"They're right this way, at the kitchen table," Emma whispered, leading him through the living room. She heard her parents whispering faintly in the kitchen; she could only guess they were talking about Blake. Blake also sensed the tension and stopped for a moment, his body tensing up. She tightly clasped his hand. "I'm right here, Blake. You got this." He nodded and let her lead him to the entrance of the kitchen.
Her parents stood from the table at their arrival, and her mother's eyes moved instantly to their linked hands. Blake was about to pull away, but Emma held his hand tight. She wanted to show her parents they were a united front, and she wasn't going to let them control her any longer. They stood in silence for a moment before Blake finally spoke. "Hello, I'm Blake. It's nice to meet you both officially."
They made their way to the table. Her father was standing at one end and her mother at the other. Her father was the first to reach out to shake Blake's hand. "Gerald, you can call me Mr. Pear for now." Blake let go of Emma's hand to shake her father's. She could tell her father was giving a tight handshake, but of course, Blake didn't let that show. They pulled apart, and her father sat down with Emma sitting to his left at the side of the table.
"Melissa," her mother said in a bored tone, earning a glare from her husband that made her sigh. Her mother gave Blake a fake smile, holding out her hand towards him. "You can call me Ms. Pear," she said as if it was a painful effort.
Blake pressed his lips tightly before shaking her hand. "These are for you, Ms. Pear," he said, handing her the bouquet of daisies before sitting down beside Emma.
Her mother held the flowers close to her face. "You know, when I visited France, I learned that daisies are bad luck." She took a big sniff while looking at him. Her eyes moved to Emma's anger-filled ones before she pulled the flowers away, laughing falsely. "I just thought that was an interesting fact. If you would excuse me, I better go put these in some water." She walked behind the wall in the kitchen to the sink.
Blake hung his head, squeezing his eyes shut. Emma watched him closely. It looked like he was beating himself up internally for getting her the flowers. This night was already starting on the wrong foot because of her mother's pettiness.
Suddenly, a fire boiled in her chest. She pushed back her chair, making a loud squeak. Her father looked at her while she stood up.
"Would you excuse me a moment?" she said, trying to hide her anger behind a shaking smile "Emma..." her father started. She glared at him. "Don't get involved, Father. I can handle this." She said before marching behind the wall separating the rooms, before Blake could stop her.
As she walked in, she saw her mother humming, putting the flowers in a vase. "Mother, was that really necessary? To treat him that way?" Emma said, trying to keep her voice low.
Her mother turned, looking at her with fake confusion. "I don't know what you mean. I barely said two words to the boy. Emma, you're being oversensitive once again, dear."
Her hands turned into fists as she tried to control her anger. She swallowed hard, watching as her mother placed the flower vase beside the microwave. "Exactly! It's been less than five minutes, and you're already treating him like an outsider. You're not even trying to like him, with your disgusted looks and smart comments. Why couldn't you have just accepted the flowers and moved on?"
Her mother turned back to her with her hands on her hips. "I was simply sharing an interesting fact, dear." the fact that her mother was acting completely oblivious was only pissing Emma off more. She pointed her finger at her mother. "No, you were being your petty self, and you know what..." Emma shook her head, pacing in a small circle. "At least Father is making an effort. You're just being a... a... a bitch."
Her mother gasped, putting a hand against her chest.
Emma stopped pacing, facing her mother, arms crossed. "If you're going to continue like this, then you might as well not have dinner with us after all. Just go upstairs and wait for him to leave if you're not going to make an effort to get to know him." She was over dealing with this. Her mother could honestly just get out of the way at this point. Her mother pressed her lips tightly, watching her daughter.
"But you have to realize, he is a part of my life and he will be around. I want both of you in my life, but I won't have you making him uncomfortable. The choice is yours, Mother." She didn't let her mother reply before turning around and walking back into the main kitchen, to a very unexpected sight.
YOU ARE READING
It Started With Hello
Romance***** Emma Pear knew she wasn't the most popular girl in high school. Her nose was usually buried in a textbook, and her grades were as spotless as her reputation for always following the rules. "Nerd" was a label she'd long since embraced. Her pare...
