Ones We Regret

Chapter 16

Present
Westminster, London
Alira

"Fucking hell!" I groan and cover my face with a pillow. I am so done with my life because
(A) I have a really really bad hangover.
(B) The sunlight that is peaking through the floor to ceiling window is frying my brain.
(C) Alex won't stop screaming!!

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Comes another one.  I smack my hands on the comforter and finally get up and check the time on my nightstand. 11:07 am. What the fuck?

"ALIRA STARNIGHT GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!" Calm your horses. That's not who I think it is. Please god that better not be Weslynn Rodriguez because I'd prefer the UV rays frying my brain instead going downstairs to meet that woman. If you're looking for Satan's mother or in this case Darius Blackthorn's mother because that guy is no less than Satan, that woman would be the one.

"ALIRA STARNIGHT." She's fucking commanding me and I want to stay in the room just to be defiant but I still get up, showing just how mature I am (god, are you still here?) and get my ass in the washroom. I spend the next two minutes doing my business in the washroom big enough for a dinner party and brush my teeth and make a very failed attempt to brush my hair. After wearing a wine coloured cashmere sweater and leggings, I make my way downstairs.

"Fucking hell. What the fuck is burning?" I scrunch my nose and immediately make my way to the storage room to get the fire extinguisher. I see Alex in the large living room and almost sigh in sweet relief when I see he's alone. Tess? I mouth and he points towards the washroom. I look at him closely and wince. His eyes are bloodshot, no where better than mine and he has bags under his eyes and a slight stubble covers his jaw.

"That isn't something burning, Alira. I'm making breakfast." I close my eyes at the very commanding, not at all motherly voice as I turn around and plaster a fake smile which she knows is fake and annoys the fuck out of her. I still give her that smile for the sake of my own sanity (come on, I need that).

"Weslynn. How are you? It's been so long since I've seen you." Her eyes darken when I use her full name. She prefers Wes but I don't use it just to irritate her. In turn she makes the worst meal for me, knowing that I'm a foodie and she can piss me off that way. It's a low blow, but hey, I don't expect less. Her gray eyes, just like Alex's take my appearance critically from my wild hair to my french tipped toe nails. I do not squirm under her scrutiny instead my eyes tell her that I've accepted the challenge. I scrutinise her too, from her beautiful hair to her high collared khaki coloured dress and the pearl necklace she always wears to her five-inch heels. The woman is powerful enough to command a room and she knows it.

Alex's mom and I have a history together. And by history, you can say that if you leave us in a room alone for five minutes, we'd eat each other alive, literally. We don't hate each other, we just don't get along really well. Her light brown hair falls in straight, glossy waves in a way I manage only if I get up two hours earlier than my usual time. Her rock coloured eyes are what they represent : rock. They are hard, assessing and brutal. But that's also what's good about her. She's honest to the core and authentic. She won't hesitate to tell you when you're wrong and will criticise you until you'd right that wrong. She's a challenge in my life, one I do not love but won't let go of if given choice.

"I'm good. You're alone, no guests this time?" I refrain from cringing at the guests part. It's not really my fault that a few months ago she had literally blackmailed Alex to take her here and had met a very handsome and naked man in the kitchen making pancakes. Well, I was still out cold at that time and had woken up by her screaming like a banshee at seven in the morning. I had grabbed my handgun, thinking that it was a thief and almost shot her right there, in the kitchen, the guy in just his boxer briefs, her in a high collared dress and me in a shirt. That's how I was gonna get arrested, wearing a shirt of the man I didn't know the name of. Yeah well, I can't really perform occlumency on her and get that image out of her brain even if I'd trade anything to do that. But alas, not everyone is Draco Malfoy and I can't do anything about it. So I do only one thing I can : deal with it like an adult and play along.