Chapter Twenty Five

"She's over there." Lee pointed through the crowd. Ducky had returned to his task of eating the whole bowl of cheese puffs, and was now reaching for the Pringles that I almost hissed at.

Sour cream and chive Pringles were the work of Satan.

I followed Lee's point to see Harlow charting animatedly with a woman who was a little smaller than her. The woman was pale, with a small button nose and what I looked to be black hair. She was small and stout, and was also wearing a purple dress.

I thanked Lee and started to weave towards them, accidentally bumping someone in my heels and almost falling over another.

"Hey! Harlow!" I said when I was a few feet away. She turned and beamed when she saw me, gesturing me over.

"Aidan! It's so nice to see you! You look beautiful." She breathed, and the same could be said for her. She wasn't wearing a dress, but instead a dark blue jumpsuit paired with a pair of silver hoop earrings.

"Same can be said for you, squirt." I said, standing taller so I could use my height at an advantage. I did mean it though, she looked really cute.

Harlow rolled her eyes. "Anyway. This is my mum." She gestured to the woman standing with us.

Her eyes scanned me, as if sizing me up like a piece of meat. Her pale eyes met me again an she met my eyes, as if daring me to look away. I frowned but didn't glance away.

Then, suddenly as if a light had flicked, she smiled. "Hello, dear." She said warmly, as if I had passed some sort of test.

"It's a pleasure to meet you - Mrs Abbot?" I was unsure if she was married and I didn't want to offend her.

"It's Miss Abbot - But please, call me Heather." she corrected, still smiling.

"Mum," Harlow sang, fiddling with the small gem in the middle of her necklace. "Stop creeping my friends out, you do it a lot."

Heather blinked at Harlow, a small, sincere smile lighting up both of their faces. It gave me suddenly a homesick feeling. My heart panted to have a close bond with my mother the way that everyone else here did.

Then I remembered - Harlow was adopted. So- if Harlow could love and appreciate someone as her mother who she isn't related to, surely I could do the same. I wasn't that close with Lily - my step mother; but perhaps I could be?

A small smile graced my lips as I looked between the two, the hint of jealously that haunted me gone suddenly.

Heather and Harlow turned back to me, and I took a final swing of my punch, wincing as its sour flavour burned down my throat.

"You need a drink." I said to both of them, holding my glass up.

"I'll have a lemonade, please." Harlow said.

Heather's eyes glanced quickly towards the drink table. "Some of that punch would be a dream, if you would be so kind."

I nodded and weaved back towards the drinks, but Lee and Ducky had obviously moved on, and instead, my step mum was standing, looking down at the food. I must say, her dark hair caught the light and she looked positively regal in her long golden dress.

"Hey." I said, walking over to the table. I put my glass down and grabbed two more. "Told you I'd find a dress."

She chuckled and she looked up at me, dark blue eyes lighting up as they landed on my dress.

"It's beautiful." She murmured, seemingly unable to catch her breath.

"Yeah." I said, my neck hot. I grabbed a bottle of lemonade and twisted the cap open. "I mean it was really all Scarlett she's the one who picked out the dress - and we did my hair and makeup too-"

"No." She said, and cut me off. She cupped my cheek with one warm palm and smiled. "You look beautiful."

"Well yeah." I admitted awkwardly, taking her wrist and letting her arm drop. "So do you, Lily." She didn't say anything, and I sort her gaze, a small crease dampening my brows. There was an emotion I didn't recognise. A tension filled the air - humid and thick like fog after rainfall.

"Mikyla would have been so proud of you." She said softly. I froze, my knuckles turning white as I grasped the bottle of lemonade and the glass with pressure.

Lily never talked about my mother. It always seemed to me as if she never wanted her to have existed - so that I would never compare Lily to her; which I do often did in my mind. I had only been 6 when my birth mother left, but i could still remember her. I felt as if Lily never felt good enough do she compared herself to my mother all the time.

"What?" I asked, a pang mixed of pain and surprise echoed in my heart.

Lily's wit was still there. "You heard me." Her eyes were wet with tears and she sighed softly. I placed down the glass and bottle in my hands and enveloped her hands in my own. "I like to think she's still watching. Gosh." She laughed weakly. "She would be so amazed by you now. Look how far you've come from that little eight year old who told me Heinz Beanz was spelt with a z when we first met."

My throat constricted and invisible tears picked my eyes. I took a shuddering breath and turned away, giggling softly at the memory.

"If you ever need to talk - I'm here, okay?" She reassured, which I felt was a little out of the blue, but I didn't question it.

"Thanks, Mum." I replied and she drew in another shaky breath, wiping the tears from her face and nodding. She then turned, grasped a handful of M&M's and walked away.

I sniffed and felt my stomach contract, so I turned back to the drinks and drove the heel of my palm fiercely under my eye and blinked harshly. I poured Harlow and Lucy's drinks and returned to the pair.

***

"Guess who?" Oh god. It was one of those bloody stupid guessing games. I smirked and crossed my arms to hide my frustration.

Might as well take a wild guess. "The Queen? Albert Einstein?Kim Kardashian?"

"No, it's someone better." The voice replied.

"Oh Oh! Is it Halsey?" I had a massive fat lesbian crush on her, but hey, could you blame my bisexual heart?

Gabriel chuckled and wrapped his arms around me from behind, pulling me into him. I laughed and fell back onto him, wreathing in his cologne.

"I'm much better than Halsey, I'll have you know." Gabe teased, bopping me on the nose. I blinked up at him.

"Sure. Keep telling yourself that." I said and be let out a snort and pushed me back.

"Thought you'd be excited to see me." He pouted - sticking his bottom lip over his mouth and crossing his arms over his chest so he resembled a toddler throwing a fit.

"No-no I am." I said, spinning on my heel so I could hug him. "It's just my parents are over there and they don't know we're a thing." I murmured quietly.

I glanced out of the corner of my eye to where Lily and my dad sat and talked to two people I didn't recognise. Both had gaunt faces, dark hair and pale skin. Lowkey looked like vampires.

"Same." Gabriel looked over the same direction I did.

"Wait! Those are your parents?" I gestured to the two goth looking adults with hooked noses, gleaming grey eyes and tall heights.

"Yeah." Gabe seemed almost embarrassed and I felt a twinge of sympathy for him. "You can see where I get my angsty rockstar look from."

I flicked his chest. "Well I think it looks rather dashing on you, kind sir."

He laughed, then folded in two in a deep bow. "Care to dance, my lady?"

"Why of course," I said, and he took my hand and kissed my knuckles lightly with his soft, almost feathery lips. "Lead the way."

The ballroom was stunning. Polished marble floors and twinkling lights lay before us. Women in the finest dresses and Men in sharp suits, talking, smiling and laughing. I was painfully aware how beautiful the other women were compared to me - they all looked ok with sophistication and grace. Two things I was significantly lacking.

As if sensing my discomfort, Gabriel's cool hand gently squeezed my clammy one.

"Relax, you're perfect." His loving words put me at ease and I calmed slightly.

He pressed a feather like kiss on the side of my head. I smiled, embarrassed at his slight display of affection.

I giggled as I looped my arms around his neck and he placed his arms around my waist. Ed Sheeran's voice floated around us as we swayed in time to the music.

"It's you and me, just you're my everything." Gabe whisperer as he pressed a soft kiss against my lips. It was buttery and sweet, making me smile under his lips.

I looked up and my smile was wiped clean away from my face as I saw my father's hard glare piercing into my soul. He was clenching his fist so tightly, he could easily break his champagne glass at the side of the dance floor.

I gasped, slightly afraid of the look of bloody murder on his face, and took a few steps away from Gabe, he gazed at me; confused.

"What's wrong, Aid?" He asked me, his brow scrunching up.

"I-I... we can't do this." I mumbled. Gabe clenched his jaw and I knew he was the angry.

"I knew it, you're too good for me". Tears threatened to spill as I desperately tried not to have a full on mental breakdown. We just needed to get away before my dad pulverised the both of us.

"What?" I cocked my head to the side. "No Gabe that's not what I meant, I'm trying to protect-"

"Just save it Aiden, I'm going home."

I didn't even try to stop him, I just watch as my whole world walked away from me. I'm doing this for him, I told myself over and over again and the only thing I was one hundred percent sure about is that I fucking hate my dad.

A/N: you know the drill. Thanks to Just_a_little_Jade for saving my ass in this chapter haha. Check out her book 'his princess' - it's an awesome spin on a cliche genre.

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