Page 61 of Chaos
I can already see the wheels turning in Mom’s head. She may still be skeptical of them, but she would never let anyone go without. Especially on a holiday.
“All of your dads are out of town?”
“Yeah, they are. And Zeus’s mom has to work at the hospital tonight.” He sips his coffee, savoring the rich taste on his tongue.
Why the hell don’t I have a cup yet? I wander in, grab a mug, and pour some delicious coffee. Adding my sugar and cream before sipping.
Mom looks over to me, and I give her my bestplease invite them over for Thanksgiving dinnerlook. Mom rolls her eyes at me, knowing she is already going to invite them over. She glances at the meal she is making, calculating how much more she would need to make for three teenage boys. I survey the food, noticing that it looks like more than enough for the five of us, but Mom starts cooking some extra dishes, just in case.
The day went by quickly. After Odin texted the others to inform them of their invitation to my house for Thanksgiving, it didn’t take them long to come over.
Odin, Zeus, Mom, and I spent the day cooking together while Midas kept to himself. He observed everything Mom did, taking in every detail. I don’t know when was the last time he had a home-cooked meal, let alone a holiday meal.
He spent the day watching, keeping his distance. Especially from me. Every time I attempted to get near him, he would give me a guilty look before moving away from me. I’m not going to lie, that hurt like hell every time it happened. Even Odin and Zeus noticed him acting weird, but had no explanation as to why.
The five of us are sitting at the table. Mom is sitting at the head of the table with me and Odin to her right, and Zeus and Midas to her left. All our plates are filled. The only sound in the room is the clinking and scraping of utensils on plates.
The tension in the room is thick and awkward. There may have been fun earlier in the day, with cooking and music, but now that we are all sitting together, no one seems to know what to say anymore.
I nudge Odin in the ribs, hoping he will be able to say something to make this feel more comfortable. He gives me a wicked smile that instantly makes me regret wanting his help.
“Thank you for dinner, Emma.” Odin looks at me, licks his lips. “Everythingyou made is delicious.” He winks at me. My cheeks instantly flame, and my thighs clench together, remembering our morning together. Odin’s tongue is beyond skilled.
Mom thanks Odin, and the conversation seems to pick up from there. The guys tell her about their interests, school, and more surface-level trivia, but at least they are speaking now.
I’m grateful that Mom is taking the time to get to know them. I think she is still wary after everything that happened with he who shall not be named (Evan). Not that I blame her. I still have doubts about the Kings because of him, but as of right now, they have shown me that they are nothing like him.
I pick my fork up and take a bite of food, silently enjoying the camaraderie. It feels like things are finally starting to look better. My stalker -who may be the guy’s dads- hasn’t done anything recently. Things are doing well with the Kings and with Dante, but not together. No one will still tell me why, but that’s a problem for another day.
The doorbell rings suddenly, but we aren’t expecting anyone. Odin goes to stand, but I put my hand on his arm, halting him. I walk to the front door, curious who it could be, but when I open it, it’s the last person I ever expected.
Evan.
Evan is standing outside my door.
Why the fuck is he here?
His face lights up with a smile that he used to give me when I would make him happy. A smile I used to live for, but now I can see what it means. A way to pull me into him. To make me forget all the horrible things he did to me. A false security that was never there. His arms are out wide, ready to hug me, but I push him away from the door and shut it behind me.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I keep my voice low, not wanting anyone to hear us.
Evan drops his arms, leaving the false happiness behind, and shows his true colors. A fiery anger lights his eyes, and his hands ball into fists. I can see the desire in him to hit me. To “teach” me my place.
“How dare you speak to me like that? Especially after I flew out here just to see my fiancée on Thanksgiving.” His tone is harsh, just the way I remembered when he was angry with me.
“Ex-fiancée.” I snip back, my arms crossed over my chest.
“We aren’t over until I say we are.” Evan steps into me. His face is inches away from mine.
I try to hide the fear that he brings out in me, but I can’t stop the flinch when I see his hand move towards my face. He lets out a low, menacing chuckle at my reaction.
“You know I would never hurt you, flower.Youare the one who made me hurt you before. I never would have done those things if you didn’t push me to do them.” Gone was the anger, and in its place was a fake sweet voice. One that I hated to hear. One that haunted me.
I don’t want him to be close enough to touch me. To share the same air as him. What I needed him to do was move away, but instead he stepped closer, placing his hands on my hips. Dread and disgust coursed through me from his touch. My body frozen but begging to act.
Evan whispers in my ears, but I can’t hear the words. All I hear are the cruel taunts he used to say to me.You need to lose weight. You look like a slut. You need to be better.Words that hurt, but now just give me strength.
I place my hands on his chest and shove. Evan takes a few steps back, shocked that I stood up for myself. And I don’t stop. I keep shoving. His feet are teetering on the edge of the stairs, and I push him one last time, watching as he falls down the few steps onto the lawn.
