"Okay, okay, so, one more time. Let me get this straight," West drawled out, leaning forward on his sketchpad. He pointed his pencil towards me, pursing his lips in that cute way that just made me swoon. "The one who came to see you last night... that was your mother? A-And now, all of a sudden, she wants to just take you back home?"
Slowly, I nodded, juggling a Rubik's cube between my fingers as I tried to ignore the tightening feeling in my chest. Just the thought of what went on last night made me want to keel over. I struggled to sit still, suddenly feeling like I had just chugged a two liter bottle of soda. It had started off pretty easy to sit and pose but now, since it had been nearly twenty minutes since West started sketching; my back was starting to ache. My head lolled back onto the wall and I winced. West sucked his teeth, looking back down at his sketchpad. He pressed the pencil to the paper, stealing little glances up at me. "And so... now, she just wants you to come back to the Clary's tonight and have... dinner or something?"
I huffed.
"That's what Blake said," I answered bitterly, curling my lip. I rolled my eyes. "He said she wants to 'talk things out' with me. Like she didn't just show up out of nowhere and threaten to completely uproot me and the life that I've got here."
"Hm," West hummed, wrinkling his nose. He shook his head with a sigh and turned his attention once again to his sketchpad. He scribbled on the paper, teeth clenched in concentration, and far too close to the paper to see any details, I'm sure. I couldn't help the small smile rising on my face as I watched him, the Rubik's cube in my hands long forgotten. Finally, West pulled back from his sketch, cocking his head as he took in a final sweep of the piece. When he was satisfied, he straightened his back, a huge grin splitting his cheeks. "And I... am... done!"
He added in a few more things that I guess he felt like he missed, before flipping his sketchpad around and revealing what could only be described as the worst stickman in the world. Unable to help myself, I scoffed.
"I thought you said you were good at drawing."
"No, no, no, I said that I liked to draw. I never said I was good," West beamed, shaking a finger at me. I chuckled and he gave a heave of his shoulders, standing up from his desk chair. "Besides, it's not my fault. You kept moving."
I rolled my eyes as he tossed his sketchbook onto his desk lazily, making his way towards the bed where I sat. Rolling over me, he fell down onto his stomach, resting his head on my thighs. He peered up at me with those colorful orbs of his. "Do you want me to go with you tonight? I could-,"
"No, no absolutely not," I interrupted with a sigh. I shook my head and brushed his hair out of his face. I trailed a finger down the side of his face. "My mother brings out an awful side of me. I don't want you to have to see that."
West hesitated, blinking. A grin slowly crept up his face. "Liam, you-,"
"I know," I held up a hand, sighing dramatically. "I already have the worst attitude in the world. But trust me, okay? She makes it worse."
"That's kind of hard to imagine," He teased, leaning into my touch. I smirked at him, twisting a lock of hair around my finger.
"Thank you, though. For offering. I mean it."
"You don't have to thank me," He muttered, tracing his hand along my leg. "That's what boyfriends do. Maybe one day, I'll be lucky enough to actually meet your mom. On better terms."
I snorted, shaking my head.
"No... If you're lucky, you'll never have to."
West glanced up at me through hooded eyes at that but didn't reply. Instead, he sat up and pressed his lips gently against mine. I quickly melted against him, leaning into to the kiss. I sighed against him, feeling the troubles that plagued my mind start to fade away. I allowed him to lock his arms around my shoulders and drag me down to the bed, where he cuddled me to his chest.
The rest of the day passed by uneventfully. West and I spent our time in each other's arms, curled around each other, talking, laughing, and just enjoying each other's company. In any other circumstance, the day would have been complete and utter bliss, had it not been for the looming reminder in the back of my mind of what had happened last night and what was yet to come.
My stomach felt like it was trying to fight its way up my throat. My nerves were going completely haywire and although I tried to enjoy my time with West as best as I could, I couldn't shake the feeling of impending doom. As time went on and the time for me to leave crept closer and closer, my anxiety only seemed to worsen.
When West dropped me off back at the Clary's, I wanted nothing more than to grab hold of him, and beg him not to leave. I wanted to pout, to scream and cry, like a child. I didn't want to leave him, I didn't want to see my mother, and I just... wanted him to stay with me. As much as I wanted this, however, I knew that I couldn't do it.
I had to go inside, slip past everyone to my room, shower, get dressed, and take it like a man. I had to take a deep breath, keep my cool, and not let her break me. Which is exactly what I intended on doing. It wasn't until I reached the bottom of the stairs and saw a familiar face waiting for me.
"Are you kidding me? This is a joke, right? What the hell are you doing here?" I whisper screamed, balling my hands into fists. Upon hearing my voice, West instantly straightened up from his spot resting against the banister and held up his hands in surrender, giving me a small smile. Blake leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. Neither of them looked apologetic.
"Blake invited me. Don't be mad. I'm here for moral support."
I scowled at Blake, who didn't seem bothered in the least. I reached up, pinching the bridge of my nose. As if I wasn't on edge enough. And now, here he is, ready and willing to be served up to my mother on a silver platter.
"West, my darling, I told you specifically that it was not a good idea for you to come here. My mother will-,"
"Your mother can do her worst," He interrupted sternly, reaching over and looping his fingers through mine. His eyes met mine, glittering hopefully. "Don't be mad at Blake, okay? He was worried about you a-and so was I. So, when he called and asked me if I wanted to come, I didn't hesitate. I want to be here for you."
My chest tightened and my cheeks started to heat up. I swallowed roughly.
"T-That's really sweet, West, but really, I-,"
"And who might you be?"
I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sudden voice, a shiver running up my spine. Instantly, I yanked my hand away from West's, who glanced over at me in surprise. I curled my lip, turning to face the owner of the voice. My mother breezed into the room, bringing the overall temperature of the room down a couple of degrees, and looked West over suspiciously.
"I invited him. He's my emotional support friend," Blake answered smoothly. He pushed himself off of the wall, shooting West and I a look, before brushing past my mother. He made his way to the kitchen to take his seat, calling over his shoulder, "He helps with those migraines you give me every time you open your mouth, Cassidy."
I snickered, taking much more joy in the irritated look on my mother's face than I cared to admit. She huffed, sending Blake a glare, before turning her attention back to West.
"And does Blake's friend have a name?"
"West, ma'am," West started, giving her a smile. He quickly stepped in front of me, meeting my mother half way, and offered her a hand.
"That's an unusual name," She drawled out, her sickeningly sweet voice causing me to scowl. She slipped her petite hand into West's. "I'm Cassidy. Liam's mother."
West pulled back slightly.
"That's not possible. You look far too young to have children!"
My mother giggled, pulling her hand back and pressing it to her heart. I rolled my eyes, not even bothering to hide my annoyance.
"Well, aren't you just the sweetest thing!" She practically purred, poking at West's arm. Her eyes cut to me, finally acknowledging my presence. "My son could learn a thing or two from you."
I grit my teeth, narrowing my eyes at her. West swallowed, giving her an uncomfortable smile. Not that my mother would notice, she was too lost in herself. Ignoring my glares, she turned her attention back to West.
"You'll have to sit by me tonight, darling! You're just far too precious to be left alone."
West nodded, straining his smile as she turned on her heels, practically smacking me with her golden curls as she did so. She made her way to the kitchen and once she was out of earshot, West turned to me, lowering his voice.
"W-Wait-Why did Blake introduce me as his friend? D-Does your mom not know that you're-?"
"No, no, she does. Of course she does," I breathed, irritably, still staring after my mother. "Blake is smart; he knows what he's doing. If she knows that we're dating, she'll tear you to shreds. Then I'll be forced to put her head on a pike. It won't be a good look for anybody."
West started to open his mouth to say something but then quickly shut it again. I drew in a deep breath, summoning all of my courage, and decided to lead the way into the kitchen. West followed suit, sticking close to my heels. A part of me knew that I should tell him to back away a little bit, lest my mother gets suspicious, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I wanted to pull him even closer.
I peered around the room. There was Blake, sitting at the table, watching my mother, who had took her seat in front of him, with pure distain in his eyes. My mother picked at her polished nails, not paying any attention to him. The table had already been set and food was already set out, just waiting to be eaten. Although the food smelled amazing and I hadn't eaten since this morning, I didn't feel hungry at all.
Taking a tray of lasagna out of the oven was Mindy, who muttered to herself something that I couldn't make out. The only word that I could hear clearly was 'fuck'.
She made her way through the kitchen, weaving around chairs to get to the table, where she placed the lasagna in the center. Once she spotted me, her eyes lit up.
"Oh, Liam, don't you look so handsome!" She cooed, waving a wand at me as she pulled off her oven mitts. I found myself smiling softly and started to thank her, but my mother beat me to it.
"He certainly would look handsome, had he not worn those shoes with that belt," She remarked, sending me a look from the corner of her eye. My smile slipped and I ground my teeth together. I felt anger start to bubble inside of me once more. She drummed her nails on the table, clicking her tongue. "I thought I taught you better."
Mindy blinked at her in disbelief for a moment before quickly shaking herself out of it. She placed her oven mitts on the island counter and turned to smile at me. "Well, I think that you look very nice, Liam."
I gave her a small nod, but didn't respond, and made my way to the open chair next to Blake. West began to follow me, but my mother, true to her words, motioned for him to sit next to her. Slowly, West returned her smile and took his seat next to her, directly in front of me.
David, Blake's father, along with Blake's sisters, opted to eat in the living room instead, much to Mindy's annoyance. I could hear them all bickering about it while I was upstairs getting ready. Mindy insisted that they be there for me, as moral support, as West put it, but they were very determined. Eventually, Mindy gave in, allowing them to do what they wanted. Even though Mindy was obviously irritated with them, I didn't blame them one bit. I don't even want to sit down and have dinner with my mother.
Even now, we all sat in agonizing silence, simply staring at each other as we waited for Mindy to take her seat. Looking around at the table, scanning everyone's faces, I had to admit, by far, Blake was the funniest person to look at. Unlike West, who tried to hide how uncomfortable he was with a huge smile, Blake made no effort to hide his discomfort and distain. He sat there, staring across the table at my mother, with obvious hatred and irritation in his eyes. Deciding that I might as well get to the point of the dinner, I swallowed roughly, mustering up all of my courage to speak. "So, at the risk of ruining this dinner early, I'm just going to go ahead and address the elephant in the room. Mom, what was the point of inviting me to dinner?"
My mother drew in a sharp breath, sipping at the pink, bubbly liquid in front of her. "It is always just straight to the drama with you, isn't it, Liam? You're always so eager to start a fight."
"I'm not trying to start a fight. I didn't put up a fight when you invited me here and asked me to have dinner with you, even though yesterday was a complete shit show, I just want to know why you-,"
"Liam, please, can we not just sit down together for a minute without you making it all about you?" She interrupted with an eye roll. My face instantly heated up. I started to speak, to say something about how I wasn't just making it all about myself, and even if I was, I had a good reason because she is trying to uproot me from my life, but before I could open my mouth, I felt something graze against my foot.
I glanced over at West, only to see him staring back at me. He gave me a reassuring smile and rested his foot against mine under the table. My heart swelled in my chest and I felt some of my anger start to subside. Some of it. Drawing in a deep breath, I bit my tongue, not replying to my mother.
Mindy took her seat at the head of the table, beaming proudly at the food she had prepared. She looked like she wanted to say something but just wasn't too sure how to begin. Instead, she began to cut the lasagna, motioning for us all to pick up our plates so that she could give us a piece. Once we all had been served and the awkward silence wasn't getting any better, Mindy cleared her throat, deciding to speak. She glanced over at West with those kind eyes of hers and grinned.
"How have you been lately, West? I feel like I haven't spoken to you in weeks!"
I peered over at him, just in time to see him perk up at her voice. I couldn't help the smile that spread on my face or the warm feeling filling my chest. He was just so excited to be included and spoken to; I was reminded of a puppy.
"I've been pretty good, Mrs. Clary! Actually, I've been meaning to talk to you. I talked to my mom about that cookie recipe that you wanted and she told me to tell you that..." As West began to babble on, I found myself completely zoning out. I leaned forward on my hand, examining him.
His dark raven hair was styled out of his face today, showing off those beautifully mesmerizing eyes of his. He wore a tight green tee shirt along with distressed jeans. A leather bracelet was wound around his wrist and his usual necklace hung loosely at his throat. Although these were just some of his normal, everyday clothes, I couldn't help but stare at him dreamily. Just looking at him now, just knowing that he is mine, I felt a sense of pride welling up inside of me.
I picked up my fork and started to pick up a bite of lasagna, just barely raising it to my mouth, when something in my peripheral caught my eye. I peaked over, only to see my mother, staring at me with disapproving eyes. She motioned a hand to me, mouthing "Sit up straight!"
My jaw tightened and almost as if it was an instinct, I straightened my back. Anger boiled inside of me, along with a bit of insecurity. I swear, when it comes to this woman, I can't do anything right. I hate the way that she makes me feel. I hate the way that I still yearned for her approval, so much so that when she insults me, even just slightly, she was able to bring up these great feelings of inferiority and shame.
The rest of the night passed by just as you would expect it to. While everyone managed to talk amongst themselves, every chance my mother got to insult me, she would take it. Every time tried to talk about why we were here, she would immediately shut me down, insisting that I never had anything nice to say when she was around that that I couldn't allow for a moment of peace. All while she took little digs at me the entire time. It wasn't until she and Mindy started talking about Blake's sisters did someone truly blow up.
"Oh, Mindy, I just don't know how you do it. I mean, four children?" My mother drawled, tucking a golden lock of hair behind her ear. "When I was young, I always wanted a big family. But after I had Liam... Oh, I just couldn't take anymore."
I flushed, scowling down at my nearly empty plate. Mindy laughed awkwardly, waving her hand.
"Well, it certainly wasn't easy most of the time, but we made it work. Every child has its challenges, Cassidy."
"Yes, well, a challenge is all that Liam is. There isn't a time when he is easy to handle."
"And how would you know? The only time that you're ever around me is to scold me. Maybe we should call one of my old nannies and ask them how easy I was to handle," I couldn't help myself from blurting out. My mother gave me a tight lipped smile.
"And why do you think you were always being handed around to different nannies, Liam? You were far too much of a brat for them to handle so they just kept quitting."
"Maybe if I would have gotten even an ounce of attention from you, I would have stopped acting out."
"Oh, so, I'm just supposed to coddle you every time you threw a temper tantrum? Tell me, Liam, how does that make sense? Why would I want to be around such an unnerving child?"
"Gee, I don't know, maybe because it's your child? Usually, that's how it works."
"As you can see, he hasn't changed a bit," My mother sighed harshly, turning to Mindy, who merely looked down, face red. "Still such an angry little child who blames me for all of his misfortunes in life. We gave him everything that he could ever want and that still was not good enough for him. After all these years, he's still such a selfish, idiotic, pitiful thing who wants to just be coddled his whole life. And then he wonders why his father and I want nothing more than to ship him off somewhere far, far away."
She paused, glancing over at me. My face felt like it was on fire. Her cold eyes searched my face.
"As usual, Liam, you have been nothing but a complete disappointment. I don't know why I ever expect anything different."
The table went completely silent. I blinked, my stomach tightening. I didn't want to look around the table, to see anybody's faces and see the pity in their eyes. Especially not West. I wanted nothing more than to sink down in my seat and disappear. I just wanted to leave. Although I wanted to say something to her, anything at all, any kind of insult or rebuttal to make her feel the same sense of shame and embarrassment that I felt, I couldn't find the words. I couldn't think of anything to say. Luckily, however, I didn't have to.
"That's enough," West cut in, in a voice that I had never heard before, slamming his hand down on the table. My head instantly snapped up to look at him, my jaw falling open. He stared at my mother, jaw clenched. My mother jumped, gasping at the sudden outburst. West met her astonished stare with one of disgust and anger. "You have no right to talk to him that way."
"Excuse me?"
I sat up slightly, leaning across the table with an outstretched hand. "W-West, its okay, I-,"
"No, it isn't," He interrupted me, his gaze not straying from my mother. "Absolutely none of this is okay and I'm not going to listen to it anymore."
He sucked in a breath, shaking his head. He turned his body towards my mother, pointing a finger at her.
"Liam is not a disappointment. Not only is Liam probably one of the smartest people that I've ever met in my life, but he's also brave, and independent, and strong! And he got NONE of that thanks to you!" West practically spat, venom dripping in his voice. His eyes blazed with anger. He threw an arm out towards me. "He did it all on his own! You are the reason that he has such a huge wall around him. That shitty attitude of his that you keep complaining about? It's to keep people away from him because he doesn't know how to handle it when people want to get close. That's your doing too. It's thanks to your neglect and your lack of interest that he ended up the way that he is and how dare you try to pin any of that on him! You don't even know him! Your own son! And I'm sorry to break it to you, but that's your fault. Not his."
My mother gaped at him, eyes wide. Not only is this a side of West that I had never seen, nor expected to ever see, this is also a look that I have never seen on my mother. I've never seen her look so surprised and so intimidated before. She started to open her mouth but West wasn't done.
"You invited him here to talk things out and yet, you have done nothing but insult and belittle him since the moment that he walked through the door. Instead of trying to fix your issues, you pin everything on him and make him into the problem. You even have the nerve to sit here and try to shame him for feeling unloved and neglected. All that he has ever wanted was for you to give him some kind of attention. To love him in a way that a mother is supposed to love her child. Frankly, I don't really understand why because this is the first time we've ever even met and I already think that you are the absolute worst person that I have ever met in my life. I would have given up on you years ago," West rose to his feet, shaking his head at my mother in complete disgust. Snagging his jacket and throwing it over his shoulder, he pushed in his chair. He looked down at my mother one last time, curling his lip. His voice started to shake. He took a deep breath, attempting to control himself before speaking again. "And how dare you even insinuate that Liam is anything less than something completely fucking amazing just the way that he is. He's fine the way that he is. He doesn't need to be fixed. Come on, Liam, we're leaving. Thank you for dinner, Mrs. Clary. I'm sorry that we couldn't stay any longer."
Without thinking twice, I scrambled to my feet, and practically sprinted around the table. West didn't even glance up at me as I took my place beside him, but I could see the pain and anger on his face. His body was tense, his eyebrows were furrowed, his nose was crinkled... He looked like he wanted to punch something. You could clearly see the rage that he was feeling, which was why I was surprised when I felt his hand looping through mine. I started to follow him to the door, when my mother finally spoke up.
"Wh-Who do you think you are, talking to me like that? Do you have any idea who I am?!" She screamed and West stopped dead in his tracks, his hand tightening around the door knob. His jaw tightened.
"I don't give a fuck who you are and after the way you talked to Liam tonight, I'll talk to you however the fuck I want to," West answered slowly, shaking his head. He squeezed my hand. "I'm his boyfriend. If you picked up a phone call from your son every now and then, maybe you'd know that."
As West pulled the door open and began to pull me towards his car, I glanced back just in time to see my mother's face pale. I smirked, unable to help myself. I reached back, pulling the door shut behind us, hearing Mindy cackling behind us.