The Bad Boy's Decision

Chapter 17: family gatherings

With a bottle of wine balancing in one hand and a bowl of salad pressed firmly in the other, I manoeuvre myself up the driveway towards the heavenly smells of food cooking nicely on the barbecue and announce my arrival with a quick "hello." By the looks of it, everyone is already here, enjoying a sociable Friday night drink, and I can only curse Mr Knox under my breath numerous times for making me late for Kyle and Hayley's leaving party.

"Amelia, sweetheart, over here." yells Hannah, already well on her way to being merry on rosé wine.

"Hey, enjoying the wine there, Hannah?" I ask and do so mockingly.

She replies with a vigorous head nod and as I smile back in response, I notice Aidan at the far end of the garden talking on the phone with an almighty scowl written across his face. He's pacing back and forth and repeatedly runs his left hand through his silk-like hair, the action causing it to stick up in all directions.

Not wanting to interfere, I decide to leave him for a while, unsure I even want to know what has him so riled up in the first place. I then excuse myself from Hannah and leave her chatting with a friend in the attempts to find Kyle and Hayley; the hosts of this evenings fine dining. It's quite sad to think the pair will no longer live here but with their new home only situated a five minute drive away, I'm rest assured I'll still see them a lot.

"Hey, you're here! Did you get off work late?" asks Jess, handing me wine glass filled with some sort of bubbly substance. "Your dress is nice, by the way." she then adds, pointing at the blue number with lace decorating the edge.

"Yeah, work ran over a little." I reply, gratefully accepting the drink. "Thanks, I like yours too. Do you know where Kyle and Hayley are?" I ask, wriggling my salad bowl in front of her, wanting to get rid of the annoyance.

"Kitchen I think, honey." states Jess, offering me a warm smile. "Come find me after, I need to tell you something."

I nod my head before turning on my heel and enter through the back door of the house, making my way through to the kitchen, stopping short when I hear two recognisable voices lowly chatting.

"I don't exactly know what's going on, he won't tell me but they're definitely  arguing." whispers Kyle to a seemingly interested Hayley.

The both of them are huddled over the kitchen island and are oblivious to my presence.

"And it's no coincidence that all this started happening as soon as Amelia came back into his life." replies Hayley, confirming my earlier thoughts that they are indeed, talking about Aidan.

"No, I don't think so and if he thinks I'm oblivious to him sleeping out every night, he can think again. I know he's with her, I told Amelia to fix it but what I didn't mean was for the pair to embark on a secret relationship. I'm worried for them." expresses Kyle, running a nervous hand through his hair, much like Aidan does when he's anxious. "I don't think either are prepared for the heartache that is sure to come when Aidan goes back to England in three weeks."

Upon hearing this, I make myself known to both, not wanting to hear the words 'Aidan' and 'leaving' in the same sentence ever again if I can help it. I'm not delusional, I know he has every intention of going back eventually but that certainly doesn't mean I want to think about it. I believe the correct terminology is denial. I'm in denial.

"Hey you two, happy moving out party." I delight, moving in and placing the bowl down on the kitchen counter.

I try my best to sound indifferent and not be effected by their earlier words, the pair of them not making it easy by offering me scrutinising glares. Thankfully, neither one decides to question me on their previous choice in topic and instead Kyle wraps one arm around my shoulder, holding me much like an older brother would his sister.