The ladies are seated at the table before the men enter the room, each of us keeping the chair to our right open for them. Alex and Ben are the last two people to filter into the room. Both of them laughing and having a great time together. Ben looks at me from across the room and smiles. The two of them walk to my side. Alex sits to my left and Ben takes the open seat to my right. I grab his hand under the table.
Maggie is across the table from me and gives me two thumbs up with a grin. She approves of Ben, and I smile back at her.
Questions start flying across the table and Ben answers them all with a smile. He proudly tells them that he works as a bartender and goes to school full-time. He uses the money from his job to pay his rent and schooling, no one helps him with his bills.
"How are you going to deal with Allyson moving to New York for law school?" Amy asks Ben, and I glare at her.
I haven't had a chance to talk to Ben about my post-Harvard plans, and he just got blindsided from Amy. This wasn't how I wanted him to find out.
Squeezing his hand, I give a nervous laugh and shake my head at her. "I haven't decided where I want to go yet." I mumble in her direction.
"Allyson, Columbia has always been your first choice, and Alex told me that you were accepted." Amy announces looking over her glass of wine.
"Columbia was my first choice, but I also got into Harvard too. Right now, my life is in Boston, and I don't need to decide until this spring."
"Don't give up on your dreams to follow someone else's." Amy mutters before taking another sip of her red wine.
The rest of the table grows quiet and finish their meals without another word. I spend the rest of my afternoon avoiding my boyfriend because I know he is going to be upset with me and want answers, but I didn't have any for him. I was serious about staying at Harvard to be with him.
When lunch is over, Amy leads everyone to the great room with the large picture window and grand piano. Everyone takes a spot on the couches and chairs around the room. I stand near the back with Ben and Alex.
"Ben, I know that this is your first time with us, but we have a tradition around here after lunch. Alex and Allyson usually entertain us for 30 minutes with Christmas carols." Amy glares at him.
I look at my best friend for help, his mother is going overboard and needs to be stopped. I'm tired of this pissing match. She is trying to get a wedge between Ben and I, and from the look on his face, it might be working.
"Mom. Stop." Alex tells her loud enough for the room and Ben to hear.
"Alex?" She turns towards the both of us.
"Ben is Ally's boyfriend. I have never seen her this happy, and it's because of him. Stop trying to ruin this for her. Ally and I will never be together, so stop trying to push it on us." He whispers.
"I will never stop. You two should be together and I'm not going to sit back and watch her throw everything away that her parents worked so hard for."
I shake my head at her. I'm disgusted and embarrassed by her behavior. "I think we're going to go. You have been nothing but awful to Ben."
Maggie walks into the room and tugs at Ben's arm. She pulls him to an open couch with her. I can hear her telling Ben that this is her favorite part of Christmas. Alex and I have sung carols for as long as I can remember. It used to be fun, and now, it felt opposite of that.
"We can do a couple and then I'll help you both sneak out." Alex leans down to me.
"He had no idea about New York." I look at Alex with a shaky bottom lip.
YOU ARE READING
Heartlines
Storie d'amore*** Complete Story *** Allyson Sicard was in her final year at Harvard and while her roommates were trying to get their Ivy League boyfriends to propose, Ally was trying to figure out which law school she wanted to graduate from. Columbia had always...
