as it is || harry styles au

twelve

tw // emetaphobia

h a r r y

     "How's Ivy's kid doing, Ald?" Will asked across the dinner table. We were having a late dinner since Mum wanted us all over tonight and we all had worked late at the drive-in.

"He's a good kid," Alden replied. "Not a social butterfly, but once you get him talking, he doesn't really stop."

I felt a small smile spread across my face as I poked my fork at the food on my plate. I thought back to the last conversation Jamie and I had when he tried to nearly throw himself out of Ivory's car.

     "He's grown an attachment to Harry, that's for sure," Alden added, causing my attention to whip up.

     The smile wiped from my face, my jaw clenching. "That's not funny, Alden."

     "I don't think he's making a joke," Mum spoke up.

"I don't think we should be discussing my ex and her kid at the dinner table."

Alden met Lena's eyes to his left. The knowing look that passed between them sent a burning sensation down my sternum. She should be at this table, too.

Her and Jamie.

"It's weird not to talk about her when she's always the giant elephant in the room, you know?" Will cleared his throat. "She used to be family."

The words burned to speak. "She's got her own now."

Mum lifted her wine glass to her lips. "I talked to her the other day."

Excuse me?

I hadn't yet discussed anything with her regarding Ivory or Jamie aside from the initial shock of first seeing her. She tried to ask questions, but I either wasn't in the mood to answer them, or didn't have any answers for her.

Turns out her recent silence had to do with her getting all the answers she needed from Ivory herself. The sting of betrayal was minimal, but the overwhelming emotion I felt was envy. Envy at knowing my mother got more out of Ivory that I had as of yet—or ever will.

My voice came out just as dull as I'd been feeling recently, and my question wasn't stated as one. "You did."

     "I did."

I resisted the urge to ask what they talked about and in what situation the two of them might have crossed paths. Had they run into each other at the grocery store? On the street? Had Mum gone to the diner?

"Don't you want to know what they talked about?" Alden asked.

"No, Alden."

He chuckled, as if I was only playing around with him. "Yes, you do."

"No, I really don't." On second thought, I wasn't going to subject myself to tales of my family getting all buddy-buddy with my ex-girlfriend. They could go ahead and continue to play family with the woman who walked out on us six years ago, but I was not about to open myself back up to more soul-crushing disappointment. "You do realize she...she left us. The very last thing I want to talk about is her and her kid."