The Sharpest Lives Ch. 07

"Oh my God," I almost whispered. "It's so pretty, I don't know what to say..."

"It used to fit me when I was a bit.. full figured. Before Sophia was born," she said, looking at it wistfully.

"Sophia?" I asked, confused.

"Oh- that's Bambi- Sophia, actually- she loved the character so much when she was a little girl, she made us all call her Bambi all the time and the name just stuck." She laughed, and I smiled with her, suddenly feeling lighter and happier than I was a while ago.

"Thank you, really, but, I think I should go-"

"Oh no, no. You're staying for lunch, I can't let you go like this," she said, her eyes widening in surprise. "It's only going to be an hour or more, and I'll send you back with the chauffeur, sweetie, don't worry about that."

She stepped forward to hold it against my back. "Hmm, this is good, good... Just come to me after a while, it's a bit difficult to zip up, so I'll zip it up for you.. And I have some pearl earrings that will go great with this..."

Are you an idiot? whispered the voice in my head. Aren't you wondering why she's doing this?

"Umm, this is a pretty fancy dress for a simple lunch," I said warily. I was afraid she might take my comment in a wrong way.

"Oh, no, no, this is fine. You don't like it?" she asked suddenly, and I felt her fingers clasp my shoulders.

"No!" I almost yelled, then I started blabbering. "It's beautiful, I mean, gosh, you are so kind to lend me such a nice dress only for lunch, it's just too much, I mean I've hardly met you..."

"Oh, darling, don't worry about that!" she chirped, and let go of me. "Just come down once you're ready, alright?" She looked at me, her eyes meeting mine

-she's hiding something-

and smiled, handing the dress to me. She then turned and walked away, stopping for one last look at me before she shut the door behind her.

Well, there's is only one real way to deal with situations like these...

I took my time getting ready, although there wasn't much for me to do. I was hoping somehow Liam's mom would come in again to see why I was so late, and maybe then I could ask some questions.

The zip was pretty long, and the dress was a bit too snug for me, so it did need a second person to help out. I bent over, this way and that, struggling with it when the door opened.

"Now if I saw this every time I opened my door, I might stay home more often," I heard Liam say.

I quickly turned, realizing my whole back was probably exposed.

"I've already seen all of you," he said, approaching me.

For some reason I head a reverb of his words in my head a split second before he actually said it.

He slipped a cold hand down my back, to grasp my butt. Another fist slid in front of my stomach, grinding me against him softly.

"Just help me with this," I said, shaking him off.

"Alright, alright," he said, as he released me. He zipped up the dress, then moved my hair aside to a shoulder.

"This color suits you. It contrasts so well against your skin tone," said Liam, as he poked a finger through the lacework, feeling my skin.

I remembered him moving my hair aside just like that, a few hours ago, and I shuddered. I tried to move away, but he held his fist in front of me again, and I glanced at him questioningly, afraid...

"Here you go," he said, opening his fist.

On his palm were a pair of pale teardrop-shaped pearl earrings, with delicate silver work.

"Oh my God," I whispered. "This is too much.."

It was as though I was being prepared for a special occasion...

"Is someone coming over for lunch?" I asked.

"Yes. My cousins are. And you have to stay."

"You were just telling me to leave a while ago."

"Didn't realize they were coming a while ago."

"That's a lie," I said, now turning to face him.

He stared back at me, as though trying to read in my eyes how I arrived to that conclusion.

"You accuse me of lying, again?" he asked, his voice sharp.

Inside, I felt my bones quake at the iciness of his rebuke. "Yes," I said, making my tone as cold as his.

A moment passed, and he burst out laughing. "It's getting harder day by day to argue with you," he said, pushing his forehead against mine.

"We wouldn't be arguing if you just straight up explained everything!"

"Things are not that simple, little rabbit..." he trailed off, but now I came up to block him.

"Just stay for this, alright?" he said finally. "Trust me on this."

"I've trusted you blindly," I replied, and I just could not take out the tinge of regret in my voice.

He handed me the earrings. I took them.

*

A/N: Born to Die- Lana del Ray. Again, the Absence remix sounds much better to me than the original.