Five Words

Chapter 49

~Cher

They're late. Ten minutes late. I want today to be perfect. No mistakes are allowed, not even the tiniest details cab be messed up. That has been my only request. Yet they are late and I am here standing in the lobby impatiently waiting for them to arrive. Ace will get suspicious. He believes I'm here booking another room for me for the rest of the week.

In all honesty, I have no intentions for booking one, and I wouldn't want to share with my mom or Natalie when I have experienced sleeping beside Ace. I know that I am supposed to have a room of my own and that I shouldn't be wanting this in the first place, but I can't help it.

I don't want to. I'll probably do what is right, though I loathe it with all my heart. My heart jumps out of my chest when I see them walking through the hotel doors. Thank the lord. I walk towards them with a smile on my face, which very quickly dies down when I spot Jolie and Gabriel along with everyone else.

I didn't want her here. I didn't want Ace to talk to her, be nice to her, come close to her. I didn't want her to flirt with him, or touch him, or anything that has to do with Ace. I know that Ace says that he has no interest in her, and she has been respecting that, but she still likes him too much, which I hate.

Natalie is the first one to embrace me.

"I know what you're thinking. But when Jolie insisted on coming, Gabriel wanted to come to see you too. " She whispers in my ear.

I force a smile on my face when our eyes lock. She smiles at me sweetly, which only adds to my misery. I shouldn't be mad at her for something I can't control. I wrap my arms around Natalie.

"I hate her."

Natalie laughs, "No, you don't. You're just jealous."

"Same thing." I don't bother to deny that I am jealous, because I so am, and I wish I could send her back.

Natalie and I pull back. I greet Paulina with a hug and then my mother waits for her turn. I have missed her so much. Regardless of all the anger, my heart holds towards her, I still miss her more than words can ever describe. I already don't see her all year, and fighting with her sucks. But she needs to understand how much I'm hurt by the fact that she doesn't trust me enough.

"Darling." She locks me in the warm embrace I have always longed for.

"Mom."

She holds me in her arms, arms tightly circled around my torso. I hug her with the same intensity. The familiarity of her embrace spreads warmth through my body. I know by the look in her eyes that she will talk to me about what happened, but not right now. Knowing that puts me at ease.

"Okay, you two. Break it up." Paulina cuts our hug short.

"Let me get enough of my daughter." Mom scolds her with a small smile on her lips.

"We don't have enough time." Paulina points out.

"Whose fault is that?" I ask the two of them.

They were supposed to arrive in the early morning so that they will have plenty of time to shower, eat, explore a bit, and get ready. Then my mom texts me and tells me that they will leave after noon and that she will explain later. I'm still waiting for that explanation.

"It was my fault." A guy steps from behind Gabriel, and I recognize him from the photo Ace has shown me. "My plane got delayed and I didn't get to the town until very late."

Seeing him standing right in front of me is so much different than from a picture on Ace's phone. The picture Ace has shown me must've been from ages ago because the man standing right now is someone else.