Happy Family?
"My brother isn't the type to lie for no reason though."
"Liden who was there for your brother supporting him when not even you or your parents did? Is that someone who'll be angry at their boyfriends success when all I did was be supportive?" I look at Linden but he doesn't make eye contact with me in the slightest. He simply shrugs his shoulders.
"Babe, she's being honest. I've seen the way she's tried hard to convince our parents that Marlin was worthy, why would she turn on him like that?" Venice defends me, if theres anyone who could have the slightest hint about what i've gone through, its her.
"My brother isn't the type to lie about shit though Ven. Sure I didn't support my brother in the beginning but whose to say that your sister didn't get cocky after she played the role of savior?" Linden looks up from the floor and holds eye contact with my sister, who's eyebrows are dented with arising frustration.
"You have to be fucking kidding me." A laugh of complete and utter bitterness leaves my body at Linden's words. He cannot be serious? He really can't be. Everything I went through isn't going to be invalidated just because he thinks his brother doesn't have the capacity to lie. Marlin had the capability to even get me fired from my job, thats how far that asshole would go, yet lying seems like a stretch?
I roll my eyes as I curse him under my breath, I turn to make my way back into the house and my sister calls my name multiple times but I ignore her, too pissed off at this point to answer. I open and shut the sliding door with anger and as I stomp my way into the house my parent's attention turns to me.
"Why we slamming doors in my house?" My dad says with an eyebrow raised of curiosity. My mom looks in between my father and I, noticing my blatant anger.
"I should probably go," I tell them, avoiding further eye contact and glancing around making sure I didn't leave anything behind. My father puts his hands out in front of him, stopping me from heading anywhere else.
"What's going on mama? We ain't even eat yet." My father's clear confusion rings in his tone and as soon as he asks I hear the back patio door slide open. Two set of footsteps walk up behind us.
"I didn't come here to discuss Marlin and all the shit that went on in our relationship and then be doubted of all the things I went through. " I say despite Linden standing behind me, I could careless. The Morena brothers are condescending assholes and I had no obligation to be nice or respectful towards Linden.
"I didn't doubt you, I simply believe my brother." He retorts as If he isn't proving my point; He's literally doubting me. He's believing his brother when all the signs point to Marlin being a damn liar. My father looks at Linden with skeptical eyes, he knows that the first thing Marlin did was call my parent's home to tell them I got fired. He knows that whatever happened with Marlin, he's in the wrong.
"Let's sit and clear this shit up, there will be no bad blood in my house." My father gestures for us to take a seat at the dining room table. I'm hesitant but my mother gives me a stern look, telling me with only her eyes to obey my fathers words. Suppressing my urge to eye-roll, I walk over reluctantly to the dining room. I take a seat at the table and across from me sits my sister, Linden sits beside her. My parents brings the food to the table and hand out plates. Setting everything up as if I even have the appetite to eat with this burning anger. My sister has a guilty expression on her face from being in the middle of her soon to be husband and sister's disputes.
I begin to fidget my leg, bouncing it up and down with impatience. I would rather be home right now than having a family counseling meeting. But it's too late for that now, my mother and father took their places at the table and everyone began putting food on their plate. I didn't though. After everyone ate a bit my father brings back the original topic. "Okay, now what happened?" He asks, putting a fork full of pasta in his mouth. Everyone's eyes shift onto me. My jaw tenses up a bit, but I eventually talk through my gritted teeth.
"Linden believes I was the one at fault in my relationship with Marlin. Supposedly I was a jealous bitch at his accomplishments, huh? Your brother is unbelievable." I say staring Linden down and he shifts uncomfortably in his seat, My father nudges my arm. "Language, Valentina." My father tells me despite me being twenty-one already. He gives me a glare of disapproval.
"It's stupid that you can believe that when I was literally doing everything and anything for him. Including. Yet he never admitted our relationship to anyone in fear of the public opinion or let me do anything without being on a low status because he was scared to be found out by his fans. That was his priorities. Yet I stayed for so long when he treated me like I was a nobody. " My eyes narrow at the word fans, he was so focused on everyone else, he couldn't give more than two shits about me. Linden sets down his fork on his plate preparing to speak, "Maybe he felt like he had to do that because you feel as if all his accomplishments are because of you. He was protecting you, but you wanted to be in the limelight so badly right? Sounds narcissistic to me."
"Narcissistic? Wow, you're just an uptight asshole like your brother." I snap back, I'm clenching my fists under the table tightly. Venices jaw drops at my words, her guilty expression turning into pure irritation. To add to the dramatics she slams her fists on the table, "Valentina watch your mouth, this is my fiancee you're talking to."
"And? With all due respect to you Venice, I don't owe him shit if i'm no longer with his brother and my only link to him is you. And not even that is enough for me to respect him when he's clearly disrespecting me." I shift my glowering eyes from Linden to my sister who's now pissed at me. In defense of her Fiancé of course.
"It is not my brother's fault that you blame your hardships about everything on him, including finding a job. That should've been your main focus and not trying to take his credibility and being in the public eye. He got you a job and you where dillydallying! Then you got fired, actions have consequences." Linden argues and I swear I almost feel like jumping across the table to tear him apart. "Get your fucking head out of the gutter Linden. He got me fired from that job on purpose!"
"Valentina! What the hell is up with you?" Venice's voice is raising into a yell, something that never scared me. She always plays the mighty big sister role, but it never effected or scared me. She's only a year older than me, there wasn't much experience she went through that I didn't, that could made me have a big sister sight to her. I truthfully never looked at her as that older sister who knew it all with the 'I should bow down to her with maximum respect' vibe, to me she was my equal. Therefore her yelling didn't do anything but aggravate me further.
"Oh so you let him say whatever he wants about me when it isn't true but the second I defend myself you're angered?" I laugh at my true disbelief of what is going on right now. This laugh really comes from the core of my heart because i've been holding it all together for far too long. But all this shit is finally starting to make me loose it. I shut the door of my mind where I contained every suppressing feeling and thought so long ago. The door is finally breaking off its hinges and coming undone. Now everyone sees me in the wrong when I've been holding it together for their sake forgetting my own emotions in the process. I can't handle it anymore.
"Valentina por favor, cálmate." please calm down, my mother pleads as she rubs her temple with her fingers. My father is shaking his head in disapproval as he takes another bite of his food silently. They can tell me to calm down but won't defend me.. That's the worst part. They're not even defending me against Linden because he's the golden fiancee, he is my sister's ticket into success in my parents eyes. So as long as he's all mighty and successful they don't want to get on his bad side. Especially when their wedding was merely a few months away.
"No, I'm not going to sit here and be accused of stuff that never happened. Marlin got me fired from my job because he was angry that we broke up, he called here to brag about it to you guys because he knew that would've really hurt me. He never actually loved me like I loved him, he treated me like his little maid basically. So why on fucking earth would I just calm down when i'm being accused of being narcissistic as if Marlin didn't call me to his house to pick up my leftover shit and had a women half naked on his couch for me to see." I retort and as I unleash everything I could see the expressions on everyones faces turn shocked. Linden stares at me with a remorseful expression. Venice's mouth is pressed into a thin line, obviously taken back by what I just confessed.
I stand up and my chair scoots back obnoxiously, making a loud screeching noise. My dad grabs my arm to stop me from moving any further, "Where you going? You haven't even touched the food." He speaks quietly, looking up at me with worried eyes. I shrug off his hold, I don't want to send another minute in here.
"I'm leaving before you all start to shit on me for my occupation too. Like you always do, instead of giving any confidence or a slight push to do better I get criticized and compared to Venice. I don't want to stay long enough to be put down about the way I live my life." I answer and my father's eyebrows scrunch with irritation, I know i'm probably being widely disrespectful especially to a black father, speaking like this should have me in my grave.
"You said you had shit under control right, So ain't nothing to worry about if you really got shit together like you said you do. Like you always say you do." He slides in the sly remark, and thats enough to get me to walk around the table and towards the exit of the dining room. "I do, and I'll prove it to you all since you never for a second had faith in me."
I walk towards the front door and open it, hearing my family call my name to come back to the table. I ignore them and proceed to make my exit, rushing to my car. I get in and hurriedly turn on the car, shifting the gear to reverse the fuck out of this driveway, out of this house.
Then I was off, the speakers blasting with music as I drive out of this neighborhood and out of my family's presence. I felt like I was drowning every second I was in there, desperately waving my arms around for someone to help me. Eventually at the end I helped myself, like I always have to end up doing.
...
I pull up towards central park. Leaving my car behind I walk towards the entrance, my hands in the pockets of my jacket. The cold is making me shiver slightly but I need the fresh air. I need to be out of my tiny box of an apartment. I already feel compressed in a box of my emotions, my apartment is only going to make me feel worse.
I walk on a trail, breathing in the cold sharp air that quite frankly makes my nose hurt with certain inhales. I ignore it though, continuing my walk down the path. I try to clear out my mind, my thoughts, my anger. The trees are surrounding me, the colors of the leaves turning red and yellow in time for the fall. I step on a few of them hearing the satisfying crunch of the leaves under my boots. Eventually I end up at the lake, I take a seat at an empty bench as I take appreciation of the view. There where people walking on the small bridge as the evening sun begins to set. I sit there feeling an overwhelming feeling of being isolated and being alone with my thoughts is never a good thing.
I take my phone out of my pocket, going through my contacts. Hitting call on a special name that stands out to me immediately. It rings only twice before the call is answered, "Hello?" His nice melodic voice rings from
the other line. "Arlo, are you busy?"
"No, I finished up with everything at the company. Are you okay Valentine? Do you need anything?" Arlo asks immediately, and I smile softly to myself. I nod my head as I speak, as If he could actually see me. "Yes actually, uhm well.. I'm at central park and i'm bored so I wanted to know if you wanted to, I don't know–hang out?" I talk like I'm in middle school and this is my attempt to ask out a boy to the park for the first time with parental permission.
The middle school days when all you where stressed about was hugging your sixth grade boyfriend for the first time and making it a big deal. It's embarrassing for some reason, I bet arlo has better shit to do then to keep me sane when i'm loosing my mind. But he chuckles on the other line, "Awh are you inviting me out Valentine? How cute." He teases and I bite my bottom lip suppressing a smile out of shyness.
"Of course. I'll be there don't worry." He agrees, somehow I could already hear his keys dangling. Then a minute after the engine of his car is on. "Sounds like someone's excited to come to the park." I joke after hearing how rushed the background sounds. He chuckles again and the sound of his laugh makes me smile a little harder. It almost makes me impatient to see him. But Arlo drives fast, he'll be here in no time. "Oh duh, I get to be in your presence Miss Morgan." He says the sentence in a sarcastic tone, it's like he's mocking someone. I might have an indication of who exactly it is; Aaron. I roll my eyes with amusement vivid on my face, "Is this jealousy Mr Saint?" I say with a dramatic gasp at the end of my sentence and Arlo breathes out a small laugh of slight irritation.
"Pfft. Of course not." Arlo deflects immediately and I raise my eyebrows skeptically at his unconvincing tone. "Yeah okay, See you in a bit." I tell him and hang up after I can hear the acceleration of the vehicle. By the sound of his driving I wouldn't have to wait that long, a little while more with my thoughts wouldn't be so bad as long as I know they'll be radio silent in the presence of Arlo Saint.
Just after I hang up A notification on my phone dings. It catches my attention and when I look down I smile.
Just as Arlo's message rolls in, I realize I actually hadn't eaten at all. I was hungry but I was too pissed to even realize it. But of course Arlo is coming to the rescue. He really is my savior whenever I need him.
✩
I stare off into the water that reflects the lights at the park. The view is beautiful and leaves me in daze. As I enjoy the atmosphere, a warm hand touches my shoulder, I flinch a bit from the unexpectedness but then I turn to see Arlo holding a bag of food. He rounds the bench and sits next to me, his warm body radiating off onto mine.
"I hope you like Colombian food, Angela and I ate it a lot growing up because our mother was Colombian." He says with a smile in his face, his eyes far in nostalgia. The lights from the park reflect on Arlo's face and he looks gorgeous. He's wearing a black leather jacket, with baggy jeans. He looks very comfortable with his beanie that is covering his ears, yet his curls are still long enough to be seen. "Thank you Arlo, seriously. I don't know how much I keep thanking you but you're amazing." I tell him and he looks at me with tender eyes. "Its no problem Valentine." He waves me off as he grabs the boxes out of the bag. He hands me a box and a canned sprite, I grab them and excitedly open the white Styrofoam box with the food.
there was beans and rice, traditional hispanic food that I adored and loved. As well as some Arepas in there, one of my favorite parts of Columbian food. I dig in, wasting no time as the hunger is basically making me dizzy at this point. "I thought the food would've been a stretch but i'm glad I brought it now." Arlo tells me, proud of his idea as he sees me super eager to eat.
He also digs in to his meal.
I cover my mouth as I speak, trying not to show the food I was still chewing, "I didn't eat all day. I mean I went to my parents house because they invited me over for lunch but some things happened." I tell him, and he nods understandingly, "Do you want to talk about it after we eat?" He asks with raised eyebrows.
"Please." I agree, talking about what went down now would probably only get me angry enough to loose my appetite again. I didn't need any of that right now, I just needed to feed myself and fuel up good before I start talking about the events of today. Arlo doesn't say another word, he just continues to eat with me in silence as our shoulders are touching. I appreciate his warm body contacting mine as I've been out here in the cold for a while now. We watch the moon and its reflection over the lake. Theres something so special about sitting with Arlo in the night time that will always fill a void in my heart. Especially when the moon is out and bright, shining down on us.
After we finish I take some sips of my sprite, glancing over at Arlo who's already looking at me with gleeful eyes, "Hm?" I hum and he shakes his head with a smirk on his lips. "I looked over some of your pictures at the company. I'm so impressed Valentine, I mean really.. I'm proud of you. But it's funny because looking at you in person is vastly better, the camera couldn't capture your full beauty. " He talks with a blooming light in his eyes; that's my favorite thing to see when I glance into his eyes. Instead of darkness it's light, and a lot of it. My heart skips a beat at his words and the way he's looking at me, knowing that the light is being caused by me makes me flustered. "You're only saying that because you know I feel sad in this moment." I say deflecting him, I look away as I begin to feel shy at his challenging eye contact.
But Arlo simply places a hand under my chin softly and turns my head to face him. His touch making my skin jump with goosebumps and that's not even because of the cold. But because that's Arlo Saint's effect. "I say it because I mean it." He declares into my eyes, our faces merely apart. The small distance allows my eyes to wonder, my eyes shift between his fierce eyes and his soft plumped lips. Suddenly my mind is wondering off to different risky places, imagining what it'd feel like to have the cool feeling of his lip ring against my own lips.
I quickly swat away those thoughts when Arlo's lips form a smirk. "Stay focused on my eyes," He says with a teasing tone as he catches me in the blatant act of staring at his lips. His voice is low and a bit husky which makes me shift weirdly in my seat, my stomach getting a nervous sensation it in. He removes his hold on my face and goes to drink his sprite as if nothing happened, leaving me bewildered. I stare at him in confusion and I can see his grin despite his lips being pressed up against the can. He then meets eye contact with me again. And when he does he laughs at loud at my flattered expression.
The sound of his laugh is enough to silence the world with the way it's such an fulfilling tune to my ears. I adore the way his laugh makes his dimple appear on his cheek and how his eyes turn into crescent shapes just like the moon in its changing phases. His laugh makes me crack a smile despite the confusion that I withhold. "What's so funny?" I question and when he stops laughing he talks with a bright smile on his face, "Your flushed facial expression. You never fail to amuse me with no matter what you do." He says tenderly, and I shove his arm playfully making him chuckle again. "Your attempt at flirting just left me a little dumfounded okay?" I roll my eyes trying to be serious and he breathes out a little giggle.
"I'm glad I'm able to forget all my worries when you're around. It's therapeutic." I tell him after a beat and he patiently sits there and listens to me talk about whatever. I like that about him, When I need a listener he's there, giving me his full undivided attention as I let my thoughts roam free. Something I never did with anyone else. Not even with myself.
"I went to see my family earlier, after not seeing them for a while a while. It was hard considering Marlin tried to get me in trouble with my parents," I take a deep breath in, setting my soda can beside me and rubbing my hands together to warm them up. He opens his free hand, letting it rest palm side up on his knee, waiting patiently. I didn't get it at first until he softly grasped my hand and took it into his, warming up my hand up for me with his own heat. I smile. "Long story short I argued, a lot with everyone. Mostly Linden, Marlin's brother. No matter how much I try to forget about him it only happens to make it worse." I tell him, his lip slightly pouting.
"Time is virtue. Seriously, It sounds corny I know but honestly with all due time he won't be a worry anymore. He'll simply be a fraction of the past. I get you might be frustrated, it's probably making you feel like you're going insane trying to push him out and everything keeps makes it harder. But time will help you heal those wounds so the very sound of his name won't even ache the old cuts in your heart that you had to endure before." He speaks, He set down his drink beside him and he begins tracing shapes onto my hand with his other free hand. I give him an appreciative nod, he always knows what to say to calm me in the moment. His words will always be the sedative my heart needs.
"You're really good at advice and understanding heartbreak. Are you sure you haven't had your own personal drug–A lover I shall say." I ask curiously and he pauses tracing shapes on my hand, his fingers gently pressed against mine for a silent minute while he's in deep in thought. Then he proceeds again after a minute, "No, I haven't let myself fall in love before." He looks away from my face and glances back at the lake. My eyes widen with surprise. I mean, I bet he's had a bunch of people all over him so the fact he's never fell in love before is a shocker to me.
"You haven't let yourself?" I reiterate and he nods his head, looking far off into the water. He's growing a little silent again, like he always does when he begins to reveal just a little bit about himself. When his mask begins to crack a little and his walls begin to fall slightly.
"Do you think you would ever let yourself?" I ponder.
"Fall in love?" He questions quietly and I nod in response. He looks at me with distant eyes, "Maybe." He says with genuine unknowing. He doesn't look like he's fighting the idea of it, but at the same time he doesn't look appealed towards it either. He looks scared at the topic of love, the topic of having his own little personal drug that drives him wild. Maybe Arlo Saint is afraid he'll be what everyone avoids to be; an overdose.
___
[Author Note]
Hi lovelies! I produced this chapter quicker than the last because sometimes on the weekends i get so busy i literally get stumped with writing for a bit loll. But if you guys really enjoy this story until the end of it, I had maybeeee an idea to make a sequel to AA ;)
(the sequel idea might already be in my notes already but thats beside the point 💀) Just let me know your opinions!
Don't forget to vote 🌟