Ruined (completed) ✔️

63

Christmas Day

I've been regretting this day for weeks now. Knowing the fact that I won't be seeing my family. Every Christmas I used to travel home and spend a night with my family before coming back here to see Casey's mother.

Casey rolls over in bed and her arms wrap tightly around me. "Austin,"

"Hmm,"

She sits up and looks me in the eyes. "Austin, I know we don't tell each other about our feelings, but I want you to know that I love you."

Shit, I wasn't expecting her to say something like this. I hope she doesn't want me to say it back to her. It's something that I won't be able to do.

"Thanks,"

"Austin." She slaps me across the face. "That's all I fucking get from you?"

"Yes, it is. What do you want from me, Casey?"

"To tell me how you feel. Like really feel. Since you got back you've chosen to keep that side of yourself away from me. You kissed me more and now I feel like your pulling away from me. Do you want me? Do you want our child?"

Shifting in bed I pull her closer to me. "Of course I want you and the baby, Casey. I wouldn't put up with all you're cheating and bullshit if I wasn't committed to you." I tell her honestly.

"Who's been filling your head with accusations of me sleeping with other people? You know I wouldn't do that?"

She's full of shit.

"Okay, tell me this. Did you sleep the Chef the other week?"

"No," she shakes her head. "he was handsome, but I wouldn't do that to you because of the feelings I have for you. The feelings I have for you is unbearable at times, which is why I need to talk to you about it right now."

"I like you a lot, Eli..." I cut myself off as I'm close to saying the wrong name. She knows I'm not fully over Eliza and this is proving it more to her. "...Casey,"

Casey climbs out of bed and she has a scowl on her face. "You can't even get my name right. It's proving to me that you never wanted me and you're now settling on second best. I would say at least I have one up on Eliza, but he could have more up than me."

"What are you talking about, Casey."

"Nothing," she throws her hands up in the air. "I'm going to have a shower and get ready for my mother's place. The question is are you going to join us?"

I've got nowhere else to go. So, I will be joining her and her family for lunch. Maybe, I can talk to her mother in privacy and get some answers about things.

Casey strips out of her clothes and leaves them scattered across the bedroom floor. She opens the door to the bathroom and locks it behind her.

Looks like someone doesn't want me to join them in the bathroom. Too bad I have another way to get through a locked door.

Stripping out of my clothes I walk down the hall to the kitchen. I go through the top drawer and pull out a butterknife. I head back to the room and open the locked door.

Entering the bathroom I pull the curtain across and join my fiance in the shower. "Did you think that I would allow you to be in here on your own? Well, you thought wrong. Do you know how many times I've read about a pregnant woman drowning in the shower?"

She turns around and sends a glare in my direction. "You can't fucking drown in a shower?"

"Are you sure? Because that's what Crystal thought, but she was wrong. The bitch lost her footing and slipped on the soap. She hit her head and water just kept pouring on her to the point that she nearly drowned. I'll show you when you get out of the shower."

"Whatever," she grabs the soap and starts cleaning her body. After a couple of minutes, she's pulling the curtain across. "I'm done. Enjoy the rest of the shower." Grabbing a towel from the rack she wraps it around her body and heads to the bedroom.

***

Casey's mother is standing at the door when I pull the car into the driveway. In the backseat of the car are heaps of gifts for Casey's family and friends. She looks at all the gifts and says. "I'll get them out of the car later." She climbs out of the car and runs over to her mother. "Hey, Mom. It's good to see you."

"You too, sweetheart." She looks around and says. "Where's that guy of yours? I'm pretty sure he'll love to help us cook tonight."

No, that sounds terrible. I've never been the type of person that cooks food for others I'm happy when they make things for me.

"Mom," Casey places her hand on her mother's. "Austin can't cook. You should have seen what he did with the fish he tried cooking. It was charcoaled. It didn't taste like fish when he finished."

People start laughing at that I ignore them.

Sometimes, it's better to let things slide than to have yourself worked up about things.

When we enter the house it's all decorated with Christmas stuff. A tree stands in the corner of the living and there are heaps of presents under the tree. Above our heads is a mistletoe and Casey's family chants. "Kiss, kiss, kiss." I lean forward and claim her lips. Kissing her like she's the last woman in the world.

Well, she might as well be because she's the only one left for me.

We pull apart and our breathing is heavy. "Do you have any eggnog, Mom?"

"Yes, it's in the fridge."

Grabbing her arm I pull her so she's facing me. "Casey, you can't have Eggnog. It's got alcohol on it. if you drink it you'll regret it."

"I won't regret anything, Austin. Stop telling me what to do and enjoy the night. I know what I'm doing. Leave me alone." She rushes away from me, leaving me alone with her family.

Walking around the room I take in photo's of her when she was younger. There are no pictures of Casey's twin on the walls.

I might ask her family about the sister and see if anyone can give me the truth about her.

Mrs Jackson is in the kitchen and I walk over to her. she looks up from the oven and asks. "Can I help you, Austin?"

"Yes, I was wondering why there isn't any picture of Casey's twin on the walls."

She spins around facing me and a scowl appears on her face. "What are you talking about? Casey doesn't have a twin. What has that bitch been saying about the family?"

"She doesn't talk about the family. however, I hear non-stop chatter about a twin that died in the small town that I lived in. there's an article in a magazine that was made. I don't think everything in the paper is a load of shit, but it's been fun reading the stuff that is.