Without Touch

Alone with lies

Chapter One: Alone With lies

"DaaaaaaD! Tell him to stop taking food off my plate, pleeeazzzzze" Michelle Chloe's youngest neice of six years whinned and yelled simultaneously as she bounced and kicked her feet in her seat clearly having a boarderline tantrum. 

Turning around to them with a look of false innocence "DID NOT UNCLE MORGAN!" her nephew and agitator in question pouted rubbing his aching arm after Michelle popped him one making him grimace.   

Chloe watched as her big brother Morgan laughed easily as he calmly walked over talking to his daughter and nephew quietly resolving the situation in seconds showing far more patience then she'd have shown. The bastard, the words were at the tip of her tongue, her brother's ability to make everyone else look like incompetent fools was maddening. Turning away with a sigh Chloe turned away heading to where the adult's table was set up on the other side of their Mother's ginormous home. She hoped to slip into her seat without anyone noticing her as she walked into the family room with all the furniture pushed back against the wall to allow for two large temporary tables to be set up side by side. Her large Italian family was boisterous, jolly, and noisy and as much as she loved them she knew the likelihood her being left alone was slim to none. 

"Chloe!" her Zio yelled out drawing everyone's attention to her "finally you come back I was beginning to think you pulled a Houdini on us". Leaning over her elderly Uncle she kissed her wetly on the cheek making her smile reluctantly at his well-meaning antics.

"Sorry Zio, I didn't mean to take so long I had some important calls to make" she lied flat out, hoping her Aunt would let it pass. They both knew it was crap but if he started up on her here infront of her entire family she didn't think she could handle it. Not today it was bad enough...cutting off a strangled sob chloe forced her emotions to cut off. Her family would decend on her like a pack of wolves, as well meaning as they were it amazed her how they had no clue of the damage they did. Picking up her fork she played at her food nodding her head when it fit inserting a few fake chuckles and Oh's when the rest of her family did so that she could maintain that precious veneer of normality. 

For the Galiano family New Years was their Christmas, other holidays  just simply paled in comparison to anything that allowed them to spend the entire night eating, drinking and partying without guilt. She'd been told as a child that when her Grandparents, mother and her siblings came to the United States from Italy on New Years Eve and every year subsequently they celebrated not only the New Year but new beginnings and eventually turned it into a family tradition. 

    Admitly NewYears Eve was one of her favorite holidays too but what she really loved was the traditional family dinner on New Years Day.  She loved nothing more than getting to her Mother's house early to spend the morning cooking with her Mother, Aunts and Sister in laws while they listened to the kids watch the Disney movies. They each got to contribute their own special dish every year to add some varity in addition to their tradional dishes, smiling she remembered a few years ago when her Mother brought a turkey frier and tried to fry a 15 pound butterball herself. She almost laughed when the image of the fryer blowing up and the turkey shotting up into the air like a rocket...they were lucky to have their heads still attached. Chloe could still remember the looks on the firemans faces when they realized what they'd done they thought they were complete idots, Brooklyn almost got into a fight with the man. 

Blinking rapidly to fight back the tears as her mind once more went back to Brooklyn she angrily swiped her hair out of her eyes as she tried to force her thoughts to something else but to no avail. 

    this was the longest they'd been apart but she needed to get use to it cause it was for good, he'd made that perfectly clear especially by not spending New Years with her. But beyond that she couldn't even remember ever coming to her family home without him, and neither did her family if their unsubtle inquries were anything to go by. All day she'd done nothing more than field questions and avoid the best she could her well intending more persistent family members. 

    She wasn't ready to break the news to her family, but beyond htat maybe apart of her wasn't ready to admit that all this was real and if she told them the truth it would be. They all loved Brooklyn he was more than merely her husband he was a beloved family member and to have to tell them that she drove him off because off her need to control everything and everyone...

    She'd been so sure of him and his love that she thought he would forgive her anything, the unforgivable words, the petty arguments, blatent manipulations, misplaced anger because of her own insecurities. They always kept up the façade of that perfect marriage that their parents seemed to have, she made sure to appear to affectionate, loving and dotting ignoring the stiffness in him that no one in him would notice but her and his slow but ever increasing withdraw. 

    "...Chloe?" her Mother Isabella waved a hand infront of her face "where are you baby did you hear anything your Aunt just asked?" she was looking at her with amusement but there was also concern there that made chloe instantly defensive. 

    "Don't be ridiculous Mama of course I heard" shifting around in her seat Chloe straightened her shoulded and made her spine rigid retreating into her bitchy persona, something second nature to her when things were too much. Looking at her Aunt Grace "you'll have to ask again now Aunt Grace Mama" pronouncing mama in a way that should have gotten her slapped "made me forget". 

    Sitting beside her mother her Aunt Grace starred at her silently so long she made a crack in her hard demeanor making her squirm before she caught herself. Another thirty seconds went by before she finally spoke "when is Brooklyn coming" softly she smiled looking up and down at the various dishes on the table and their family " the food may be gone by the time he gets here at this rate" she chuckled. 

    Chloe saw her hand shaking with fork of lasana she'd been bringing to her mouth and quickly put it down before they noticed, she fought an internal struggle to keep it together. Though she was sure it was all of a few seconds she felt as though it was years before she was able to answer with her prepared lie. Her mouth dry, her hands trembling under the table and her feet tapping a nervous rythum "oh well he had work today so he said he would try to come but we shouldn't hold him to it". This is what she'd been trying to avoid, the questioning, she dispised the look of disapointemnt on her Mother and Aunt's face at her words. She was under no illusions that she was never missed during the plethora of family funtions she skipped out on, but Brooklyn  they idolized him everything seemed dull without him. She often resented it, resented him as much as she loved him for it "I'll call him in a bit to see how things are going, maybe he can weazle his way out" she said feeling horrible about the amount of lies she found herself telling today.

"Well make sure you do it soon dearie" Aunt Grace ordered her turning to start a conversation with one of her cousins thankfully and depressingly leaving her to her thoughts. 

Jumping at a strong hand gripping her shoulder chloe looked up both enraged, despaired and releaved to see her brother lMorgan. Looking up at him questioningly she couldn't find her voice to ask him what it was so put on put-out expression as if he'd actually interupteed anything. 

Of course he ignored her completely Morgan always had been the one person in the family that paid her no mind and refused to indulge in her tantrums as everyone called htem... well him and her  husband Brooklyn which was why she found herself here alone now. "Come with me" he backed up and turned away as if sensing that she hadn't followed him he turned around to find her still seated looking back at him with a lost expression on her face. "Chloe now" he spoke sharply but it wasn't the words that made her move it was the tone of his voice mechanically she followed behind her older brother feeling as if she was moving on automatic.