Her Brother's Best Friend - Aching Hearts Series #2

Chapter 18 - Wait for me

CHAPTER 18 - WAIT FOR ME

"Where are you going?" Mrs. Robinson asked as she rinsed her hands on her apron, furrowing her eyebrows at her daughter. Emily had just come down and was ready to go out, she knew her mother would question her, especially because in an hour they'd be having lunch, but that was why she tried to get away with it. She really didn't want to be present at that specific Sunday lunch.

She bit her lip, fidgeting a little as she coyly wondered: "Ahm ... I haven't seen Vanessa yesterday, so I thought ... she asked me to have lunch with them?"

Her mother's eyebrows furrowed even more as she stared at her, suspicious. "You know we're having guests today. And your brother is leaving after lunch." Sybil argued calmly, not wanting to be straight and ask if what she wondered was true: that the girl wanted to ditch the get-together not to see someone specific. Riley had remained in town for about a couple of weeks and, despite every certainty they'd had, he'd spent very little time with Emily.

It was a doubt Sybil shared with his mother, who had been sure she'd see her son very little, considering he'd split himself between his best friend (along with the other friends maybe) and his precious Honeybee, but while he'd been often out with Jason for the first period, then it had seemed that Riley was keeping more to himself.

In particular, Mrs. Evans had noticed the bruise on her son's cheekbone one time that he'd come back home from seeing his best friend. And Emily? There was a time when he'd spent his every free moment with her, and now? Now he'd barely seen her.

Sybil was also worried about her son. Jason hadn't been at the bonfire party at all, he'd been out all day yesterday, claiming he'd spend it with Gwen, but his mood was the blackest ever, to say the least. There was something really weird going on here. The proof was the way her daughter was fidgeting, while clearly trying to come up with an excuse.

Hence, Sybil prevented her daughter: "You can see Vanessa later. Your brother leaves in the late afternoon, till then, you'll be here with all of us. Mrs. Evans is very excited to see you, says she's seen very little of you in five years."

She sighed, trying to play the card of Boston not being too far and Jason would be back in town in a couple of weeks anyway, as usual, but her mother retorted that he was busy with his residency, this being a crucial year, and then they'd have to think of the wedding, whose date was to be settled possibly today, so he wouldn't be back before Thanksgiving, maybe even Christmas. Sybil wanted to mention also someone else, but she thought it was better to avoid. Things were complicated, apparently.

Riley was a great guy, she trusted him blindly, thought of him as a son, but ... Emily was too young. Still a teenager, and he was a worldly man ... no, that couldn't happen. She'd always thought it wouldn't, even when he came back, when he hugged her daughter like that, Sybil thought she was paranoid, but now ... with both of them acting so weird, her daughter avoiding him like pest, him being less incline to drop by ... something had happened. Definitely.

She'd considered asking Jason, maybe he'd know, but her son was much of a hot-head as her husband, he wouldn't take it well, so if he knew, surely he'd be mad, being so overprotective over his little sister. Could it be that ... they fought because of that? Maybe Jason punched Riley? Causing him that bruise on his cheekbone? Maybe he really knew something. Then again, Jason too seemed off. Ah ... these youths. So complicated with their issues.

Emily sighed, discouraged, and nodded. There was no way she could get out of it apparently. Maybe she could make it to sneaking away as soon as lunch was over, though ... pulling on a poker face, she dared lie: "Ok, but Dean wanted to take me to the zoo, may I go?"