In the Line is an emotional rollercoaster about two neighbors from different worlds whose lives are tangled in unspoken attraction.
Chace Dawson, a driven baseball player, finds himself captivated by Chloe Swann, the resilient and beautiful girl ne...
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CHACE
Restaurants are always busy on Friday night but my mother reserved a table in the private section of the place. I hold the door open for Amber as we enter, and she walks in with that confident, light step of hers, her dress moving softly against her legs. A host greets us and takes us to our reserved table, where my family is already seated.
Just fifteen people are sitting around the table. My closest family, uncles and aunties, my four year old cousin and mom's personal assistant and best friend Shanya. Mom always celebrates in a big style. Her receptions are always full of business partners and other rich strangers from the city. I'm really glad that this year she changed her mind and decided to keep it down.
But when I'm looking around the table I still feel that something is missing. I feel like I'm surrounded by the strangers. It's not that I don't love my family. I love them much, but I feel like we aren't real. We just don't enjoy each other. I feel like we don't live, we're just.. passing by. Day by day.
My family works hard to secure the money for us. We are well off, we live a luxurious life, but I still can tell that something is missing. As If we have never been really happy.
I wish my grandpa was here. It's been two years since he passed away, but I still miss him much. He was my favorite person in our family. He was also the only one who understood me, the real me; not that mask I put up for everyone else. He always kept us grounded when we flew up too high.
He used to say: "Sense of life isn't in things you have or like son, it's people you are with. Don't you dare ever honor a thing more than a human. Never make reckless decisions; even the smallest inattention can can cost you everything good in your life."
My father loved him. His dead broke him. They were very close but grandpa never really liked my mother. I thought about it a lot of times but I never found out why. Maybe it was something from the past that happened and they felt awkward around each other because of it. Truth to be told- everything is possible in this family. Secrets are everywhere around us.
My mom stands as soon as she sees Amber. "Oh, darling, you look stunning!" she says, immediately moving in for a hug. Amber accepts it with a smile, handing over the bouquet and the tea box. "Happy birthday, Regina!"My mom beams at her. "Oh, Amber, these are beautiful. Thank you so much!" She sets the gifts aside, then turns to me, her expression more reserved. "And you, son—thank you for finally making it on time."
I give a curt nod, choosing not to comment. My dad, seated at the head of the table, raises a glass of wine in a silent greeting. "Good to see you, son. Amber, as radiant as always."
Amber blushes a bit. "Thank you, Philip." She's always been good at charming people—she knows exactly what to say to each person, exactly the kind of tone to take.
We settle into our seats, and I find myself staring at the menu, trying to block out the conversations around me. Mom is already chatting Amber's ear off about the latest charity events or business ventures, and my dad is content to sip his wine in peace. This is the kind of dynamic that's become routine in my life—everyone playing their roles perfectly.
