peridot | lando norris

5|london|

maeve pov.

it was friday today, i was supposed to take a flight to nice tonight for niamh's birthday tomorrow but i was currently having dinner at maire's house.

that night, after the party, we all gathered in the living room of our childhood london house where dad broke thew news about the will to us. "i want all of you to accept, don't decline the beneficiaries. it's a matter of respect" he'd said. mother nodded, taking a seat beside him and looking at me. "maeve, you especially. i know you don't want to but we're not giving you a choice. it's going to be a hassle and they've put it down for you so we would not like to interfere"  were the only words she said to me all night. 

just like ronan had told me, the topic of marriage had come up rather quickly. once again, it was by my mother directed towards ashton. she didn't even see me as her daughter anymore. it ended pretty messily because ashton didn't let me speak a word. i kept looking at ronan from the corner of my eye, hoping he would cut in but he let ashton speak before opening his cards. 

"i don't think we need to rush into it. it's been a heavy month, not exactly the time to celebrate something like an engagement yet." he'd told dad who agreed whilst mother wasn't too happy. "what is the big deal. you've been together for so many years, you already have a child. it's better that way if you settle down and come back. it will be a good look and this is a chance to start again"  she declared and i had to bite down on my tongue to not interrupt her, knowing that'll be much worse that talking back. 

so that's what i did. i let her finish and put on a smile. "i don't want to get married. i'm happy where i am. i'm settled and i don't want to come 'back ', mum" it was the simple truth but i noticed ashton's expression and my mother's surprise. neither of them were really happy reactions. ronan gave me a tiny smile so i knew i did the right thing. winning over dad wasn't difficult, as bad as it sounds, his old age was getting to him. 

"okay. you don't have to get married yet then. whenever you're ready. ashton's not going anywhere, are you?"  dad asked with a small laugh, the atmostphere where the tension could previsouly be cut with a knife eased out. "no sir, i am not. happy to be close enough" maire and rory sat in silence. 

leigh held onto ronan, fidgeting with the sleeve of his shirt the entire time. leigh had a soft heart. she was a very expressive woman, euphemised everything and empathised with everyone strongly. ronan on the other hand, man was tough to read. he was brutally honest if you tell him to be and was not a keeper of lies. he'd tell you the truth no matter how hard it hurt. he loved hard, having been with just one girl all his life, he was the most loyal and stable one of us all. they were an amazing couple. 

"but maeve, you have to promise me something"  i did not see this condition coming and what my dad said had all of us surprised. ashton had began to loose his cool after that statement but i couldn't quite understand why until later that night when i asked ronan about it. "there's a loophole in dad's words that's not quite in his favour"  he told me. it was a puzzle. lawyers. ofcourse.

anyways, i did infact end up not staying the night there. i had to leave, the place was suffocating and i didn't want to fight with ashton while my parents were under the same roof with us.

something he said that night, all through past week, the more i thought about it the worse the words felt.

so here i was, sitting with leigh and arlo at the dinner table at maire and lawrence's home. maire invited all of us for dinner- that being our family. she wanted us to sort everything out before the court reading later. "i'm not going to be in town tomorrow. it has to be done wednesday or later" i tell dad who was sitting opposite me. "where are you going?" mother asked and i looked at maire who sat between her and lawrence.