Raura's Daughter

forty three.

Laura

I pulled up outside of Raini's house in my father's old beaten up car and turned to Ross with a smile. "Ready?"

He nodded his head slowly and managed to smile back at me. "Yeah."

I pushed open my door and stepped out onto the pavement. I decided to take a quick glance at the windows on Raini's house to try and make out some figures or shadows but to my dismay, I couldn't. I could only pray that Ross' siblings hadn't already arrived. I didn't want the night to start off badly even though it could potentially end terribly.

A heavy hand on my shoulder made me turn around in shock and I giggled nervously when I realised it was only Ross. He was holding our bags in his hand and chuckled to himself before wrapping his arm around my shoulder and leading me down the driveway to Raini's house. "Are you okay babe? You seem shaken up."

"Huh? Yeah! I was just uh..."

Before I could finish my sentence the front door opened and Raini appeared before us with a wide grin on her face. "Hey you guys! Come on in. Calum's upstairs trying to decide what movies we should watch tonight."

Ross and I stepped into her house and I awkwardly closed the door behind me. "As long as it isn't Silence of the Lambs then I'm good with whatever he chooses." Ross joked as he turned on his heel to go upstairs. "I'll see you two up there."

He carried our bags up with him and within seconds I could hear Calum greeting him and explaining what movies he'd compiled together for us all to watch later on. I turned to Raini and wrapped my arms around my stomach. "Are you sure this is going to work? I have a bad feeling about-"

"Laura, I promise you it's going to be fine." Raini murmured as she beckoned me into the kitchen with her finger. I followed her and she closed the kitchen door behind us. "They aren't going to arrive until later anyway. I want him to enjoy with us first otherwise it would be totally unfair to just drop this on him all at once."

I nodded slowly at her and grabbed a chip from one of the snack bowls that she'd laid out. "But maybe he needs to make up with them in his own time... we're forcing something and it might blow up in our faces if it doesn't run smoothly."

Raini shrugged her shoulders and poured me a small shot of liquor. "Here, have this and then you'll feel better about the whole situation. I promise you."

I exhaled in defeat, knowing that my best friend had come to a final decision and there was nothing I could do to stop the events that were going to take place tonight. I held my shot glass up and raised it with a quick shrug of my head and gulped it down. I could feel the burning sensation in my throat as I placed the glass back onto the counter and turned to Raini with a frown. "Come on grumpy pants, let's go eat!"

Raini dragged me upstairs and as we approached her bedroom I could hear Ross and Calum chatting about Isabella and how he felt like a bad father sometimes. I sighed quietly to myself. I thought Ross had moved past that but clearly he hadn't.

I gently pushed open her bedroom door and smiled at the both of them. I could see how tense they both were as we entered the room and Ross had his head hung low. He probably knew that we'd heard their little discussion before we opened the bedroom door but I wasn't going to be angry at him over it. I wanted to help him through it and build a stronger relationship for Isabella and Ross, although there was no need to because I knew how much she loved him.

"Hey Calum!" I said happily as he threw his arms gently around my waist.

He stepped back and grinned at me. "How are you Laur?"