We broke apart as Dante came up behind us. He clapped Luc on the shoulder and gave me a wink. "You look beautiful," he told me.
Luc scowled. "You better keep your eyes in your head."
"Are we heading in or hanging out here all night?" Dante asked, ignoring Luc's thinly veiled threat.
I looped my arm through Luc's and the three of us walked into the house. We were directed through to the ballroom where people milled around, and the hum of chatter was loud. Luc took his arm from me and placed it around my waist, keeping me close to his side.
"Wow," I breathed.
My eyes grew large as I took in the room. The room itself was large and ornate but the tables had been set out for dinner covered in fresh flowers and the lighting was dim with a purple hue. A band at the far end of the room played music that drifted across the vast space.
"This is..." I searched for a word.
"A bit much," Dante chimed in.
"Are you surprised?" Luc asked me.
They were a family of people who had money and liked to show it off. I shouldn’t have expected anything more than a party that could rival those in Hollywood blockbusters. It was just difficult at times to remind myself that this wasn’t a movie, this was my reality.
We mingled throughout the night. Luc tentatively introduced me to a few people and watched how I answered their questions with a smile. As Luc had thought, I gelled well with Emilio and Carmen Diaz. He was a stoic figure but Carmen, heavily pregnant, glowed with warmth and I felt like maybe I wouldn’t need to change in order to fit in.
"I'll be right back," I said as the couple left us.
"Woah, where do you think you're going?" Luc asked.
"I'm popping to the bathroom."
"Okay, I'll come with you."
"Luc," I said. "I'll be fine. Everyone seems nice enough." The nerves had left me now I had spoken to a few people.
Luc hesitated and then sighed. "Fine but then you are stuck to me like glue for the rest of the night, understand?"
I reached up and kissed his cheek. "I'll be right back."
Walking out of the ballroom and into the foyer, I took a deep breath. Tonight, hadn't been half as bad as I thought it would be. I’d spoken to many people who I’d now forgotten the names of, but they'd all seemed pleasant. All of them seemed pleased to see Luc had turned up to a social event.
"Taking a breather?"
I looked up to see a man with platinum blonde hair stood there watching me.
"It's a lot," I commented.
"I agree, but my sister and mother love it so we suffer for them," he said, walking towards me. "Gabriel Moretti." He held out his hand and kissed the back of mine when I gave it to him.
"Mia Griffin," I introduced myself.
"Mia," Gabe said, quirking an eyebrow. "So, you're the one who's been causing the trouble."
My mouth opened and closed as I tried to figure out what to say.
"I'm joking," Gabe told me with a half-smile. "I should be thanking you. It's been a while since Luc's come down to our neck of the woods. That and the fact no one's particularly sad to see Bianchi gone."
I nodded at him. I wasn't sure it was the brightest idea to be standing around talking to a Moretti without Luc’s guidance. "Um, any chance you could point me towards the bathroom?"
"I'll show you." Gabriel led me towards the stairs, and I walked with him. "Have you seen my father yet? He's eager to meet you."
"I've heard," I said, chewing on my bottom lip. “But I haven’t had the pleasure.”
