20 Days To Fall In Love

#21 - Day 20

Chapter 21 - Day 20
published: Monday, 11 May 2020

Today was the big day. The company's 30th anniversary and the last day of his father's ultimatum.

Matthew had yet to broach the topic with his father, but he decided to push that away for now. He didn't really want to propose to Elizabeth, but he wasn't sure if his father would accept it.

The ballroom of their house was done to perfection. Curtains had been swapped out for ones of the company's colours - red, blue and yellow.

Matthew glanced down at his navy blue suit and white shirt. Tonight was going to be stuffy enough without a tie, so he'd gone open collar.

People were starting to file through the doors, admiring the glamorous mansion. Waiters in tuxedoes milled about, offering hors d'œuvres to guests. Matthew had already had about eight of the small meat pies, and his stomach was still grumbling.

"I'm already bored," James whispered out of the corner of his mouth, slumping against the wall.

Matthew chuckled. "Hey, come on, it's not that bad."

"Easy for you to say," his brother complained. "Elizabeth is coming. The only people here I'm friends with are pompous and annoying."

"Bad luck," Matthew insisted dismissively. "I went through this for 20 years. You'll get through it. The Evanses will be here soon and you can hang with Lucas."

"When?" James whined. "He's late. I told him not to be late."

Matthew nudged him. "I see them." Sure enough, the family walked through the doors. Daphne and Lucas spotted them and immediately hastened towards them, muttering excuses to their parents.

"You look nice," Daphne informed him, gesturing to the open collar. "Very contemporary."

"Likewise," Matthew laughed. "I've never seen this one before."

"It's new," Daphne said, twirling around. Her red mermaid dress hugged her figure, the bottom flaring out in an impressive mass of material. She flipped her curled hair over her shoulder.

"Dressed to impress," he noted.

"Always."

Daphne eventually left to greet the other guests - these events were what she lived for. She constantly told Matthew that he should focus more on solidifying connections with powerful people.

Honestly, he was just waiting for Elizabeth to get here. Matthew was a mix of nerves and excitement when he thought about finally introducing her to his parents.

What would they think? He felt a spark of defiance when he realised that he didn't actually care what they thought. But Elizabeth was perfect, and maybe he was biased, but Matthew couldn't imagine a better person for him.

He recognised a couple of familiar faces from parties over the last week, but he couldn't recall some of their parents' names or the dates they brought tonight.

Lola had a pretty Indian girl on her arm, the two of them giggling about something. Some guests came stag, probably hoping to find a date during the event, or, like Daphne, to improve their professional links.

"Matthew!" Oscar Evans boomed good-naturally, clapping Matthew on the back in greeting. "How're you feeling?"

"Good," Matthew chuckled. "And you? My mother's been stressing over this party for months - I hope you're enjoying yourself."

Oscar was in higher spirits than usual, and it was infectious. Matthew could immediately feel his spirits lifting. "Indeed, I am," Oscar reassured him. "Lauren's done a beautiful job of organising this. I have to thank her later. Have you seen Daphne tonight? Paulina spent hours trying to pick out a dress with her..."