The Whispers

8

Bea sat for dinner with her parents. Though they tried to cheer her up, she still felt betrayed and she missed the comfort from Nate. She smiled at how he'd cradled her like a baby while she cried her eyes out in her house.

"Something funny, young lady?" Ryan asked looking down at his plate trying to hide a smile.

Bea snapped up her head to look at her stepfather. "No, it's nothing," she answered waving away Ryan's curiosity.

"I'm just happy she's smiling," Candice said to Ryan then turned to Bea, "Whatever is making you smile, keep at it, baby."

"I would bet a million pounds it's that boy, am I right?" Ryan inquired with a face-splitting grin.

"What boy?" Bea murmured, shoving food in her mouth to avoid answering further questions.

"Don't play dumb with me. I'm talking about Nate, the friend."

"Come now, Ryan. Aren't you just happy your daughter isn't crying anymore?" Candice intervened.

Ryan nodded. "I'm happy. And I know it's too soon to say this but I'm also happy that you're not marrying that brainless mama's boy. He wasn't good enough for you even though his parents thought it was the other way round."

Bea's jaw dropped to the floor at her father's revelation. "Dad! I never knew you didn't like him."

"I didn't," Ryan answered quickly. "A real man stands with his wife against his parents. Always."

A look passed between her parents in a moment of silence. That look was filled with love and she wondered why Ken couldn't just be faithful so they'd one day share a look like this.

They'd shared those looks once upon the time at dinners and at dates. It had been wonderful having someone waiting for you when you get home after a long day at work. Someone who made you feel beautiful and wanted. Someone you shared everything —well, apparently not everything — with.

The memories of Ken and her crashed down on her. Filling every space of her mind and soul. Every good memory was being chased away by Ken's infidelity and Lisa's betrayal. No wonder she'd looked so guilty at receiving texts from Ken while sitting across his fiancée.

Pushing back her chair, Bea stood up. "I'm going to sleep. Goodnight." She kept her eyes downcast.

Candice opened her mouth to say something but Ryan squeezed her hand to stop her. "Goodnight, princess."

They watched Bea climb the stairs hastily to her bedroom.

Nate's desk faced the window that looked across the street at...other houses. He kept working to stop thinking about  Beatrice.

Well, you're thinking about her now, aren't you? His subconscious mocked.

He pushed away from the desk to stand at the window as if he'll see Bea stride out of her house, bouncing curls and all.

He trusted her parents to make sure she's alright. He would have called her but she'd left her phone in his car and he only noticed it when he got home. It lay on his desk flashing with messages, tempting Nate to tell whoever it was to fuck off.

No, it's not my place!

He'd just turned to walk to his desk when a flash of headlights illuminated the dim room. He turned back to the window to see a black Audi SUV he recognised as Ken's turn onto Bea's drive.

Good! The devil is back! Let him stew.

He watched him get into the house and a few lights turned on.

"Bea! Bea!" Ken's voice bounced off the walls in the empty house.