Beautiful Eternity

Ch. 2: Enchanting

I tugged at the base of my dress, watching as the people around me seemed to float to the live band's music. The brown dress I had decided to wear for my work black tie event was just long enough to cover the old flats I had decided to wear. I looked around, letting my ears fill with the fake laughter of the night.

In the two years since I had started working at The Irish Gra, I had been to more black-tie events than I cared to admit. I rolled my eyes as the couples attempted to outdress each other, each dress more extravagant than the last, each tux more expensive. After my fair share of acting interested in what those around me were telling me, I was relieved when the ballroom doors opened and everyone stopped.

Standing in the doorway was the owner of The Irish Gra's daughter, Aoife O'Connell, dressed in only something she would. She wore a silk red dress with a deep, plunging neckline. Thin spaghetti straps tied off in a bow at the bottom of her neck, and the back dropped just as low as the front. As she walked forward, the slit that ran mid-thigh revealed her red stiletto heels that clicked with every step she took. "Evening, darling," she flirted with one of the reporters as she walked toward me, flinging her sleek, jet-black hair over her shoulder.

"Hey, Aoife," I smiled, pulling her into a hug. The dress was so smooth and slick that I felt my hug would slip.

She pulled back, giving me one of her signature smiles. "Hello, Lucy. I'm so glad you decided to come in the end." I nodded as she looked me up and down. "Lucy, darling, I told you we should go shopping for you tonight."

I rolled my eyes. As much as I loved Aoife, she was the typical rich girl with one different aspect. Aoife loved hard work. She ran her father's newspaper almost better than he did. She carried herself with grace and dignity but was never afraid to raise her voice to get the attention of unruly employees. On top of all of that, Aoife was drop-dead gorgeous. She had jet-black hair, and her eyes almost matched her hair color. She seemed able to look into one's soul with her velvety black eyes. She loved the color red, and everything about her showed that. Aoife's name meant beautiful and radiant in Irish, and that she was. She could cause any room she walked into to stop in its tracks. I always joked that if she were a character in a book, she would be stealing the husband or boyfriend. Men would just stop when she walked past them. Of course, Aoife also liked to flirt whenever the opportunity was around.

"Sorry, I'm a little late," a voice behind us called out. I immediately knew who it was and was not surprised to turn around to see my other best friend and co-worker, Laura McGuffey, walking up to us. Laura was all elegant and classy. She wore a light pink gown that fell to the floor, but you could see the black wedges she seemed to float on when she walked. The long sleeves draped down her wrists, revealing the jewelry that lined her wrists and the rings that complimented her fingers and even her shoes

Unlike Aoife, whose lips were as red as the rest of her outfit, Laura's make-up was more natural, with lipgloss that matched her dress. Her brown shoulder-length hair curled around her face and bounced softly with every step she took.

"Lucy, you look stunning," Laura smiled, hugging me gently.

I blushed. "Oh, you're being nice." I looked down at my dress. While both Aoife and Laura had been bold and wore colors, I stuck with the color I usually wore: black. My skirt fell to the floor, with a slight V cut on the top of the dress. The only one of color on my person was a light blue bow that I had tied to my chin-length hair.

Laura's eyes smiled, and her Irish accent suddenly became more pronounced. "You know I mean it."

"That's true," Aoife started. "You look stunning, but, Lucy, darling, we're at an event, not a funeral. Although," she looked around us to see who we were surrounded by. "After Sean Byrne's remark the other day, we may attend his work funeral."