OVER THE RED (Book 1 of The Red Series)

Chapter 66 - Lost in Love

Author's POV

The tension is real when Harry meets Francine's father, Lawrence. The two haven't seen each other since Lara was hospitalized a year ago. Harry tries to be polite by spreading his smile, but Lawrence doesn't seem to be a fan of it. The picture of Oliver and Courtney in the background is not a help for Harry to begin a conversation with Lawrence. Though Janine, Lawrence's wife asks him to be kind to Harry, Lawrence's dark times of losing his only daughter keep clouding his mind.

Lawrence ends up walking away from Harry while Janine is asking for his understanding about her husband's behavior. Harry returns Janine's smile and Courtney's side hug is slightly comforting his mixed feelings.

"He'll come around!" Oliver tries to cheer him up.

"I hope so."

"I am sure he will." Courtney assures Harry.

"He didn't tell you to go to hell, did he?" Lara who saw the cold war between her dad and her granddad comes to comfort Harry.

"No, sweetheart." Harry shakes his head.

"I am sorry." She apologizes on behalf of her grandfather.

On the other hand, Kyle can't stop looking at his bride to be who sits just a few tables away from him. He needs her attention, but he also knows that Harry needs her right now.

"She is rich!" Josh is sipping his drink.

"She didn't look that rich at all before." Hayley adds.

"Yeah, she said be rich. Don't look rich!" Kyle reminisces Lara's word in his head.

"That's why we're poor, baby!" Hayley is being sarcastic.

"We're broke and still shopping?" Josh is feeding into the sarcasm.

The trio laugh together and attract the attention of the people who are appalled by their horrifying loud laughter. They don't seem care about their behavior at all and just keep on laughing. As the new song play in the background, Kyle could see that his future groomsman is stealing away his bride to be from her father.

"It's your song!" Keith refers to Your My Everything by Santa Esmeralda which is playing in the background.

Harry chuckles, "Go dance with the groomsman!"

Lara nods to her dad and follows Keith's lead arm in arm. When she's about to walk by Kyle's table, she shrugs her shoulders with a little smile on her face. A nervous smile. Kyle gives her his unwilling permission with a forced smile.

Once they hit the dance floor, Keith wraps his hand around Lara's waist and gives the other to hold her hand.

"I can't believe that we're still here." Lara shakes her head.

"What do you mean?" Keith chuckles.

"This party has been going on for more than an hour and people are still here. We ARE still here."

"You want them to be gone? I could play a metal music to send them away." Keith offers her a solution.

Lara laughs along with Keith, "Oh, Patrick is going to kill the both of us."

"We could be ghosts here and haunt people. It's  gonna be so cool." Keith tells a joke.

"That's not a bad idea." Lara is feeding into it.

"Red?"

"Hmm?"

"Why some people in Herefordshire didn't get you engagement presents and came to the party empty handed?" He starts to wonder about the presents.