Ghosts of War | CoD - MW

Chapter 16.

Friday, 19th of November, 2021.

Kimberly grabbed the coffee cup, taking a sip from the hot coffee. She let her eyes wander from Stephanie, to Dorothy, and then to Allison. Kimberly felt uncomfortable, having not met Phillip's family for more than five years. She never felt like she was one of them.

Dorothy, Phillip's mother, was dressed in a black, furry coat. Her once blonde hair had grown grey by now, wrinkles filling her face. She still had her kind smile, but she seemed tired. One couldn't exactly blame her either, given her old age.

Stephanie was Phillip's older sister. She had been sceptical of Kimberly to begin with, but she had learned to accept the girl over time. Since her acceptance, they had been okay friends. The talk between Stephanie and Kimberly sat deeply in the both of them, but neither held a grudge. Stephanie had her hair coloured black, just as she had years ago. It still fit the grown woman, but it made her white clothes seem unfit for her.

Allison on the other hand, had never liked Kimberly. She was the youngest sibling, and she could never imagine why a child like Kimberly would like a grown man like Phillip. Perhaps it was for his money, but Allison was determined to hate Kimberly. Her hair was brown like her brothers, her eyes big and innocent. She wore a fairly see-through orange top, with a black bra visible underneath it.

Kimberly had simply dressed in a pair of joggers and a sweater, aware that she would jump in and out of her clothes this day.
She had agreed to take a cup of coffee with the ladies of the Graves' family before looking for a dress, and she had regretted it the second she laid eyes on them.

Kimberly put her cup down, letting her eyes wander across the café. Suddenly Allison's sharp voice spoke up, making Kimberly look in her direction.
-"So, tell us, why did you decide to go back to Phillip? You run out of money? Didn't find anyone else as handsome? Didn't find good enough sex?"

Kimberly felt like rolling her eyes, but she knew Allison would make a comment on it. Instead, she composed herself and looked into Allison's brown eyes. Funny enough, Allison was the only one with brown eyes.
-"As I told you earlier, I got tired of Phillip being abusive. That was five years ago. I decided to give him a new chance, because I loved him at one point, and maybe I will do so again," Kimberly said with honesty, but she could see that Allison didn't believe her. She never did.

-"It's Phillip you're talking about. The sweetest man there is. He would never lay a hand on you, so cut the bullshit. You obviously realised that no one would date you with a face that's been mowed upon. You look disgusting, and therefore you ran back to him. Because my dear brother is the only one who could ever love a freak like you."

Kimberly shook her head, looking back down at her coffee. She wanted to snap at Allison, but she remembered this girl all too well. Every comment would go over her head, she would act like a victim and no matter what, she couldn't see the truth. It was almost like she refused to.

-"Allison, that's quite enough now. I'm sorry for her behaviour, but we never expected to see you again after you left. I'm sorry for what happened to you, but I'm glad that I can still call you for my daughter," Dorothy said, waving a disapproving hand towards Allison. It was her cue to shut up, but she didn't exactly obey her mother. She never did. The only person that could shut this girl up, was the only man in the family. Philip.

-"It's fine. I didn't exactly expect her to change. But thank you," Kimberly said, picking up her mug. She drank more of the coffee, waiting for the others to keep the conversation going.
-"I'm curious. Are you going to start a family?"

Kimberly almost chocked on her coffee, having not expected that question from anyone. She laid her eyes on Stephanie, feeling flustered. Why did these girls think they had anything with this matter to do? Their say in this didn't even matter to her or Phillip.