Love, Helena

Chapter 19

"Amber?" Helena stopped in the middle of the room, catching a glimpse of her daughter at the cracked-open door. "What are you standing there for? Come in."

The younger woman stepped inside hesitantly looking about the tidy space that was her mother's room. She felt as though she's been walking on eggshells for the past three weeks or so. She was never good at keeping secrets, but also wasn't used to opening up to others about her affairs, aside from Ales. She cleared her throat, noticing her mother's open wardrobe and dresses on the bed. "Are you going somewhere Mum?"

Helena shook her head, "Not yet." She sensed Amber's anxiety but didn't want to pressure her into answering. "Is everything alright?"

Amber looked about, considering whether or not, or how even she was supposed to answer such question. She came in the morning determined to tell her mom everything and get it over with, but it was rather hard to do. She shook her head, "Nothing that important. Why do you have half of your wardrobe out?"

"Well," Helena blushed slightly, not exactly knowing how her daughter would take the news. "Xavier wants us to have dinner out tonight."

Amber's lips curled up in an amused grin, "You mean you are going on a date?"

Helena chuckled at her daughter's teasing. "You could call it that I suppose."

"No no," Amber shook her head, strolling casually to the love seat and sighing as she plopped down, "Xavier asked you on a date. That's exactly what it is."

"It doesn't bother you, does it?" Helena asked, removing the last dress she tried on and putting it neatly back in its place. 

Amber was scrutinizing the rest of the options with a frown. "Why would it bother me? Mum, you're a free woman, and this is your life to choose however you want... Unless, it's one of those hideous dresses."

"Amber!" Helena chuckled. 

"No offense," Amber scrunched her nose. If there was one thing in the world that bothered her to no end, it was people not dressing according to what suits them. "Those give off the vibe of 'a widower assistant in her mid-fifties who's planning to retire with a thousand cats in the mountains'. It doesn't cut it."

"Seesh, thanks for the brutal honesty." Helena shook her head at her daughter. "It's just a dinner, Amber. It really doesn't matter."

"Oh My God you'll be the death of me mum, what do you mean 'just a dinner'? Poor Xavier's probably been waiting for ages to ask you out." Amber went over to her mother's closet to scrutinize the rest of her clothes, then came out shaking her head in disapproval. "Ales come up here for a second!" Amber shouted through the open door. 

Wren paced back to the bed and sunk embarrassingly into the mattress huffing. She felt heat climbing to her cheeks whenever she remembered that half of the household already knew their master was taking her out for dinner. Soon the other twin was in the room looking between the two ladies. 

"What is going on?" Alessandro asked, noticing the state of the bed half covered in clothes.

"Amy is trying to pick a dress for mommy to go to the date!" Ophelia said happily, strolling into the room with a proud innocent smile for having the answer.

Alessandro shifted to sit on one of the vacant armchairs. "Right, and what am I here for exactly?"

"You're driving," Amber nodded to herself, "We're going shopping."

"Are you seriously telling me that out of all these dresses, not one cuts it for a date?" Alessandro sighed knowing full well his sister's dramatics.