The Beauty in Eternity

Chapter 64.

I fidget with the bottom of my dress as I climb out of the car, the feeling of it moving up my thighs with every step reminding me why I hate wearing them so much. The smell of the delicious food from the parking lot makes me hungrier than I already am, and I can feel my stomach churning.

"Amara, Elijah!" I hear a familiar voice yelling from another direction. We turn to see Rebecca shuffling towards us in her black sparkly heels with a wide smile on her face, her platinum blonde hair swooped into a perfectly styled bun.

"I've missed you!" she chirps in her excitable voice, wrapping her arms around me.

"I missed you too." I chuckle, her happiness and bright personality making me feel more refreshed.

"Don't worry, Elijah, I missed you too." she wiggles her brow, pulling him into a hug.

"Nice to see you, Becca." he laughs, patting her on the back.

"I'm starving, I can't wait to stuff my face," she sighs, licking her lips, "I can smell my steak from here."

As we walk inside we make our way to the same table we've reserved each month for the past year, our table. As we inch closer we see the only two guests who are already seated, Jake—and Angel.

"Oh, for fuck sake." I mutter under my breath, faking a smile and waving towards the table.

"Why is she here?" Becca whispers angrily, smiling the fakest smile I've possibly ever seen.

"Just smile and wave," Elijah groans as the voice of reason, clearing his throat.

"Hey, Jake." I smile, pulling him into a hug. I watch Angels dark green eyes set on me from over his shoulder, burning through me.

"Hi, Angel." I say reluctantly, putting on my most false voice.

"Nice to see you guys." she nods, swiping her blonde curls away from her pale face.

We take our seats, Elijah and I directly across from Jake and Angel, Becca sitting awkwardly beside the she devil herself—and two empty seats awaiting the final of our group. Despite the slightly awkward tension growing at the table with the surprise arrival of Jake's girlfriend, I feel a lot better about choosing to come tonight; these dinners with the group I've grown so close to are one of the only things I look forward to once a month.

A pair of hands cover my eyes, "Guess who," she whispers, making me jump out of my seat with excitement. "Jess!" I smile, wrapping my arms around her as she returns the hug tightly.

"It's been too long." she whines, tightening her grip.

"Way too long." I sigh, holding her at arms length.

Since Jess moved we've had to adapt to not seeing each other every day, for the first time in our lives. It's been almost three months since I last seen her—the longest we've gone without seeing one another since we were in diapers. We still talk as much as possible, but it's not the same.

As she looks over my shoulder she screws her face up in confusion, "Why is Angel here?" she scoffs under her breath.

"We don't know," I scrunch up my nose, giving her the 'I can't believe this' look which she immediately reciprocates.

She takes the empty seat to my right, leaving Matt to sit beside Jake. "Where the hell is Matt?" she furrows her brow.

"Probably on his way, we were supposed to finish at six but I left early to see my mom."

"How is she?" she asks.

"Better, she's doing better." I nod reassuringly.

"Is she still in rehab?" Angel asks, spinning her phone on the table.