by A. L. Martin
She looked over at Hunter, and gave a quick look to Mom before introducing herself.
“Hi. My name is Angela Edwards, Liz’s best friend since high school.”
“Hi. Hunter Brooks. Nice to meet you, Ms. Edwards.”
“You can call me Angela. Nice to meet you too.”
Angela was about to say something more, when our server came up and took our drink order and asked if we wanted any appetizers. We got two orders of mushrooms stuffed with seafood and cheese. We also got an order of mozzarella sticks for Jules since she didn’t like seafood.
Angela looked to her left past Mom and Jules. “So, you must be Asher.” She smiled.
“Angela, this is my boyfriend, Asher Banks. He goes to school with me.” Jules turned and smiled at him.
“Well, nice to meet you, Asher.” Angela winked at Mom.
“Nice to meet you too,” Asher said, taking a sip of his drink.
He sat there, holding Jules hand, looking around the restaurant at anywhere but at Mom and Angela. I don’t know if they made him nervous or what. Jules wasn’t really talking to him either, which probably made him feel more uncomfortable around us. I tried getting her attention, but she was too busy looking at her phone. I was about to say something, when Hunter started talking to him about guy stuff. Does he like sports or play on a team at school? Then they started talking about the NFL and who their favorite teams were and who they thought would be the two teams to go to the Super Bowl.
Our server came back with our appetizers and took our orders. He asked if it was all on one ticket or separate. That is when the debate started between Mom and Angela on who was paying for dinner. Even though Mom invited Angela and tried paying for her dinner, Angela would insist on paying for intruding on her time with us. They usually went back and forth for about five minutes before Mom would give up.
I leaned over closer to Hunter and whispered close to his ear. “Thank you for talking to Asher.”
“No problem. I was feeling kinda bad for him too,” he said looking over toward Jules who was actually talking to him now.
“I’m glad you came with us this evening, Hunter.” I smiled.
“I like spending time with you, Londyn. I like your Mom and sister too. Even your crazy friends.” He laughed.
He took my hand in his, then glanced over at me with his beautiful grey eyes. I sat there staring into his eyes, not looking away, but I could tell Mom and Angela were watching us. I didn’t care though.
“You two make a great couple,” Angela said.
I was glad I was wearing makeup to hide my blushing cheeks. “Thanks, Angela.”
Mom and Angela went back to talking. Jules was still talking with Asher. I wanted to run away with Hunter so I wouldn’t have to deal with my father telling me what a mistake I’d made by breaking up with Lucas. He would blame Hunter for the breakup, then make it impossible to keep seeing him.
“Everything okay, Londyn?” Hunter asked, scooting my chair closer to him.
“Yeah. I was just thinking about going home tomorrow and dealing with my dad.” I lowered my head, staring down at my hand in his.
“Don’t worry about that right now. We’re here together with your family. Don’t let thoughts of what hasn’t happened yet ruin our time now.” He lifted my chin up slowly with his thumb.
He was right. I was worrying about something that hadn’t happened yet, taking away from my time with him right now. I wasn’t going to let anymore thoughts about my dad ruin the rest of our evening. We were in great company, joking with one another.
The rest of dinner, I made sure to enjoy my time with Hunter. Mom invited Angela over to the house to watch a movie with us, but she was tired and wanted to go home. She asked for a raincheck, and said she would come over in a couple of weeks. We went back to the house to watch a movie with Hunter and Asher. The guys didn’t want to watch a chick flick and we didn’t want to watch an action movie. We ended up agreeing on a comedy. Mom went ahead and fixed a couple bowls of popcorn, and got everyone drinks. Mom sat in her chair, while Hunter and I sat in the loveseat so Jules and Asher wouldn’t be too close to one another.
Hunter put his arm around me while we watched the movie, and every now and then, he would give a light squeeze to my shoulder. I wished I didn’t have to go back to my dad’s tomorrow and could stay longer with Mom. Then, the idea of me moving in with Mom until I left for college popped in my head. I would be able to live my life for a few months without having Dad constantly telling me not to do anything that would tarnish his precious name.
Chapter 12
Sunday morning came way too fast, and I laid in bed, wishing I could go back to last Saturday. I didn’t want to head back to my Dad’s house today or have to defend myself as to why I broke up with Lucas. Then, I thought about what his reaction would be when Jules tells him that she’s dating Asher. He might be okay with it, seeing as Asher lives down the road from Dad. I grabbed my pillow, covering my face with it. The pillow didn’t muffle my frustrated scream.
I heard my door squeak open slowly. “Londyn, are you okay?” Mom asked.
I pulled the pillow off my face to find Mom standing next to my bed, looking down at me. “Sorry.”
“What’s wrong? Last night you seemed on edge after dinner. Did you and Hunter have a fight about something?” She sat down on the bed next to me.
“No.” I sighed, raising myself up to sit back against my headboard.
“You worrying about your Dad?” she said, brushing a piece of hair back away from my face.
“How did you know?”
“It’s not hard to guess. I’m not going to lie to you. He’s going to make it impossible for you and Hunter to stay together. Only you can decide if Hunter is worth all the drama. No one can tell you what to do because everyone is going to react in different ways. Unfortunately, this is something you are going to have to decide on your own. If you care about him, then you fight for him. If you aren’t sure, then do yourself a favor by letting him go before things get messy.” She ran her hand down the side of my face in her motherly way. “Get a quick shower, while I get breakfast going.”
I watched her get up off the bed and walk out my door, without saying a word in response to what she had said a few minutes ago. She gave me a lot to think about. I grabbed my phone to see if I had any message from Gavin, Sam, or Hunter. I had a couple from Gavin, none from Sam, and one from Hunter telling me good morning and that he had a great time with me yesterday. I knew I wouldn’t be able to walk away from him, but I didn’t know if I was strong enough for the fight that was in my immanent future. I texted Gavin to meet me later at my Dad’s house to help prolong the conversation with my Dad about Lucas. I sent Hunter a text, telling him that I had a great time too, and that I would be heading back to my Dad’s in the afternoon. I also told him if he didn’t hear from me right away not to worry. I put my phone down and continued to sit there for a few more minutes, thinking about what I would say in defense of breaking up with Lucas. Then I realized it wouldn’t matter, because to my Dad, I would be in the wrong.
Mom helped up load up my car, then proceeded to stand there going back and forth between the both of us, giving numerous hugs. I knew she missed us, but we would be back next Saturday. I wished we could just fast forward to next Saturday.
We pulled out of the driveway and waved to Mom as she walked up the steps to the porch. I clutched the steering wheel, moving my hands back and forth so much I thought I was about to wear the leather off the steering wheel. The closer we got to Dad’s, the tighter my grip got on it.
I pulled into my normal parking spot. Jules immediately jumped out of the car, grabbing her things and running in the house. I slowly made my way around the trunk of the car, taking in a deep breath before reaching in to grab my things. I closed my trunk and headed in the house. Jules was hugging Dad when I got inside. Valerie came out of the kitchen a few minutes later, wanting hugs as well. I did miss Valerie, and not just for her amazing
muffins either.
“Do I smell muffins?” I took in a deep inhale, closing my eyes.
“Yes. They are for school tomorrow, but you know you girls are welcome to have some in a few minutes.”
Jules gave Valerie a quick hug, then went straight into the kitchen, leaving her things in the entry way. I couldn’t help but to follow her in there. By the time I got in there, Jules was already at the island, taking a bite of a muffin.
I got a plate out of the cabinet, grabbing myself a muffin, and sat down next to Jules at the island. A few minutes later, Dad came into the kitchen, getting a bottle of water from the fridge. He walked around the other side of the island to face me and Jules.
“Did you enjoy your week with your Mom?” he asked, looking directly at me.
“Yeah,” I said, keeping my eyes on my plate, hoping he would go back to his office.
“Someone told me you were spotted with a guy that wasn’t Lucas a few nights ago. Do you care to explain to me why you were cheating on Lucas?” he said, leaning closer to me so I would have to look him in the eye.
“I wasn’t cheating on Lucas, if you must know.” I snapped.
“What do you mean you weren’t cheating on Lucas? You two are dating. So yeah, I would call that cheating.”
“No. I didn’t cheat on him. Lucas and I aren’t together anymore.”
“What!” he yelled. “What do you mean you aren’t together anymore?”
“Exactly what I said. And, I broke up with him.” I glared at him.
“How could you break up with him? He treated you great.”
According to you maybe. He wasn’t that great of a boyfriend. He was cheating on me behind my back with various girls over the past couple years. So, I finally had enough when I caught him at the dance club kissing some other girl.”
“You broke up with him because of that?”
“You seriously didn’t just ask Londyn that question?” Jules blurted out.
“This is between me and your sister,” he said, motioning her to leave since she was done with her muffin.
Jules looked at me a minute, before Dad told her to go take her things upstairs while he and I finished our discussion. I shook my head at her, letting her know that I was going to be okay. Dad was gracious enough to wait until Jules was up the stairs before starting in again about Lucas and why I broke up with him.
“How in the hell could you break up with him?” Dad yelled.
I sat there wide-eyed, with my mouth open, trying to find the words, but none would come.
“So what if he kissed another girl? This is no reason to breakup with him. You need to go over there later and talk to him. Maybe there is still time for you two to get back together.” He threw his hand up in the air in frustration.
“No. I’m not getting back with him. You can’t make me stay with him!” I yelled at him.
“Don’t raise your voice to me. You most definitely are going over to his house and talk to him.”
“No, I’m not. He’s with Jayde. She pounced on him the minute I broke up with him. He’s fine. Trust me.”
“Let me guess. You have someone you are seeing too?” he asked, raising his eyebrow.
“As a matter of fact, I am seeing someone. His name is Hunter.”
“Did you meet him at school?”
“No. He doesn’t go to school with me. Remember, I met him at the night club a couple weeks ago.”
“Oh…Him.””
“What is that supposed to mean? He’s a great guy, and he treats me better than Lucas ever did.” I glared up at him while I hopped off the stool to put my plate in the sink. “I need to unpack my stuff before Gavin gets here.”
“We aren’t done talking about this, Londyn,” he yelled as I made my way up the stairs toward my room.”
I dropped my bags on the floor and closed my door. I walked over and flopped down on my bed, throwing a pillow over my face. I laid there for a few minutes with the pillow still in place, wanting to scream so badly that it physically hurt.
“Hey, Londyn,” Gavin said, opening my door. “It went that well?”
“Yeah,” I sighed, tossing my pillow to the side.
“He didn’t look too happy when he answered the door. Does he know where Hunter lives?” Gavin asked, sitting down next to me on the bed.
“No.” I raised up on my forearms. “I wasn’t going to get into that today. I’m sure it will be soon and then the real fun begins.”
“Maybe he won’t say anything about where he lives?”
I looked over his way, rolling my eyes for the mere fact I couldn’t believe he actually said that. He knew my father would lose his shit about where Hunter lived. Social status was everything to him. If you weren’t filthy rich, then in his eyes, you were beneath him.
“I’m sorry. I was just trying to help you be optimistic in a bleak situation.”
“I know. And, I love you for it.” I turned to wrap my arms around him.
I went downstairs with him while he got his backpack out of his car. By the time he got back inside, I surprised him with a muffin at the bottom of the stairs.
“Oh. My. God! You’re the best! I thought I smelled them a little bit ago when I walked up to your room,” he said, taking the plate from me. He sniffed his muffin, then smiled.
“I’m going to go get something to drink. Do you want something?” I giggled.
“Yeah. By any chance is there any of Valerie’s tea in the refrigerator?”
“I can go check. If there is no tea, how about some apple juice?”
“Great.” He turned, heading up the stairs to my room. I headed to the kitchen, but I turned back around just in time to catch Gavin smelling his muffin. I hurried up and went into the kitchen before he could hear me giggling. I went to the fridge first to check for tea, before getting glasses down out of the cabinet. I had to hurry up before Dad decided to come in here and start in about me breaking up with Lucas. I walked over to the doorway, peeking my head out into the hall. I turned my head slowly toward the hall that led to his office and, to my relief, the door was closed. I walked as fast as I could without spilling the drinks all over the floor to the stairs.
“You were in luck. She must have known you were going to be over sometime today.” I laughed, handing Gavin his big glass of iced tea.
We sat there and talked while he finished his muffin. He didn’t bring up the situation that was about to happen with my dad in the next few days. We did talk about Hunter, and that managed to bring a smile to my face.
We actually managed to study for almost three hours, then decided to text Sam and see if she wanted to go with us to get a snack somewhere. She messaged us back right away, saying she had to stay home and spend time with everyone. Gavin and I remembered that it was Sunday and she was never allowed to go out with friends on that day, which I always found kind of strange, but I would never tell Sam that. I often wondered if they would make her come home from college on the weekends, seeing as she was only going to be a couple hours away. She really tried to go to a college far away from her dad, but unfortunately, she got the best scholarship offer from the one that was close. Even though I would have missed her like crazy, I was hoping she would be able to move away farther than a couple hours.
Gavin and I went downstairs to find Dad in the entry way, walking toward the kitchen. I let him know we were going out for a little bit to get a snack and iced lattes. We turned to go toward the door, a few feet away from freedom. Just when I thought we were going to make it out the door, Dad asked Gavin to wait a second.
“Yes, sir?” Gavin said, turning around to face my dad.
“I’m sure you know about Lucas and Londyn. Maybe you can talk some sense into her, since she won’t listen to me?” His voice was firm.
“I can try, but I don’t know if she will listen to me either on this one.”
“She will listen to you better than she will me. Try and talk some sense into her, Gavin.”
“Again, I
don’t know if she will listen to me, but I can try.”
Dad could lecture at Gavin about trying to talk to me into getting back together with Lucas, but Gavin knew I wasn’t going to do that, and there was no use in talking to me about it. Besides, Gavin liked Hunter ten times better than Lucas anyway, so he wasn’t going to say shit to me about Hunter. He was just trying to keep peace between me and Dad.
“Dad, we need to get going before Gavin has to get home,” I said, tugging Gavin’s arm, walking toward the door.
“Okay. I know you don’t want to listen to reason. Be careful and remember who you are while out,” he said, turning to go back to his office.
I hurried out the door, pulling Gavin along to the car. Gavin could tell I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to drive because he took my hand, leading me over to his car.
“Your dad need to back the fuck up about you and Lucas. He was annoying me more than normal in there. What is it with him wanting you to stay with Lucas? Lucas is a douche.”
“He even had the nerve to say I should have forgiven Lucas for kissing the other girl at the club. Jules even asked him why he would say something like that to me. I swear all he cares about is protecting his precious name and reputation.”
Driving down the driveway, Gavin asked where I wanted to go to get a snack. I didn’t care where we went as long as it got me away from my dad for a few hours. He even asked if I wanted to text Hunter to join us. I seriously considered texting him, but I didn’t want him seeing me so upset, knowing he was to blame because of my father’s idiotic way of thinking. We went to our favorite coffee café for some much-needed iced lattes and some pastries. Other than Valerie’s muffins or cookies, I wasn’t one to eat a bunch of sugary snacks except for when I was stressed out about something. I had a lot of stressing me, which meant someone was going to be busy knocking food out of my hands.
No one was sitting outside in front of the café on their sidewalk/patio when we parked a few stores down from it. Gavin bought our drinks and two pieces of German chocolate cake. The girl behind the counter told us we could find a seat while they got our order ready. We let her know we were going outside to sit, so she wouldn’t be looking for us.