Happily Never After

Part 9

Part 8: Revelation

"Delise, what are the odds?" Hiccup asked un-emotionally as he stared down the woman that addressed him. Astrid looked from Hiccup to the drop-dead gorgeous woman across from him and frowned. "Darling aren't you going to introduce us?" She asked, trying to diffuse the tension that a person could cut with a butter knife right about now. The other woman sported deep crimson hair and green eyes and Astrid was pretty sure that dress costed more than her yearly salary.

"Astrid, Delise, Delise, Astrid," Hiccup muttered.

"Well this is a surprise, you have arm candy," Delise smirked as she turned towards Astrid. "Or are you arm candy Hiccup?" The other woman looked Astrid up and down before asking "So what do you do? Actress? Model? I haven't seen you on the runway during Paris Fashion Week, like at all..."

Astrid blinked, if that was supposed to be a jab she didn't get it. She just stared at Delise as if she had grown a second head. "I'm not a model nor an actress though I thank you for thinking that. You know, maybe I should get into modeling as apparently I'm easily mistaken for one,"

Hiccup nearly choked at the comment as he saw the shock on Delise's face. That insult definitely didn't go the way the other woman wanted it to. He covered it with a strategically placed cough.

"Then what is it you do?" Delise asked with a raised brow.

"I'm a dental hygienist," Astrid deadpanned which threw the other woman for a loop.

"Wait what?" Delise uttered. "A.... dental hygienist?"

"Come now Delise, aren't you being rude? I've introduced my date to you but you haven't even mentioned yours," Hiccup stated as he saw that line of conversation going south real quick.

"Right...," Delise said, looking at her date for the night. "Hiccup you've already heard I found my soulmate... well this is him. This is Jacob. Mummy just got him a position at our company. He'll be the managing Director of Sales next month,"

"Whatever you say Delise," Hiccup stated.

Astrid frowned when the other woman was trying to flaunt her boyfriend. The man looked bored, as if he'd rather be anywhere else but here. She couldn't understand why nepotism was anything to boast about either. At least Hiccup was trying to start out on his own.

"But Hiccup, I was really surprised you lowered your standards so much since we dated. I mean, a dental hygienist...," She smugly turned to Astrid and asked "What did he do? Ask you out while getting his teeth cleaned?"

"No, but you shouldn't look down on our profession," Astrid just smiled innocently. "It is after all us dental hygienists that help make sure you models have those pearly whites. Too bad veneers can't cover your awful personality," She said this effortlessly and was even happy that she got a small snigger from Jacob and a more prominent one from Hiccup.

"Why I've never!" Delise uttered as she turned cold and angry at Astrid.

"And you never will," Astrid quipped. "Find such an interesting man like Hiccup, I mean. Now come on darling, you promised to show me your favorite tiny sandwich." With that Astrid started to lead Hiccup in the other direction. "Perhaps we should find someplace to sit down," She suggested after they were out of earshot.

"Right... uhm...," Astrid noted that he seemed a bit out of it as he spoke. "The hotel has some smaller conference rooms," He then suggested. The pair left the ball but their departure didn't go unnoticed.

After Hiccup and Astrid arrived in one of the smaller conference rooms he flopped down in one of the chairs and sighed. Hiccup's back was to the door and Astrid hopped onto the long table next to him. "You alright?" She asked with a worried frown.