It was after I had went up to my room, free to escape the chaos that I call my family, that I realized I haven't heard from Eric all day. Granted, it is only around noon, but if I'm going off daily usual, I'd have talked to him already.
I'm probably over thinking things. I've been doing so this entire week since the arrival of Jace West. Yes, I'm blaming my overactive mind on him.
And it's not like I didn't have one to begin with, because let's face it, I'm walking clockwork, but this - this is real. Of all the years I've known Eric - have been dating him - not once has he gone without calling me first thing. It's something that I've come to know and love and the absence of it is putting me on edge.
I pick up my phone from the nightstand, once again checking my notifications to see if I'm wrong. Something weighs deep in my stomach when the grey screen clearly says No Notifications.
"Hey, Buddy." I raise my head, putting my phone back on the painted wood surface and greet my dad with a smile. "You almost ready to go?"
I take a deep breath and stand. "Yeah. Just let me grab my shoes."
He nods, reluctant to leave as if he wants to ask me something, but doesn't.
Before I take his lead out of my door, I remind myself that tomorrow is church and I'll be able to ask Eric all of the questions that are plaguing my mind. At least I hope.
When I make it downstairs, my family is crowded by the door. My mom is trying to fix my dad's hair while Caleb mocks him from behind my mothers back.
"Oh look," my mom looks relieved when she see me coming down the stairs. "Nina is here. Let's go."
I shake my head at my brother when he laughs and points at my dad for reasons unknown to me, and make my way into the winter air for the car.
Family get togethers are always the best. Note the sarcasm. It takes forever just to get my brother and father ready, and that's without my moms help. I'd say they're both children in themselves.
"I still don't get it," Caleb begins to complain as soon as the car is in motion.
"Get what, sweetie?" My mom sighs as she checks her lipstick in the visor mirror.
"Why are we having a Christmas party when Christmas isn't for another two weeks?" The pure confusion in his voice makes me wonder what actually goes on in his head. Not that I'm saying he's dumb, but I'd really like to know how other people think.
"Because, Caleb," my dad intervenes. "Women are over achievers and-"
"Colten," my mom scolds him. "That is not why we're doing this."
My dad rolls his eyes. "Trust me, Nikki, this is why we have the damned parties. It's either that or my mom likes spending money for stupid shit like this."
"Stupid shit?" She turns to him with blazing cheeks.
"Oh shit," my brother whispers. "Dad's about to have some serious blue balls this week."
"I heard that-"
"Colten!" My mom snaps in front of his face to get the attention that Caleb momentarily stole. "How is your mother wanting to bring everyone in the family together, stupid? It's about damn time someone got you off your lazy ass."
"Lazy ass?" My dad looks appalled and Caleb laughs quietly in the back seat. I glance over at the little twerp and he has his phone out with an obnoxious grin on his face. "Who was the one to go out at your beck and call when you were pregnant to get damned pickles and watermelon?"
I close my eyes and try my best to block out the sound of the arguing. It's all in good nature, but I hearing them and dealing with my problems is giving me a headache.
"You know what?" My mom growls and I feel the car stop. "We'll talk about this later."
I can't even help it, the panicked look on my dad's face makes me snort out a laugh. Worst thing to possibly say to someone like him.
Behind my mom, I walk towards the banquet hall that our family Christmas party is set up in.
We do these things annually. It's where everyone from the Mathew's, Long, and Rhode families get together and celebrate a pre-Christmas. My grandma Karen puts it all together. She likes doing it so no one ever stops her.
My mom told me that when she was a teenager, my dad's parents weren't around much like hers, so Grandma Karen missed out on doing things like this. She's very adamant on keeping the family together in that sense.
As soon as I make it into the familiar banquet hall, my grandmother is already swarming me with kisses and hugs.
"My beautiful, granddaughter," she repeats over and over again while squeezing the living daylights out of me.
"Grandma," I laugh, rubbing her back. "You just saw me Sunday."
She pulls away with a playful scowl and scoffs. "That was a week ago, my sweet girl, far too long."
I shake my head with a giggle and hug her once more before she moves on to Caleb whose just walked through the door with my dad.
"Hey! Bitch!" I hear Braylee yell somewhere in the distance and when I spot her she's waving her hands in the air like a mad woman.
"Watch your mouth," her mother scowls and slaps Braylee on the back of the head. I cover my mouth when a laugh escapes through my lips.
"Laugh all you want," my cousin scowls when I make it over to where she's saved me a seat. "But since Brendan is coming, it won't be me getting hit."
I nod my head in agreement to that.
"Hello, Nina," my aunt Brittni peeps into the conversation, drawing me into a hug. I've excepted that I will be doing lots of touching today. "How have you been?"
"Good." We pull away. "How about you?"
She rolls her eyes. "Do you even have to ask?"
"Mom," Braylee says with a blank expression.
"You act like nobody knows that you make me cry myself to sleep every night," Aunt Brittni scoffs and takes a sip of her alcoholic beverage.
"Hey, kiddo," my uncle Jackson rubs my head and squints his eyes at his wife and daughter. "What's going on here?"
"Mom keeps telling everybody that I make her cry herself to sleep," Braylee says exasperated.
"That's my cue to leave," uncle Jackson raises his hands in surrender and turns on his heel. Aunt Brittni kisses Braylee on the forehead before following his lead.
"So." Braylee and I take a seat. "How does it feel being able to say you didn't sit around doing homework on a Friday night?"
I snort and take a sip of my water. "Like I need to do a lot tomorrow."
She rolls her eyes at me and I laugh.
"Hey, Nina," Baylee comes to sit next to me and I smile at her. "Did you have a good time at the party last night? I meant to come look for you later, but I couldn't find you."
"We kind of left early," I tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. "Parties aren't really my thing, and they'll continue to stay that way."
"That's to bad," Baylee frowns. "But I see where you're coming from. It is always weird when I see Eric at those things and never you, though."
Baylee goes on to sip her glass of Pepsi, not realizing that what she's just said is a surprise to me. And from my peripheral vision, I see Braylee cringing.
What the heck did I just hear?
I clear my throat, and stand up from my chair. "I'm going to go get something to drink. Do you want anything, Braylee?"
She shakes her head. "I'll just come with you."
I stop her when she begins to stand up. "It's fine."
And I walk away. My legs suddenly feel like jelly when I make my way over to the bar, a white feeling filling my head. There has to be a mistake. Eric doesn't go to parties. Or at least I didn't think he did?
It's not even like I would care if he did, but the fact that he hasn't told me of any of those times is what puts me on edge. Why would he keep it from me?
"Can I get a Dr. Pepper?" I order from the bar tender. He nods with a smile and turns around to fetch my drink.
"Nina?" My cousin Brendan smiles at me when I finally give him my attention. I try my best to smile.
"Hey, college boy," I grin and playfully punch his bicep. The broadness of his smile makes some of my negative thoughts go away.
All of my cousins and I are really close, always have been, so when Brendan went away to college it was sad for all of us. And because he is the first born of all the grandchildren, it was a lot more depressing than if Braylee went to college.
Brendan hardly visits, also. What was seeing him everyday to seeing him once or twice a month is depressing and glorious at the same time.
"You been working out?" I question with playfulness in my voice. The muscle he packs is actually just from my uncle Jackson's genes.
"A little," he chuckles, leaning over the counter next to me. "Football does help, though."
"Oh right," I nod. The bartender finally brings me my drink and I thank him before taking a sip. "How's that going? Different from High School?"
Like his dad, he was the quarterback of our High School and a dang good one. Everyone in the family always seems to joke about how Brendan may just be better than Uncle Jackson, but we all know that's not true. Close runner up, but from what I've heard, my uncle was a legend in High School.
"Totally different," he nods with wide eyes. I'd laugh if I didn't have a mouth full of pop. "The guys are so much bigger and faster that it's scary. You better bet that I'm sore after getting thrown to the ground a million times at practice."
"I don't get it," I turn to him puzzled. "What's the interest in the sport? Like you said, all that ever happens is you getting tackled. Why would that be fun to anyone?"
He thinks about it for a second, his eyes on the ceiling before he looks back at me with a grin. "The feeling you get. With any sport, there's a certain thrill feeling that comes along with it. And I'm sure if it wasn't like that, people wouldn't play it."
That's a good point.
"Anyway," he shrugs. "Pretty sure Uncle James and Aunt Angelique are here, so let's go say hi."
I shoot him a simper and catch up with him as he walks away. Shoving my shoulder, he beams at me and momentarily, my worries about Eric subside.
Tomorrow I'll be faced with them head on.
______________________This chapter is super boring I know :( but I promise some interesting things will happen soon enough!!
What do you think? Do you like Colten and Caleb's relationship? Excited to see the whole family? What's up Roth Eric?
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