Broken Pieces

Chapter sixty-eight

I never knew being at a friend's engagement party could be this ... unsettling. Never knew the happiness that I was supposed to feel could be absolutely covered with anxiety and fear.

Especially this engagement part.

Andrea and Kevin's engagement party.

When Andrea had come home with a very expensive, very big but perfect-for-Andrea ring on her finger four days after I found out I wasn't pregnant, it had helped snap me out of my gloom and we had celebrated it with Lucy after screaming, dancing and gushing about the ring.

Now a week after the news, I was standing with all of my friends plus Katherine in the Crawford's mansion in Santa Barbara. Right then, we were all — or at least I was — watching enraptured as Andrea, practically lighted up from within with happiness and joy — glided towards us in the gold and black designed ballroom.

The way of the room was luxurious and all thanks to Kiara and Marcus who had insisted on throwing the couple a party in respect of the engagement at their place. Now, every one of us were here with other family and friends.

Andrea's parents were also here. I glanced at them as they came to mind and somehow read the words of admiration on Emerald’s lips. She obviously still marveled at the Crawford's wealth. Both parents of the couples were standing talking together.

“How are my friends doing? What interesting thing is going on in this circle that you're all standing together?” Andrea finally got to us and asked her questions with a smile.

There were collective sounds of amusement from us all but Katherine was the one who answered her after chuckling softly. “Nothing really. We are all just banded together to collectively think about how happy we are for you.”

Andrea beamed more — an impossible feat as she was already a ‘Sirius star’ — I caught Lucy's eyes and we both shared a small smile at her apparent overflowing happiness.

I saw another thing in Lucy's eyes, it looked like worry and it made my brows furrow. “What?” I mouthed at her and she didn't reply but her eyes were fixed on a place at my back my face dropped as I knew why without having to look. I'd felt the awareness and noticed for some time now but tried to ignore it though it added to my general wariness.

Caden was the one at my back and though he was in the party, he'd made sure he didn't glance my way through out, I didn't understand why and it hurt me. Very much. Even though I didn't want to, I still tortured myself by looking over my shoulder and in his direction and saw what caused the extra worry in Lucy's eyes.

At the moment, Chloe and her parents had joined him and the way the two looked perfect as they stood side by side grated on my nerves. Unconsciously, I turned fully to see them well instead of looking back forward.

My breath stalled and my heart sped up as in the second, I completed my turn, I caught his gaze as he glanced at me. I knew it was supposed to be a glance but he didn't look away and that surprised me. The intensity I saw in his eyes even from across the room made hope alongside our special fire blossom in me.

Caden's best way of communicating was through silence and his eyes and I knew that could be vague. However, they could be made clear only if you knew how to decode the messages in his eyes. Right then I had an almost accurate guess of what his eyes were saying but I doubted myself because I didn't want to breed false hope in my heart.

I broke eye contact first. I looked back at Lucy and now I noticed every one of my friends were staring at me. I spied pity in Lucca's blue eyes as I looked away from them all and I swallowed down my pain. Kevin came to join in and he noticed the tension immediately. “What's wrong?”