His to Love (His #3)

Chapter 28

"Rory. Is everything alright with you?" 

Rory murmurs something in response.

"Leave the dishes and look at me. Now talk to me. What's bothering you?"

"I'm seeing someone." 

I feel guilty for listening to this, but I can hear Rory talking with her mother all the way from the kitchen. I had the pleasure to meet Rory's parents today as she took me to lunch at their house. They're really amazing people and I can see now where Rory gets it from. 

"A man?" her mother asks her. 

There's no response from Rory.

"But ... is it serious?" Her mother asks.

"No. It's not serious. Not really." I sit up a bit straighter now where I'm watching the TV with Rory's dad. 

"But you want it to be serious," he mother confirms.

Rory murmurs something in response I can't catch.

"Ah, baby girl. Have you tried to talk to him about this?" 

"No. It's really complicated between us."

I almost snort at that. My brother is known to complicate things, especially with women, girl.

"It's only complicated if you make it that way, sweetheart. If you want this to work, you have to talk to him. Tell him how you feel, because he can't know how you feel if you don't tell him." I want to applaud Darlene. But I doubt she would give that advice to her daughter if she met my brother. I think she would tell her to stay the hell away from him, in fact. 

"But the thing is, he doesn't want a relationship. Not with me, not with anyone else, and he told me that many, many times."

I close my eyes at Rory's words, hearing the pain she says this with.

"Brooke? Are you alright?"

I quickly open my eyes to find Bob, Rory's dad, watching me with concern. "Yes. Yes, I'm fine." I give him a tight smile. I've felt bad the whole day after the scene I had with Rory yesterday. I shouldn't have said those words to her. Or to Aaron. But he's yet another story. And then Rory introduced me to her parents as her good friend ... 

"Talk to him. Maybe he feels the same way," Darlene suggests. "And if things go right, I'd like to meet this mysterious man." I smile to myself a bit. Honestly, when was the last time Braden met the parents of a woman he was dating?

 Darlene comes out of the kitchen minutes later, carrying drink for each of us. I pretend I'm engrossed in the TV show that's currently playing on the flat screen. 

"Ah, Brooke. I'm sorry if we've neglected you too much." Darlene eyes her husband who's more interested in the TV than what's going on around him. "You're one year older than Rory, aren't you?" she asks nonchalantly. 

I nod, gratefully taking the drink she offers and take a small sip. 

"Is there any man in your life?"

I blink at her a few times.

"Darlene, darling, you're a bit too curious." Bob smiles reassuringly to me and I have to bite my lip not to burst out laughing.

"It's fine. No. No, I'm not seeing anyone currently." I look down, avoiding both of their eyes.

"Do you have any siblings?" 

"Yes. A brother." Who is the reason your daughter has got so many problems in her life. I keep 

"That's nice. Is he older?" Darlene keeps her questions coming.