Fighting the Inevitable

Chapter 7: Falling into Place

Copyright 2020 © Rosesareforever 

Fighting the Inevitable

Chapter 7

Falling into Place

Thump. Thump. Thump. "Oh yeah, baby!" Thump. Thump. Thump. "Harder!'"

Releasing a long, annoyed sigh, Rachelle slid out from underneath the covers and got out of bed, her maroon hair a tangled mess. She was done. So done. It had been over an hour of loud banging noises and screeches, and Nathalie apparently still wasn't done screwing the guy she'd brought home last night. It didn't happen too often that her friend brought someone home after a date, but when it happened, the woman seemed insatiable.

They'd kept Rachelle up for most of the night. Then, after she'd finally fallen back asleep around four in the morning, the racket started all over again around seven. It was now almost eight o'clock. Rachelle had been planning on sleeping in after the long week she'd had. That wasn't going to happen. There was no way she'd stay in the apartment a minute longer when Nathalie's conquest was still around. She needed peace, quietness.

Cursing silently, Rachelle put on a pair of jeans and a dark grey sweater. Not even bothering to brush her teeth or take a look in the mirror, she ran her fingers through her messy locks of hair and headed to the living room, where picked up her keys from the cupboard and headed out.

Once she stepped outside the building, she halted and inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with oxygen. God, what a night. As much as she loved Nathalie, sometimes she could honestly kill the woman. Was it really too much to ask for Nathalie to stay over at the guy's place instead of bringing those strangers home? They'd had the same discussion a million of times.

As she watched the passing cars, the traffic already quite crowded, Rachelle stretched her sore muscles, trying to relieve some of the tension. The double date, yesterday, had gone better than she expected. Amelia turned out to be a real sweetheart, a lovely woman who was clearly head over heels in love with her husband. Ben, on the other hand, reminded her a lot of Ethan, but a more aloof version. He wasn't as outgoing or loud. A tad more introvert, perhaps? They were both extremely kind and funny. The night had passed without a hitch. Somehow she and Ethan had managed to convince them that they were dating for real. Neither of them had seemed suspicious. It was a relief.

So much could've gone wrong, but obviously, her worries had been unnecessary. Ethan had been the perfect gentleman as always. He'd constantly showered her with attention, something his sister-in-law very much loved to watch. She'd even taken Rachelle aside to tell her how happy she was that Ethan had finally found his match.

It made Rachelle feel like a fraud. She was deceiving a perfectly kind woman that honestly wanted nothing but the best for her brother-in-law. Amelia didn't deserve being lied to. It felt wrong to keep the woman in the dark. Yet, Rachelle could understand Ethan's reasoning. It became clear rather quickly that his family was waiting for him to settle down and start a family of his own.

Both Amelia and Ben had mentioned more than once how happy they were that Ethan had finally decided to follow in their footsteps and how happy it would make their mother that he was going to settle down. Rachelle had watched with rapt attention how Ethan tried his best to keep his features relaxed every time his 'rashness' and 'flamboyant lifestyle' was brought up.

It was obvious that his family frowned upon the way he lived life. They didn't see a successful businessman. They honestly believed Ethan was an irresponsible, lazy guy that often behaved childlike. It was never said, but Rachelle could read between the lines. Everyone presumed that Ethan needed a woman at his side to keep him in line. They didn't understand that he simply wasn't ready to settle down, that he wanted to enjoy his freedom before tying himself to someone. No wonder the man thought it was a good idea to get himself a fake girlfriend to get his family off his back.