Accidental Roommate (Being Rewritten)

Chapter 26

'Excuse me,'Sharon said as she got up from her seat and went to the restroom. Cameron tried to catch her gaze, tried to tell her he was sorry, that he didn't mean to be so harsh, so scathing, so callous. In other words, he was sorry he was an asshole. But, as evidenced from the course of the evening, her eyes were looking away from him.

He sighed. How could the day have deteriorated soo badly? He had been looking forward to showing Sharon off to his parents but now, he was happy if she'd just look him in the eyes. She wasn't employing the silent treatment; she did talk to him; but it was polite chitchat. Not like their previous banter. Nothing personal. The few times she looked at him, he saw a flash of hurt and insecurity before she looked away. And it pained him to know he had put them in her eyes.

'What did you do?'his mother, Jennifer Ballard, asked. He looked across the table into her accusing gray eyes, the eyes he had inherited, and sighed.  'Clearly you did something wrong. She is quite amiable and cheerful but every time you talked, she'd quieten and become pale. So what did you do?' She frowned, her dark, gray-laced auburn hair falling over her eyes.

He hesitated. He didn't want to answer her but he wanted advise. This was not something he had experience in, apologising, so he wanted a female opinion. But this was his mother.

'Son, you'd better answer her,'his father, Andrew Ballard, said gruffly. He looked over to his father, whom he had inherited most of his features from.

His father was somewhat of an anachronism. He was extremely possessive of his wife. And protective too. So much so that he would look askance at any man who even passed his wife on the streets. There had been been a time where he'd accost men who had been caught checking her out. Just a glancing look and BAM, a fight would broken out. That had been a source of discontent and embarrassment during his adolescence, even though Andrew had mellowed out through the years assured of Jennifer's love and devotion.

However, he didn't cage her. He allowed her her freedom, her work. His mother held a surprising amount of power over him. With one look, he would back down, accede to her request or demand, no matter how irrational or illogical.

His mother didn't take advantage his father's acquiescence nor take it for granted. If she saw he was very much against her argument, they'd discuss and allow for a compromise. Like that time he requested for a car on his sixteenth birthday. His mother had been all for it, going so far as to order him a new convertible. However, his father hadn't trust him to take care of it. His mother had argued on his behalf and he had been secretly rooting for her. His father had been on the verge of caving when they had a discussion and came to a compromise while he had been away for football practice. They'd decided to get him a secondhand convertible and he had to bear any repairs on the car. He had been horrified, he tried to change their mind. But they had been firm, presenting a united front.

That's what he yearned for with Sharon. To be soo close, so in tune that they couldn't be move from their resolve. Comparing their relationship and his parents', he saw the symmetries. Well, considering who his parents were, it would have followed he would carry on the family's tradition of strong, stoic, protective men who would only bend for their loved ones, especially their chosen mate. Considering they'd been together for more than 30 years, he decided to get some pointers from them.

  - --------------@@@@@@---------------

Sharon washed her hand and studied her reflection. Her hair, for once, was cooperative, cascading down her shoulders. Her makeup was barely there. Just the way she liked it. Her dress was a number from Amelia's massive wardrobe. It was a navy blue, short-sleeved dress with a v-neck that plunged to mid cleavage. The length was just nice, knee length. So she didn't feel soo exposed wearing it. A thick black belt was cinched beneath her bosoms to give herself some shape. She had worn a tube top to protect her decency and also because Cameron had insisted. She smiled as she reminisced their argument.