Kidnapped By An Alpha Jerk

Chapter 65

April's POV

"Have you booked your flight?"

I looked up from my meal and shook my head in silence. My attention had strayed back to the green peas rolling around my plate and I took aim with my fork, stabbing at one.

"Honey, you need to make a decision."

"I have, mum. I'm going back to England with you." I snapped, my eyes flashing. "I'm leaving. That's final."

"April, I don't think you've gotten over your first heartbreak. Moving away from it isn't going to help you heal; especially since moving means moving to another continent. You can't leave without sorting things out here first. It's not right, no matter how much that boy hurt you." She said softly, brushing her curls behind her ear as she reached out to squeeze my hand reassuringly.

I frowned and drew back, instantly conflicted. "One minute you want to me to come back to England with you and the next you want me to stay here. Mum, I don't know what you want from me."

Her lips pursed at my tone and she removed her hand. "April Evans, I realize you have gone through your first break up, but use that tone with me again and I'm not going to be as understanding. Capiche?"

I pinched the place between my nose and shut my eyes, willing myself not to leave this table in this stupidly pretentious restaurant right away. She looked at me again and held her forehead as though the addition of her eldest daughter had put back unnecessary stress in her life. "Look, I just want to spend some time with you. I thought you'd enjoy this restaurant."

"You mean you wanted to get my mind off 'other things.'"

"Those 'other things' being Aiden."

"Precisely."

 "I see living here has improved your sarcasm."

I shrugged my shoulders, "I grew up."

"Yes, well, I can see that."

Silence passed between us, tension oppressing the air around us – I felt like my patience was stretched so thin it would snap. My mind veered towards that strange man at the club a few weeks ago – Slap. We'd spoken for a short while before his boyfriend arrived and whisked him away. 

I'm certain I spilled my guts out about Aiden to him, but everything seemed slightly hazy that night, even though I hadn't even taken a sip of an alcohol. I guess Slap was a welcome excuse. He was just someone who didn't know anything about Aiden and that made it all the more easy for me. Plus, I'd seen him various times again in different scenes – one of them being the fruit aisle in the supermarket.

"Aiden was a complicated boy, April." My mother shook her head at her food, "he sat by your bedside those 6 months you were in a coma. He comforted me when I cried for you – when I thought you were going to die." I paused the process of mutilating my peas. "But he had an alcohol problem. He had had problems of his own and he bought you into them as well – he broke your heart." I couldn't help but prevent the blow I felt to my stomach from hearing my own mother say this to me. "I admit it was a nice surprise finding out you had a boyfriend this dedicated. So was your dad. And he treated you well and us too – even Olivia. But it was clear that his problems were going to get the better of him. I know I said to sort things out first. But I mean maybe call him – say goodbye like that."

"Why are you only telling me this now?"

"Because I've had enough of watching you beat yourself up. You pretend you're okay and I know you're not. I know my daughter well enough to know you're waiting for him. And will continue to do so. Leaving is the only way to mend what he broke. And at the end of the day, you are 17-"