Games and Pleasure

Chapter 15: Madness

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

I wish I was in love but I don't wanna cause any pain

-"Waiting Game" Banks

"Thank you for having us Andrea, it's such a pleasure." My mother politely told the woman who was standing on the doorstep, wearing a simple black dress and white pearls around her neck. She seemed pleased with our presence as a genuine smile formed on her thin and delicate face. 

Next to her was her husband, Arthur with an arm wrapped around her and behind them, none other than Aaron Fucking Johnson. Such a picture perfect family. 

"The pleasure is mine. Come in, the food is ready and I have a few pictures of Brody I want to show you." She replied, gesturing us to walk inside her castle. This is the second time I set foot in this place and I’m still amazed.

"Oh you should have told me! We would have brought pictures of Rebecca too." My father frowned as he heard my mother’s replied. I knew what he was thinking, I was thinking just the same thing. It would have been useless to tell her since all of our old picture were back in Connecticut.

We walked into the vestibule and it looked just as I remembered, large and extravagant. Arthur told us to follow him and we did.

"Cassandra, sweetie," Andrea, called for me from behind. 

I turned to look at her while my parents continued to walk further into the house -to the dining room I supposed-.

"Come here, please." She smiled.

I did as I was told and joined her leaving the rest behind. I noticed the not-so-charming Aaron was standing next to her, giving me dirty look.

"How have you been? You looked lovely at the wedding." She said. 

Small talk? No thanks. What did she want anyway?

"I've been great, thank you." More than great, but she didn't need to know that. My mind vaguely wandered to this afternoon, to Harry. I bit my lower lip trying to stiffen my smile but it was useless, I wanted to be with him, not at this dinner celebration, I couldn’t care less about these people right now.

"Good." She smiled. "If I remember correctly, last time you were here we didn't show you around, did we?" 

I shook my head and smiled awkwardly at them. What was this all about? 

"Aaron, can you give Cassandra a tour? I want her to feel comfortable." She turned to look at me. "Mi casa es tu casa." 

That's Spanish for "my house is your house" right? Fuck. I kept smiling. What was her problem? 

"After dinner, mother." Aaron whispered loud enough for me to hear. 

I don't need a fucking tour. 

"Oh we have plenty of time right now, I want to show Richard and Margaret the baby pictures we found of Brody, they're going to love them." She excitedly clasped her hands together. 

"You can start with the garden." She told both of us. 

Aaron growled. "Come." He said to me, making his way to the front door.

“He’s not always like that.” Andrea apologized, embarrassment showing on her face. I enjoyed seeing her like that actually. She had put me in an awkward position, it was only fair that she joined the fun too.

“He’s…charming.” I said sarcastically, before following Aaron out of the house. 

"I won't give you a fucking tour." He said as he saw me getting closer to where he was. His back rested on one of the white colonial columns that adorned the doorstep.

"Good, I didn't want one." I stood in front of him with my arms crossed. If he was going to play this game, then I would fire back as well.

He shrugged and took out a cigarette and a lighter from his pocket. 

"Want one?" He asked me. Oh, so now you’re being friendly? Or was that just a sick way of trying to slowly kill me and blame it on a nicotine addiction?

"I don't smoke." 

He lit the cigarette and inhaled deeply, observing me. I felt judged even though I should have been the one judging him, after all he was the one with the killing thing between his lips.

"Here, try it." He offered.

"No, thanks."

"Why not?" 

"I don't want to die." I smiled before turning around and pretending to look at the driveway.

"Try it, it won't kill you." He was now standing next to me. 

"Why are we here?" I asked, changing the not-some-comfortable subject.

"What do you mean?" He frowned and took another puff on his cigarette.

"Your mom, why did she want you to give me a tour? Is she just trying to flaunt all of her money?" I wrapped my arms around myself, the night was getting colder and the thin fabric of my shirt was not covering me properly.

"She's a mental bitch." He chuckled and looked down at his boots. 

"I'm serious, Aaron." 

He gave me a dead stare and then sighed. "Ask her." 

"I'm asking you." I replied. 

"I don't fucking know."

"Yes, you do." I grabbed the cigarette from his hand and put it in my mouth, in hopes that if I did this for him, he would do something for me, like telling me what the hell was going on. "Tell me."

His eyes widened. "The fuck, you said you didn't smoke." 

He probably expected me to cough and cry and whine about how awful it tasted, but I used to smoke back in high school until I got caught. This wasn’t new to me.

"I don't." I said. 

He seemed confused at first but then raised his eyebrows and shook his head.

"See, the thing is, I'm a fucked up mess and my mother insists on getting me a good, family oriented girl who can control my uncontrollable necessities, just like your sister did with Brody." 

What? 

I laughed, loud and noisy. Was this a stupid joke? I don’t care about his problems.

"Yeah." He laughed with me. "And your kiss-ass sister is playing along." 

"That's sick." I replied, shaking my head.

"Tell me about it." 

I took another drag on the cigarette. I was cold and this was actually helping me not to freeze to death. 

"So, I'm that good, family oriented girl that will control your uncontrollable necessities?" One of my eyebrows raised in amusement as I looked at him.

"Fuck no, well at least not to me."

Ouch. That wasn’t supposed to hurt as much as it did.