Y/n laughed through all the performance, occasionally stepping back or away from unwanted touch. She walked out right before the end, gasping for the cold air that stung coming in through her nose, but was rather welcome. Her jacked obviously on, in her hair a bride with veil, puff of breath visible in the could weather even if the sun was up shining over them all, view of the glistening lake almost breath taking.
"Hey there, how are you holding up?" A voice from behind her. She turned around keeping her jacket closed with her hands, she wasn't planning on staying outside much. And there she was Five's Ex in her puffy jacket, warm beverage in hand steaming.
Dolores was a good looking woman, her cheeks high, her eyes clear, her hair of an ash blonde that seemed natural but it could be discussed. She was tall and dressed really well, her features seemed to be European but what really gave it away was the almost un-hearable accent that didn't really put her anywhere across the map, just proved that she had something else that wasn't from here.
Y/n pulled her smile, she didn't really know what to think of this woman. The first time they met Dolores had eyes only for Five, clearly not interested in talking with her if not to acknowledge the incoming marriage. "I'm good, lots of heat in there." She joked pointing at the bar where the strip show was wrapping up. Dolores nodded sipping at her cold beverage, silence falling between them, it was not comfortable at all. Y/n could feel the presence of the woman and tried not to back up by staring straight at her.
"Y/n, right? Reginald kept on calling Danielle but it didn't seem right, sounded too much like my name." Dolores was warm, yes, but her body looked like the one of a mannequin, stiff even when basking in emotional glow. Her expression was pretty much the same right now, like it was painted directly on her and it couldn't change much.
"Took a notice on that." Y/n pressed her lips together. "Dolores, right? Fancy name, may I ask you where are you from?"
"Italy. Came by to study Marin biology, got stuck with Five and his Wonderfull family." She explained walking stiffly towards her. Y/n had thee feeling to step back, intimidated by the walk of the woman in front of her, but she kept her ground, head slightly lifting. It was not like she felt threatened, she was just weirded out. "It can be overwhelming, with the Hargreeves here. Little different than New York, huh?"
"Yeah... but like every place is. Ever been there?" She asked trying to have a normal conversation, she seemed like she wanted to chat and Y/n was really fine with it, never turned down small talks.
"No... that was always Five's dream, not mine. I got a lake to research." She took a turn to finally stand beside her and look at the view Y/n was previously looking at. Y/n stood on the other direction for a second before realizing she was actually trying to bond, or something like that, she turned slowly glancing at the other woman's hair before assuming a similar positions to her. Both of them with their arms on the wooden railing.
"You guys where pretty serious, huh?" Asked Y/n wanting to know more about how five could be in a normal, not fake, relationship.
"We met online the last years of high school and dated through university when his father managed to fly me in the states. But that's not really why I came here to talk to you." Dolores was glancing at the inside of her cup, probably basking at the warmth of the steam still coming out of it. She then looked to the side a Y/n that was already looking at her from a few seconds before. "I want him to stay, his father wants him to stay with the family."
Y/n said nothing, kept staring at her waiting for the next part from the other woman but... was that all? So what? Was she to do something about it? This all fake marriage is done so he can stay in the states. But she needs him at New York, her career could end without him around. Not that he was her golden ticket, he actually was the only ticket that assured her place where she had always been. "What do you mean with that?"
"He's not going to marry you, Y/n. He's doing this all charade to piss his father off, to make me jealous, to make his mom happy and/or his brothers annoyed. Surely he's not doing It because he loves you. So be the one to let him go and not get fooled." She did not look or sound arrogant, she seemed convinced of her idea, confident in her fantasy like she knew Five and his whole family like an open book. She surely had an attitude to come and say all this to her face, but at least she was honest.
Y/n chuckled looking down at her hands laying on the wood. "Five loves me very much, I don't know what you are saying."
"Don't kid yourself. I grasped at him like a eagle during the surprise party yesterday night and he let me. I Saw the uneasiness in your eyes." She pushed turning to the side, now only one arm of hers were on the railing, her body was facing towards Y/n while she was still admiring her hands in amusement.
"You know nothing about me Dolores." That's when she looked back at the Italian woman. Y/n distanced herself from the railing finally turning like the woman she was talking too, now they were both facing each other. "And you know nothing about this Five. I bet you know nothing about his work, and how passionate he's about it."
Dolores shook her head, a small smile appearing on her face, she was not believing Y/N's words for a second, the Five she knew would have never find a relationship for real love. She was his real love, and Five never changed. "Five has always been the same, and will never change. Save yourself the embarrassment now."
Y/n scoffed, how little faith had this woman on the man she presumedly loved. "I guess your relationship with Five was tough, I get that, he's difficult and hard to deal with. But I'm sorry to tell you this: MY relationship, with MY fiancé, is nothing like your old relationship with this old Five you know so much about." She took distance on a slow peace, using a more insistent tone to underline how this situation now, with her MYs, was different than Dolores's situation then.
"You know that if he had his mind set on leaving, he would. He doesn't need me as an excuse to make you jealous. Stop being delusional Dolores." That's when she left going back inside the bar that was now way calmer, lights on, curtains open. Allison asked her what took her so long to get a breath of fresh hair, Y/n made up a lie saying she just got mesmerized by the view she forgot to come back.
———
When they got back to the other side of the lake the three woman where chatting about the small things, how the entertainment was, the beers, the snacks and finger food. When walking up to the house in their heavy jackets, their pace was accompanied by a steady sound, just like chops. In fact, just in front of the garden shed someone with a blue flannel shirt and visible red ears was swinging an axe and chopping wood. A black jacket on the snow just beside the figure.
"FIVE?!" Called Grace from the path just a few feet away from the door, Allison beside her looking at his brothers with her arms crossed in front of her torso to stand in a more comfortable position. "Five, honey, is everything ok?"
Five turned around, he wasn't obsessed with music so he didn't need nor didn't have headphones or anything of that sort, so he was fully able to hear his mother calling for him. He shrugged his hand and turned back to do his work and steam, whatever happened, out. "Come mom, let's leave him alone." Suggested Allison.
Grace entered the house followed by the two younger women, she was going to leave her son alone, but someone else needed to hear from her. She stormed upstairs, Y/n following her almost unconsciously. The mother barged in the studio in the softest way, her future daughter-in-law didn't know it was possible to be so aggressive and soft at the same time. The blonde woman went straight for the old gramophone taking the thing over the disk off so it would stop emitting music.
"I was listening to that." Pointed out Reginald still immersed in his work.
"Why is Five out there with his axe, chopping woods?" She asked walking back in front of him, hands sitting on the table, eyes persistent but never mean. Reginald sighed and looked up at her taking his monocle off. Y/n looking at the scene from the door.
"How am I supposed to know?"
"I'm tired of this. What did you do?" She asked. Reginald cleared his throat and shook his head slightly, probably feeling no remorse in his actions.
"I didn't do anything... just had a frank conversation with him about his future and the company-"
"I told him to come here so you two would make up. I thought we were fine with him living his life and try to talk Luther into taking the reins." She exhausted with a sigh. Y/n pressed her lips and widened her eyes, she had to take her leave because this was none of her business. So she knocked at the door taking the attention of the two parents.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, I just wanted to thank you for the day." Grace smiled at her as she waved and while the young woman was leaving, she could her the last sentences of Reginald clapping back at his wife. "You are fine with that. I know Luther is not fit for this."
"He'll never come back home now. He's my son too and I only see him every three years because of you." Argued Grace, Y/n had left, turned the corner towards her shared room, ears oblivious of the little argument still going in the study. "I've had enough. Be supportive of him marrying Y/n, that's his ultimatum. If we are not careful, we are gonna end up in this great big house, just you and me alone, us with just everything we had build for our kids that they don't want to accept because of you. Heaven forbid that they won't let see our grandchildren! Fix it Reggie, now."
Grace stormed out too needing her peace now that she was clear of the situation, she had scolded her husband just right and Reginald was pensive in his studio, he knew he wasn't completely right, but that also made him half wrong, so he wasn't that much at fault. He sighed and put his monocle back on before diving back in his work, he needed to clear his head.