Chapter Twelve: Sleepover.
My house was quiet except for the rain that was pouring outside and the sounds of my own cracked, sobbing voice.
Moo stayed still and even leaned into me as I cried into her warmth, hugging her close to me. She hadn't moved once and that was just completely surprising. She really didn't mind me spiraling into despair right in her black and white fur.
"I should have just kept my mouth shut, I shouldn't have said anything" I sobbed, "I made things worse, this is all my fault. I wish I wasn't so stupid and helpless. I can't even get anyone to help me. Franca's going to kill them, just like she... she..."
"Meow" Moo said, moving so she could nudge my head with hers. She was such a perfect cat and that made me cry some more.
My pity party was interrupted by a knock on the door. It couldn't be dad because he had a night shift at his restaurant tonight and he had his own key too.
Oh no, it was Hale, he'd followed me here!
My shoulders shook hard as more tears flowed down my face and I tried to hide in Moo's fur. No more. I didn't want any more trouble today.
"Violet!" Angelo's voice called, muffled by the rain and my head jerked up immediately. Not Hale, Angelo. In the rain!
I carefully put Moo down and jumped to my feet, practically running the short distance to my door. Through the glass I could see him and I quickly unlocked the door.
"Angelo!" I gasped, opening the door wider to let him in. He was drenched and his black outfit nearly blended him in with the night, his wet shoes soaked through the carpet but that didn't matter. "Your luggage..."
"Leave it, it's waterproof" he called over the rain and I closed the door before turning to face him.
He had his arms around himself and I couldn't see it but he was definitely shivering.
I ran the back of my sleeve under my nose, sniffing.
"He made you cry." Angelo stated, his eyebrows coming down as he focused on me.
"I'm so sorry!" I sobbed, fresh tears springing anew. I hid my face in my hands as the sobs shook my shoulders.
"Violet, stop. Please stop crying." Angelo said softly, he made no attempt to touch me and I was glad because that would just make me cry more.
Moo came out of the living room to meet us in the corridor, meowing as she rubbed herself on my legs. I picked her up, knowing she was just trying to comfort me.
"Wait..." Angelo blinked at my cat, "this is what you were trying to paint? The cat-cow is real?"
He looked so genuinely confused that I had to smile, "She's not a cat-cow."
"Well, obviously" he murmured and turned to sneeze into his elbow.
"I'll get you dry clothes, please take that off." I said and put Moo down so I could hurry up the stairs to Dad's room.
Immediately I got the clothes, I went back down to meet him in the exact same spot but with his shirt off. "Sorry, I should have told you to sit." I murmured, looking everywhere but at his chest.
"I didn't want to get water everywhere" He replied "I'm guessing your Dad isn't home."
"No" I shook my head. "He'll be back by midnight. You can sleep here, do you want hot cocoa?" I wanted to do anything I could to help.
"Yeah, cocoa sounds nice, Violet. I need to change first though, wet pants and all" he said and I nodded immediately, showing him to the guest toilet near the living room with a huge blush on my cheeks.
Angelo was in my house.
I gulped as the heat in my cheeks faded, Hale couldn't find out about this. But where would Angelo stay? He had no home, no family, he didn't even have a ticket back to New York.
With worry still eating at my heart, I brought the steaming mugs of cocoa out of the kitchen and into the living room where Angelo was sitting on the carpet in my Dad's old black sweater and penguin pajama pants. I chose the darkest clothes I could find.
I thought he was staring blankly into space until I followed his gaze and saw Moo on the opposite side of the living room, licking herself.
"Her name is Moo," I said quietly. I just thought it was best to be quiet.
"That's actually perfect" he nodded, his expression the same as always. Passive, straight, deadpan. I couldn't even tell if he was as heartbroken as I was.
I gave him his hot drink and sat on the floor in front of him but slightly to the side so I didn't interrupt his inspection of my cat.
The rain had let up a little bit, now slowed to a drizzle.
"I'm sorry, Angelo" I said, resting my chin on my drawn up knees. "I never should have said anything."
"I got to finally see you stand up to Hale." He said, turning to look at me. "And for my sake even. I'm not sorry you did that"
"I didn't stand up to him, I was begging"
"But you did something anyways"
"It didn't work! Where are you going to live?!" I snapped and his lips parted in slight surprise. "I'll ask my Dad if you could stay with us, we'll get after school jobs and try to support with the bills, I don't know, we could just work something out, there's no way I'm leaving you to just...!"
"That's freaking hot" Angelo murmured and I paused instantly, feeling my ears go warm.
"Wh-what is?"
"I don't know, you, I guess. Or the cocoa."
"What?" I was effectively confused.
"Look, Violet, don't worry about me." He took a sip from his mug and shrugged, "the Franceses are a messed up group of people, coming all the way from New York to live with them is madness but coming without a back up plan?"
I gazed up at him with wide eyes, "you mean you're not going into the streets?"
He shook his head, humor dancing in his grey stare, "I'm guessing Hale already told you I don't have any parents."
"Said so this morning..." I admitted, looking down.
"I thought I recognized that pitiful look" He chuckled dryly.
That just ignited a spark of unwelcome anger. "Well, maybe I'm just sorry I caused this problem!"
"Yeah but you won't feel that bad if they were one phone call away" He leaned back on the couch and I sighed. He was right, of course he was. "But don't worry, I've got friends in high places, they'll be more than happy to help me out."
I sighed, a relieved smile appearing on my face. "Thank God, I -I feel much better knowing that. But please, come back anytime you want, you're always welcome here."
"Really?" He asked softly, tilting his head to rest on the sofa, turning towards me in the process. "We both know I'm not meant to be here."
Through my side vision, I saw Moo get up and walk away now that he wasn't facing her anymore.
I have his attention now, in your face, kitty!
"Then why did you come?" I asked.
"Your house is closest," He replied immediately, it was kind of automatic like he'd practiced saying that but then he sighed and kept talking. "Plus it just felt right, I know you lied when you said you didn't want to see me. Thought I'd check up on you."
That dumb smile resurfaced on my face, that was actually really sweet of him.
"And besides," he continued after taking a sip of his drink. "I don't think the Mayor would appreciate me banging on her fancy gate under the rain by this time of the night."
It took me a while to get it but... "Did you say Mayor?" I asked, "Mayor Madison Mayfair"
"Funny how all her names start with the same letter, huh?" Angelo asked, running his fingers through the front of his wet, wavy hair.
I think my jaw dropped into my mug. "That's your friend in high places?"
"Too high?" He asked, boredly. "She's more of my Mom's friend though."
His mother was friends with the Mayor of my town.
"Wow," I whispered. "I guess- uh- there won't be any need for you to come back here anymore"
The corner of his lips twitched upward for a second. If I blinked, I'd have missed it. "You'll be seeing me here a lot. Your place is really cool." He downed the rest of his drink and stood up.
"You're leaving?" I squeaked as I got to my feet, quickly. I didn't want him to leave! "It's too late to..."
"I'm just going to look around, Violet" He said in a slow, dry tone as he raised his arms over his head to stretch lazily, exposing a strip of his bare tummy. "Don't panic, you have me for the night."
"Oh okay" I nodded, toying with his ring on my thumb while watching him move around the room, looking at pictures, figurines, and tiny decorations that dotted the shelves of my living room.
"Your mom?" Angelo asked quietly, tapping on the framed but glassless photo of mom and I staring in wonder at a globe.
Dad had taken the photo; I was small enough to be carried in mom's arms and the lights on the globe reflected in both our eyes.
"She's a traveler basically" I shrugged. "Going around the world, living in new places and meeting all kinds of people has always been her dream. It was-" I hesitated and glanced up at Angelo.
"I'm listening" he urged, watching me attentively.
"It was kind of our dream. Both of us versus the world, well... Dad on the other hand wanted an actual home, something certain and real." I sighed and picked up our mugs.
"Their dreams were far too different so they went different ways, now everyone is happy."
I don't know why I added that last part. Everyone certainly wasn't happy.
I'd gone straight to Mom's estate from the Franceses once more tonight because I knew she could help. She didn't pick her calls and when I knocked, her butler came out to tell me she wasn't home.
Her car was literally parked in the driveway.
I realize she could have used another means of transport but it just seemed odd especially since the butler said she had gone far.
"What did your mom do?" I asked Angelo as I walked into the kitchen to the sink. He followed, looking around this place with interest.
"She was the owner of Feather Enterprises." He stated and opened the fridge.
"What?!" The mugs slipped out of my hands into the sink with a loud noise.
"Sorry, I mean joint owner. You should have heard of Heather Frances-Sullivan"
"What?!"
"Yeah, so Franca plus Heather equals Feather. Feather Enterprises, Feather Cosmetics, Feather Industries, the whole deal..."
"And you're her son!" I pointed out, wheeling around to face him. He just blinked at me and closed the microwave after putting who-knows-what in there. Wow, he really knew how to make himself at home.
"You're the son of Heather Frances Sullivan, the greatest female hotshot I've ever known, she was always on the news doing something amazing, superb! She was even a philanthropist, we talked about her on career day, I even watched videos of her perfect wedding on YouTube! You...you were her flower boy!"
"Born out of wedlock." he cut in with a nod.
"That also means you're Angelo Sullivan not Frances, why did you say you were Angelo Frances?!" I leaned back on the sink, my mouth still open in awe of all this new information.
"I never said I was Angelo Frances, you and your friends just jumped into conclusions. It was rather dumb" He said and the microwave beeped.
"Oh...but your mother was an icon, I remember waking up to the news of the accident..."
"No"
I shut my mouth immediately and watched him sit at my kitchen island. "We don't talk about the accident- don't apologize- we just can't talk about it" Angelo gave me a pointed stare and I nodded. "Thanks, not tonight."
Of course, I could do that. I completely understood where he was coming from. I absently fiddled with the thumb ring for a few seconds before the flame from Angelo's lighter caught my attention.
"What are you-? Oh..." He was lighting up a single candle on a big cupcake he had taken from my fridge.
"It's still my birthday for about thirty minutes or so" he said, pointing at the time showing on his phone screen. "I thought I'd make a wish."
"Of course," I nodded, feeling my heart break. Heather Sullivan's son was here in my simple kitchen, kicked out by his own relatives on his birthday.
The most heart wrenching fact was that he seemed content, no worries showing on his forehead and his posture very relaxed. He was okay despite everything.
Of course Heather Sullivan had birthed another strong human being.
"Don't know what to wish for?" I asked quietly, leaning my elbows on the kitchen island. He just kept staring at the flame before blinking severally.
"Actually, I zoned out but you're also right." he said.
I chuckled and his eyes darted up to meet mine over the candlelight. He really did have the prettiest eyes.
"Got it." He mouthed and blew out the flame, not taking his eyes off mine.
Gosh, why did he have to do things like that? I had to look away, applauding him lightly.
"Happy birthday, Angelo" I said "I would have baked you a good cake with more time"
His shoulders straightened at that, I think that was the most excitement I'd ever seen him show. "You can do that for me?"
I smiled slightly and went around the counter to put my arms around him in a hug.
I totally meant for it to be a sisterly kind of hug but he slipped his arm around my back and tugged me into him, knocking the air out of both of us. His audible gasp was a giveaway.
"I can do that," I murmured into his neck as I put my knee on the stool between his legs for balance, "if you come back we can bake"
"Mmm" he replied and I think my heart was ready to blast off to Mars, "will there be hugs like this?"
I took in a shaky breath and let him go, stepping back from him to lean on the kitchen counter. "Yeah, if you want." Gosh, my face was burning hot. "I'll go get blankets."
I sent dad a text message about the current situation on my way up so he won't freak out when he got back and met things the way they were.
I took down two blankets and met Angelo finishing the last of the cupcake on the couch.
"You'll get crumbs everywhere," I complained lightly and dumped a blanket on his head just because.
"Violet" He chided, shaking his head and I laughed as I went to turn off the kitchen lights.
"Thanks for letting me stay the night. I never said." He murmured, taking the couch and getting comfortable with the pillows.
"You know you're welcome. Darkness?"
"Darkness"
For some reason, he waited till I was tucked in my couch with Moo who came from nowhere, sleeping on my stomach before bringing the next topic up.
"They're going to Paris in about a week's time" Angelo said into the dark.
"The Franceses?" I whispered back.
"They plan to take you along"
"What? Why?"
"I don't know. I don't want you to go with them though"
Paris, with Hale, far away from everything familiar. It was a nightmare.
"I'm not going."
~UwU~
Hope you liked this one.
It looked so weird without an author's note so I had to come back to add one lol.
Rhodes.
Ps. Merry Christmas!