The Blossoming: XO Trilogy (BWWM) incompleted

Chapter Three

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Chapter Three

"How was the presentation?" Nick asked before I could even say hello after answering the phone.

"Hello to you too Nick!" I laughed.

"Come on Alex, time is money, did you smash it?" he asked playfully.

"It was okay actually, better than I expected even. All the higher ups seemed on board with it."

"Hurrah!" he celebrated.

"So cringe," I replied shaking my head.

"You should come out with us this weekend to celebrate. We're taking the twins down to Weston-Super-Mare, we all know you love a good road trip, bring Dane too."

"What in September?"

"Well why not? They miss you! If you say no, I'll just have to tell them that their big sister hates them."

"I'm sure mum will just correct that for me anyways,"

He laughed. "Well are you coming or not? You'll have to drive yourself in the Audi because we won't all fit."

"I don't think I can, it's Dad's and Casandra's anniversary thing next weekend, I promised I'd go."

"Really?" he asked genuinely surprised. "After that whole thing last Christmas?"

"Please don't even get me started. He's doing it to save face obviously and they've invited Dane too, but I don't even think he'll come."

Nick sighed. "Well if it goes badly you guys are more than welcome with us, say hi to the twins anyways just in case."

He put the FaceTime camera showed me Natalie and Eva playing in the garden. Their fat sausage legs ran towards him when he announced that I was on the phone and for a while I entertained their sweet half- gibberish conversation about their tea party. I loved the twins. I grew up as basically an only child and I had always fantasied about having a little brother or sister. When Amelie was born, she served as a sharp reminder of the realities of having step siblings especially when they live in a different country. Even when they moved, I wasn't able to develop a close relationship with her. At first, I thought it was because of our age difference but after the twins were born, I realised that it was because Amelie had a wholly uncooperative witchy mother and that Amelie herself was a moody yet quiet spoilt brat.

In all honesty, I was dreading the weekend back in Wilmington with my Dad and co. The fact that it was going to be a dinner in a public place was soothing but I could just never anticipate the lengths he and his wife would go to antagonise me. For my Dad, I knew his provocation was aimed at Dane. His thoughts on our relationship had been made clear numerous times but what he didn't realise was that every step he took to alienate Dane, alienated me. As for Casandra, she was just a witch who relished in my discomfort.

Dane had already declined the invitation citing finishing his portfolio as the perfect excuse. Deep down, I knew that if he wanted to make it work, he could have but I didn't push it. Why would I force him to come just so that we could sit awkwardly beside Dad and Cassandra for an hour or so? If there was one thing Dane had a knack for it was dealing with difficult people in tense situations, him being an assistant psychologist basically made him an expert for it but there was only so much he could take, and I respected his limits. So when I arrived home from work on the following Friday evening and he was waiting for me with a bag packed, I was quite shocked.

"You're coming?" I asked confused.

"I don't want to," he started. "But you did well in your presentation and if this means we can spend Christmas and New Years away from then it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make," he continued dramatically.