Today was one of the rare days that Envy would invite his friends over.
Thankfully, he had given me enough of a warning so I could get the kids over at Yogi's, which just left me there to cater for them.. and get paraded around like a trophy from Envy.
There were two of them, because I doubted Envy could focus on any more people when he was so clearly focused on himself. The one I liked the most was named Lovely, which was such a fitting name because he was surprisingly kind for being a friend of Envy's. He was into fashion as well, though much preferring draping fabrics and light colours than the harsh black and leather Envy usually went for. From what I've observed of him, since Envy never liked me in the room if I wasn't giving them a drink or something, he seemed kind enough. I guess maybe he was just kind to me out of politeness.
I mean, I highly doubted Envy would find a goody two-shoes friend worthy, even if his style was impeccable. Though again, Envy would rather die on the stake than admit anyone dressed better than him, not like I'm saying they do.
The second friend.. I don't really like him. He and Envy apparently go way back, though Envy doesn't confirm or deny anything, so I have my doubts. He has a serious lazy eye, which isn't a determining factor, but it is hard to know which eye to focus on. His name is Leonello, and he is a man of suits, pinstripes, pantsuits, and massive shoulderpads, all in shades of black and white. Personality-wise, he was rotten, which made sense as to why Envy tolerated him. He was such a diva, if that was the word. Extremely flamboyant to unprecedented proportions, as well as somehow more money-obsessed than Envy. It was insane.
I always tried my best to appease Envy's friends when they were around, but it was sort of hard to do so with Leonello around. He made me uncomfortable.
I swear, it always feels like he's glaring at me whenever I enter the room. As if he's.. jealous.
"FERROW!" Envy's voice bellowed, causing me to step out of the kitchen and into the living room. As soon as I entered, i found two pairs of eyes on me.. well, more like one and a half due to Leonello's lazy eye. "Clean this up and go get a bottle of one of my best wines, won't you? There's a cause to celebrate!" He spread his arms wide, eyes crinkled in mirth and enough confidence to fog up a room.
"Ooh? What's the celebration?" I asked as I gathered all of the plates and glasses onto the tray. I tried my best not to look over at Leonello, so as to not acknowledge that I felt his intense glare on my side.
Envy motioned towards Lovely, a smug look on his face. "Our little cupid is getting married!" He declared, snatching up Lovely's hand and showing off his engagement ring as if he were a mere toy. Lovely smiled bashfully, blushing a bit at the sudden focus.
"Oh, how sweet!" I beamed, placing the tray down so I could come closer. "Oh my god, is that rose gold? Eeeh! Your ring is so pretty." I gently grabbed his hand, eying the ring with a wide grin.
The only reason Envy wasn't foaming at the mouth and ripping me away from Lovely for smiling at him and touching him was for the fact that Lovely was gay and in a loving relationship with another man. One that had finally gone through and proposed!
"Thank you, doll. Sylvester definitely splurged on me, huh?" He chirped, face red as if he wasn't used to talking about all of this in front of others, specifically me. I guess he wasn't. I usually was out of the know when it came to the gossip and drama in their little friend group.
"I think he should've gone bigger, grander, but that's just me," came a voice from my side, one so nasally and snide I could tell it was Leonello. I chanced a glance over at him, finding him looking at his manicure dramatically.
"Leo, you wouldn't be satisfied if your unlucky someone gave you a billion-dollar ring, shut up." Envy mused, pulling away from Lovely to glare at Leonello. The glare had no bite in it, though, just another odd thing among the friends. Something I didn't really get.
"I'm tired of telling you, baby, I'm a high-maintenance man. I can't be bought with *love*." Leo sneered at the thought of love, going as far as to gag. "But money.. Oh, that'll get my heart to flutter, alright." He preened, clasping his hands in front of his chest like an innocent nun. I knew he was nothing of the sorts.
"You're so shallow," Envy shook his head, laughing loudly. The conversation continued on with them, me being left out, so that was a sign to hurry up and clean up the tray and get the wine. I took the tray into the kitchen and placed the dirty dishes in the sink to soak. After that, I grabbed one of the best wines from the wine rack as well as three glasses and placed them on the tray. I was extra careful not to drop the tray as I walked back in, not wanting to make a fool of myself in front of them.
For one, Envy would be livid if I embarrassed him in front of his friends. And two, Leonello would find it absolutely hilarious.
As I neared the coffee table in front of them, I had to pass near Leonello. I had the tray inches away from the surface of the table when I felt something hit my ankle. "Oops." Leonello fake gasped as I stumbled forward, the contents on the tray rolling onto the table. I scrambled to grab the wine bottle, knowing Envy would surely lose his mind if that ended up breaking. Thankfully, Lovely was there to quickly pick up the glasses. Crisis averted.
"Really, Leo? You joker." Envy laughed, nudging Leonello as if him trying to get me in trouble was all a big joke. I steeled my face, not wanting to show how hurt I was at the display. As soon as I righted the wine bottle and the glasses, I stood up sharply and quickly left the room.
Only for Leonello to call me back, "Ferrow? Be a dear and pour our drinks." His voice was high-pitched and grating, so clearly mocking that he did little to hide it. "Envy, you really deal with this service every day?' He leaned forward and whispered to Envy, though his voice was clearly loud enough for everyone to hear.
I ground my teeth and stepped back inside, my eyes pinned to the floor so they wouldn't see how much they watered. I grabbed the wine bottle, popping the cork before picking up one of the wine glasses.
"See, isn't this nice?" Leonello beamed, motioning a manicured hand at me as if I were a servant. "Oh, what would you do without me, V?" Leonello sighed dramatically, laying a hand on Envy’s shoulder. I stared at the hand while i poured the wine, hating how close Envy allowed Leonello in. I hated how he allowed Leonello to walk all over me.
"Suffer." Envy deadpanned. "Who else would I force to buy me designer?" He grinned wickedly, flicking his hair off of his shoulder.
Evident by his personality, Leonello was filthy rich. He was some heir of a company, so he was born into wealth and fortune; he hadn't had to work a day in his life. Despite how much he loved money, or at least claimed to, he was a doormat when it came to Envy buying stuff with his credit card.
Leonello laughed loudly at that, wiping a fake tear from his eye. Lovely laughed as well, though more reserved. He was much quieter than the other two; it was easy to forget he was even there. This whole wine celebration was for him, yet the two were more focused on talking about other things than his engagement.
I quickly finished pouring the glass, handing it to Envy. He snatched from me without so much as a glance, continuing his conversation with Leonello. I poured and handed a glass to Leonello next, thankful that he didn't push me or cause me to drop the glass. Finally, I served Lovely his glass, giving him a quick smile in congratulations, before I booked it to the kitchen.
Once away from them, I let out a sigh, feeling my body untense. Gosh, as much as I liked the fact that Envy had friends, people who cared about him other than me, they were so much to deal with, specifically Leonello. I swear, when Envy and Leonello were together, they took joy in making my life hell.
That's why I'd never have the kids here when Leonello and Lovely come to visit. I doubted they even knew Envy had kids, despite how much he likes to parade me around them; he's secretive about the kids. He doesn't want to be associated with them, which makes my heart shatter every time I think of it.
Chapter 10.