r o r y
"What are you doing?" Victoria's face is clouded with concern when she sees my suitcase poorly hidden behind my stubby legs. "Where are you going?" The front door is only several feet away, and somehow, she added a mile.
"Ah. You caught me just in time." I lean to the side and throw her a toothy smile. "I was afraid I was going to have to send a long text."
"Text?"
"Call! We were going to have a long call." I suck in a deep breath, puffing my chest out, and release all at once, "I'm staying with Chace and his brother for the rest of break so we can get to know each other and whatnot. So...yeah. I just ended my shift and was going to drop my things off at his house."
She folds her arms and eyes me like my mother did when she caught me watching Finding Nemo at the lowest volume on a school night. "When did you decide to stay at his place? Who is his brother? We haven't even talked about what happened last weekend." She narrows her eyes. "Is everything okay?"
"Yes! Everything is fine." After I went through lengths to reassure Chace that I am no longer attracted to his brother who I previously slept with. Then reassured Tyler that I didn't hate him for being testy with me over the weekend. Things have been fine. "Dinner was cool. Boring. His mom was awesome. Dad was...weird. Also, Tyler is his little brother's name and he's also sort of weird. Chace just randomly thought it'd be a good idea if I moved in for a bit and I agreed."
"And you were going to tell me this when? Looks like you were hoping I'd still be out."
"I honestly thought you would try to stop me from staying with him, so I tried to sneak out before you came home," I say in one breath. Damn, that feels good.
"Chica." She palms her forehead and steps to the side, allowing passage to the front door. "You think I care if you want to see your boyfriend? I was only concerned about you being alone with his family. Rich people are crazy, but clearly, all your pieces are still intact. Come on, let's go."
My smile falters. "Let's?"
* * *
Ten nails chewed down to their nubs is not enough to calm my nerves. She's going to talk to Tyler. That's the only reason she would want to come. There's not a person in my life that she hasn't met. Maybe that's why Rosita stood me up. Victoria has a way of intimidating people out of my life. Chace has managed to survive her wrath for four months, and I have no idea how he does it. If I didn't sneak out every once in a while, (before I met him) most of my lovers would have ended up in graves.
Victoria had two rules for me when I first moved in if I didn't want to be forced back into rehabilitation: no drugs and no sex with anyone more than five years my senior (until I turn twenty). Chace barely made the mark.
I've kept half of my promises. Drug addiction came naturally with the sex but stayed behind when I was recovering. I don't crave it like I do the other. Every day, I wonder if my casual sex life is contributing to my old lifestyle. How can someone truly recover from an addiction they enjoy almost every day? It's been a while since I've seen my therapist. Maybe it's time for a visit.
Victoria arrives at Chace's house in record time. Before I know it, she's at the front door and I'm scrambling after her with the key.
She barges in in all her glory, dark eyes searching for a man whom I hope she never finds. If it comes out that I've slept with him, she'll drag me back to our apartment and lock me in my bedroom. (It wouldn't be the first time.) According to my story, I waited for Rosita all night then came straight home. I memorized that narrative so much that I believed it. My time with Tyler had disappeared, even when I went back hoping to run into him again. A wild night filled with pure lust forever erased from my memory. Up until he so graciously reminded me in front of his family.
"Your sugar daddy sure is rich." She purses her lips and folds her arms as she takes in the modest luxury of the décor and appliances.
"He's not my sugar daddy. This is a normal-sized house." I won't mention his parent's mansion.
"Mhm." Her gaze continues to wander across trinkets and paintings. "No photographs. Weird." She stops when Tyler comes strolling down the hallway, presumably from his bedroom, in nothing but a pair of sweats. My stomach flips. Great. "Is this-?"
"This is Tyler." I run my suddenly sweaty palms down my shirt and pray that he keeps his snarky comments to himself. "He's Chace's stepbrother."
"Hmm." She nods with a suspicious eye on his shirtless physique. "Nice to meet you, Tyler. I'm Victoria, Rory's best friend and roommate."
And mother. I shake my head. She's just protecting you. Don't be a brat.
"Nice to meet you," he says.
"How old are you?"
I throw my head back and groan, "Vicky."
Ignoring me, she continues as if he poses a potential threat to my well-being. "Are you living here too?"
Tyler shoves his hands into the pockets of his sweats and slinks over to us. He spares me an amused look before addressing her. "Twenty-three and I'll be staying here for a bit, yeah."
"Hmph. A little younger than your brother. That's a relief." She turns to me with her hands propped on her wide hips. "I still don't feel comfortable with you staying here. It's weird."
"Victoria." I cling onto her arm and press myself into her like a child trying to convince their parents to buy their favorite candy. "Everything will be fine. You don't need to worry."
Tyler narrows his eyes. "What's wrong with Chace's age?"
Victoria looks at him as if he were a clueless idiot. "You mean why a twenty-five-year-old man is dating my nineteen-year-old sweetheart?" She scoops an arm around my shoulders and brings me into her plush body. "Seems a little weird to me."
It's not weird. It can't be. Chace is nothing like him. I would have noticed by now. Things feel different. They are. If I ask her, all of my older lovers are one step away from being David. Chace would never hurt me like that. I know him. "Chace is twenty-four," I say. "And I'll be twenty next year."
"Yeah, and he'll be twenty-five in a month. Don't think I haven't noticed how that technically breaks our promise." Her nose wrinkles up like she's imagining him to be twice his age. "The guy is almost thirty."
"No, he's not." My chest burns, but I try to keep my composure. It's not like I don't appreciate her concern, but I hate having to defend my relationship so often. Can't she see how happy I am compared to when we first met? Hell, you're almost thirty and I live with you.
Mischief sparks like a kindling flame in Tyler's eyes, making my heart roll in the sparks. "Rory is definitely an adult."
Victoria frowns. "What? Do you want to sleep with her too?"
"W-what?" His eyes widen and he inches back. "No. I'm just saying she's not a child."
"Good. Keep your eyes off of her." Victoria's tone is light with a hidden edge. Blind dates to poor cashiers have been stabbed by that very tone. "She doesn't need drama in her life. If you hurt her in any way, or if she is harmed while in your presence, I'll beat your ass. Your brother's too."
I shudder. Thank god I've never had to see that.
Tyler leans away, scratching the back of his arm and chewing the right side of his lips. "You're scary. You know that?"
"Good. Rory needs friends like me in her life."
"Th-that's enough. I can take care of myself, Vicky." I poke the rolls in her stomach. "You're being..." I bite my tongue. What can I say without seeming unappreciative? I need her in my life. She's taken care of me when my own parents lost hope. I owe her everything.
"Just saying." She throws her hands up and stands true to her six-foot posture. "I can't fathom sleeping with a guy who still has teen in his age."
"How old are you?" Tyler asks.
"Twenty-six."
He lifts an eyebrow but tightens his lips. "Hmm. How'd you meet?"
Victoria and I look at each other. This is something no one's really asked us before. People typically don't engage in conversation with her, rather leaving it the second she offers an out. "I met Rory- Well, we started talking two years ago. She was desperate to get out of New York at the time, and I pulled some strings to move her down here." She gives me a soft expression as if afraid she might reveal too much.
Smiling, I urge her with a nod. "You can tell him."
"I teach people about body neutrality on social media. Rory reached out to me in distress, and we just started talking. First, it was advice and helping her figure herself out. Then it became more of a mission for me to help her. It was important to me. I kind of felt...I don't know."
"Attached?" Tyler's voice is soft. So soft that I jerk my head to him to catch his expression. Nothing. No glares or smirks. No hostility or teasing. He's genuinely interested. It warms me. He's not the worst.
"I guess," Victoria says. "I cared about her future and health so much that I extended myself to her. Helped her move to Florida close to her college. We grew to become best friends through it all. I love this girl like a little sister. If anything, ever happens to her again, I will destroy everything in my path to protect her."
There are a few details missing here and there like getting me into therapy and rehab. She became a mother when mine was too afraid of what I'd become. I was a lost cause until Victoria. A failure waiting to happen. Another statistic in the system. No matter how hard she is on me and my affairs, no matter how much I may whine and complain, I know it's better than the path I was headed towards.
"Everything you've done for me is more than I could ever ask for." My words are muffled as I place my arms around her sides. "Still, you don't need to be so worried when it comes to Chace. Things are different. You know how we met. He's my baby and I adore him."
She rubs my back and places her lips in my hair. "Yeah, yeah." Her voice softens as I place my affection into her. "The only reason I even allow your relationship is because he makes you happy. Otherwise, I would have scared his ass off four months ago."
"Thank you, Vicky." I reach up on the tip of my toes and smack a kiss on her cheek. "I love you."
"I'm going to kill you if you don't stop calling me that," she grumbles.
I merely giggle as my heart dances in my chest. She seems to be distracted for now. That's all I can hope for. Meeting Tyler's eye, he appears to read the room. If he knows what's best for him, he'll keep his mouth shut. That means not mentioning our little bump in history. It'd be best if we all forgot that.
what do you think of Rory's relationship with Victoria?
rae <3