What Happens in L.A.

Chapter 16: Pity

L

A day after being rushed to the hospital, Jayce was high on morphine and already questioning his father.

"Why can't I see my girlfriend?"

Mr. Holdings didn't have the heart, at least for his son, to repeat what Lilly had told him. "Why do you want to see her, anyways? It's only been a day since you've came here. It's family time."

"I just want to see her. Its just like, I want to hold her, hate her, and have her all at the same time. She makes me so. . . enraged but engaged- it's crazy. I'm crazy. I want to see her Dad." Jayce squeezed his PCA pump to get another dose. His body relaxed as his check rested on the pillow.

"You're just high..." Mr. Holdings mumbled, his feelings starting to show. His eyes grew wide as he looked out the window, worrying she might show her face and create a scene.

"I'll get her." Addilyn said grabbing her keys then vanishing. Mr. Holdings internally cursed her as he tried to keep his facade going with his son. Normally, he would be a bit sterner with Jayce. Tell him all that he thought Lilly was worth. But since he was in the hospital, maybe that was a sign he pushed him too far. No matter how much he blamed other people, Mr. Holdings knew the real source of Jayce's frustration. Unlike the woman he married, he knew when to stop.

Jayce eyed his phone's camera, studying his reflection. Despite the cuts and bruises, he commented on non-obvious imperfections.

"I need a new fade before she comes." He picked at his tangled, spiraled curls. "Get me some curl conditioner from the gift shop please, Dad. And a brush."

As he traveled to the ground floor in the elevator, Mr. Holdings finally let the nostalgic memories catch up with him. He was so bent on anger about relationships. He remembered love, the blithe feeling he craved but it was too expensive, even for him.

Jayce's mother was his first love, and only for himself to know, she was his last. When he met her, he was the product of a self made family, running from people like her; people who would knock you right back to where you started. She had an infectious personality. But she caught up, and latched on. He liked taking care of her. He loved waiting on her hand and foot. His attention was worth more than his money to her. But when you're a business giant, attention is the most costly thing in the world. She wanted to have him wrapped around her shaky finger. And no matter what anyone said to Mr. Holdings, she wasn't broken, she was just spoiled. They were too idiotic to tell the difference. That's the way he saw it through his rose colored glasses.

Mr. Holdings got off the elevator feeling light hearted after his renewing thought of his ex-wife.

"Don't forget about that apology." Addilyn said as she left out the doors. He nodded, then turned into the gift shop.

• • •

Addilyn contemplated her word choice thoroughly, barely paying attention to the road. She didn't want to sound too apologetic, especially when she didn't feel that what she did was wrong.

"I'm sorry that you had to see that at the party. But anyways, I'm going to stay with my father in New York for a couple of weeks." Addilyn said to herself in a blank voice. Perfect, her tone was bleak and her words were terse. She pulled into Lilly's driveway, where she was sitting on the porch.

Lilly opened the car door and the two exchanged half second smiles. The radio was low and an old Adele song floated out of the Bose speakers.

"I could of drove, you didn't have to pick me up, you know." Lilly tried to pull off their normal "friend" voice, but she sounded more awkward than the moment.