Someone to Love

Fifteen

Since I do have my black card back, I decided to splurge a bit for my room. Honestly, I missed this life! I have been in the Ritz for about a week now and I haven't heard from Lucas ever since I left the apartment. Temporarily.
I'd gladly leave permanently if he says so, and he can even keep the advance payment I gave him, but I'll miss him. Lucas is a good guy, and he's really good company.
I don't really know if I have my father's favor back, I am spending his money but then I kinda panicked and told him that Lucas and I are getting married so, this is conflicting but then room service or the front desk hasn't called or even knocked that my card has been declined.
I called up room service and asked for another bottle of white wine, I kinda feel like drinking with this really relaxed vacation.
Plus, I don't really know if I should start planning a wedding. But, if ever given the choice, I would get married not in New York or the US because then I'd have to invite my parents and their colleagues, and being the selfish bitch that I am, I don't want them to take part in my fake wedding.
Which made me realize that I may not have a fake wedding because the presumptive groom hasn't talked or contacted me in a week. Honestly, I have been waiting for him to come knocking on my door and saying yes to my odd proposal.
And then as if reading my mind, there was a knock on my door.
I answered it and it was just the room service with my white wine.
"I'll just pay it when I check out, don't worry." is what I say every time I order room service.
After that, I just sat down and watched the second season of the Crown. Well, not all of it because there was another knock on my door.
Maybe Lucas decided to pay me a visit, maybe when I open the door, he's kneeling there with a ring at hand because he decided to say yes to my weird proposal.
But then when I opened the door, it wasn't Lucas. It was my mother. Fucking wishful thinking.
"Mom?" I said
"Hello, Ara." She said
"What are you doing here?" I said, as if she and I actually close, she entered my hotel room like she was welcome.
"I wanted to see my daughter."
"You're here in New York?" I said
"Well, I wouldn't be in this hotel room that your father paid for if I weren't." She said as she poured herself a glass of wine.
"Um, okay. Where have you been? Where did you spend Christmas and New Year?"
"Here and there. I was in London for Christmas, visiting your grandparents." She said
I sat down across her and drank wine too.
"Oh, how are they?" I asked. My grand parents from my mother's side are actually nice compared to my actual parents. They used to ask me how I was from time to time, but then Art died and they haven't talked to me ever since. I think it had to do with my father blaming me for what happened. A brain aneurysm is hardly my fault, I didn't cause it. Hell, I didn't hit my brother with anything, my father just blamed me.
"Good, they miss your brother a lot."
Did I fail to mention that every body loves Arthur so much that they chose to ignore his sister? I lived behind his shadow for so long, which is why my father blamed me, he kept on thinking that I chose to bash his head on some counter top because I got jealous that he got a Bentley and I got a Porsche. Hell, I couldn't care less if I got a Toyota, a car is a car, as long as it takes me where I wanna go, I'm down.
"Yeah, I'm sure they do. I'm sure you do too, and Dad does too." I said
"You don't?"
"Mom, I miss him more than all of you missing him combined. I knew him far better than you people."
"That is true. The only person who really knows you was Arthur. I don't even know you."
"Because you never tried."
My mother made a silent scoff.
"You don't even know what my favorite ice cream flavor is." I said
"I do. You don't like ice cream, you like a good gelato."
I rolled my eyes.
"Mom, every body likes ice cream. And I'm sure that I do have my favorite go to flavor. It's okay to admit that you don't know."
She looked at me.
I smiled sadly on my wine glass.
"You don't even know my shoe size." I said
She sighed.
"Are you free today?"she said
"What?"
"Can you come with me?" She said
"Depends, where?"
"Just get changed, trust me."
I did get changed, got in to her car, and the driver drove off.
"Mother, where are we going?" I said as I think we were en route to what I think is Southampton
"Home, Ara. You need to come home."
I knew it.
"Why? Is the house burned down to the ground? Or maybe a rat infestation that would harm my shoes?"
"No, just come home."
"Mom, why do you care if I'm not home, you're rarely home also. I don't see the point-"
"Because I want to get to know you more, and I can't do that if you're not at our house."
"Mom, it's just a building. A structure. You can get to know me anywhere."
"But I want you near me."
I rolled my eyes, goodness I want to jump out of the car.
"Mom, you don't really want to know me. You want something from me." I said as we pulled in to our drive way.
"Ara, can't a mother know her daughter?"
"It's your fault that we have a wall between us so don't act so dignified that you want to know me."
I found myself walking into my room. And I have to admit, I miss this place. I miss the cold marble floor, the smell of what I think is a bamboo infuser, and of course, my room.
"It's better than hearing from your father that you're getting married." My mother said, bursting me out of my nostalgia.
"What?" I said as I entered my walk-in closet.
"That's why I came home. Rushing home, because my daughter was kind enough to exclude all of us from her plans."
"Excuse me? Exclude you? Mom, I don't think you have an idea of what happened to me for the past 8 months. Do you know why I left this place?"
She just stood there.
"Dad, your wonderful husband, made me. Because I lost a deal to S&C, he decided to cut me off. But then I called you up, trying to reach out to you, for like the nth time again, but then you were so busy to even entertain my calls because you were looking for a restaurant in Italy! Mom, I had nowhere to go. No friends to help me out and get this, Dad confiscated all my cards that was tied up to him, I had little money, a few to get me by. $3000 in cash, but I had to sleep somewhere right, $2500 went to rent, I had fucking $500 dollars for food, good thing that I have money that I saved up from working at HI, but I had no one. So, don't come calling me and telling me that you want to get to know me because I called you up when I needed you so bad, and you asked me if I knew the directions to a restaurant in Italy." I said
"Ara-"
I looked at my shoe collection, and noticed that some of my shoes are missing.
"Did you touch any of these?" I said
She shook her head.
"This is the first time anyone has been here since you left."
I know some of the shoes are with me, but I know all my shoes by heart and I have to say that 5 pairs are missing.
I shook my head.
"So, if you're wondering why I didn't tell anyone that I'm getting married it's because none of you were there when I needed you the most. Now that I'm moving on with my life, you come crashing down at me as if I'm the most important piece of your life. That's just great." I said
"Ara-"
"Mom, I do hope you understand. But I'm leaving." I said as I left her.
I took an Uber back to the hotel because I was stupid enough not to bring my own car to wherever my mom wanted to go, and because I'm stupid enough to actually walk away from my ride.
"Miss Hayden?" The man from the front desk called out.
Damn it, it's the black card. It's not working anymore, my dad froze it again. Ara, you spent too much on room service wine when you could perfectly walk down the street and buy bottles.
"Yes?" I said
"Would you be extending your stay?" He said
"What?"
"Well, so far, you've been staying here for free because of your accumulated points-"
"What?"
"Uh-"
"I'll get back to you on that. Thank you for informing me." I said
That means, this day would be the last day of my free stay. And if Lucas doesn't show up today then I'd have to move out of the apartment and maybe if I'm shameful enough, move back in my parents' house and agree to marrying that logistics' guy.
I entered the lifts, absorbing why the hell did I have that much points. I lived in a hotel for a week and the only thing I should be paying for is the room service.
When I entered my hotel room, I felt like somebody was in here. Or is in here.
I quickly grabbed whatever I could grab, which is a coats-hanger.
And there he was, sitting on the small dining table, drinking my leftover wine.
"Oh, it's you! And to think I might hit you with this." I said
Lucas turned around.
"Where have you been?" He said
"My mom was here and I needed air." I said
"Really? Your mom paid you a visit?"
"Yeah, and she took me back to the house but then the conversation started to get personal and I walked away."
"You took an Uber from Southampton to New York City?"
I nodded.
"But that's like an hour and 40 minutes away."
"Yeah, it cost a lot but I didn't bring my car and I walked away from my ride, so-"
He looked at me like I was going mad but at the same time he wants to hug me.
"Ara, I've been thinking about what happened a week ago." He said
Oh god.
"Oh."
Yep, he is here to say no. I totally understand.
"I'm saying no." He said
I nodded.
"I totally understand, even though it's easy to get a divorce but then it's still marriage we're talking about." I said
He looked at me.
"Yeah, and as much as I like you, I don't really like the idea that I'm gonna be forced to-"
"I totally understand. I'm sorry for asking you and for the trouble."
I think I'm gonna have to move back to Southampton. And marry the logistics guy, I can't even remember his name.
"Uh, I think I have to move out of your apartment." I said
"What?" He said
"Since I'd be marrying the other guy-"
"You don't have to go."
"For things not to be awkward anymore. And for breathing space, and so that you can go out on your own."
"Ara-"
"You can keep the Rolex. Think of it as a remembrance, we might not see each other again." I don't think he's planning on returning the Rolex because if he did plan on returning it, he'd have it now. He can keep it, we're friends anyways.
I feel like crying.
He looked at me.
"I would have accepted your proposal if it was really for the sake of marriage but then, you're gonna use me as your scapegoat and I'm not down for that."
I nodded.
"That's fair."
"But I don't really want to burn the bridge, so don't hate me for this."
"I actually think you're gonna hate me for this."
"I've done enough thinking for the week and I'm not really sure if I made the right decision."
"Well, you could always take it back, but you only get one chance to take it back." I said
"There's a huge chance that I might not take it back."