Miss Incomplete | ✓

56 | He Loves Me Not

"You're not technically meeting them, you're accompanying me. It's going be hundreds of business client there, it's unlikely that you're going to run into them," he declares, his eyes focused on the road. "But if you don't, try not to look them in the eye. It's like a snake—don't challenge them."

"So, I take it that you don't talk back to them often," I conclude, finding Graham exploring his deeper secrets for me. Something I was grateful for. I never pushed for him to explain to me about his family problems, because when he's ready, he's ready, but now that Graham is finally opening up to me after six years of friendship—it really shows something.

Don't give up on him.

"Dude, I don't even reply to them when they ask my sister and me questions. I never answer, the only time I need to answer is when my dad specifically talks to me and he asks a question. Even when he makes a comment, I don't talk—he's scary." Graham announces, gulping at the thought.

"I hope I'm not overdressed," I said, trying to take the conversation off of his parents for a minute. We don't need to talk about things and face them until we're really there. "I mean, you told me to put on makeup and all that shit. Not to mention, you took me shopping for a dress within a thirty minute limit."

"And I'm scared it's not even enough," he spares me a side glance as he looks down at my dress. Yes, a dress. A long light blue dress with a high side-slit. The straps were spaghetti thin, with a large V-neck that cuts off just above my belly button. It allowed a good amount of cleavage to show. "You look beautiful, but I'm sorry, we were in a rush and you wouldn't get the better ones."

"The 'other' ones were in the grands, Graham! I'm not making you spend two grands on a dress that I might not even wear again! Three hundred was already enough."

Graham tsks, but doesn't say anything else. I lean back against the leather seat, staring out to the window shield. The city lights were illuminating, but with the population of the city and plus, the population, it dims from the large factories nearby. The moon bright, blurred with grey smoke but stars still twinkle underneath the moonlight.

"How's your mom?" Graham asks, stirring a conversation within our silent car ride to some grand hotel.

"Still trying to be a mother," I said simply, clenching my jaw at the mention of her. I told Graham about her, and was about to tell Iris but she quote on quote, said she was busy. "Y'know, before I got to leave the house, she asked me where I was going like she cared. She was about to not let me out, but my sobo backed me up. I would've left without her permission anyways," I rolled my eyes at the thought. "I said I love you to Kenji and my sobo, and she was standing there... waiting for hers. Like, fuck no."

Graham chuckles, "I can't believe your dad is allowing her to stay here for a bit."

"Me too," I shake my head, "she has my dad's room while my dad sleeps on the couch downstairs. Fourteen years of being broken hearted, he still is at her beck and call."

"That's love for you," Graham chuckles, "it makes you do stupid things."

"More like toxic," I said, fist clenching, "she leaves, comes back and expects him to crawl back to her—and the fuck up part is he did! I love my dad, I really do, but that's pissing me off. I can't say shit about it because I'm still a kid to him, but it's not like he'll listen anyways. In toxic relationship, you can't be told to leave a relationship—they have to do it themselves."

"But don't you encourage them? I mean, like talk to them."

"Yeah, but sometimes they don't listen. You do your part and be a supportive person to help them, but they have to come to that realisation themselves. If not, you and that person (per se, my dad) gets distant. We get angry at one another and isolated. So, y'know, do what you can and help them as you can, but you can't control them. That's where you lose them."