when in rome | ethan

twenty six

"just remember to not bring up their father, okay?" my mom tells me as she sets up the table, my dad cooking the meal for tonight in the other room.

"why not?" i asked, as i helped her set up.

she sighed, setting a cup down beside each plate, "what do you mean 'why not'? it's a sensitive subject."

"you said yourself. they're strong. and besides, they shouldn't hide the fact that he's gone now. ignoring it won't change anything." i explained.

as she was about to head back to the kitchen she tells me one more thing before leaving, "cass. please." shaking her head and sighing, i hear her greet my dad in the kitchen before offering to help cook.

when i came back from the store, i finally found out what the groceries were for. my mom was inviting the dolan's for dinner because i was home now and she missed tradition of having a big dinner on special occasions with them.

but the thing is, i'm not in high school anymore. i'm no longer friends with the twins and definitely not familiar with their new additions to the family.

oh how badly i wanted to invite mia, but i couldn't knowing grayson and his new family would be here. my mom just wanted me to suffer really. i'm sure she even knew ethan had a daughter. cause she definitely knew we used to date.

"and please, wear something nice." my mom says popping her head back in before leaving once again.

i threw my head back, sighing. who am i to impress, mom? tell me.

getting up, i make my way up to my room in which my parents kept from high school. aside from it being almost completely bland and empty, it still felt like home.

i assume my parents use it as a guest bedroom now since they have no use for another room in the house as something else.

after digging through my closet to find something to wear, i finally found a summer dress in which tied at the shoulder.

"finally," i whispered to myself as i sweat.

just as i found it, i hear the doorbell ring downstairs causing my head to whip towards my door.

"fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck." i quickly strip of my clothes, throwing it onto the bed and slipping my dress on. all while trying to multitask in fixing my hair and trying to make it look presentable.

i take a deep breath before exiting my room and closing the door behind me. i slowly walk down the stairs, and the first people i see are grayson and his... girlfriend? wife?

"hi grayson." i say, a smile on my face once he turned around to look at me. he was previously speaking with my mom whom had opened the door.

he smiled, "hey cassandra!" he comes in for a hug, surprising me but i still take it. despite me saying mean stuff about him for leaving mia, i still can't help but miss him. he was one of my best friends throughout highschool and college.

"this is andrea. my fiancé." he says, pulling her in close. she is fricking gorgeous. her brunette hair was so silky and her body was amazing. her eyelashes were long and beautiful and her eyes were a nice hazel.

"you proposed?" i blurt, wide eyed, "i mean, congratulations. when's the wedding?"

"oh, it'll definitely be later. we want to have it after aria and noah's wedding. we definitely don't want to get in the way of their special day." andrea explains, letting out a couple chuckles here and there.

the doorbell rings once again, and i go to open it. there stands ethan and his daughter along with another girl the same age as andi. looking down on them, i smile, letting them come in.

the mystery girl runs over to andrea and grayson with a big smile on her face. she hugs them tightly and now i assume that is their daughter.

"what's her name?" i whispered over to ethan, who stands right next to me as we both watched grayson interact with his new family.

"millie. she's a real brat, but she gets it from her dad i guess." he shrugs, crossing his arms. he looks over to me, eyeing me up and down. "you look nice." he tells me, a small smile on his face.

unintentionally, i began to notice a slight heat rushing to my face. i was blushing. "oh this? thanks. you look nice too." i chuckled, awkwardly.

nobody is making this awkward but you, cass!

he lightly laughs, shaking his head and thanking me before turning his attention towards his daughter.

"is andi and millie close?" i asked, looking over ethan's shoulder to get a closer look towards andi and peek at her in the living room as she sat with ethan's phone in her hand.

he nods, "yep. they see eachother all the time. they're bestfriends. basically sisters."

"cute." i simply state. it was cute. millie seemed similar to andi. shy but super talkative around people they're comfortable with.

i was actually looking a bit forward to the dinner. something in me wanted to learn more about them since i've missed so much within the past five years.

END OF CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

lowkey kinda short but it's okay.

read my new book lemonade.

it's about two people living two completely different life styles, belonging to completely different cliques and groups wind up together as chem partners. i think you guys will like it even though only the first chapter is up.

:))