❝He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.❞ -Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights
There is a tension in the air that no one except Richard and I could explain. The others feel the shift in mood as we walk back into the dining room, but decide not to comment on it. The only reassurance I get is Noah's subtle squeezing of my hand as I sit back down beside him, letting me know he's here for me.
"So, Diana, where are you going to school in the fall?" Mabel asks me.
"NYU," I reply. "I'm really excited for it."
"That's far away from LA," Richard notes passive aggressively. "How's long distance going to work?"
Mabel gives her husband a sharp look, not even trying to be subtle. "Not right now, mon amour."
But Richard ignores his wife's suggestion and all the adults begin to argue, except Chris who is eating his soup peacefully. Rachel is telling Richard to bud out of our relationship, Mabel is defending Richard while also telling him that Noah will be fine in LA and Richard's calling Rachel "naive" and "blind" for supporting mine and Noah's relationship. Noah jumps into the conversation at this point, arguing with his father.
"Stop telling my girlfriend to dump me," Noah eyes his father. "I wouldn't like that very much."
"Sometimes what's best for us isn't what feels the best," Richard argues.
"Richard, respectfully keep your comments to yourself," Rachel chastises. "I happen to think Diana is a lovely girl. The fact that they're willing to do long distance is so sweet and romantic."
"It's immature and ridiculous," Richard rolls his eyes.
"Yeah, you were never one for romance." Rachel shoots back.
"This is getting to be a bit much," Mabel says, her eyes wide and tone pleading. "Everyone should take a minute to calm down."
Cam pipes up, "what are we talking about?"
Reina shoves Cam's little head, "be quiet. They're talking about Noah and Diana."
"What about them?" Cam asks, turning to Harley.
"They love each other," Harley whispers to him, but I can still hear them beneath the bickering of Rachel and Richard. "Like your dad and Mabel. Your dad doesn't want them together, though."
"He's your dad, too," Reina corrects Harley lightly. Harley's eyes narrow slightly, but she doesn't say anything else. "Diana makes Noah happy so shouldn't it be okay that they love each other?"
Harley shakes her head at the little girl, "you would think so, but it's not that simple, sweetheart."
"This soup is delicious, kids," Chris says to Noah and I, ignoring the fights amongst the family. "You can really taste the spices."
Noah doesn't answer him as he is too busy yelling at his dad, "who gave you the right to suddenly monitor my every move? You've barely made any effort to be apart of my life the past seventeen years! It's always me going to you! Do you even care about me? Or Harley?"
Harley takes the twins' hands, one in each of hers and ushers them upstairs, shutting the door to her bedroom behind them. Despite the current situation, it is nice to see this side of Harley.
"I like Diana, I really do," Mabel says as if I'm not sitting right in front of them. "But maybe your dad's right, Noah. You worked hard for that scholarship and it should be your priority."
YOU ARE READING
The Art of Falling in Love
Teen Fiction❝I never used to believe in soulmates, but now I find myself questioning every thought I once had about love. It was almost as though love was too weak a word for what I felt for him, that perhaps soulmate is indeed the correct term. Perhaps every s...
