Accidental Roommate (Being Rewritten)

Chapter 33

'So what are you doing here?'Sharon's mother, Veronica Ashton, asked coldly.  The tension in the kitchen was intense. It had been unrelenting and unabating since the moment they had entered the house an hour ago. No words had been spoken. She'd just gone to the kitchen to start dinner, hoping to avoid any argument. It seemed to have work as Veronica was looking on in silence. Luckily, they had convinced the guys to leave them alone until they called them back. It had been Amelia's hopes that they'd resolve their issues so that they could have a good weekend there. This was the first salvo.

She could see Amelia was at a loss. She didn't know what to do, how to show her support without alienating her only parent left. Sharon had no compunctions. She didn't care nor did she have any inclination to protect her parent's emotions. The bridge had been burned and their relationship unsalvageable.

'We are here for Jasmine's wedding,'Amelia finally answered. A snort of derision escaped Veronica's mouth. Sharon had learnt to let it roll down her back but nor Amelia. 'What's with the snort?!'

'As if Jasmine would want that fat ass over there at her wedding. She's the humiliation of the town. Hah! Thinking that Tony would actually want her? It's ridiculous,'she said derisively. Sharon could feel her poisonous gaze look her over. 'Even if she may have lost weight, she'd still never compare to Jasmine. I feel sorry for her. And that man you're paying to pose as her boyfriend. Don't you have any shame? I know the news was a big ruse so that you can hold your head high here. Well, it didn't work. Everyone knows that Lucky is too much of a man for fatso over there. So why don't you put the man put of his misery and leave?'

Amelia was stunned speechless but Sharon had had enough of her vitriol. They echoed her insecurities exactly. She didn't need this woman to voice it out. However she wasn't only angry. Disappointment, regret and acceptance were mixed with the anger. It hurt to have the only parent left reject her like that but she'd rather lose her than give her any more power to mess with her head.

'Just so we are clear, Veronica, this is my FINAL visit to this town. Ever. I may come to your funeral but that's unlikely since I don't like you. I am here to pack up my stuff, say goodbye to the few people I like and to look everyone in the eye and say ''I don't care about what you bastards think. I like myself and you can screw yourself''. Yeah, it'd be sad that my children will never know their maternal grandmother but I know my mother-in-law will be more than enough for them. Plus I won't expose them to be ridiculed and mocked for not achieving your exacting standards. So basically, thank you for letting me stay her for the wedding, Mrs Ashton. It's a nice place. Let me cook dinner to show my appreciation.'

'I'm your mother! What's with the Mrs Ashton?'Veronica demanded, stricken. She appeared to understand the implication of the 'Mrs Ashton' though. Sharon knew it was harsh but she didn't know how else to show that she was past her machinations and will not tolerate any future manipulations. This will show that she has created and will keep a distance between them. Hopefully, it was for the best. Now, to twist the knife further.

'I'm sorry. My mother and I have been estranged for a long time. The last I saw of her was when she threw my stuff on the lawn. I don't recognise her as my mother anymore,'she enunciated, emphasising the last sentence, her gaze drilling into Veronica's eyes, eyes that she had inherited. She'd felt a pinch of hurt and remorse when she'd said it but it was miniscule against the sense of relief and freedom that overwhelmed her. 'Now, let me just finish with dinner and get Cameron to pick up a few tubs of ice cream.'

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'Finally,'Cameron exclaimed when Scott indicated they could return. They had been waiting for 3 hours, so much so that night had fallen, and most of it was spent in the coffee house they were in. And for the past one hour, he had been fending off female advances.  It was like mosquitos after a rain. The more you swatted them away, the more will come. And when he told them he was in a relationship, all of them laughed. Apparently, they were not convinced Sharon 'could satisfy him'. Luckily, Sharon had escaped this hellhole. Now he knew why she was lacking in self esteem when they'd first met.

'Man, there was a lot of man-eaters back there,'Scott said with a whistle. They were walking back to the house. Although it was at the outskirts of town, the town was small enough that it was not a long walk. 'I'm soo happy that they'd stuck onto you instead of me. If Amelia hears that any of them had come onto me, she'd blow a gasket.'

'So I was the sacrificial lamb back there?'Cameron asked belligerently. Without waiting for a response, he went on to moan in despair. 'Sharon will have my balls when she hears about what happened back there. And the way they dismissed our relationship, it just pisses me off. And will hurt her further. I can't tell her about this.'

'You have to. If she hears about it from another source, your hurt her further. And where the hell are you going?'Scott asked when Cameron veered to the convenience store entrance.

'To get her ice cream,'Cameron said. 'Didn't you receive her message? She asked for ice cream for dinner.'

'And you're just going to buy it for her?'Scott questioned as he trailed after Cameron in the store. Cameron sent him an 'of course' look. Sharon asked little of him. She doesn't ask for money, fame or favors. He had to practically force them down her throat. And even then, she'd try to assert her independence. He was totally fine with it but it's just that he would love to make things easier for her if he could.

The few things she did ask from him are deeply personal. They include her period, her body image, her ice cream intake. So, when she asked something from him, no matter how trivial, he delivered.

'You passed the ice cream,'Scott said even as he followed Cameron.

'She doesn't like those. She has a top 3 brands and flavors so it's best if we can find at least 1 of them. She'd be extremely displeased if she had to settle and, in the condition she's in, I'd like to keep any negative emotion as far as possible.'

'I think her condition has a predisposition for negative emotion so you're out of luck there. Are you going to tell her about what you've decided?'he asked curiously.

'Yes,'Cameron replied immediately. 'I'll need to do some preliminary research and I've spoken with Matt. He thinks it's a good idea.'

'So you have to convince her that it's a good idea as well.'

'No. She'd be supportive but she'd want to know the details like who, how, whether I'd have to fit licensed or not and the such. Why are you asking all these?'Cameron asked, puzzled. Scott seemed to be trying to push a wedge between him and Sharon. They had bought the ice cream and were walking back.

Scott looked troubled, making him worried. He had the absolute poker face. It had served him well at work and at play so for his poker face to fail, he must be deeply troubled. 'What's wrong? You're sombre.'

'I'm questioning my love for Amelia,'he blurted. That shocked him. Before Sharon, he looked to Scott and Amelia to show that true, abiding love existed. Apart from his parents that is. And he knew they loved each other. Maybe not as openly affectionate as him and Sharon but their love was deeply entrenched and unquestionable. Or so he'd thought.

'What brought this about?'

'Watching the both of you, it made me realise that I never did anything like that for Amelia. Sure, we went out to the expensive places, I've bought her expensive things but they don't really show my love for her does it?'

'Sure it does. I would've done that for Sharon too but she's not comfortable with it. She'd rather have a nice meal in together with ice cream than go out to some expensive place. It'll make her uncomfortable. Amelia is used to all of that. It'll look suspicious if you didn't do that. But, in regards to you feelings for her, let me ask you a question. How would you feel if you can never see Amelia ever again? For one reason or another. I know I'd be making myself crazy trying to find a way to get her back.' He didn't even want to imagine his life without her in it.

'Yeah. Me too. I can never remember my life before her. The only thing I can remember was that it was a dull, colorless life and Amelia brought a burst of color into it.'

'Yeah. Those Ashton women are something.' They were silent, ruminating about how much their lives had changed for the better with those women in it. And he was happy that he had helped her grow out of her shell. He just hoped she survived the encounter with her mother.