that's not true. You have that guy from your maths class who likes you, right?"

Sucking on the lollipop she gives a dramatic sigh, "Yeah but I don't like him," 

I roll my eyes and just in time a car comes driving up to the curb and making a stop in front of us, a familiar one that makes me smile. I watch as the window rolls down revealing a wide grin, "Amelia!" 

"Uncle Zack!" 

"The one and only! Get in! We're headed to the bar!" 

We always were. But I loved it that way. 

I said goodbye to Katie who shouted a bye to my uncle as well, he was well known here not just for his grand entrances and his cool car but because of his role in the gaming industry, becoming the creator of one of the most famous video games of the year. 

As we drove toward's my mother's bar, I asked about who else was going to be there, my other uncles, his husband.

"Nick and the rest will be, but Hiyori was invited to a party of some kind so she won't be able to make it," 

I nodded, I hadn't seen all of them in a while so I was glad at that and I had planned to see my cousin over the weekend so I wasn't disappointed there either. 

When we got to the building, we parked upfront and I breathed a sigh of relief. It was like being at home. When walking through the doors, I could put my walls down and be myself, instinctively, and when people see us coming cheers of noise start to erupt. 

"Looks who's here!" 

"Our princess!" 

"Amelia come sit here!" 

I couldn't help but let a grin form on my face as I greeted our usual customers who I've come to know by name. I was going to sit with one of the groups as I usually do but just before I did, an arm wrapped around me and pulled me into a bigger chest before landing a big kiss on my cheek. "Uncle Xavier!" 

The rest of the men laughed at my struggle against his grip which I always find myself fighting against. "This is humiliating!" I express, finally giving up but he doesn't let go and instead chuckles,

"Come on! You're 14 now, you should be able to fight yourself out by now!" 

"I'm 17.." I sigh but knew he would never get it right, somehow I was always going to be stuck as a child to him and although it could get annoying, I found myself smiling at the sentiment. 

"Let her go, Xavier, you know people are dying to start their poker already," 

The familiar voice made my uncle gently let go of me and we both turned to the couple who walked towards us, hand in hand. The sight of them made our perimeter quieten down slightly but I didn't think anything of it. They were like royalty after all. 

Travelling around the world, I don't get to see both of them together often but when I do, I'm reminded what love is. Despite the riches, despite the struggles, these two were the one's I respected and loved the most. My parents. 

"You're back!" I say and stand in front of them. They grin down at me and we go in for a hug. They had gone on a business trip together for a week and I hadn't known what time they were coming back today but I was glad to see them. But when I pulled apart from my mother, something caught my eye which made me furrow my eyebrows. 

My mother was beautiful, I had always thought so, but that made it so much easier to see what I saw on her jaw despite the dim lighting in our bar. It was a huge bruise, dark purple as if something had hit her, "what happened?" I asked straight away, pointing to it and she looked at me confused before going to touch it, when she did it must have pained her because that caused her to remember. 

"Ah yes, a drunk man hit me during my visit." She laughed at it which made me want to relax but I couldn't. This wouldn't be the first time I saw her with some type of injury and even though I knew she could be clumsy, I didn't think I had seen anyone get that battered from it before. I glanced at my father but a normal smile was present on his face and no one else reacted to it, instead carried on conversing normally so I decided to drop it. Paranoia wasn't going to get me anywhere. 

"Come on, buy us a drink Boss!" We heard someone yell which made us laugh and soon the whole bar was chanting in agreement in unison, 

"QUEEN! QUEEN! QUEEN! QUEEN! QUEEN!"

It was as if it was rehearsed but it was never a bother. My father grinned at my mother and raised her by her waist on one of the tables where everyone could see her. She raised her arms and shouted,

"Fine! Fine! As a celebration of coming home to my daughter, I'll buy everyone here a drink! So calm down you motherfuckers!" 

And like that, we watched people cheer and celebrate as we got to catch up, I greeted my other uncles too eventually and we all sat down, playing poker in rounds, my speciality. People move in and out, crowds start forming even more as the sun goes down.

The night moves in a blur after that. The excitement, the love, the wins, and although, like always, I would lose my mother in between it all, the exhilaration of it distracts me. I don't notice the pressure of being the owner's daughter. I don't notice the emotions which spiral around the multiple rooms, some of which I wasn't allowed in. I didn't notice anything but my table and my next play in this game. 

This is what it meant to be a Lucifer.