Reborn

the/meeting

CHAPTER THREE

Her rage was that of an erupting volcano as she stormed out of the restaurant, forgetting to take her coat on the way out.

"Miss!" The attendant called out, but Elise was too far gone and out into the harsh, frigid wind of early December and not even it could dissuade her from her horrid thoughts.

How dare she?! Adeline had no right to disrespect Nana in any way, shape, or form. Why Elise agreed to this meeting was beyond her. No, that is untrue, she knew exactly why she agreed. Why she stayed further than two seconds was the unreal aspect of the entire situation. Her mother's mere presence invoked a hatred that could last millennia.

Two seconds was more than enough to allow her to say she tried. Two seconds to look at her mother's exquisite, haunting face and turn around to never look back. Just two seconds. But she stayed, ignored every fiber in her being howling at her to stay away from that creature, black as the devil and just as beautiful. Her well-kept appearance concealed her true age as a woman in her late-fifties, she held the grace of a swan, and displayed the mannerisms of a well-educated, high-class lady endowed with privilege since birth. She was alluring and deceptive, an angel of light and absolutely wretched.

Elise took her keys from her recently pressed pants, and kept speed-walking to where her car was parked, its heater waiting to welcome her with open arms. In contrast, she was lost in her outrage, her tunnel vision distracting her from the incoming group of people, laughing and enjoying each other's company. She collided with one who was at the edge of the sort. Elise hardly registered the event or the pain at her shoulder as she kept going until a hand grabbed her. Elsie failed to jerk her hand free.

"Hey."

Elise turned to stare at the culprit halting her from her self-induced vexation with the silent wrath of flowing lava. "What?"

"Aren't you going to apologize?" The guy gestured at the innocent redhead Elise had, in the eyes of the young man, practically ran over.

She kept silent, trying understand the situation which would have been an easier feat in different circumstances. In fact, in different circumstances, she wouldn't have bumped into anyone at all.

"What's wrong, Jazz?" The rest of the group had noticed quickly the loss of a part of theirs. They gazed over inquisitively.

"It's nothing!" Jazz, the redhead, waved her hands as if the action would blow away this confrontation. "We just accidentally bumped into each other, it was nothing really, didn't even feel it." Jazz smiled a smile so bright, Elise almost felt guilty. "Come on, we should go." She pulled the guy's arm in the direction of the restaurant to no avail.

"Not until she--"

"I'm sorry," Elise said looking directly at the cute redhead's eyes. The she turned her head, her vehicle only three parking spots away, waiting for her, but the guy hadn't let go, both figuratively and literally.

He was frowning. "That didn't sound very sincere."

You gotta be kidding me. At this point, all Elise wanted was to go home, take a long bath, and hold a picture of Nana as she fell asleep. This degenerate was withholding her from that, and that did not make her happy.

The guy lifted a brow, expecting her to apologize "sincerely." Elise cursed him out mentally in every language she knew. She had been sincere, or at least as sincere as she could manifest after her shortened dinner with Adeline. Now this jerk wasn't making it any easier either.

"I said I was sorry," she said, took a step too close for comfort and glared into his now taken-off-guard eyes, "now get your hand off me before I deform your face that you'll be wishing for an act of God."

Studies have shown that staring into each other's eyes can cause both parties to fall in love. In the current case, it'd be wise to suggest they were falling in hate.

One of the other guys approached suavely, put a hand on Mr. Iron-Grip. His soft, fruity voice exuded a sense of calmness onto the coarse atmosphere. Elise actually relaxed at the sound of it, so did the degenerate; he broke the eye contact. "Come on man, she said sorry. Jazz said it's nothing, now we should go. I don't want to lose our reservation."

"That's right Jay!" Shouted the couple farthest away, happily. "Remember how long we've waited for this day: months!"

Jazz tried again and pulled at the guy's arm, succeeding. The hand on Elise's arm loosened so she took the opportunity and walked off without a second thought. She opened her car, turned the heater to full capacity, and drove out of the lot. Her bathtub was calling her.