Drawn To You (GirlxGirl)

Part 6

Allie's P.O.V

As I pulled into the driveway, my stomach sank at the sight of the sleek black Mercedes parked in front of the house. Mark's parents were here. I'd completely forgotten they were coming for dinner tonight, and now the thought of enduring a few hours of polite conversation and passive-aggressive remarks made me want to turn around and drive off.

As soon as I stepped inside, Sylvia's voice greeted me, crisp and commanding.

"Allie, darling, there you are. We were beginning to wonder if you'd forgotten us." I heard and my skin crawled.

I forced a smile and walked into the living room, where Sylvia and Frank were comfortably seated on the couch. Sylvia, with her platinum blonde hair meticulously styled and her icy blue eyes looking me up and down like they always did.

She wore a pale blue cashmere sweater, a thin grey pencil skirt and black heels. Her gold earrings probably cost more than my car.

Frank, tall and broad-shouldered, was engrossed in his newspaper, his silver hair gleaming under the soft lighting. When he looked up and saw me, his face broke into a warm smile, and his eyes, a softer blue than Sylvia's, crinkled at the corners.

"Allie, there you are. How was your day?" His voice was warm, genuine, a welcome contrast to Sylvia's sharp tone.

"Sorry, Sylvia, Frank," I said, relaxing a little under Frank's kind gaze. "I lost track of time."

Sylvia's smile was thin, her gaze still sharp.

"Well, you're here now, that's what matters. You must be exhausted from your studies." She said, placing the glass of white wine to her lips.

There it was, the subtle reminder that, in their eyes, I was still just a work in progress. Someone who needed to prove herself worthy of their son. Someone who had to keep striving, keep pushing, to meet their expectations.

Frank cleared his throat, glancing at Sylvia before turning back to me with a softer expression. "You're working hard, Allie. Mark tells us you're doing well in your courses." He smiled, silently apologising for his wife.

I smiled my thanks in return.

"I'm gonna go say hello to Mark" I told them politely before making my way into the kitchen.

As I walked through the house, I could still feel Sylvia's eyes on me, evaluating, judging.

When I found Mark in the kitchen, he was grilling something on the stove, a glass of wine in his hand. He looked up as I walked in, his handsome face breaking into a warm smile. "There you are. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, just a long day," I said, moving to stand beside him.

The scent of steak and vegetables filled the air, and I realised I hadn't eaten all day. My stomach growled, but the thought of sitting through dinner with Sylvia and Frank made my appetite vanish.

Mark leaned down and kissed my forehead, his touch familiar but somehow distant.

"Dinner's almost ready. Sorry I didn't remind you they were coming over-I meant to." Mark half-heartedly apologised.

Of course, he'd forgotten. Just like he'd forgotten to ask how my meeting with Jessie went.

"It's fine," I said, though it wasn't.

For Mark, this was just another dinner with his parents. For me, it was a reminder of all the ways I felt like I didn't quite fit into their world. But I didn't say any of that. Instead, I nodded and let him finish preparing dinner, pushing aside the thoughts that had been swirling in my mind since I left Jessie's studio.

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Later that night, after Sylvia and Frank had left and we'd cleaned up, I found myself lying in bed beside Mark, staring up at the ceiling. The room was dark, the soft glow of the moon casting shadows on the walls. Mark was already settling in, scrolling through his phone, but I could still feel the tension from the evening clinging to me like a second skin.

"Were you going to ask about how my meeting went today?" I asked, my eyes still glued to the ceiling.

Mark looked at me, his phone still stuck in his hands.

"Sorry love, it totally slipped my mind. How was it?" He asked.

"£500 per painting, a few months or so worth of work. 3 paintings and my uni fees are taken care of" I told him the short version, knowing he wasn't interested in the long one.

"That's great Allie, I'm proud of you" he leaned over and kissed my cheek.

But his words felt hollow. I didn't feel proud. I didn't feel much of anything in that moment. Not the way I'd felt earlier in Jessie's studio, surrounded by her vibrant colours and creative energy. Not the way I'd felt when Jessie looked at me with those intense, thoughtful eyes, making me feel like I was more than just an accessory in someone else's life.

Mark went back to mindlessly scrolling through his phone and I turned over, wanting this evening to be over. As I drifted off, my mind was still in Jessie's studio, wondering what tomorrow would bring.