I'll Be Thinking of You

Chapter Two: Engagement Party

“Gracias again for doing this,” Connor Baro said as he looked at his two best friends, he knew that he couldn’t do this without them especially after two of his waiters cancelled at the last moment.

Meena nodded her head as she looked down at the black wrap pencil dress in crepe paired with black high heels; it was the uniform that she had been given and she felt a little out of place in the fancy venue.

Connor was catering an engagement party for some model and her fiancé, he was nervous enough as it was and now he had his best friends with him it made him a little more relaxed.

Meena messed with her double heart necklace as she listened to Connor explain the appetisers that they would be carrying around at the start of the meal; she couldn’t help but pray that she wouldn’t trip or dump the food over someone.

“Don’t worry hermano,” Neil Lopez said as he patted Connor on the back and grinned at him, he had come straight from classes at the local university to help out his friend.

The trio had planned to celebrate Meena’s new job but that would have to wait now since Connor was catering this engagement party which would help pay the rent on their three bedroom apartment.

Connor took a shaky breath as he nodded his head, he knew that he could do this but he couldn’t help but feel nervous; this was the engagement party of Víctor Valdés and Yolanda Cardona.

This could mean big things for his small bakery if he did well tonight and his girlfriend was going to be so proud of him.

“Okay Meena you are serving prosciutto-wrapped chicken stuffed with dried cherries,” Connor said as he picked up a tray and handed it to the brunette, he smiled at her as she nodded knowing that she had better remember what she was serving in case someone asked her.

***

“Doesn’t this place look tacky,” Bruna Marquezine whispered to her boyfriend of six months, her brown eyes darting around as she took in the decorated room with a wrinkled nose.

Neymar rolled his eyes as he wrapped an arm around her wondering why he’d brought her to this party, he had been all set to come with a couple of friends from the club but Bruna had insisted on coming with him.

Neymar was growing steadily tired of her clinging to him and the constant calls demanding to know what he was doing and who with.

“I think it looks nice,” Neymar mused as he looked around, he ignored the look that his girlfriend shot him as he spotted several of his friends; he nodded at them as he walked with Bruna.

The footballer wasn’t sure what to do at this thing but he figured finding Víctor and Yolanda would be a good start; it was their engagement party after all.

Bruna followed after her boyfriend as she spotted Víctor and a very pregnant Yolanda chatting with Lionel and his girlfriend; she was still amazed at how friendly the other women were to her.

“Would you like an appetiser?” said a voice making Neymar turn quickly at the Portuguese accent, he was a little surprised to hear it after having adjusted to the Spanish and Catalonian that now surrounded him.

Bruna wrinkled her nose as she stared down at the food that she was being offered by the waitress; she pursed her lips as she eyed the woman before her.

“What is it?” Bruna asked as she looked at the woman as she resisted the urge to poke the food that was being offered it didn’t even look nice.

“Prosciutto-wrapped chicken stuffed with dried cherries,” Meena replied as she looked at the woman before her, she hadn’t long come out of the kitchen but she was already annoyed with most of the women here.

They were all being picky about the food and the brunette knew they all ate better than she did right now, the three barely covered their rent right now and often just lived on take-out when they had the chance.

“I’ll have one,” Neymar said as he eyed the appetiser a little hungrily, Bruna hadn’t allowed him to eat before they had come because she had told him it was rude.

The footballer had been forced to watch her try on fifteen dresses before they had left the house in the first dress that she had tried on.

Meena nodded her head as she offered the tray to Neymar, she was a little surprised to ruin into two Brazilians but from what Connor had told her this was going to be a big party.

Bruna pursed her lips annoyed as her boyfriend helped himself to the appetiser that was being offered; she really didn’t know how he could filth like that.

“Obrigado,” Neymar said as he nodded at the waitress, he had to admit that he wasn’t sure what to expect when he had been invited but he was glad that he had come now; his girlfriend was driving him insane when they were alone.

***

Bruna pursed her lips as she watched her boyfriend as he chatted with his friends, she crossed her arms annoyed knowing she was going to have to keep him on a shorter lead if she wanted to keep him.

Things had been different when Neymar had played for Santos and she could see him all of the time but now that he lived in Barcelona, things weren’t so easy.

Bruna was sorely disappointed when her boyfriend had transferred to the club even if it did mean that everyone suddenly knew who she was because they were dating.

The actress had seen a boost in work because she was dating Neymar and she wasn’t going to allow anything to ruin her chances with him.

“Is there anything you would like madam?” Meena asked as she collected a couple of empty glasses from the table that Bruna was sat at.

Meena had already told Connor that she hoped he was getting paid a lot of money for this job since her feet were killing her and she’d had enough of the prissy attitude that she’d been getting from a couple of the women in the room.

“Não,” Bruna snapped as she glared at Meena, she didn’t even care that she was being rude only that the woman was pretty and could possibly turn Neymar’s attention away from her.

The actress was used to driving women away from her boyfriend and she was sure that she could one day hopefully get a ring on her finger; it would do her some good to become a footballer’s wife.

“Okay, I was only asking,” Meena said as she finished up collecting and walked away, she wasn’t in the mood to deal with snappy people.

The brunette felt exhausted after her interview that day and she hoped the people that she was working for were a lot more polite than those she had been serving tonight.

Meena had been up since early before she had gone to meet Nadine to sign her contract and get a couple of important things; now she was serving a lot of rich people who made more in a week than she could ever make in a year.

“You so owe me,” Meena said as she stepped into the kitchen and looked at Connor as he tidied up, the night was coming to an end and everyone would be going home soon leaving the staff to the clean-up.

Connor offered Meena a nervous smile knowing that he would do something nice for her when he had the chance to; they had been friends for years and she was like a sister to him.