Welcome To The Family (Avenged Sevenfold)

Chapter 9

Alexandria's POV 

"More?" Lola asked, holding up the bottle.
I shook my head. "I better not."
"You're not working tomorrow, I'm getting another bottle." She announced, getting up and heading inside.
She was gone before I could object. But why should I object, she was right, I didn't have to work tomorrow. Thank goodness, I was certainly looking forward to a day off.
"Well everyone's gone." She said coming back out with another bottle. "Oh except Matt, I'm pretty sure he's moved in."
I laughed. "I think he has."
"Oh well." She said topping up our glasses. "It could be worse, it could be Brian."
There she goes mentioning Brian again. You'd think she hated him, only I knew better.
"So Alex." She said.
"Alexandria." I corrected her.
"Oh get over it, I'm calling you Alex."
"But...."
"No buts." She said cutting me off. "I'm calling you Alex."
I groaned. "Fine."
"So Alex." She grinned. "Tell me about yourself."
"What do you want to know?"
"What do you do for a job, how you came about owning this house, how the fuck you ended up dating such a douche."
"Fine, but I want to know stuff too." I told her.
"That's fair."
"Okay." I started. "I'm a midwife."
"Yeah Sarah said, that sounds interesting."
I took a sip of my wine. "It has good days and bad days. Luckily the good out way the bad."
"I guess the bad days are pretty bad."
I nodded, the bad days could be devastating. "Very bad."
She took a drink. "So how do you afford this house?"
I took a deep breath. "My parents."
"They bought it for you?"
I shook my head.
"Ugh Alex I'm sorry, Sarah told me about your parents." She said softly.
"It was an accident." I told her. "They were driving down to Mexico for the weekend and boom, suddenly they were gone."
"Shit. So I take it you have no brothers or sisters?" She asked.
"No, none. So here I am, with all of this." I said waving my hand around.
"God it must have been hard."
I nodded. "Very hard, suddenly I was alone."
She went quiet, filling my glass again. "Douchebag?" She asked.
I smiled. "I met him not long after mom and dad had passed. He saved my life."
"Bullshit." She snapped. "I know his type, he saw you were vulnerable."
"No, it wasn't like that at all." I told her.
"Matt." Lola suddenly said as the back door opened. "Truthfully, what do you think of Brandon."
"No way." He said picking up my glass and taking a drink. "I am not getting involved in girl talk." He told us. "I've only come out to say goodbye, so bye." He headed for the door, stopping and turning around. "Thanks Alexandria."
"Oh no problem." I told him. "You can come over anytime and use it."
"Thanks." He said smiling and disappearing.
"You'll regret you said that." Lola said.
"He seems nice enough."
"Alex, they all seem nice enough, just like Brandon, but I've seen him, he bullies you."
"No he doesn't." I said.
"Alex come on." She said rolling her eyes. "He is."
I looked down at my wine. I didn't think he was a bully, but what did I really know, he was my first real relationship.
"Men are supposed to treat you like a princess Alex, buy you things, do nice stuff for you, not tell you what to do, snap at you and touch you."
"Touch you?" I asked confused.
"I've seen him grab you Alex, and he doesn't do it gently."
"Brandon just gets a little angry. Besides." I said, wanting to change the subject. "What about your boyfriend?"
"Grant?" She asked. "He hasn't spoken to me since the day I moved in so I guess we're over."
"And you're okay with that?" I asked her.
"Yeah, I guess I am."
"And what about Brian?"
"What about Brian?" She said.
"Don't play dumb, I know something is going on. You like him don't you?"
She groaned. "Brian and I had a fling a few years ago. It was a disaster." She took a drink. "We're just too much alike."
"Maybe." I said smiling. "But you still like him."
She shook her head at me. "Maybe I do, but I've learnt my lesson with him. In fact." She said standing up. "I've learnt my lesson with all men, from now on I'm single. And you." She said pointing at me. "You need to get rid of that douche Alex, I'm serious."
I nodded. "Maybe."
I watched her walk inside. It was easy for her to say, but I'd been with Brandon for five years, he'd done so much for me. I loved him.
I did love him.
I loved him.
Didn't I?