Chapter 8 Giving Avery the look

~Isaac~

I froze, replaying her words in my head like a bad echo. No way. I must have misheard. Druscilla's voice cut through the air again, sharp and steady, as if she were ordering coffee instead of dropping a grenade in the middle of the room.

"I want the wedding date postponed," she said, her arms folding across her chest like a shield.

My eyebrows shot up, my pulse kicking up a notch. "How? Why?"

"Because I don't think marrying you is the right thing, right now." She shifted her weight, her eyes locking onto mine with a cool detachment that sent a chill down my spine. "I need to clear my head."

"No. No. No." I shook my head, the denial spilling out before I could stop it. This wasn't her. This wasn't the Druscilla I knew, the one who planned every detail of our life together like it was a perfectly wrapped gift.

My mind raced. "Is this because of the little argument you just had with your mom?" Frustration bubbled up inside me, hot and insistent, tightening my chest.

"Oh... so now you can talk. I thought you lost your tongue." She tsked, the sound dripping with sarcasm, her lips curling in disdain. "After all, you were so quiet when my mom was speaking to me in a very bad way. This wouldn't have happened if you had come to pick me up last night."

I stepped closer, trying to keep my voice even, though my hands were clenching at my sides. "See... I know you're angry right now. But you have to calm down."

"Yes, honey. You've got to calm down," Mrs. Patricia chimed in from across the room, her tone smooth as silk but edged with that maternal authority she wielded like a weapon. "Stop taking your frustrations out on the innocent young man."

"Innocent my foot," Druscilla grumbled, rolling her eyes so hard I could almost hear it.

"You can't just postpone your wedding with Isaac just because I reprimanded you," Patricia pressed on, her voice rising a fraction, her perfectly manicured nails tapping against her arm. "You know what that marriage means for you and all of us..."

"Oh, yes. I know," Druscilla hissed, the words slicing through the tension like a knife. "The marriage is Dad's last wish and the only means for me to access my inheritance. Ya da ya da."

Patricia's face flushed, sweat beading on her forehead despite the cool air from the AC humming softly in the background. Her eyes widened like saucers, shock rippling across her features. "Is this how far you've gone mad in one night?"

The room felt smaller, the air thicker, charged with an electricity that made the hairs on my arms stand up. I bet no one saw this coming. Hell, even I was stunned. Where had Druscilla dug up the guts to stand up to Patricia like this? For the first time ever? Had the night out flipped some switch in her brain?

Has she gone nuts? The thought looped in my mind, a mix of worry and irritation.

"Come on, babe... you don't have to take it this far," I groaned, rubbing a hand over my face, feeling the stubble scratch against my palm. "You were wrong. You just have to apologize to your mom and let things be. Instead of threatening our relationship just to get to her."

"Oh Jesus!" Druscilla sighed, her shoulders slumping for a split second before she straightened up again.

"Isaac, when did you become this dumb? Do you think this is still about my mom's drama?"

"Then what is it? Why the sudden change of mind at this point?" My voice edged up, louder than I intended, frustration coiling in my gut like a spring ready to snap.

"I called you to come pick me up at the club. You came and left without me! Explain that!" She lifted her shoes in the air, dangling them like evidence in a courtroom, the heels glinting under the chandelier light.

Damn... she saw me? The realization hit like a punch to the stomach. I'd told Avery we should look for her last night, but Avery was impatient, her foot tapping restlessly on the pavement, her eyes pleading to just get out of there.

I'd been kicking back with the boys, the bass from the speakers vibrating through the bar, when Avery's call came in right after Druscilla hung up. They were all at the same spot.

I bolted, excusing myself with a quick nod, the guys' laughter fading behind me as I jumped in my car.

When I pulled up, Avery was outside, her hair tousled from the night wind, running up to me with that urgent look. I swear, I wanted to hunt for Druscilla. But Avery wasn't having it, her hand tugging at my sleeve, her voice a low whine about needing to bail fast.

"I thought you left there already..." I mumbled, the words tasting lame even as they left my mouth, my eyes dropping to the floor where the polished hardwood gleamed under the morning sun filtering through the windows.

"Oh! You thought! Assumption assumption all the time! I was still fucking there! Fucking watching you..."

"Language, Druscilla," Patricia warned, her voice stern, but it bounced off Druscilla like water on a duck's back.

Druscilla was on fire today, her cheeks flushed, her breath coming in short bursts. I hoped to God she wasn't piecing together any suspicions.

"Do you know the kind of danger I would have been in," she barreled on, her voice cracking just a hair, "if not for a...." She blinked, trailing off abruptly, like she'd slammed into a wall mid-sentence, her eyes flickering with some unspoken realization.

"You know what? Just forget it," she waved her hand dismissively, the motion sharp and final.

She turned and headed back to the stairwell, her heels clicking against the steps like ticking bombs.

"Cillia..." Patricia called after her, the nickname hanging in the air, laced with exasperation. "You know you're being silly right now."

Druscilla paused at the top, sighing heavily, the sound echoing down. "I need to rest."

Her footsteps faded, punctuated by the loud bang of her door slamming shut, vibrating through the house like a distant thunderclap.

She's angry. I know that for sure. The knot in my stomach twisted tighter.

"Uh... Isaac," Patricia touched my shoulder, her fingers warm and firm, grounding me back to the moment. "Don't be offended at her behavior. She'll come around. I'll talk to her."

"It's alright, Mom."

Kaila rose from her seat on the couch, the leather creaking softly under her. "I'll go talk to her."

"No. You stay," Patricia stopped her, her tone leaving no room for argument. "We need to talk."

"Oh." Kaila's shoulders fell, deflating like a punctured balloon.

"I think I should go see her instead," Avery said, her voice light but her eyes meeting mine in that secret glance, a silent code only we understood.

We held the look for a beat too long, the air between us humming with unspoken things, before she headed up the stairs, her steps measured and graceful.

"Oh yes, please, Avery. Talk some sense into your friend," Patricia said, her words following Avery like a benediction.

"I will, ma," Avery smiled, that perfect, polished grin she flashed like a shield.

My chest heaved, a deep breath escaping me. I hoped Avery didn't spill too much up there, didn't let slip any threads that could unravel everything.

We'd been sneaking around for six years now, Avery and me. It started innocently enough, back in my final high school days, with that smile of hers lighting up the hallway like a spark. Avery had this spectacular way about her-bold, beautiful, zero fucks given about what anyone thought.

It began with small talks in the corridors, the scent of her strawberry shampoo lingering after hugs, then it snowballed into something wild we couldn't control. Stolen kisses behind the bleachers, secret dates under the radar, and yeah, she gave me her virginity one humid summer night at the back of my old car, the air thick with promise and risk.

Avery loved me, no question, but we couldn't go public. Couldn't shatter Druscilla like that. And me? I couldn't torpedo the deal my dad had sealed with the Hayes family. It was all too tangled, like vines choking a garden.

"Isaac?"

Patricia was staring at me, her brows drawn together, concern etching lines on her face that even Botox couldn't fully erase.

"Yes..." I blinked, snapping back, the room coming into focus again-the faint smell of fresh coffee from the kitchen, the tick of the grandfather clock in the hall.

"Is everything alright... you seem...?" Her voice trailed with genuine worry, her hand still on my shoulder.

"Uh... yes. I am alright."

"Oh, you better be." She turned, walking over to the side drawer with that sway in her hips, the wood scraping softly as she opened it.

"I thought I saw you giving Avery the look?"