"I don't wanna think about
What I'm feeling now
I wanna push it down
I wanna block it out"
Harley's P.O.V
It's been a week since George has left the hospital. It's been weird being back in this house and I don't think any of us likes it.
That day at the hospital, I also got a chance to talk to George and let me tell you. After everything I've been through when it comes to him trying to ruin mine and Alix's relationship, at times I thought he would never accept us. Gladly I was wrong and maybe being shot and almost dying isn't a very practical way to convince someone of something... But it really was a turning point for George. I mean, we've talked about moving houses and he sometimes says the words "your room" looking at both me and Alix.
Yes, like in me and Alix having an actual room for the 2 of us instead of separate rooms. It's like he woke up from a coma and suddenly just loves our love. I'm not complaining, I'm just not used to it. Plus, if I ever sleep in the same room as Alix, then I want it to be in our own house. Not our parents. We wouldn't feel comfortable, not anymore, I guess, plus it's only exciting when you do it behind their backs. But even if they are in fact okay with all of it. After everything that happened, how could we?
I've actually been thinking about that lately. Me and Alix, moving out together and college. Luckily we're going to study near one another, so maybe we can actually find a place together.
While Alix will continue in the path of performative arts, I've finally decided what I want to follow and be in the future. A pediatrician.
I mean I've always loved kids. I thought about doing the exact opposite and turning to helping older people, but honestly? If there's something that my vovo did, was mold small little Harley to become the person I am today, and I'm sure she would be proud of who I've become. Maybe reprimand me for some of the mistakes I've made, threatening to hit me with a slipper when I was being a lil shit, but still, be proud of me in the end.
And that's something I would enjoy doing? not hitting someone with a sliper..., But praise and make sure young kids turn into healthy and well adjusted people. Mostly healthy, I know. But oh well.
Some days after George got out of the hospital, it was Alix's birthday. We didn't do anything much and no one gave her presents cause first, no one was in the mood to celebrate since we got back to this house, and second, no one had time to even think about buying something with all that happened.
- "Harley, can we go out for a while? I'm not really.... Comfortable in here." Alix left her room to meet me in the living room, clearly somewhat uncomfortable.
I looked at her, making sure I'd give her a comforting smile.
- "Sure. Let me just say something to my mom. Wait here." I said walking by her and slightly touching her hand almost as to make her sure I would be back to her in no time.
I went into the hallway and knocked on my mom and George's room door, knowing they would both be in there.
- "Come in." George's voice sounded.
I pushed the door opened. My mom was laying over the covers reading and George was in his wheelchair, opening an envelope that probably had to do with house bills.
- "Hey sweetie." My mom said only looking at me for a second and back at her book.
George looked up at me and mustered a smile.
Both of them were slowly trying to act normal after all that occurred. It looked weird at times knowing what had happened outside their room just weeks ago, but also at the same time, it made it less relevant.
I found myself to be surprised with the fact that some boxes laid around the room as if they just started moving.
- "What's with the boxes?" I asked.
George was the one talking first.
- "Oh, just tidying a little. Either way... Did you need something?" He responded in a rush to get rid of the subject.
I found it weird but thought nothing of it.
- "Yeah, hum, Alix isn't really feeling well, I mean, comfortable in the house. I just wanted to tell you guys we are going for a walk or something. If possible, maybe I'll take her to dinner and we'll stay at the cottage tonight." I said confident they would not object.
- "Ok love, do you need money?" My mom asked now looking at me while George just nodded, both of them knowing Alix needed that distance from this place to be able to stay sane or at least keep some of the sanity she had in fact left.
- "No, I think we're good mom. Thank you. Ok then, we'll see you lat-" I said turning around but was interrupted by George.
- "Wait! Harley, I almost forgot... This letter came for Alix today. It's cause of her grandma's, hum, heritage... I think, It's from her lawyer." he said uncomfortable with all the mess that heritage had caused lately.
I simply took the envelope in my hand looking at it for a second and nodding silently.
- " Okay... I'll make sure she sees this.." I said slowly.
George simply nodded at me before I left their room.
Alix appeared in the hallway as she heard the door close and I quickly hid the envelope from her. I did not want her to read it in this place.
She looked at me weirdly and I smiled at her trying to put her at ease and pretend I wasn't scared about what was inside that envelope. She didn't need any more trouble.
- "Hey, you look weird. Is everything okay? Did something happen in there?" Alix asked me.
I rethought the decision to only tell her about the letter when we got out of here and she was calmer and oh well, you know, not in the place her dad was shot in weeks ago and decided it had been a good one, so I lied.
-"Yeah, everything is okay." I simply said.
Alix knew me better than anyone at this point and I thought she wouldn't believe me but lately she's just been so out of herself that she doesn't really get into things that deeply to realize what's actually happening.
She spaced out for a second before I grabbed her hand.
- "Oh, uhm let's go?" She said getting back to her senses.
I scrunched my face up with a forced smile, it's been hard lately, seeing her like this. She isn't herself and she's distancing herself from people in a weird way that I think no one, including her, understands.
- "Sure, but first get some clothes, your charger and toothbrush. I thought it might be good for us to spend the night at the cottage. If you want to, of course." I responded caressing her hand that stood in mine.
That made her smile softly and that was enough to warm my heart. It was rare seeing her smile lately.
- "I love your smile you know? It always makes me feel warm inside, specially if I'm the reason behind it." I said with a genuine smile on my face as well.
- "I love you Harley."
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George's P.O.V.
- "I mean I don't know if it's enough Julie. They need things. Everything." I said as I looked at the boxes around our room.
Julie looked at me with a half smile.
- "You really are that much of a mother hen? I mean I'm not saying it isn't sexy but I'm also not saying it is..." She said and chuckled after.
- "Oh yes, make fun of the crippled guy. You know, if I didn't have to stay in this wheelchair, I swear I would get up and do something that would make you regret making fun of me." I responded playfully.
Julie raised an eyebrow with a smile plastered on her face. We really looked like kids.
- " Ah yes? And what would you do? "
I rolled closer to the bed.
- "Let's just say I know my beautiful wife long enough now to know her ticklish spots." I responded making Julie's eyes open and giving her an amused laugh at her reaction.
After some time, we calmed down and worry overwhelmed me.
- "Jules? Do you think our daughters are okay? I can see that Harley is keeping herself together but Alix, she just doesn't seem fine. Oh no, maybe I should have not given her the letter. What if it's too much for her this soon?"
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Alix's P. O. V.
I just, I can't stop thinking about them. I know it's ridiculous, but those people who shot my father, those people were my blood. Ruby was my sister. And my mother... it pains me to think of that woman as my mother. The worst part is that I didn't even get a chance to understand why they all hate me so much completely, why they all would go to such incredible lengths to make me, Harley and my dad miserable.
I understood that Ruby was obsessed with Harley and as stupid as it seems I understand that, cause how can you not be obsessed with Harley? And I understand that it all had something to do with some inheritance that I should receive because of a woman I've never even met. But there's so much I don't understand, and don't know. Like are they alive? Are they in jail or in an hospital? What happened after that day?, why's and who's and what's are spinning around in my head and I need answers.
I had already spoken with my dad. I wanted to understand what the hell has he been masterminding with all of these secret agents or bodyguards or informers or whatever the hell they are. I thought my dad was a fucking lawyer, not the godfather.
Well, honestly this goes deeper and way further than I thought and that's why I really wanted answers from Emily or Ruby, to connect some dots.
Apparently my dad always tried to keep an eye on me. Not really anything special, just make sure I was safe once in a while, but around some time after we returned from Liam's house, after those awful days, he actually received a very weird letter. My grandmother had written to him saying she had found out about me and asking if she could ever meet me. Now, my dad doesn't know how she found out about me and he found it very weird with the possibility of me meeting the mother of my biological father, but he made the decision of meeting up with this old lady before to know her intentions.
On that meeting, he found out that my grandmother always hated Emily and was mistreated by both her, Ruby and Dylan. She'd say Emily was pure evil, claiming she had actually married her son for her money. After her son was gone from a car accident that she believed to be no accident, she tried to escape, but Emily had other plans and decided to make her an hostage in their house. Emily pushed her down the stairs one day and my grandmother lost her physical abilities. She set up my grandma once more declaring her to be mentally incompetent and making herself her guardian.
After that my father promised to help her with legal affairs to help her get out of the situation by talking with a very good lawyer who'd do things with her in secret for her own safety, but Emily ended up finding out about her testament and trying to take legal action because of my grandmother's fake inability to make rational decisions, but failed to succeed, so she ditched my grandmother, losing guardianship and the opportunity of getting any money out of her.
Unfortunately, after some time my grandmother died, this time not because of Emily, but of heart failure. And with that all the shit Emily had done to her was never dealt with.
Knowing how delicate the situation was and getting a bit paranoid also cause of what had happened to me with those men the days before, my dad went insane and hired 2 private "agents" to protect both me and Harley. Well, actually, 3, if you count Kelly.
Yeah I know, Kelly is a fucking secret agent of some sort. The coincidence of the situation is so ridiculous that no one suspected her. But she was in fact working for my dad, but... I guess, also trying to get with Liam or something? Oh well, she definitely isn't great at keeping her personal and professional lifestyle separated. I mean she spent more time alone with Liam than me or Harley in the Bahamas, unless she was creeping around at other times I'm not aware of.
Besides all that, my mind has been full lately, either with all this or just random shit. Like now, me and Harley just came for a walk in the park and I'm obsessed with the ring on her finger, the one that supposedly belonged to Emily. I don't like it. I hate the fact thay my future wife's ring reminds me of that monster.
- "Harley, take it off!" I muttered.
Harley was confused before whispering to me.
- "Right now? But it's a very public place... I mean, it's hot today, but I don't think it would be a great idea for me to start undressing." She said looking around as well.
I almost contained myself not to laugh, even though it was a serious issue.
- "No dum dum, the ring, take it off!" I said pointing at her hand.
She looked at her hand like she just noticed it was there, then back at me and scrunched her eyebrows together, sad.
- "Why? You gave it to me. You don't want to marry me anymore?" She asked pouting but knowing for a fact that wasn't the problem.
I breathed in.
- "She's just everywhere. It's like I can't forget about Emily or like she found a way to haunt me. That ring was hers, supposedly... I don't like it. I want it gone." I responded tired.
Harley's expression turned serious now and she took the ring off her finger and grabbed my hand, leading me to a calmer part of the park and sitting us down on the grass. She didn't say a word which weirded me out, but I just went with it.
When we sat down she put the ring between two fingers and took a letter out of a pocket.
- "Ok, since you've brought Emily up, George gave that to me before we left the house, it's about your grandma and if you want the ring gone, then gone it is." She said giving both the letter and ring to me.
I took both the letter and the ring reluctantly, this letter had taken me by surprise, but still, I put the ring in my pocket and focused on the letter in my hands, wondering if I should read it or not.
Harley looked at me expectantly.
- "Are you going to read it?" Harley asked.
I seemed to get back to the rea world with her voice and turned my attention to her. She looked concerned, her eyes soft and caring but also I could see she was curious about the contents of the letter. I was too, but I had no idea if I should feel scared of it or not. So I did the logical thing at the moment.
- "Here, you open it and read it first." I said pushing the envelope back into Harley's hand.
She opened her eyes more because of my sudden action and grabbed the letter clumsily.
- "You're sure?" She asked acessing the paper in her hands, knowing this was me asking for her help on the matter.
I simply nodded yes.
She mumbled a small "ok" and breathed out taking the letter off the envelope and reading it silently.
I kept my eyes on her face, trying to read her expression and making and annoying, repetitive movement with my leg. It seemed like she took forever to read it but surely after a bit she looked up at me, no expression that I could easily read on her face.
- "So?" I asked almost shouting.
She momentarily looked back at the paper before answering.
- "It's from your grandma's lawyer, he wants to meet with you to discuss legal matters, but..." She trailed off.
- "But what Harley?... Ok, let me see!" I said taking the letter off of her hand.
I started reading and then I knew what the "but" meant.
"... My name is Bruce Travis Spear and I'm your grandma's, Joyce Johnson Reynolds, lawyer. This is not a formal letter. I spent the last year of your grandma's life trying to get her the justice she deserves and helping her take care of all she needed to be able to get her desires fullfiled and pass on her heritage to you. All this was done in secret but I wasn't carefull enough. I had no idea Emily had caught on to what was happening and I only received news of the terrible harm she caused you and your family, yesterday. I also contacted some people and know Emily was badly injured after what happened and did not make it, she passed before arriving to the hospital. Her daughter was lucky and after some medical treatment, she will be going to trial and spend her life in jail hopefully. The boy managed to escape uninjured and is on the run.
I am sending you this letter not only to tell you I'm sorry about everything that went down, but also for two other reasons.
First, I would like to meet you, not only to discuss legal matters about your grandma's will, but also cause I "unprofessionaly" got overly attached to your grandma and promised her I'd meet you and make sure I'd tell you all about her if she didn't get the chance to tell it to you herself, she had a severe heart condition and we both knew she might not make it to the day it would be safe to meet you. She did everything she could to protect you from harm by not having any type of contact with you.
Secondly, regarding more formal matters, I would like to discuss the possibility of you testifying in court against Ruby Wright Reynolds.
If you decide to accept my request and meet me, call this phone number...."
I read the letter and re-read it over and over again while Harley silently looked at me, this was a lot to take in and I had no idea of what to feel or how to react at the moment.
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A/N
Hope you all enjoyed that magnificent photo of a cucumber I posted on my previous A/N, it was actually cake.
And you might be thinking, but that's a gif of an onion that's cake and not of a cucumber that's cake. Well, I couldn't find a gif for a realistic cucumber cake, so pretend it's a cucumber and not an onion you wussies!!
TRUST NO ONE!!!