- Chapter Seventy-Three -
77 Conversations
Lunch time rolled around before anyone realized it, as determined by the position of the sun in the sky and the rumble of stomachs on the sandy strip. Of course, all the adults in Cassie's corner had been too preoccupied warring amongst themselves to heed that call straight out the gate. Or notice that the kids had all wandered off.
...With Mary-Elizabeth? Finding the children gone might have raised the alarm, had the woman not vanished alongside them. Elena wasn't concerned in the slightest, knowing that Mary-Elizabeth would do everything in her power to protect the young ones. Even Ella, the girl that didn't even really exist. Leaving Nate to scout the surrounding area for his own sake, she asked Sully if he would help her take the net down.
"You know, you're rather shit at the whole babysitting thing." Dry, Chloe pointed out that the disappearing act also included the girl that was paying real actual money to be constantly supervised. "How many times that make now?"
Glare second only to the massive fireball in the sky, Sam used what was available to him. "Lost track. Why don't you be a lamb and tell me?"
On one hand, Chloe could have taken that quite personally as yet another jab for that one time - which could have happened to anyone. Or, she could take it as jealousy that she and the heiress were close enough to share that kind of potentially sensitive information. Chaos given flesh, was it a shock that she would opt for the later? "Are we counting all time, or just today?"
Accurately able to place a certain wayward toddler that had had a way of venturing all over the compound even when she'd expressly been told to stay put, Nadine could have defended Samuel, if she'd wanted to. But no. After their lively debate about what should constitute a legal move, the woman really wasn't feeling particularly merciful. At least not towards him. Collecting the ball from the beach while the other packed up the rest, the woman carried it back on one hip.
"A-ha! Found 'em!" Congratulating himself for still having it, the other brother solved the dullest mystery of the day, gesturing to the knot of people on the way to the picnic area.
Cassie the very first one his eyes snapped to, Nathan also made Joey's stripped boardshorts and Ella's elegant ecru ensemble. Mary-Elizabeth wasn't a part of the it-crowd, however the father did recognize the brunette leading the charge as Stella Rose. Jenn and that quiet Kielo kid were also there, orbiting around the birthday girl. Depending on how you wanted to count it, there were between one to three little rascals that could use a stern talking to.
Up further ahead, there was an impressive spread being laid out, enough to feed a small army for the looks of it. By the time that the net was up and the others were ready to head out, their three seemed to have multiplied to nine. Gathered together as they followed their nostrils to some of the best food that could be had on the entire island, Mary-Elizabeth and her fellow gossiping hen were seating the kids at two different tables.
Situated on either side of Joey, Cassie and Stella Rose had their backs to the water; one twin across from the other, Dylan and Noah were with them (with Dylan facing the two girls, Nathan noted. Were the kids really getting to that age already?). Sam's gaze taking on a different trajectory (if only out of some mixture of guilt and responsibility), he saw that Ella was grouped with little Georgie, Kielo, and Jenn. A hugger, Georgie had the heiress in a tight squeeze, getting little more than an awkward back pat in return.
There's the girl I know.
As for the adults, it was Mary-Elizabeth and four others still trying to coordinate the younger eight and arrange it so that everyone was as close together as they could get without having to double up. While some people might not have minded that sort of intimate arrangement, good old Mary-Elizabeth was there to put the kibosh on that right quick. Heaven forbid the children be exposed to anything immoral when they were literally surrounded by career criminals.
"Milo, Kimmy, you made it!" Elena greeted her fellow PTA parents once the two groups merged, eventually turning to face Stella Rose's mother, "Lisa."
Chauffeur a trio of book club parents - two of whom were going on the expedition with the kids - the assorted adults also included the guide that was taking everyone out. In the process of removing the last lid from the plastic Tupperware containers, Milo waved with at least six different lids in his free hand. Busy making sure that everyone had a drink, Lisa beamed with a beauty pageant smile that didn't reach her eyes. Kimmy grinned up from one of the end seats, and the fourth woman made it a point to shake everyone's hand when they were introduced.
June Greene, the woman was called, certified at both CPR and Open Water Diving by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors. Milo's sister, both Nathan and Elena had tested the extent of this so-called 'expert' before agreeing to letting their daughter go with her friends. Raising Cass well, they were fully confident that she would know what to do in an emergency type situation, however they merely preferred that such a situation be avoided if at all possible.
"Elena! We missed you and Nathan at the last meeting!" About as sincere as a crook on the clock, the brunette looked like a pushover, but the truth was that she was the kind of person that was the head of every school function and knew everything about everyone. Lisa might have made a good journalist in another life, when that actually meant something. "And you guys brought everyone else too! How sweet, it's almost like a real family gathering!"
Tempted to tell the woman that this was a real family, and their gathering was just as meaningful as any other, the blonde resisted, thinking of the example she had to set. "Almost."
Pleasantries going on for what seemed forever between the two separate worlds, the first thing that caught Chloe's interest was when it came to her ex's brother. The pickpocket knew that Sam had a certain reputation, but really, two of the parents at his niece's school? Ouch, the heiress was not going to like that at all.
"I'd ask if you told her yet, but we all know how that turned out last time." Whispering over her shoulder at the active adventurer, the fine wine of women nudged her close associate as they made their way to their preordained places at the feast.
First off, Chloe had no clue what she was talking about - Dells hadn't had enough time to break down the full story, and he certainly hadn't been worn down to filling in any blanks. Secondly, what the hell was the woman on about? If she meant how friendly certain folks were towards him, that was a non-issue. Sam had more than enough on his plate at the moment, he definitely didn't need to add more.
"Didn't know you cared so much." Careful to ignore the eye of the stout fellow that had put this little field trip together (and had cooked up a majority of the spread), the eldest Drake frowned when he found himself being led away from the locksmith and seated between Dells and Kimmy, across from where Milo had settled. "Really, assigned seating?"
Nathan laughed as he was sorted to the first table opposite Joseph, but he was on the same page as his brother. "Right?"
As it was Mary-Elizabeth's bright idea, it was the woman herself that had frowned at the brothers, hands square on her hips and a nun's worn patience on her tongue, "Well forgive me! I thought it would be nice to remember what our kids have to go through! And some people might feel more comfortable if they get to sit with people they know."
"Which defeats the purpose." Nadine was inclined to point that out, even though she was one of the few that understood and appreciated what Mary-Elizabeth had done. "I get it, but it would have been simpler to just let everyone sit down on their own volition."
"Holy hell, she agrees with me on something!" One perk of the seating arrangement being that Chloe and Nadine had been shipped of to the third bench perpendicular to the main source of the food, that was at least one comfort.
Sandwiched between her husband and Cassie's friend Dylan, Elena tittered, "That makes what, four times total? Five?" Perfectly fine with each other for the most part, there was still a certain degree of tension between Sam and Nadine, and at this point it was apparent that it was never going to go away.
"Just about." Sullivan played a great mediator between the two in circumstances that had nothing whatsoever to do with volleyball, but it was no mystery where his true allegiances lay. Digging straight into the woven basket at the end of the table, he grabbed himself a piping hot biscuit.
Vicky threaded her way expertly around the site, a streak of gold on the ground that was ever-moving and irresistibly cute. Nose overloaded at the rich banquet the humans were attending, the goodest bestest girl knew to stick closer to certain people than others; with that game plan in mind, the lab found herself coming back to the woman that smelled of brine and chemical sanitizer.
Keeping close tabs on the dog, June inquired of everyone and no one in particular, "Is the puppy allowed to eat human food?" Scientifically speaking, she knew the answer, but being face-to-face with such an adorable pooch, the woman found it hard to resist the urge to pamper and spoil.
As a general rule, the Drakes tried to be good owners that minded their pet's health, and for the most part they felt pretty good about their overall performance. Having said that, it was inevitable that even the best-laid plan wasn't perfect. From a toddler that would feed everything she could to a child that both loved her companion and hated certain vegetable items, Cassie would have been the most believable to break the rule. Truthfully though, it was in fact Nathan that messed up the most, treating his first real pet whenever he could. Never mind when outside parties were involved.
Pleasantly surprised that someone asked for a change before taking the initiative, Elena figured that at least an adult might know better than to overdo it. Besides, taking Vicky along pretty much guaranteed that the old girl would get more than her fill. "Someone here's bound to feed her."
"Go for it." Veterans of the picnic scene, Kimmy and Milo both chimed in near-perfect harmony, exchanging a small glance after the fact.
Snatching up a pair of beers from one of the ice chests on Chloe and Nadine's table, a certain adventurous spirit set down the second bottle for the young woman at his side, if she wanted it. Not his favorite label in the world, he would have no problem polishing it off for her.
Shrugging over at the one leading the class trip, Sam answered the question same as anyone else there, "Nobody here's stopping ya."
"Just not chocolate. Doggos can't have chocolate." Right behind June, Dylan chimed in with the infinite wisdom of an eleven-year old."It's really bad for them, according to everyone ever."
Nodding solemnly at the boy and taking everyone else at their word, June turned back to offer Vicky a bit of the meat from her burger. Only, the dog had already wandered off by then, ravenously driven in search of fallen soldiers or someone that would give her a taste of their people food. Next time then, the woman promised with a private smile.
"Looks good, Milo." Dishing out more of the same, the historian grabbed himself a overloaded cheeseburger from the top of the mountain. Noting from the corner of his eye that Dells was fidgeting with her braid again, Sam set the sesame-seeded buns down on his plate to tug at the end of her hair, "Hey, less moping and more eating. Don't forget what happened with the eggs."
It had been hours since she had eaten anything solid (that wasn't connected to a person), and the way that Joey had kept talking up Jenn's dad's cooking, her mouth had been watering before the gristly scent of grilling and barbecue hit. Only, sitting down at the table, she was reminded of her class camping trip again. The first morning after everyone had woken up, there'd been a huge water balloon fight, which had ended with one of the kids getting a live fish in their lap. Better than someone's pee, but still really gross, even all these years later...
Ripped away from the middle of the woods to find herself at the sunny shore, Daniella winced ever so slightly when she felt her hair getting pulled at. "Ow."
"Eggs?" Pursing her lips as she chewed her own burger, Kimmy could plainly see that the gesture was more playful than it was mean, yet it got under her skin all the same. "What is this, high school? You oughta know better than to grab a lady's hair without her permission, Sammy."
"Sammy?" At least three different people jumped on that one, whereas Chloe had merely tossed her hands up in surrender, letting him know that he was on his own. He'd made his bed, so now it was up to Sam to sleep in it - although that was the problem that had gotten them there in the first place.
Ella was curious to know why the woman at his other side felt comfortable enough to call Sam so casually in front of everyone. Dipping dangerously close to scowl territory, the heiress twisted around in her seat so that she was facing the other woman, "It's Sam."
King and Queen of the grapevine, both Lisa and Mary-Elizabeth looked expectantly to Chloe and Nadine for answers; it was no accident that they were sharing the same plate. "Dish!"
Cottoning on right away, Chloe nodded at the two women as if they were a tad off, all to protect her friends. Seemed today was just the day for looking out for her family. Friends? Colleagues, most definitely colleagues. "Yes, that is a dish. Very good!"
Nadine was a little slower on the uptake, munching away on a salad that hadn't been very well dressed. Ripping up her hamburger into bits, the former mercenary mixed them together until everything was coated in bits of meat and ranch. "It's obvious, isn't it? Drake's reputation speaks for itself."
Hesitant about broaching the topic but unable to contain himself any longer, Dylan's twin brother Noah just came out with it, even though no one was remotely close to the topic or had even looked in his general direction. Eyes closed so that he didn't have to see everyone laugh at him, the boy confessed, "I want to try out for the school play!"
"Ew," Stella Rose frowned from the top of her lemonade, "Why? Drama geeks are the worst!"
Cassie leered daggers at the other girl, earning a flash of tongue, "Says the third generation pageant girl." Becoming much more comforting the instant she fixated her attention back on Noah, the bespectacled blonde swung out of her seat and went to hug her dark-haired friend, "What Stella Rose meant to say was that we'll still love you man. Who knows, it might be fun if we all went out to support you. If you want, I can even try out too!"
Refusing to lose to the birthday girl, Stella Rose forced her way into the embrace, "They'll definitely suck less if you join. Obviously I'm here for you too."
Suddenly understanding Noah's newfound interest in watching old movies, Dylan shrugged at his up-flipped counterpart, "As your twin, it's my job to grief ya." Prepared to leave it at that, the boy yielded to the powerful double-glare he was being subjected to, "What they said. I just figured you already knew that we'd all be there."
"You guys..." Grinning at the encouragement, Noah pointed over to the other table, "You think we can talk the other guys into it too?"
"Plays always need trees," Stella Rose began, the first to break the pact, "so Kielo's set if Jenn asks. She'll take the most convincing, I think." Picturing being in the limelight, the brunette didn't even bother to speak of Georgie, because Georgie was always game for trying something new, especially if that meant meeting new people.
Concurrently, young master Joseph was sharing a hearty laugh with the grown-ups at his father's expense; jovial and jolly, they were reminiscing upon the time he had grown a beard. Not the best idea when he was a bald, hulking figure to begin with, the extra facial hair had only made the man seem all the more menacing. It drove Mary-Elizabeth crazy when she thought he planned on maintaining the face monster for her annual Christmas cards, enough that she threatened on more than one occasion to cut it off while he was sleeping.
"Why did he finally shave it off?" Nate had been right there with the rest, mocking poor Charlie at every available opportunity, but now that it was gone he had to wonder what the final straw had been.
It was Elena that answered, chuckling slyly as if it were some huge conspiracy that she was only just now revealing to the general public, "It was for a woman. Why else?"
"Speaking of, where is Charlie?" Sullivan asked with a touch of concern; it was one thing to be missing in action during the volleyball game, but to miss a meal? Sully was aware that Cutter was out looking for Ali, but by now he should have been back, with or without the kid.
Having all the faith in the world in his father and half-brother, Joey wasn't worried in the least. "Dunno for sure. If I had to guess, he's probably headed back to the house."
"The house?" Sully looked to Nathan and Elena. It was not a secret that the couple shared an aversion to anything that resembled cleaning, unless you could spin it as some sort of salvage work of course.
Catching on to Victor's train of thought, the boy shook his head, "Nah, the old man just enjoys the work. Me and Ali actually have a bet going as to when he's going to start up his own landscaping business. Ali has the next couple of years, so the old man can get a little out of his remaining youth, but me? Methinks the next five to ten years."
Landscape, huh? Remembering the t-shirt and leather glove combo that made him look like a gardener, having seen Charlie's home, they could all believe it.
With so much going on all at once, Georgie was willing to go on a limb and say that Kielo could have burst out into song and dance, and barely any of them out have noticed. Cassie's easily bored uncle had the highest chances of experiencing such a miracle, and his stiff semi-comatose guest was riding a fifty-fifty out of sheer proximity. Kinda like his grandma's caretaker, Jenn was usually all over Kielo, so her missing the show was unthinkable. Everyone else though?
They were all too busy wigging out, their minds all blown to learn that Sam had had a past. Because a guy like that with tattoos didn't scream trouble. That was what made the wayward drifter so cool!
"Whattya think the odds are that we can have some good egg salad next time we all get together?" Georgie turned to Jenn, "My mom has a really good recipe, if your dad wants to try it."
Girl glaring across the table at the demure picture of everything wrong with the world, Jenn was liking the teen less and less. Not imaging for a moment that the blonde was an heiress with enough clout to make her entire family vanish over night without a trace, the preteen was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she had misheard her friend, "Agreed, there has to be something wrong with her... What can anyone see in that giant?"
Barely more than a mutter, as Jenn snapped into her carrot like it was a lobster, both Georgie and Daniella gazed at her in mild alarm. Watching the constant companion of the mute seething, the heiress whispered to Georgie, "Is your friend alright?"
"Not at all." Shaking pumpkin colored bangs out of a round face, unassuming little Georgie scratched Vicky behind the ears as the dog begged for scraps. "But who is?"
"So, Joey," picking at her salad the same exact way that her mother did, down to the way she spun her fork through the lettuce, Stella Rose was bold enough to flirt in front of everyone, "you still play the guitar?"
Nonchalant, the boy shrugged, "Just enough to keep ahead of Cassie." The truth was, Joey loved playing the guitar and would spend just about every waking moment at it, hoping that he could go on to make a living at it someday. He also tried his hand at singing and other instruments, but nothing moved him quite the same way as his stringed goddess.
Irritated that he would think for even a moment that he was better than her at anything, the blonde set down her burger to laugh. "Yeah, right! You may strum on occasion, but I've been practicing all summer. Ask anyone, and they can tell you."
"Oh yeah?" Challenge accepted, the boy took advantage of her precise wording.
Obviously her parents and uncle would back her up no matter what, and Sullivan probably would too, so in their immediate circle that left Chloe and Nadine. The later was infamously, gut-punchingly honest, and the former was known to tip anything for a laugh. That aside, they might not have been around long enough to say for sure. But there was someone that probably had had the chance to hear Cassie playing at least once, someone with a unique perspective...
"Ella?" Enunciating loud enough to be heard across two rows of talking people, Joey called his witness to the stand, although all she caught was her own name, "Have you heard Cassie play the guitar? Did she totally suck?"
"What?" Straining to hear what Joey was saying over Georgie and Jenn discussing something about school, the phantom guest cocked her head and attempted to read his lips, but... That really wasn't a part of her skill set. "Say again?"
Seeing how this could be the young woman's chance to get vengeance for what had been said on the way over, Cassie was almost standing on the bench in her attempt to catch the eye of the heiress. She had no intentions of begging, but she was reaching out to the older girl to not give this to Joey. Or bring it to the attention of someone that had sufficient rank to ground her once the party was over. That... That was a very real possibility.
Fed-up with the interference, Joseph got out of his seat and ambled over to the teen to ask her directly. From the impression Ella had given, if she had even heard his question in the first place, her reply probably would have been too soft spoken to make out anyways. Stealing one of the cheeseburgers from the tower, the boy wedged between the young adult and the one that had brought her to the dance, bits of food flying as he repeated his question.
Nibbling pensively on what was in fact in the top fifty burgers she'd ever had, the heiress finally caught Cassie squirming in her seat. More than on the edge, the younger girl was hanging on every word as if Dells had the final verdict over a genuinely important matter.
While Daniella had plenty of reason to lie and embellish the truth, the heiress spoke from the heart. Going back to the night that they were on gathered on the patio and the girl had played the sun to sleep, Dells could hear the old song over the lapping waves, the light chime on the breeze. Had that only been two nights ago? It seemed a lifetime...
Give a little time to me or burn this out
We'll play hide and seek to turn this around
All I want is the taste that your lips allow
Stung by how apt those lyrics were, Dells willed herself not to think too deeply about it, to not turn her head. If she were to look, would it remind her of her parents and make her ill all over again? Or would she forgive him too soon, like pressing a reset button?
Instead, she brushed some of the debris from her shoulder. "I did. Would I believe that that was the original singer? No. But Cassie wasn't all that bad." Cassiopeia. "You could tell that she was really putting her heart into it."
"Damn!" Acting as if he had just lost a bet, Joey looked like he wished he hadn't come over to drown out the din, that he might have been able to mishear or just get the gist of it. "You sure?"
Pale storm meeting that same tropical warmth that seemed to run in the family, the heiress nodded in earnest. "I am. Why?"
"Why?" Joey looked at Ella like she had gone mental, "Because now I have to admit that Cassie's actually decent at something! Normally I wouldn't mind..." Peering over her shoulder to make sure that Sam wasn't secretly listening (he was), the boy stepped a tiny bit closer to the teen and whispered conspiratorially, "Between you and me, Cassie gets it way too easy on her birthday, it's not fair. Someone has to keep her in line, you know?"
So, in the end all that bluster was him looking out for his friend, trying to keep her grounded, from getting a big head. That was just the sweetest thing! Kinda like...
Give me love like never before
'Cause lately I've been craving more
And it's been a while but I still feel the same
Maybe I should let you go
You know I'll fight my corner
And that tonight I'll call ya
After my blood is drowning in alcohol
No I just wanna hold ya
Bashful all of a sudden and yet oh-so-bold, Daniella gingerly rested her hand on the thief's forearm for a grand total of five seconds before taking it off again. No pretense, she just touched. "Between you and me, there's nothing better than having a friend that cares that much."
"Yeah?" Unsure if she was messing with him at first, he grinned when there was no following punchline. "I am pretty great. Thanks, Ella." Chipper as he waved the young woman adieu, Joey returned to his seat with a little extra pep in his step. Validation was a really great feeling!
"Thanks, Ella?" Studying the new girl across the table like she was the last in-stock copy of advanced chemistry the night before the big final exam, so far it seemed as if all the important information had either been scratched out or otherwise redacted. Not liking what he couldn't understand, Milo let out half a ha, har, ho, "What was all of that about?"
Not about to break confidence, the young woman shook her head, "Nothing."
As anyone there could attest, like a dog with a bone Milo wasn't quick to deter. Unfortunately for her. "Don't seem like nothing to me." Leaning forward so that his stomach was pressing into the edge of the table, the man pointed at the girl, "Ella, right? You sprout up outta nowhere, and then enchant two of our most wanted." Keeping it light for the preteens in the crowd, he chuckled with a tacked on simper, "You some kinda mermaid, here on dry land to steal away all the eligible bachelors?"
"Dad!" Groaning at his atrocious attempt at humor, Jenn looked to her aunt for help, "Aunt June, can you please do something about your brother?!"
"Hang on a minute, this might be interesting." The scholarly type, June's dominate trait was her curiosity - it was part of the reason why she was the highest-paid diver at her level. Plus, after the divorce, she was relieved to witness first-hand the progress her sibling made (seeing him in carpet slippers for a year-and-a-half had broken her heart). "Go on."
Not about to let his baby girl drown out there without at least trying to throw her a life preserver, Sam pointed to the heiress, "What enchantment? Trust me when I tell ya, the princess here is incapable of sed-"
"Such." Kimmy at least was thinking of the children.
Too true to be offended, the comment had hurt enough to warrant a small frown, a minute twist of the cranium, and a gentle smack. "Rude. I... I mean... I could... If I wanted to."
Avoiding his gaze for a whole different reason that time, the heiress busied herself with taking a sip of her unopened beer, two front teeth going down hard on the metal. Red-faced and grumbling to herself, Dells managed to pry the lid off the bottle at long last, while Sam laughed openly at her technical difficulties. Seriously, why was he attracted to the spazz again?
"Well then, what is the story?" Scene saying enough, Georgie was curious to learn something about this stranger, anything at all. Too old to believe in mermaids, the ginger-haired youth reasoned that it had been a while since they'd met anyone new after all. "You two are dating, right?"
Sam might have been too old to get away with it, but Dells could still punch a kid, right? Yeah, right, me, date someone like her! Tch, the thought of him dating anyone was laughable to be frank - he hadn't had a proper relationship since sometime in the nineties! Who needed all that hassle?
Mortified by a number of things that had happened today, getting asked that question very well might have cracked the top three. It was a toss up between that, and everything else... Shit, had there been anything today that hadn't been traumatic on some level?
To a little one, dating might have meant something different than it did to an adult, however neither was very keen on exploring that answer, unless it was to say that they absolutely were not. All things considered, at that particular point in time it couldn't be said for sure they were still screwing. Each other. Clearly someone there was still getting some action, but whatever, that was fine. Again, she couldn't stomach looking at him, and he was so done with her drama, so by all means, why not have fun while you could still get it?
Despite agreeing that dating was out of the question, neither exactly rushed to say it out loud in so many words...
Helpful as ever, Chloe chimed in at the best possible moment to save her friends from embarrassment, "Well according to her mum, yeah." Given how long their little tiff was dragging out, someone needed to say something to get the ball rolling, and if they weren't going to do it themselves it fell on her capable shoulders to yet again play the part of the bloody hero. "And it bears mentioning that all the evidence supports the claim. We think they're just too shy to admit it."
"We?" Nadine repeated, not wanting to have anything to do with this minefield. "Nu-huh. It's them, their fight, and you. I wash my hands of this one."
"Oooookay then." Drawing it out in the hopes of taking some of the heat off the winter-spring couple, the professional one-woman camera crew rose from the sandblasted bench to go on a beer run, "Anyone want a drink while I'm up?" For once, there wasn't a single taker. Well, Nate would want a frosty bottle to wash down the roughage she'd loaded on his plate beneath the burger, but other than that... Not so much it seemed.
Wishing that Ella would stain that lovely white coat or maybe cough hamburger out of her nose, Jenn's stream of prayer was diverted, stuck on what was being communally decided. No, no, nonono, NO, NO! Sam was way too good for the fifty-foot woman! Maybe - just maybe - the preteen could accept that Stella Rose was right about her not ending up with Cassie's fine-ass uncle, but she was not thrilled that someone less than ten years her senior got that chance.
Blissfully unaware of the harm being wished upon her person, the heiress spoke before anyone could add to the nightmare on a collision course, agreeing to one thing that had been said, "We are fighting, but we're not..." Dells couldn't even begin to bring herself to finish that train of thought, not even in the privacy of her own mind. Thankfully, those listening seemed to understand where she was going.
Quiet from a lack of regular use, they could just barely hear Kielo asking, "Why?"
Put on the spot because she answered one single question, Daniella took full responsibility; all something that she was going to say to Sam anyways, it just would have been nicer to do without an audience. Pinky finger straining to make contact with the back of his hand, the faux blonde spoke directly to her dear thief, doing what she could to block out all the extras as she stared down at her plate. "I'm the one to blame. I got some... unexpected news, and I acted like an idiot."
Like a tease. Wanting to add that she was sorry, the young woman couldn't quite bring herself to apologize just yet. Not if she wanted to be sincere.
Gasping in the background, Lisa and Mary-Elizabeth both immediately thought they knew what this 'unexpected news' was. Suffice it to say that while they secretly got off on the scandal, neither approved in the least. Of course they were completely off base, and their assumptions were in no way accurate to the current situation, but in their defense, it wasn't as if they knew who the girl really was. Even if they had, it probably wouldn't have changed much to be fair.
"Good to know you recognize." Meeting her halfway, Sam nudged his hand just enough to the right so that she didn't have to fight to feel connected.
"Aww," Nate's response skewed closer to a coo than a chuckle, and it was all at his big brother's expense, "progress."
Author's Note:
All credit given to the proper parties for Ed Sheeran's song "Give Me Love". Again.
Seriously, this chapter was a beast to write. Hopefully I didn't butcher it too badly, and it comes across as overlapping conversations, not a mess masquerading as stream of consciousness, or whatever.