Solitude || Evan Buckley [1]

chapter eleven

holding onto hope

Late evening in Josh's apartment, Sasha caught Yasmin, Josh, and Maddie up to speed about the lunch with her grandparents and meeting Buck for the first time. Maddie had already known most of the story since speaking with her brother about it. The four friends were lounging in Josh's living room during one of their occasional game nights of drinking and eating take out. They had finished a round of Pictionary before Sasha entailed the anticipating story to the three.

"Does Athena know about what happened?" Maddie asked out of curiosity, taking a sip from her glass of wine.

Sasha finished swallowing her food before answering. "Yes, but what's ironic is she got into a fight with grandma as well." The latter had lunch the night after the dispute between the mother and daughter. "Grandma lashed out on Bobby for demanding Harry to clean up his mess which led to a whole argument about aunt Athena's poor choices. It's not a surprise that they would blow up with everything that happened in the past year. Her engagement with Bobby and myself getting impregnated was indeed the cherry on top."

"My grandparents tried to get a flight back home that next morning but everything was booked. So, it's been like walking on thin ice with my grandma and aunt according to May." 

"Not every family is perfect," Maddie enthused. 

Josh emerged from his kitchen with a bowl of ice cream. "Has you grandma ever like anyone introduced to the family?" He handed the bowl to Sasha seating on the couch.

"She wasn't fond of my uncle Michael yet adored my mother." Sasha shrugged, scooping ice cream from her bowl.

Yasmin interjected, swirling the wine in her glass, "With Buck meeting your grandparents due to your situation. It was no brainer that she wouldn't like Buck right off the bat. I did wish him luck though."

Sasha playfully rolled her eyes and shook her head at Yasmin's last remark. Maddie dipped a piece of bread into the spinach dip before speaking up. "Speaking of my little brother, where is he tonight anyways?"

"He's out drinking with Eddie, and Chimney, I think. Would've thought you knew already." Sasha raised her brow.

"Why?"

The three shared looks at the perplexed brunette. "Because you are very close friends with Chimney." Josh proclaimed in a sarcastic tone.

"Emphasis on the very close." Yasmin smacked her lips together.

Maddie let out a faint sigh, "You guys-"

Sasha cut in, sticking her spoon into the partially melted ice cream. "Stop prancing around the subject, Maddie. I mean, aren't you finalizing the divorce papers which is such a big step for you by the way."

Recently, Maddie began to feel content with her life in Los Angeles. Between reuniting with her little brother, her job, and making friends was the happiest she's been in the last several years. Despite the afterthought of Doug finding her, she felt less fearful as time surpassed each morning in this new life. She started to feel it should be time to choose herself- now feeling in control.