The Taste of Silver | Fortune's Fool #2

25 | sharp judgemental gaze

[ s h a r p   j u d g e m e n t a l   g a z e ]

♥ gabriel ♥

ONLY WHEN I sat down in the seat next to Talisa did I realise the stares I was getting from the people sitting at the table. Although it was fair to say that majority was directed at Talisa.

The only person who was still glaring at me was Talisa's uncle, as if he was chaining my hands to the table with each blink. Or lack of blink.

But the very thin veil of civility seemed to be kept if you ignored the clenched fists.

It was highly suspicious how Alec disappeared for five minutes and ten minutes later it was announced that Talisa's grandparent had chosen to rest for the night and have dinner privately served.

As most things beginning with Talisa, the first ripple pulsated after a couple glasses on wine.
"So, fill me in on the starters. Were they any good? Mama tends to have questionable taste when it comes to food," Talisa cajoled in a voice so sharp that it grated against the syrup glazed upon it. "And man it seems as she's gotten older."

The woman with sharp straight cut hair resting had and inch above her poised shoulders bitterly commented something in Russian. I didn't have a clue what it meant but judging by Talisa's reaction it couldn't have been great. Her hands bunched at the table cloth tightly as she gritted her teeth but kept quiet.

The quiet sound of a metallic clink filled my ears and I repetitively tapped the thick silver ring that I wore on ny right index finger against my unused dessert spoon. I was thinking about the deal I'd just struck with Talisa.

I hadn't completely thought through the offer she'd made me when I'd agreed. I didn't regret it. I'd always been a bitch for curiosity but that wasn't what had made me agreed. It was the scene I'd witnessed after Talisa's uncle had left the room. More specifically, the pain that Talisa had been in.

To be honest, I still wasn't sure if it was pain. There was definitely anger and frustration but there was something a lot more tragic lingering at the bottom. The imagine of her hair strewn like a madwoman around her, mascara smudged and eyes rupturing with a distortion of fear and rage. She hadn't been acting up or causing a scene to get my attention.

It was real.

She was distraught and that didn't sit right with me. A feeling I didn't want to address was clawing for attention at the pit of my stomach screaming that was I was doing seemed hauntingly familiar. A strong sense of deja vu. 

No. I'm just doing this to get her off my back. That is all.

I didn't realise that my tapping had gotten louder until I looked up and locked eyes with Zhenya. Her pale green eyes were warm but there was certainly a questioning in them. Are you alright? she mouthed at me. I was slightly surprised she'd taken the initiative to speak to me. Friendly girls didn't usually speak to me anymore.

I nodded and forced a smile.

Forced? More like tried to stop yourself from giving a flirty smile to the prettiest woman-

A loud tapping filled the grand dining hall of the cruise ship and this time it wasn't me. Ivan and Talisa's mother had stood up, the former tapping their cutlery against the tall champagne flutes.

The room fell into a hushed silence in seconds. I took the moment to glance around and notice how many wealthy people I was surrounded by. Women had pearls on their necks and diamonds on their ears, men were dressed to the nines with smart shoes. The one thing that was consistent among them all was the tall spine and sharp judgemental gaze.