you've got to promise not to stop when i say when

pt vii

Sansa could have stabbed her fork into the wooden table, but they were in public and this wasn't a table belonging to her family. Causing a scene would be humiliating. Instead she was scraping the fork along her napkin and tearing it to shreds.

Her irritation was two fold, but it felt a thousand fold.

Firstly, they were at another family dinner. Her mother had insisted over and over that they do something nice to celebrate Robb and Talisa's announcement, as if it hadn't been announced at a family dinner, as if they wouldn't be having a baby shower in a few months. Sansa felt bad that she was so bitter and miserable when this should have been something that would have her grinning ear to ear, bouncing off the walls, knitting a million baby shoes and socks and jumpers. Recently things had felt that way though, a dark cloud seeping over her vision and putting an ugly twist on her usual views.

The sound of people laughing was grating on her nerves. Well, the sound of two people laughing. The second irritation.

Theon, sat on the other side of the table, entertaining a drop dead gorgeous blonde.

She could have been critical and said that the blonde's fringe sat at an awkward point on her cheek, or that her lipstick was a too pink shade of red to suit her skintone, or that the cowl neck dress verged on slutty. Except Sansa didn't like being judgemental of other women, and her hair looked beautifully fluffy, it even made her consider bleaching her red, and the pink almost gave her that effortless bitten lip look, and the dress was fabulous and she wore it so confidently, she could be jealous.

Sansa refused to be jealous, flat out refused, but that didn't stop her gritting her teeth when the blonde touched Theon's arm and laughed.

She sighed beneath her breath and looked at her phone instead but that didn't lift her spirits much. No texts from Joffrey. It wasn't a surprise really, she'd invited him and he'd refused again. He'd told her that he was too busy to waste his time on something so tedious. Sansa would have been insulted but she wasn't exactly having fun herself.

"Save me. When did family stuff get so painful?" She fired off to Margaery. Sure it was dramatic, but Marge knew that Sansa could be.

Not long after came in the response: "have a glass of wine and you'll relax babe, it's not as bad as you think". Sansa frowned at the response, where was the unconditional backup that her best friend usually gave her?! Despite the annoyance she took advice and reached out for the glass on the table and took a sip, then another three. Fast tracking the relaxation, she told herself. If she thought rationally Sansa knew that Marge had responded like that for a reason. The reason was what her far-too-smart-for-her-own-good friend had been hinting at for the past couple months: that she'd only started disliking time with her family when she started dating Joffrey. Sansa could semi see the correllation but she was setting it aside, boyfriends weren't supposed to make you hate time with your family.

"You're very dressed up." Arya pulled her from her thoughts and Sansa forced a chuckle.

"Yeah, suppose I am." She'd thought the low cut black mini dress would tempt Joffrey into coming along with her. It hadn't worked. Suddenly feeling incredibly aware of her bare shoulders, she pulled her long hair forward and let it cover the majority of her chest. At the sound of another flirtatious laugh Sansa leaned forward, head in hand and elbow on the table, and angled herself to her baby sister. "Do you think its... weird that Theon's brought a date to a family dinner?"

Arya pulled a face, looked at Theon and his date, then back to her sister. "I don't know, not really?" Sansa furrowed her brows and shrugged her shoulders.

"It seems off to me."

"You're just annoyed Joffrey didn't come. Again." At Sansa's glower Arya just laughed. "If I hadn't met the sod I'd think you were making him up!"