Reticent (h.s fanfic, punk Harry)

Chapter 26

Hey guys, hope everyone had an awesome weekend. This chapter is dedicated to LemonSuccubus because I cannot tell you how much your writing has motivated me to do better on mine. I loved all your books, ESPECIALLY Fading and Finding Zen. I recommend it to everyone reading right now.

Also dedicated to @JHOPESDIMPLE you have been awsome with the comments, thank you!

And @_maniac_reader because you are AMAZING!

"I've been thinking," Audrey started as we all gathered around the breakfast table. I arduously engaged in the early morning conversation, feeling too tired for the early bird food in front of me. Audrey seemed to put too much emphasis on her voice, the straining difficulty to think of a word made me tense. I listened apathetically, my full attention still in my mother's house, still facing the no named man.

The two kids on the table seemed to be ignoring her too and making mustaches with their bacon strips. Productive, I thought. Playing with food was a huge no no in Darcy's house, but who the hell was she to make such choices? I could have taken advantage of abundant times to fool around or play with my food. It was easy to look back and somewhat know that she was OCD about many things, one being disarray.

I pulled my thoughts away from Darcy and focused it on the people around the table who were laughing hysterically over something, not glancing a second time at the full plate in front of me. I looked up anyway, my gaze settling on Cameron at the front of the table. He ruffled one of the twins' hair and shot a wink to his wife. I had no vindictive feeling for her, but I feel it was her that made me find no relevance between my father and I. Maybe if it weren't for her, he would have taken me with him.

I sneaked another glance at my father who's face already strained from the laugh lines. He couldn't stop looking at Audrey, who had a hand pressed to her chest to relieve the pressure of laughing so hard. I wonder...I wonder what it felt like to reach this extent of happiness.

"Ophelia, have you and John ever visited the zoo, darling?" Audrey trained her eyes on me.

I felt diffident in her presence, I swallowed my inhibition to keep going, to seem wiser in her presence. "Yeah, it was for my fifteenth birthday-It was nice." I went on to say, but avoided to add on the part where Darcy demanded we go home when a monkey threw a piece of bark at her. We'd gone home, and while Darcy slept, John woke me and we left the house to go watch the fireworks. Then went out for frozen yogurt.

"Oh, how wonderful!" Audrey clasped her hands together with a fawned expression. I admired her for adding me to the conversation, but it wasn't needed. "When is your birthday, dear?"

"March 6." Cameron answered before I had a chance. I knew without any indication that this was to prove how much he still knew me. I knew Darcy's birthday, but it seemed I knew almost nothing about her.

"Yeah, March 6. I remember you were there that night. You took me out to choose a cake." The reminiscing was making him almost regret opening his mouth. "Then you left before I could wake up in the morning. Mom had already thrown the cake away.

A roaring silence took over the table. Even the twins knew something was up. They stopped making faux mustaches and looked from their mother to their father, asking silently what was happening. Audrey opened her mouth, then closed it, repeating it at least seven times before just settling to stay in the silent zone.

"You wanted to be with your mother." My father finally spoke up. "You were happy with her, Ophelia," he stressed once more.

"Yeah, I was seven," for the first time that morning, I brought a bacon piece to my mouth, reminding myself about the food journal-John would have my head if I didn't eat. "Seven and just too ignorant."