“So, son, are you going to take me to see your store anytime soon?” Mom asks me with a smile. “I’ve missed you a lot. How have things been since you got back? Have you reconnected with Brandon?”
Urgh, Brandon… the one person that I really don’t want to talk about. Then I suppose I have to, because I want at least one person to know and accept me and Leah for the loving couple that we are.
“Sort of,” I sigh. “I mean, we did for a while but then I did something to screw it up.”
“Oh yeah?” Mom cocks her head and gives me a curious look. “What did you do?”
I hang my head low, knowing just how this is going to sound. I’ve said the words over and over in my head and I know they aren’t good. When it’s just me and Leah it’s easy to forget about the judgements, but when I plan to say it aloud and I hear it, it isn’t good. I don’t want Mom to look down on me.
“I’ve been dating his sister,” I say quietly. “And he thinks that it’s just a fling.”
“Leah?” Mom clutches her hand to her chest in shock. Her face pales a little as she looks at me. “You and Leah? But I thought she was with that other boy. The one from… erm, oh, I can’t remember now.”
Okay, maybe Patrick is the one person I really don’t want to talk about ever again. I never even met the guy and he’s a thorn in my side. Maybe it’s because Leah gave a little bit of herself over to him and I want to be the only one that ever gets to see what’s going on underneath her surface.
“No, she isn’t, Mom. She hasn’t been for a while now. Me and her have been together for a while. We’re…” I pause before I say this, I know how huge it is. I hope it makes Mom see that much as it’s caused a lot of trouble, what me and Leah share is worth it. “I love her, Mom. We’re in love. It’s the best relationship that I’ve ever had.”
Mom looks at me with wide eyed shock for a few moments before her face turns into a smile. “Well, you know what they say, don’t you? Love conquers all. You and Leah will find a way to make it work.”
She stands up to hug me and I fall gratefully into her embrace. It was the best decision for me to come here today. At least now I have someone on my side. I feel much better now.
“Okay, so why don’t you stay here for dinner?” Mom asks me, giving me a very hopeful look that I simply can’t resist. “Wait until your father comes home? Maybe then we can all have a talk and sort things out.”
This is something that would’ve been my worst nightmare not so long ago, but today it doesn’t feel like that at all. Seeing my father isn’t as scary as I feared it would be, I’m ready to face him. Maybe by walking away from my family I was still acting childish, but now I’m being an adult. Now, I’m facing everything head on and that’s exactly what I’m supposed to do.
“That would be awesome, thank you, Mom. I would love to stay for dinner.”
Chapter Thirty One – Leah
This doesn’t feel good, I think to myself as I sit in the café that I’ve chosen for the neutral location for us to have this dreaded meeting. It feels wrong, I hate lying to everyone… again. I just hope that it works.
The strain in the air surrounding me and Zane with regards to Brandon has been weighing thick for days, and I know that Zane thinks we should just leave things to cool down a bit, but I can’t do that. I need to get it going. I’m going to have to try and force the issue to make it better. Fortunately for me, I’m not alone in this.
“Are you okay?” Jenny asks while squeezing my hand. “This is the right thing to do, you know that, right? Brandon has been in absolutely bits. Ever since the fight, he’s all closed off and tense. He won’t talk about it, but you know what he’s like. He doesn’t like to share his negative feelings at the best of times, so…”
“Oh, God, I can’t take it.” Even my voice is shaking. “I can’t stand it. Why aren’t they here yet?”
“Well, I told Brandon to meet me here at half past and it isn’t quite that yet…”
The funny thing is, much as me and Jenny had a good relationship before, this has brought us closer. We’ve talked a lot in secret about what’s happened and it’s really built our bond. She hasn’t judged me for even a second for falling for Zane. We haven’t had an in depth conversation about it, but I think that she understands.
“Yeah, well I said quarter past to Zane because he’s usually late, so hopefully they’ll turn up soon…”
The door swings open and both me and Jenny suck in a deep and panicked breath. In theory, this was the best idea in the world, but putting it into practice is something else. Now, I?
??m really freaked out.
“What’s going on here?” Brandon demands, his eyes narrowing when he sees me. He runs his fingers through his hair looking increasingly stressed out by the second. “Jenny, why is Leah here? She chose him, remember?”
Jenny rolls her eyes and snorts at him. “Brandon, do you hear yourself? Leah is your sister. You need to talk.”
He pauses in the same standing position for a couple of seconds, flicking his eyes between us both. Once he makes the decision that he can handle this much – which is a shame because there’s still a lot more to come – he scrapes the chair back and he falls back into the chair glaring at us both. His arms fold defiantly over him.
“Brandon.” I lean forwards, needing to talk. “I’m sorry that you think I’ve disappointed you. I understand why you’re angry at me, but if you’ll just take some time to listen to me…”
“How can I listen to you?” he hisses, trying to keep his anger down because we’re in public. “You’re acting like an idiot. I don’t think you even see it. How can you spend any time with Zane, knowing what he’s like?”
“Brandon, he isn’t what you think he is.” Am I whining? Shit. “We’re in love, this is different.”