Cynthia's POV
I smiled while staring at myself in the full length mirror in my walk-in closet. I ran my hands down my waist, smoothening the red dress that I was wearing, which reached just a little above my knees, with a beautiful sweetheart neckline. I left my hair open, with no make up but just a bit of lipstick.
"I hope he likes it" I mumbled to myself while fixing a hair strand with my fingers before jumping up, a little startled, hearing a whistle from behind.
"He won't just like it, he'll love it" Bethany said with a wink as I turned around to look at her.
I rolled my eyes at her, trying to mask the blush on my face and play it cool.
"I wasn't even talking about Damien" I said, shaking my head before turning around and looking at myself again.
"And I didn't even mention his name, now did I? Who said I was talking about him?" She questioned with a teasing grin plastered on her face as I bit my tongue, closing my eyes.
Cynthia! You can be so stupid sometimes!
"Oh my God! Look at you! You are blushing just at the mention of his name" Bethany teased as I just shook my head at her, fighting back a smile threatening to spread across my lips.
"You really like him, don't you?" She asked with a serious face on but yet with a genuine smile on her face as we walked out and headed downstairs.
"What do you think?" I asked back with sheepish grin on my face.
"Well, if you ask me..." She took a dramatic pause.
"I feel like you don't just like him" She continued as we stopped at the beginning of the stairs. I looked at her with a frown on my face, confused.
"I feel like you have fallen for him" She added as all I did was stare at her, speechless and dumbfounded.
I really couldn't form any response to her blunt statement and thank heavens that our conversation was interrupted by my other friends who were already waiting for us downstairs.
"Hey! Cyn! Beth! Enough of the gossip" Madison yelled.
"Yeah, come on down already, we've been waiting for ages" Came Sean's voice.
"I don't see Damien anywhere, Beth" I mumbled, a bit concerned.
"You sure he accepted your invitation?" Bethany asked, as we walked down the stairs.
"Of course, he said he would be here" I replied, rolling my eyes at her.
"Oh I was just making sure, I mean he really doesn't seem like a 'people' kinda guy...it's almost like he hates being surrounded by people at all..." She paused.
"The only person that I've seen him happy around is you" She continued as I couldn't help but smile as her words sinked into my head.
"You look beautiful, my princess" My father complimented as soon as I walked into the living room.
I smiled walking behind the couch that he was sitting on and placed a kiss on his cheek.
"Thank you, Paa"
"And you look as handsome as always" I added before greeting my father's best friend, uncle Mack and his wife, aunt Lucy, who are also, by the way, Bethany's parents.
"Where's Charlie!?" I asked, excited.
"Oh, sweetheart, he said that he wouldn't be able to make it home this Christmas, he has a lot of pending college assignments" Aunt Lucy replied.
"Oh. Okay" I mumbled.
Charlie is Bethany's elder brother, four years older than us and he's a really funny and entertaining guy to be around, he has always been like a brother to me. He's off to college, he comes around only on Christmas holidays and it kinda makes me sad that he couldn't make it home this year.
As everybody sat chitchatting in the living area, I was completely zoned out of their conversation, I couldn't help but wonder where Damien was?
My eyes kept lingering at the door and by each passing minute, I found myself sulking even more so than ever, like seriously I have never been in such a gloomy mood on our family's Christmas dinner...ever...it's always about happiness and togetherness, but tonight I just can't help myself. Just the thought alone that somehow Damien wouldn't be able to make it tonight is putting me in a mood.
"Come on, kids, let's go, have dinner" My mother said.
"Yeah! I've been waiting for you to say that, Mrs. Miller, I absolutely love your Indian feast on every Christmas dinner" Steve said and he was the first to get off his ass.
Are we really moving to the dining room?
Damien is not even here yet!
My mother passed him her usual sweet, warm smile before getting off the couch herself but she couldn't as my father held her wrist, stopping her.
"Come on, baby, we are having some important conversation over here, dinner can wait" My father said and I couldn't help but smile, the four of them were talking something about going on a world tour.
"Edward, darling, I don't think we are old enough to just leave everything behind and go on a world tour yet" My mother replied.
"Who's gonna handle your business? Baby" She added.
"But wait, I think maybe you are old enough to go on a world tour perhaps" She teased, obviously implying that he was old and she wasn't, before getting off her place and trying to make her way to the kitchen. Key word: trying, because she couldn't as my father pulled her back and she landed on his lap as the boys in the room whistled at that move as if they were really proud of my father.
I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the boys.
Typical boys!
"Is that really what you think so?" My father asked, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Maybe I should show you how not old I am" He added teasingly.
"Eww! Paa! That's enough PDA, we don't need to see anymore" I said, making a fake cringe face.
"Yeah, seriously guys, get a room!" Chase commented making face as well.
"Edward! Let go off me! Your kids are sitting in the very same room, have some shame!" My mother's face turned crimson red as she slapped my father's arms away playfully and got off his lap and he let her go this time.
My mother instantly vanished into the kitchen, trying to hide away from everybody's eyes but when she returned a moment later, to call everybody for dinner I guess, she probably noticed the sadness in my eyes and asked "Hey! Sweetheart, what's wrong? You seem sad"
I smiled at the hint of concern in her voice, of course she can see right through my lies and my fake smiles.
"Nothing, Mum, it's just..." I trailed off, not knowing what to tell her.
"She's probably sad because Damien isn't here yet" Bethany said walking upto us. My eyes widen in surprise and I glared at her.
"Who's Damien?" My mother frowned and I gave Bethany a look which said 'answer her now'.
"Oh I don't mind telling her, it's you that might have a problem with it" Bethany said with a stupid grin plastered on her face.
"So should I?" She asked teasingly.
"Oh maybe I should" She added answering her own question before I could even react.
"He's a friend, Mum" I said quickly before Bethany could say anything.
"A friend? I know all your friends, but I have never even heard that name before" My mother replied and I had a feeling that she saw right through my lie.
"That's because he's a new friend of mine, Mum and you've heard it now...his name is Damien and I have invited him to dinner" I explained.
"I hope you don't mind" I added, hesitantly.
"Oh. Not at all, my child, any friend of yours is always welcome" She replied, placing her hand on my cheek and patting it gently.
"But why isn't he here yet?" She asked and I just fidgeted with my fingers as I had no answer to that.
"I think I'll just give him a call and ask him where he is" I replied before grabbing my phone.
"Hey!" I heard his familiar, deep voice just when I was about to dial his number and a wide smile instantly curved up the corners of my lips.
My eyes roamed up and down his figure, taking in his appearance. He was dress in a plain white shirt, with his sleeves folded upto his elbows, flaunting his perfectly strong arms, and black formal pants, looking as handsome as ever.
"You're here" I mumbled subconsciously as he walked towards where my mother, Bethany and I were standing, a few steps away from where everybody else was seated.
"Of course! Why? You thought I wouldn't make it" He replied, flashing me his usual charming smile.
"Wow! That's the first time I'm seeing him smile" Bethany whispered into my ear.
"Of course, his smiles are reserved only for me" I whispered back with a hint of pride in my smile and voice.
"You look beautiful..." He mumbled staring right at me as if there was no other person present in the room except me.
Those mere three words and that intense gaze of his was enough to have my heart racing as he stepped closer, his right hand wrapping around my waist, while his other hand held a bouquet of flowers, and he leaned down and I could tell that he was just about to place a kiss on my lips, so I turned my face to the side in a haste and his lips landed on my cheek instead.
He pulled back and even though he tried to mask it but I could sense that he was confused.
Oh come on, I told my mother that you're a friend not even minutes ago!
"Damien..." I paused.
"This is my mother, Ashima Miller" I introduced.
"Mum, this is Damien, the friend that I was talking about" I added.
"God! I'm so sorry..." Damien apologised for not acknowledging her presence earlier, his face turned a bit red out of embarrassment before he stretched his hand out for a hand shake.
"No. That's completely fine, I can tell your attention was devoted somewhere else" My mother replied and the teasingness in her voice was almost impossible to miss.
"It's really a pleasure meeting you, Mrs. Miller" Damien said politely as they shook hands.
"The pleasure's all mine, Damien. And you can call me Ashima" My mother replied, smiling.
"For you..." Damien said while handing the banquet of red roses to my mother instead.
"Thank you, but as far as I know red rose are my daughter's favorite" My mother pointed out.
"Yeah, even I thought they were for me" I pouted.
"They were actually, but your mother is so beautiful that I changed my mind" Damien replied and I gasped, slapping his arm playfully.
"Yeah, she's actually so beautiful that I'm afraid I might even start to have a crush on her" He added playfully, earning a chuckle from both Bethany and my mother and a playful glare from me.
This is the first time that I'm seeing him so relaxed and playful, I mean not the first time exactly as he's always that way when he's around me, but this has to be the first time that he's letting people see that side of him or else he's always sulking and brooding whenever he's surrounded by a bunch of people.
"Relax, Sin, at least now I know where you get your beautiful genes from" He winked at me.
Damien! Way too blow up the whole 'we are friends' cover right in front of my mother, I slapped my forehead mentally.
"And now you're flirting with both, my wife and my daughter..." My father stepped ahead, interrupting our conversation.
Crap! I had no idea they all were eavesdropping.
"You're entering into dangerous water, young man!" He continued, standing beside my mother, casually placing his arm around her waist.
"I'm sure I have equal contributions to her beautiful genes as well" He added.
"Of course, sir" Damien gave him a slight nod.
"Her father" My father said sternly, stretching his hand out for a hand shake.
Oh come on, Paa, there's no need to go in all 'protective father' mode here, I mentally rolled my eyes.
"Her..." Damien began while shaking hands with my father.
"My friend, Paa" I interrupted him.
"Damien" I added, introducing him and this time when I uttered the word 'friend', Damien could no longer hide the fact that he didn't like the term at all and that he was kinda pissed at me for that.
"Correct. Her friend" He nodded with a tight lipped smile. I guess only I was the one who caught the sarcasm in his voice.
I stared at him with a sigh as he stared right back, the playfulness that his eyes held earlier, long gone now.
"You know what? Man" Sean said, interrupting and breaking our staring contest, his words directed towards Damien, as they walked upto us as well.
"Finally you and I agree on something, she's really beautiful, she's actually a MILF" He added, obviously talking about my mother. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at him while my mother gasped with her eyes widening in absolute shock as she mumbled "Kids these days" with a slight shake to her head.
"Yeah, way to get yourself killed on Christmas, young man" Uncle Mack commented shaking his head at him, as if he knew what was about to happen, while walking past us towards the dining room along with his wife but not before nodding at my father and patting his shoulder lightly while chuckling.
"What the fuck did you just say!?" My father grabbed Sean by the back of his neck and he looked as if he just shit his pants. I chuckled before moving to stand beside Damien as we all watched the scene before our eyes as if it was some interesting movie.
"Wanna repeat that?" He added as Sean shook his head vigorously before he finally found his voice again.
"No. Definitely not. Never, sir. I'm sorry"
"Edward! Stop scaring the kids" My mother exclaimed while dragging her husband along with her, leaving us alone.
"Hey! Don't you ever fucking dare talk about the women of my family in that way!" Chase warned, shooting daggers at Sean, before walking past him, purposely bumping into his shoulder.
And to think that Chase is younger than Sean! I shook my head at the thought.
"What was it that you were saying? Sean" I asked playfully, laughing at his face.
"Yeah, what was it? Sean" Steve asked, chuckling.
"Wanna repeat that?" He added, teasingly while trying to imitate my father's deep and masculine voice.
"Yeah, I was just saying that the Miller men definitely lack sense of humor" Sean replied before they all moved to the dining area as well.
"I mean, come on, they can't even take one silly joke" I heard Sean complain as they walked away.
"Dude, let's be real, you weren't joking" Steve replied to which Sean gasped and said.
"Keep your voice low, will you? Steve! Trying to get me killed? Man"
I just chuckled, shaking my head at my idiotic friends.
"Your father and brother are really something" Damien said, almost as if he was impressed. Well, at least that helped him getting over his earlier sulking and brooding mood.
"Yeah" I mumbled, nodding my head.
"And you haven't even met Austin yet" I said before I could stop myself.
"Austin? The same Austin you told me about when you were stuck in the library?" He asked as I stared at him for a moment, surprised, before asking "You remember that?"
"Yeah. Of course. You just couldn't stop blabbering that night after all, just like always" He replied, earning a sheepish smile from me.
"Yeah, the same Austin" I nodded.
"Who is he again?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
"My elder brother" I gave out a short reply and the frown lines gracing his forehead vanished instantly and he visibly relaxed, which made me wonder what was he thinking about a moment ago that got him all tensed up?
"You never told me about him" He said.
"Yeah..." I stretched the word.
"I'll tell you all about him, but later, now come on, let's have dinner...I'm starving" I continued, taking his hand in mine.
•••
Hey!
I didn't wish to stop this chapter here, I planned on leaving you guys on a nice cliffhanger ;)
But this chapter would have gotten a bit too long, which is why I had to stop here.
Anyways,
Please vote, comment and share.
Until next time.
Love,
Crystal ❤️