Under My Body

chapter twenty-four

            The silence was deafening.

I sat at the table, my head low, staring at the plate in front of me as though it held the answers to all my problems. My hands fidgeted with the edge of the napkin on my lap. Everyone was eating, but no one said a word. Not a joke from Xavier, and not even one of Dellana's sarcastic quips.

They'd heard. Of course, they'd heard.

My face burned with the thought. She had only been here for less than an hour, and we'd already argued.

I hated this. I hated fighting with her. And I hated that even after all this time, seeing her again didn't come with the comfort I had secretly hoped for. The wounds of our past arguments hadn't healed; they'd only scabbed over, waiting for the perfect moment to split open and bleed again.

I then tended to my friends as best as I could, offering them drinks and forcing small smiles, all while Amma disappeared into the kitchen to help Penny. That was another thing I was dreading—the two of them alone in a room, likely dissecting every word I said, my mother's voice sharp like a knife as she'd no doubt critique me.

As we all sat at the table, I glanced around. The food was beautifully displayed, the rich aromas of kimchi fried rice, cucumber salad, roasted potatoes, and chicken soup filling the room. My stomach growled involuntarily, and I saw Dellana's eyes widen with excitement as she looked at the spread, her face practically glowing with love for Penny's cooking. I had to bite back a laugh; everyone looked like they had fallen head over heels for the food. It was funny in a weird way, like a bunch of hungry toddlers at a birthday party.

But despite the mouth-watering food, no one made a move. No one even tried to start a conversation. The silence felt thick, almost unbearable, and I couldn't take it any longer. I knew I had to break it, even though every fiber of my being wanted to stay quiet and let this awkward moment fester.

Clearing my throat awkwardly, I gave a small, nervous chuckle. "Uh, guys... this is my mother, Neha. You can just call her Aunty Neha." I said, trying to sound casual but feeling like I had just dropped a bomb.

As soon as the words 'my mother' left my mouth, Amma, who was returning from the kitchen, muttered under her breath, just loud enough for me to hear, "Look whose mother I am now."

I whipped my head toward her, shooting her a glare so sharp it could have cut glass. She met my eyes with a look of innocence, but the tension was unmistakable. Amma then shifted her attention to the table, smiling politely at my friends like nothing had happened. "So these are the friends Xavier told me about," she said, her tone sickly sweet, the kind of tone that put me on edge.

Dellana, ever the cheerful diplomat, grinned brightly and waved. "Hi, Aunty! I'm Dellana." Her voice was a little too high-pitched, like she was overcompensating for the tension.

One by one, my friends introduced themselves. Thali, Brie-Ann, even Xavier, who gave Amma a cheeky smile as if to say, 'I tried to warn you,' though I knew that wasn't true at all. Everyone was on their best behavior, but when the introductions landed on Asher, I swear I felt the earth tilt a little beneath me.