Eddie sighed as he looked at the clock, realising it was only 8PM.
Two hours had dragged by. In that time, they had ordered pizza and eaten it, whilst Melissa boasted about her fiancé's job as a nightclub manager in Spain. Eddie would rather have sat in silence than listen to her drone on.
Not only that, Melissa was already drunk. Despite Eddie and Rachel trying to stop her, she'd drunk the whole bottle of wine that she'd brought with her in the space of an hour. So now, her words were slurred and she was unsteady on her feet.
They were sat in the living room, listening to Melissa continue to ramble on. Rachel had zoned out completely and had stopped listening a long time ago. She'd forgotten how her sister could talk and talk and talk, filling the silence when it didn't need to be filled.
Throughout the entire evening, Rachel had observed Philip carefully. She was curious about her new nephew. From the second they'd been introduced, she'd wanted to get to know him and make up for a bit of lost time.
Even though she didn't know him well at all, she could tell social situations made him uncomfortable. His eyes were darting around the room, looking to Rachel, Melissa and Eddie in turn, but not long enough to make eye contact.
He anxiously picked at the skin around his fingernails, something Rachel herself used to do when she was his age.
Despite wanting to meet his Aunt, Rachel could tell Melissa had forced him to come. She'd probably dragged him here against his will. She felt sorry for him. Melissa should have given him the choice.
Melissa had finally stopped talking. She'd seen the bored looks on Rachel and Eddie's faces. It was time to stir things up.
"So... what's going on with you two then?" She asked
"Nothing as extravagant as what's going on in your life, Melissa" Rachel responded, taking a sip of water
"So you were listening then?" Melissa mumbled, rolling her eyes
"Come on, seriously. Where are you two going? Marriage? Babies? I'd like a niece or nephew at some point Rachel!" She added
"Uhm," Rachel hesitated, unsure of what to say
"Do you not want children?" Melissa questioned
"No, I do, but..."
"So what's the problem? Can't you conceive, Rach?"
Rachel opened her mouth to respond, to tell her to stop, but she was cut off
"Actually I'm not surprised, considering all that sex you had when you were 17 with all those different men. You probably got so many STD's, you made yourself barren!" She laughed
"Mum!" Philip hissed
The comment was like a slap in the face for Rachel. A stab to the heart. She stared down at the floor, desperately trying to hold back tears of rage. Eddie glared at Melissa, subtly placing a hand on Rachel's leg.
"I've got to say, Rach, I think you're way out of his league! But I guess when you're damaged goods; you can't choose who you go out with, can you?" Melissa taunted
Rachel's head shot up at that, her eyes drilled into Melissa's.
"I'll thank you to keep your opinions to yourself, Melissa, thank you" she retorted through gritted teeth
"Aw, I'm only messing sis! You don't need to be so uptight!" Melissa huffed with a snort
Rachel rolled her eyes
"You're a lucky man, Eddie; my sister is usually the type to throw a man out of bed if he's no good. You must be brilliant in bed or something!"
Rachel sighed heavily, putting her head in her hands. This dinner had been a mistake.
Melissa was looking between the two of them, trying to source as much juicy gossip as she could. The fact that both Rachel and Eddie had become uncomfortable the second she'd mentioned sex, had given her all the ammunition she needed.
"You have had sex, right?" She questioned
Her question was met with silence. But she wasn't giving up.
"Come on you two, don't be shy! I've told you all about my sex life! The least you can do is return the favour!" She teased
"Mum, stop!" Philip hissed
"Oh shush, Philip! Come on Rachel, spill the beans!" Melissa insisted
Rachel glared at her. Melissa smirked, looking to Eddie.
"Eddie, come on! Take one for the team!"
Silence again. Melissa had her answer.
"Oh my god! You two haven't had sex, have you?"
Melissa cackled at this. Eddie, Rachel and Philip, however, didn't find it funny.
Rachel sank further into the sofa. She just wanted the evening to be over. Eddie's gaze was burning into her, trying to understand what she was thinking and feeling. She blocked him out.
"Come on, Eddie! Put me out of my misery! Are you sleeping with my sister or not?" Melissa taunted
"Mum, leave it! It's none of your business!" Philip snapped
Eddie was growing angrier by the second. Why couldn't she just leave it alone? She could see it was making Rachel uncomfortable. And yet, she was carrying on!
Melissa shushed Philip again, her gaze returning to Eddie. She had a sickly smile on her face that Eddie was itching to wipe off.
"Philip's right. It's none of your business" Eddie spat
"So that's a no then?" She challenged
Eddie glared at her, grabbing Rachel's shaking hand and squeezing it reassuringly.
"What is it then, Eddie, hmm? Does the fact that she was a prostitute put you off?" Melissa questioned, nodding to Rachel
Eddie bit his tongue hard to stop himself from saying something he'd regret. The look of anger etched on his face spurred Melissa on.
Rachel had, had enough.
"Melissa, just SHUT UP! Not everyone has sex the second they meet like you do!" She screamed
Melissa smirked
"Oh come on, Rach! After everything you got up to when you were 17, you're definitely not the frigid type!" She huffed
Eddie snapped, lunging forward. Rachel grabbed him, sitting him back down firmly. She took his hand into her own again.
"Leave it" she whispered
"Wow, clearly none of you can take a joke round here!" Melissa laughed
"Stop it, Mum, now! You've already done enough damage!" Philip snapped
Melissa rolled her eyes
"Fine" she sighed, slumping back on the sofa
Rachel took it upon herself to break the silence.
"So, Philip, how old are you?" She asked
"Fifteen" he answered
"Ah, so you're doing your GCSEs then?"
"Yeah, I'm uhm- in Year 11" he nodded
"Do you have a favourite subject?"
"Uhm... I like Maths I guess, and English is ok" he shrugged
"Eddie teaches Maths, don't you?" Rachel smiled, turning to him
Eddie nodded, smiling awkwardly at Philip.
Melissa scowled. She couldn't stand the attention being taken off her.
"Don't be fooled by his 'innocent' demeanour, Rachel! He's caused nothing but trouble between Marcus and me the last few months!" She huffed
Philip sank back into himself
"I mean, you'd think your son would be happy for you when you meet the love of your life and he proposes to you. No, not my son! The complete opposite actually! He's not even coming to the wedding!" She continued
"Maybe that's because you're a liar who doesn't deserve him, Mum!" Philip snapped
"Oh, please, Philip, you're just being a brat and you know it!" She huffed
Philip stood up abruptly, storming out of the living room.
"I'm sorry; he doesn't like Marcus that much. I'm trying to get him to come round to the idea, but he won't" she sighed
"I'm sure you'll sort it" Rachel replied simply
They sat in stony silence for 15 minutes. Melissa didn't seem concerned or upset by Philip's angry exit.
Rachel was all for giving kids a chance to calm down when they were angry. But Melissa had no intention of going to check on him. But someone had to. Rachel had a feeling there was more to this story than Melissa was saying. Philip was reacting like this for a reason.
"I'll go and check on him" she decided
Melissa didn't move a muscle at Rachel's words. She didn't care in the slightest.
Rachel was going anyway, whether her sister objected or not. She needed a break from the tense atmosphere in the living room. It was crushing her.
She stood up, Eddie following her out into the hall. She sighed, placing her head on his chest in despair.
"We should have cancelled" she whispered
Eddie chuckled, kissing her forehead gently
"I can send them on their way if you want?" He offered
"No, it's ok. I want to talk to Philip. Something isn't right here"
Eddie nodded, letting her go.
She walked up the stairs, scanning the landing for any sign of Philip.
The light in the spare room was on, the door slightly ajar. Rachel took a deep breath, heading over. She knocked nervously on the door.