Ambrose has been in love with his best friend, Lana Hart, for years.
But she tied the knot with the love of her life three years ago, leaving Ambrose broken-hearted and disillusioned about love.
Enter Davina, the most difficult girl Ambrose has ever...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Dread
It played like a picnic on a sunny day; the seagulls cast into dark shadows against the pale blue sky, the honeycomb sun brightening everything in its way up. Soon, the clouds swarm in, taking over the golden hue and planning on wrecking the wonderful day with a rainstorm. We waited and waited, holding our meals to our chest and hoping the storm would transpire in a jiffy.
When days would go by with the storm at full speed.
That's how waiting to see my parents felt. Sleeping these days was nearly impossible; I couldn't last two hours without breaking into sweats. It's days like these when I remembered thoughts of my father still sent chills down my spine. All this time, I've been acting all tough like I could take him on as an opponent when really I whimpered at thought of being near him.
The morning after I found out, Milo sent three gift baskets as a way to gain my forgiveness, but I never really blamed him, to begin with. How was he supposed to know about my tragic past when I hadn't spoken to anyone about it?
Sometimes I liked thinking my life wasn't so fucked up, and I had a real family waiting for me at home. Maybe that's why I resisted telling anyone the truth so I could live in a fairytale for a bit longer. I'm starting to think maybe I was pathetic.
My phone vibrated against the countertop as I finished up my bowl of cereal before rehearsal. A hint of happiness shot through my veins when Lana's contact picture appeared on my phone. I checked my hair in the reflection before answering the call.
Lana's child-like smile shined through the phone. "Good morning! I wasn't sure if you were awake because of the time difference, but I still went ahead and tried."
I grinned at her introduction. "Good evening to you, it's nice to know that you haven't forgotten me."
She gasped, her hand hovered over her plump lips. "Ambrose, how could you say that? I will never forget you, even if you lived on the other side of the world! Besides, I had this feeling in my chest that something is wrong..." Her lips curled down into a frown. "Is everything okay? Are you and Davina fighting?"
Her concern brightened the cloud lingering over my head. "No, we're doing okay. But your Lana senses are right..." Unexpected pain sliced through my chest with enough force to steal my breath. "Davina's agents invited my parents over here without my consent."
She groaned, running her hand over her distressed face. "Oh gosh, how could they be so insensitive? I'm so sorry, I have no other words, though I am worried sick about having them around you."
"Thanks, Lana, but I doubt they would do anything with the audience around. They're crazy if they think we'll have any moment alone without someone monitoring us," I stated, flipping my spoon back and forth in the bowl.
"Did you tell Davina yet?" she asked. "I know I shouldn't be butting in, but I want to know you have some kind of moral support near you. I understand if you haven't. I only found out because I came to visit you that day."
