Honesty Falls

Ate

"Silas, get your ass off that couch and get dressed. You will not be late to your mother's wedding."

"I'm not going."

"You're going. Trust me, you're going one way or the other." Her voice was shrill. She's been yelling at him for over an hour. She could force him to get dressed, but she'd like him to do it on his own. He needed to accept that this was happening.

She turned to the door when there was a knock. "Ben, try talking to him. He's going."

Summer was standing at the door with an exquisite purple and yellow rose. Just like the one in the dreamworld.

Smiling, he offered it to her.

It even smelled exactly the same. "Is this for me? What are you doing here? Need another spell?"

"No, it's all good. Unless you can make up one that will stop my dad from being a rich prick. And yes, it's for you."

"Thank you. It's beautiful. I can give him diarrhea."

His laugh was cheerful. "It's all good. He'll come around or he won't."

He was in jeans and a T-shirt. She couldn't remember him ever wearing jeans and a T-shirt. "Not going to the wedding?"

"Who's getting married?"

"You really need to pay more attention to your town. Let me ask you a question." She left the door open for him, then went back inside so she could glare at Silas. "How selfish would it be for a son to skip his mother's wedding because he's a douchebag who wants to keep her all to himself?"

"Shut up, Neevy. You don't understand."

"I guess I don't, but I'll tell you what I do understand. Your mom loves you and she needs you there today. I know you love her. She's always going to need you, Silas. She needs you today. And you said as long as she wasn't with the mayor, you could be happy, so be happy and get dressed. You don't want your mom to be all alone for the rest of her life. You've seen how happy she is with Henry, and you've seen how good he is to her."

He tossed his x box remote into the seat next to him. His face looking like the saddest of puppy dogs and his mind working overtime.

"Talk to me, Silas."

"What if she forgets? What if she's so happy that she forgets the family we used to be? Dad and Trinity. Our home. Our lives together."

Nevaeha sat on the couch next to him and laid her head on his shoulder. "Could you ever forget?"

"No." He whispered.

"She won't ever be able to, either. I promise she never forgets, and she never will."

"If you're wrong__."

"If I'm wrong, I'll make you that love spell for Letty that you've been wanting."

Seeing that she was very serious, he stood. Kissed her cheek and started towards the stairs. "Fine, but I'm not calling Henry dad."

Nevaeha rolled her eyes and looked back at Summer. "If he knew how much Henry would hate him calling him dad, he just might do it." She smelled her rose one last time, then she grabbed the small thin vase filled with water that was floating its way towards her.

Nevaeha went to the window where the small rosebush Nigel gave her was sunbathing. "Hi, sweetie pie. Keep my new flower company, okay?" The small rose bush rubbed itself against the finger she held out to it, then Nevaeha turned back to her company. "How bad would it look if I wore black to the wedding? That question goes hand in hand with the question, how bad is it going to look if I go to the wedding and I'm not wearing black? I can't just take the day off from grieving. I also can't pretend this isn't one of the best days ever by looking like gloom and doom."

Summer never lost his perfect smile. "There's definitely no day off from grief. And with that being said, the clothes you wear don't change that." He stepped closer to her and ran the back of a finger across her cheek. "I think that since this is one of the best days ever, then whomever you're grieving would want you to celebrate any happiness you can find. Anyone who knows you would never want you to look gloom and doom. You're too pretty, too you, to ever be gloom and doom."

"That's an incredibly sweet and the perfect thing to say." She tilted her head to the side as she studied him. "But I can count with two fingers how many people you have called me pretty. If you don't want a spell, then what kind of magic do you want?"

She was still holding two fingers up at him, so he used one of his fingers to raise up another one of hers.

"Then, Heaven, now it's three. And like I said, I'm not here for a spell. Or any magic. I came to ask you on a date. Since you're grieving, I'm willing to_."

"A what?" she asked, a little too loud.

"A date. You and I. Dinner. Soft music and_."

Nevaeha slapped a hand over his mouth and listened for any warnings. Any growls. When Cato had touched her, Vallen had known right away.

He's gotten more lenient over the last few weeks with certain boys, but if this one was crazy enough to be here asking her for a date, then he wouldn't be so lenient.

Summer's eyes twinkled with merriment and confusion. The dude should listen to town gossip more.

Realizing her hand was still over his mouth, she jumped back and rubbed her hand against her dress.

"I can't tell if that was a yes or a no."

"Shhh. He's not coming, but I swear if he does, I don't know how I would save you."

"Who?"

"You have to go. Right now. Vallen... my boyfriend type person is stupid jealous. Out the door. Come on. We'll pretend this never happened. Trust me, I'm here and I don't even believe it happened."

She was trying to usher him towards the door without getting too close or touching him, and he wasn't cooperating.

"A boyfriend type person? That doesn't sound so serious that the guy couldn't use some healthy competition."

She stopped herself from slapping her hand over his mouth again. "Oh my God, get out. I'm sorry, but I can't even talk to you about this. He literally likes to tear people's heads off." Using her magic, she gave him a push out the door, then she shut it. Then she opened it. "Thank you for saying I'm pretty. I don't believe you, but it was a sweet thing to say. Now please don't ever ask me out again. Or come over. Or... or act like you know me." She slammed the door.