We have 20 minutes left to leave for the charity event. I am still taking my time to dress up, well most of the time that's going is as a result of straightening my hair.
One more part and that will be it, I finish it up and stand in front of the full mirror in a strapless Fenty bodysuit. The outfit I'm going with today is a white slip dress with a birth of venus underbust corset paired with my YSL Opyum sandals and a mini Dior saddlebag. I have my usual Tiffany T medium smile pendant on, I had gotten it this summer as a treat to myself.
This is an event for the wealthiest people around Miami and other cities, I have to look my best, and also as a child of Liam and Ava Harris I'm always in the spotlight at these events.
"Grace Harris hurry up" my mom shouts from down the stairs, and Martha is hundred percent coming to tell me to hurry up too.
A knock comes through on my door, "Ms. Grace your mother is calling on you" on special occasions like this, Martha usually adds Ms. to my name, she told me because it builds my confidence. She knows me too well and I love it.
"I'll be down soon, please tell my mom we still have some time on our hands" she moves away from the door to return the message to my mom.
I grab my bag and leave the room, calmly shutting the door and going down the stairs. "Hello to you too mom," I say sarcastically, giving her a tight smile.
"Grace are we ready because it's time to leave" she ignores me,
"Yes mom I'm ready" my makeup is perfectly fine, "mom does this nude lipstick look good on me," I ask her facing the mirror that is kept in the hallway leading to the front door.
"Let me see" she examines it, "it's a nice shade on you"
"Okay you two, Louis is outside waiting"
"We are ready" mom and I reply as we walk towards him.
The drive wasn't long because we stayed close to Miami Beach and that was where this event is being hosted. A yacht party that's what it is, to showcase and sell their luxury yachts.
Louis drops us at the entrance of the event, "thank you Louis" I wave at him once we all get down from the car.
We all walked inside and my mom had already been spotted by this group of women she always tries to stay away from. "Oh Lord here they come" she turns around to face me while hiding her face. A ringtone alerts us and it was mom's, "Thank God, hey Lucacey, where are you?" she walks off using the phone call as an excuse to avoid the ladies.
My dad walks away to find his friends and I'm left alone to search for Cindy in this massive group of people that dress and look alike. At least she's Asain so I don't have to look through twenty white blondes to find my best friend. I texted her to meet me outside the clubhouse where the main event is happening.
I'm blocked by someone, the shoes and pants look so similar that I have only one person in mind.
"Louis" my tone sounds bored, it's clear.
"Grace Harris" he folds his hand and looks down at me. With my 5 feet 7 inches self, I'm still considered short while standing in front of him.
"Do I have to remind you again not to say my last name" "again" I added sternly.
"Yeah that's not ending anytime soon" a smug stretched on his face
"Where is that little handbag that you call a boyfriend" I hate him, dang.
"Why do you care?" I raise my eyebrows,
He scoffs, "I don't".
"We broke up anyways" I twirl my hair while avoiding eye contact
"Oh yes, I knew it and you guys would be back together anyways" he laughs.
"No it's' actually for good this time, we've been done since July" why does no one believe it.
"Whatever rocks you guys boat, I could care less" "you look cheap as usual" his eyes roamed down my outfit and it certainly wasn't in an admiring way, more like 'eww'.
"Says the guy wearing a vineyard vines vest to a big event" I throw it back at him.
"You know this is my style and girls fall for it anyways" I rolled my eyes at his last sentence.
Louis and I have known each other since we were kids, there has never been any kind of romantic feelings and will never be for either of us. His relationship with me is like my friendship with Aarington but instead, I loathe him deeply. We met for the first time in elementary during recess, he was mean then like he is now. His first interaction was to push me down and I fell flat face into the sand with my mouth filled with it. I pretty much balled my eyes after the incident, he actually offered to pick me up and led me to the nurse's office. The next time we met was at taekwondo, he offered to be my partner but just kept on making me feel unnecessary pain.
"Louis you could be my driver, shut up" this is no hate for my driver because I love him but sometimes it's nice having to humble him.
"Don't you ever say that again"
"Say what, you could be my driver" I shrug at him
"I fucking hate you," he tells me with clenched teeth
"I return the feeling" a smirk spreads through my lips before we leave to our separate ways.
I walk over to where the pastries are showcased. Macaroons are my favorite type of pastries, I've been obsessed with them since I was 5 on my first trip to Paris.
"I guess I don't need to ask how much you love those" the guy points down at my macaroons.
His voice sounds very familiar, "Aaron, what no way", my arms moved faster than my brain. Before I could register what's going on, he was squished in between my arms.
"I'm sorry about the hug, it probably took you off guard"
He pulls me back in and brings his face down to the level of my ear, "I didn't mind it".
We pulled away and I'm blushing so hard right now I had to put my face down for a second.
"I did not expect to see you here"
"So you were thinking of me" he raises his eyebrows
"What no?" maybe not today but yesterday, yes I was.
My eyes take a look at his whole frame, he's wearing a white shirt, I recognise a label that says it's A.P.C. The shirt is half unbuttoned and it makes him look hot as hell, with his washed blue jeans paired and suede dress shoes.
We begin to walk away from the food tables and to the back door that leads to the main event. The air between us isn't uncomfortable and we engage in small talk. I was meant to meet Cindy here soon, so I'm wondering where she has snuck off to.
"Hey babe" small arms squeeze me tight from behind me, it doesn't take a wizard for me to recognize it was Cindy with her signature Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel. It's her signature scent if it could be her signature on paper if it could be possible.
"What's with everyone and sneaking up on me today?" Aarington comes behind her
I give him a long hug and he desperately pulls me away, "I'm happy to see you too"
God where are my manners, I didn't even introduce him to them, "Umm this is Aarington and Cindy"
"Guys this is Aaron" I introduce them,
"Is this the drunk best friend?" he points at Cindy,
"Yes, the one and only" I confirm it as I hug Cindy so tightly.
"You two have met already?" Aarington looks confused and I explain what happened that night. Aarington takes his hands and shakes him kind of giving each other a death glare but it doesn't last long because all of a sudden they are engulfed in a bro hug. They start talking about some shit, I honestly don't care about.
"You didn't tell me you guys came together?" she whispers to me.
"I had no idea he was going to be here I swear" I promptly tell her
"Anything to do than walk around and take pictures?" we both stare at everything going on around us.
This lady walks in with a guy by her side, "Isn't that Lady DonMatthew?" Cindy notices her.
"Yeah and is that a new guy I see on her arm again?" I swear this lady changes men faster than Cindy and I renovate our wardrobe.
"It's her" I confirm her suspicion, "Wow she even gets men faster than me and I'm a freaking teenager" she groans and I laugh at her frustration.
I see Louis walking up to us and I'm wondering what chaos or drama he wants to cause again. He does look happy as he comes closer, which means he isn't coming to annoy me and that also means, Oh My God 'he likes Cindy??'.
"Hey, whatsup guy" he slaps Aaron on his back. Ohhh? This is confusing, what's going on.
"I'm good bro, how have things been?" he replies. With the way they are interacting, it seems like they've known each other for a long time.
Aarington greets him too, unlike Cindy and I, he likes Louis. I'm grateful that their friendship has not one day brought disaster or threatened ours. Still, I wonder every day what bond they have together or what interests them because they have such different personalities, Louis is more of a preppy stuck-up asshole and Aarington is a sporty respectful douchebag. I think there is something they share now.
"You know this chick?" Is he kidding me right now?, "don't call me that," I say firmly.
"Well yeah she's not a chick but she is my friend" Aaron pulls me closer to his side by my waist. He just rolls his eyes, he does that anytime someone hurts his ego in the slightest way.
"You guys know each other?" Cindy asks them, eyeing Louis thoroughly.
"Yeah he's my right hand," Aaron says proudly, "You guys?" he asks and I nod in shame
"Unfortunately we do" Louis adds on, "What a small world" Aarington has been trying so badly to hold in his laugh throughout this exchange.
I gave an excuse to them so I could leave, pulling Cindy with me. We search around for our parents before I finally find mine and she decides to stay with us.
"Hey mom, anything going on?" I move closer to her, "your dad has something for you, go to him" she seems so excited. Cindy stays back to chat with her.
My dad is standing ahead and talking with someone. I assume it's Maddy's dad, "Mr. Richardson, how are you?" It's been some time since I saw him.
"Very well Gracie, how has school been?", "really amazing so far" I assure him.
I told my dad what my mom said, "yes come this way". He leads me closer to where the yachts are lined up.
He speaks to the man standing by one of them and he opens up the way for us to walk to one of them. We step inside and my dad turns back to me, "This is yours"
"Dad are you very serious or are you a little tipsy?" this is so amazing.
"I'm perfectly fine princess, you and your friends can use it anytime. It's in your name now", I'm still in complete shock. "This is a Riva 110' Dolcevita, I love these"
"We can give toast next week, right now, I need to take your mother out" he swings his arm around me and we walk back out. I call mom to tell her to meet dad at the front door of the club where Louis would be picking them up. "I'll get a ride with Cindy"