Chapter Twenty:

"Ever heard of invitation only?" Reid hissed into Sihem's ear as he seized her upper arm, lugging her away from a crowd that had gathered around them to view the commotion.

Blaine was somewhat successfully reeling the crowd back onto the dancefloor to give the couple and their respective families some much-needed privacy.

Sihem snatched her arm back from her son, "Invitation only? It isn't a birthday party or a secret rave. A mother shouldn't need an invitation to her own son's engagement party. I'm the woman who birthed and raised you, or have you forgotten that?"

Reid scoffed, "Funny that because I thought the definition of a mother constituted more than just birthing a child. I thought it meant actually being there, not running off when the going gets tough."

"Reid!" Ria interjected, "don't speak to her like that! She's still our mum and the only parent we have left." She wedged herself between the two, noticing the growing tension, "I missed you, mama. We both did. We just wished you'd have called us first, that's all." She added quietly.

Reid sneered, "Don't defend her, not right now. She left us, Ria."

"You act like I was never there. I was always there for the first twenty-one years of your life, Reid." She spoke softly, "I'm not proud of the decision I made...after...what happened," Her voice cracked as she spoke, "but I'm back now, and I'm here to stay, okay? I'm just asking for a second chance. You've given those out before, haven't you, Reid?" She said the words so quietly that Reid almost missed it. "Anyway, we can talk about this later, in private. Right now, I'd like to see my daughter-in-law." She searched around the room, squinting her eyes as she did so.

Lydia beamed at the brunette woman, propping her shoulders up as she took a single step forward to introduce herself, "Hi, I'm Lydia. It's lovely to get to meet you finally. I've heard so much about you."

Sihem's cocoa-coloured eyes continued to roam the room, barely acknowledging the girl in front of her, "that's nice. But where's Indiya?"

Lydia's shoulders slumped down, the grin on her face waned and a lump formed in her throat. Of course, Sihem thought Reid would be marrying Indiya. She felt a sense of disappointment building in her stomach that the man she would marry hadn't bothered to clarify things with his mother.

"Actually, Sihem. This engagement party is for Lydia and me. My wife-to-be is Lydia." Reid emphasised his fiance's name, each syllable echoing in the air as he grew increasingly exasperated with his mother.

Sihem's eyes widened as she finally took in the blonde woman standing before her, "Oh. Right, I'm sorry. Nice to meet you too." She mumbled, pressing a soft but half-hearted peck to her cheek. "I just...I didn't even know that you and Indiya had broken up."

"Yeah, well. That's kind of what happens when you disappear for three years. Life goes on, whether you're there or not." Reid snickered before continuing, "Wait, how did you even know about today? And how did you know where we would be?"

The older woman lifted her phone in the air, showing Ria's Instagram story post, which showcased the interior of the hall with the caption, big bro's engagement party. She sighed, "It's at the point that I find out about my son's life through social media. It's easier than having my phone calls rejected, right, Reid?"

Reid shook his head before turning on his heel, "thanks for ruining our day. Ruining our lives wasn't enough clearly," he mumbled under his breath as he rushed towards the garden. In his haste, he collided with one of the waiter's, causing the tray in his hand which was equipped with empty wine glasses to tumble down loudly, the shattered glass now lying splayed across the dance floor.

"Reid, wait," Lydia hurried after the boy, "it's okay, it's not ruined."

"Don't follow me, Lydia." He said harshly before noticing his harsh tone, "I mean, just give me a minute, please." He called out over his shoulder, leaving his fiance feeling humiliated. The blonde girl inhaled a shaky breath before plastering a smile onto her face and returning to Sihem and her relatives.

"I'm so so sorry about all this," Ria murmured to the waiter who was bent down, collecting the broken shards of glass, "Let me help you, please."

"I'll help, too." Ria heard Blaine whisper beside her.

"No, Blaine, can you go and check on Reid, please?"

"But he wants to be on his own," Blaine argued.

"Please, Blaine. He looked angry. Just check on him. We need to fix this mess." She responded, her eyes fixed on the ground.

"Okay. Be careful, don't cut yourself." He murmured, his slender fingers running over the back of her hand before he stood up and strolled into the garden.

He noticed the sky was ablaze with the fire of the descending sun as nightfall hit, reflecting the chaos inside. Blaine could feel the harsh evening wind whipping his scalp, leaving his hair tousled.

"Reid?" He called out, "Reid, where are you?" He repeated, louder this time.

"I'm here." A soft murmur was heard from below him. He glanced down and saw Reid sprawled out on the grass, left leg bent to his chest, as he ripped out chunks of grass from below him mindlessly.

"Mother nature will be fuming at you," he gestured at Reid's hands ripping the grass, "I think you've already got enough women out for your blood." He joked, kneeling beside his friend, "Sihem means well, you know. She cares."

"No, she doesn't."

"She's your mum. She'd do anything for you. Give her a chance." Blaine encouraged.

"You sound just like Ria," Reid chuckled ruefully.

"Hey," Blaine playfully punched his friend's arm, "don't go insulting me like that." He joked, but he couldn't hide the faint smile that tugged at the corner of his lips at the mention of Ria's name.

"I don't know how she can forgive her so easily and defend her all the time. It doesn't matter that she left, found a new family, and forgot about her real one. And she did that all within weeks of dad being killed. She tarnished his memory."

Blaine felt his mouth run dry at Reid's final words. Reid sensed his best friend tense up beside him, "I'm sorry for bringing it up. I know we agreed not to speak about it again."

Blaine nodded slowly before gulping, "maybe Ria's just more forgiving than you? I mean with your mum and everything."

"Ria?" He chortled, "forgiving? No fucking way."

Blaine clenched his jaw, realising the weight of Reid's words. He was glad it was dark out, so his friend couldn't quite see the harrowing expression on Blaine's face.

"You know, you and Ria are the only people I can actually rely on." Reid blurted out unexpectedly.

Blaine kept his eyes on what little of the grass he could visualise in front of him, scratching the back of his neck, "That's... that's not true. You've got Lydia, too." He knew he was betraying his friend's trust, but he also knew he was in too deep with Ria to call it quits now.

"Yeah. I suppose so." He said hesitantly.

Just as Reid had uttered the words, Lydia stormed through the sliding doors separating the venue from the patio, "what the fuck is the matter with you, Reid?" She all but snarled.

"What have I done now?" He asked, holding his hands out in question.

She laughed humourlessly, "Are you kidding me? The way you spoke to Sihem in there. It was disgusting. Can you imagine what my family thinks right now?! He can't even respect his own mother. How will he respect his wife?"

"Oh, come on. That's not fair." Reid retaliated, "It's hardly the same thing, and you know it."

"No," Lydia bit back, "She's still your mother. You didn't even tell her about me. How humiliated do you think I felt when she came in asking for Indiya? Did you see the disappointment on her face when she saw me? Don't you care about how that made me feel?!"

"Lyd, can we not do this now, please?"

"It's already happening now!" She spat out, her eyes brimming with the tears she'd tried so hard to restrain.

"Okay, I think I'm going to go now," Blaine whispered, inching towards the door slowly. His words thankfully fell on the deaf ears of the squabbling couple.

He pinched the bridge of his nose as he entered the venue again, silently praying that the night would end soon. Instead, he was met with hysterical yelling, which seemed to arise from a gathering on the dance floor.

As he shoved his way through the crowd, he swore to himself, "what the hell is going on here?"

"Mama, leave it. Please!" Ria was tugging at Sihem's sleeve, attempting to haul the woman away.

"No, Ria! Did you hear what she said? Nobody speaks about my son like that!" Sihem screamed out.

"Sihem, please don't stoop to her level. This isn't right. Let's not do this now!" Indiya muttered into her ear, pulling her back. Besides her, Hazel was also half-heartedly trying to break up the fight while recording the events on her iPhone.

"I only said what everyone is thinking! Reid doesn't deserve Lydia. There I said it!" The strawberry-blonde older woman screeched; the woman that Ria had met on one prior occasion and knew to be Lydia's mother, Maya.

"How dare you? My Reid is a good boy. I raised him right."

Maya sniggered in response, "You shacked up with the first man that would have you one month after your husband died. That's why he left her," she pointed at a shocked Indiya, "and seduced my daughter within a month. The rotten apple didn't fall far from the tree, did it?"

Sihem released an audible gasp as she picked up a stray glass of wine from a forgotten table nearby, preparing to drench Maya in the contents. However, Ria hurried to pull Maya away in a desperate attempt to improve relations, the wine consequently splashing Ria in the face instead.

"Oh my god, Ria." Sihem clapped her hands to her mouth, "I'm so sorry. I didn't know you were going to move!" She grabbed a tissue stock and dabbed it across her daughter's face and hair. Maya also rushed toward Ria, apologising to the young girl for her actions.

"Stop it." Ria said quietly, and then realising nobody was listening to her, she shrieked, "stop it, all of you! Get off me. I'm soaking wet right now because you guys decided to act like children. This was supposed to be Reid and Lydia's day, and whatever negative thoughts you had toward either of them, this wasn't the time or the place for you to air it. They want to get married whether we like it or not. So, maybe it would be good to remember your kid's wishes before you decide to start acting out a geriatric version of mean girls." She removed a bundle of tissues that had somehow travelled into her bust region as she rushed to the bathroom stalls.

She stood in front of the mirror, her hair frizzing at the end due to the alcoholic contents within her mane. She noticed how the liquor had seeped through the satin fabric of her dress, the resultant moistness causing her nipples to harden and poke through the clothing. She crossed her arms over her chest self-consciously, praying to herself that nobody had noticed.

She grabbed a hair dryer and plugged it in, running it over her breasts to dry the dress before using it on her hair. She heard the creaks of the door panels as they swung open and let out a breath of relief as an equally tired Blaine appeared.

"I know you're not the best reader, but this is the female toilet." She weakly joked as he stood behind her. "Today was shit." She sighed.

"Very shit." He agreed, his arms wrapping around her waist as he planted a gentle kiss against her exposed shoulder.

"Anyone could walk in," She glanced at the door, but even as she mumbled the words, she did not attempt to remove herself from his embrace.

"I say we end the day with a bang." He chuckled against her skin, "Best man shacking up with the groom's sister. I'm sure it'll give them a lot to talk about." He continued to pepper kisses up her neck and earlobe as he spoke, gaining a few giggles from the girl.

"Don't even joke about that." She whimpered, arching her neck further to the side to allow further ease of access. She finally forced him away from her, mustering up all her strength to do so, "not here, Blaine."

"Okay." He agreed, "but really, this family puts the 'D' in dysfunctional." He continued, "remind me never to marry in, eh?" He pulled the forgotten hair dryer from her hands, "do you want me to get the back of your hair?"

She nodded, "I look a right state, don't I?" She felt her lower lip quiver as he ran his hand over exposed skin around her shoulders.

"You do."

"Blaine?!" She hissed at him, "You're not supposed to say agree with a girl when she says that."

"You're not any girl, Ria." He murmured, the tips of his fingers grazing her forearm, before he swivelled her around to face him, "you don't need a man to tell you that you're the most beautiful woman in the room, even though you are. Dishevelled or not."

"Blaine." She whispered as she gazed up into the grey of a settling sky that were his grey orbs. The collection of silver hues swimming in concentric waves; so electric and alive with excitement for what was to come.

"Can I get a kiss?" He suddenly asked, breaking her trance-like state.

"Okay. Maybe just one." She bit her lip, her hands finding their way back into his mane as their lips reunited for a brief millisecond.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Indiya voice reverberated through the room as she stood at the door, holding the door closed behind her.

Ria jumped at the sound of her voice.

"Nothing." Blaine murmured, "nothing. I was...I was just helping her dry off. She was wet."

"With your mouth?" Indiya quizzed, her eyebrows furrowed as she gaped up at him.

"I can't do this right now. I'm sorry." Ria said before dashing out of the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

"What are you doing, Blaine?" Indiya hissed. "I always knew you...This can't happen. You and Ria can't happen."

"It was just one kiss, okay? Don't make it a bigger deal than it is," Blaine muttered, reaching for the door as Indiya manoeuvred in front of him, blocking his exit.

"No. You guys looked very comfortable with one another, almost like it wasn't the first kiss. Because it wasn't, was it, Blaine?" She repeated the words, jabbing an accusatory finger towards him.

He didn't answer.

"You know the truth always comes out. And it will come out. Ria will find out what happened to Rayhan and what we did. She'll hate us. She'll hate you."

"What I did." He corrected her, "What I did." He repeated, with an emphasis on the word 'I'. "Remember what we agreed."

"Right." She nodded, "if Sihem or Reid find out about you and Ria...."

"There is no me and Ria, okay? It was just a kiss. She was upset. I was comforting her. It won't happen again." He lied through pursed lips.

"Fine. But make sure it doesn't happen again." Indiya said firmly. "You should stay away from her."

—————————————
Authors Note:
So just a quick note, I changed the name of the title from Fine lines to Under My Skin. What d you guys think? And what do you think of the new cover?
So a lot happened in the chapter! What do we think about Reid and Ria's mother, Sihem? Is she as bad as Reid thinks or is there more than meets the eye?

Will Lydia and Reid get married?

And, what do we think of Ria and Blaine's growing relationship? And any thoughts on Indiya and Blaine's interaction at the end?

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, please vote and comment <3