Sweeney Sweets

Chapter 22

Rhys

Dinner was as crappy as it always seemed to be.

Just speaking about work and a new building that'll be up in Boston, and all the shit we could have just sent out emails on but here we were, some semblance of a fucking family in my fathers eyes but I could tell Mina knew it wasn't exactly working.

None of this was working and it really irked me that I had to be here and play dollhouse with everyone, but in reality, maybe fake dolls that children played with were better cause this really was what i'd call a nightmare, and I will stand by that statement, even if I knew I was being dramatic because I hated Jack.

Jack who was my father.

Ambrose sat beside me on my right, speaking to my father and Adair sat on my left side, also looking bored as he ran a hand through his hair before he took his phone out, his phone ringing in his pocket almost immediately when he got too bored and I looked to the name.

Max.

His girlfriend.

He quite literally sighed in relief, which assured me, maybe I wasn't all too dramatic or perhaps my brother was just equally as dramatic as I was, in any case, he got up and walked away from the table, not bothering to excuse himself because we could all hear the phone and if he did tell us we would've simply nodded.

Inwardly I felt a little envious of my brother and his girlfriend, they were together since they were nineteen, and now, years later, they were still together, even if we had the most oddly functioning family in existence, she still managed to bear all of us.

We were not chaotic, but usual hostility's were shared between everyone and yes, I chose to blame my father because why else would everyone be so hostile if not because of him? We were perfectly fine outside the house without him, clearly he was the problem.

"Rhys." Luxe spoke up and I looked from the fork on my plate and to her, a brief nod for her to continue speaking as Ambrose got off the seat beside me and walked over to my father, the two walking to probably discuss plans because he'd be leaving sometime soon for the new buildings opening along with my father and I honestly did not want to go if Jack was going too.

"Could you send me Dylan's number?"

My jaw ached to clench at the reminder of her, and just how much of an asshole i'd been to her earlier on today too, but I wasn't thinking when i'd blurted out, she's not, all I thought about was her and her stupid fucking date and how badly I wanted her not to go anywhere with or near him.

And if I tried to speak to her in that moment, i'd probably end up telling her to stay her ass at home.

"Can you not wait till after this shits over?"

"No."

I blinked. "Why?"

"I'm bored now."

Well that makes two of us kid.

I took my phone out my pocket, turning it back on since I'd powered it off to find it easier to resist the urge to text Calli myself and question every little detail on her little date with the stupid fucking bakery guy- whatever the hell his name was.

Inwardly I really hoped the date went absolutely horrible. Was I being petty? Possibly. I don't give a flying fuck though. I hoped to God himself it was the worst date she'd ever been on.

When the phone was back on i'd for some dumb reason wondered if Calli would've texted me, which she hadn't and I mumbled a few obscenities before passing Luxe my phone over the table in which she'd taken the number off the screen then moments later passed it back.

"I never knew Calli was dating anyone."

"She's not." I spoke casually, acting like her being out with another man who was not me on a freaking date wasn't bothersome. Acting was the key word, but it seems like in my eyes the jealousy showered through, yet Luxe hadn't taken note of it since she was too busy on her phone, which I was grateful for.

She only sent me a look that she quickly wiped away when she looked to her phone again.

It was bothersome knowing she was with- him, it was bothering to the point that I felt like calling her and bringing her home straight away but Calli was an adult, and single adults dated and thats what she wanted, not me, not this, she wanted that prick apparently.

Even if somedays I swear I saw some softness in her eyes when she looked at me, but with Calliope I could never tell if it was something more or if it was just the same caring expression she gave everyone around her, but I never once didn't like it, I liked everything about her.

Luxe was still on her phone and her fingers were moving like she was texting someone and inwardly I wondered if it was Calli already.

I swallowed harshly before speaking cooly, "She already responded?"

She nodded, then shrugged, "She actually just got home from her date."

I looked to my phone, turned it on to see the time on the screen, it was only nearing 10pm.

I had to refrain from smirking at the fact that she hadn't went home with him on the first date, nor did she stay out late.

In all honesty, he didn't deserve her, or the date with her, at all.

But then again, did I? Or did anyone for that matter actually deserve someone like her?

What seemed to be abruptly I stood up from the table, and my sisters all looked to me at the sudden sound, Mina looked at me too and I scratched the nape of my neck awkwardly. "Im gonna... go, thanks Mina."

"Oh don't thank me Rhys."

I just hummed in response, not knowing what else to say to her but I knew at the surface of my mind nothing was ever Mina's fault, nor did I ever hold anything against her, not intentionally at least.

I always knew it was my fathers fault from the very beginning, everything seemed to be his fault actually.

Yet for some reason I still felt like it was better if i'd not spoken to Mina at all, or just tried to keep conversation to the minimal even if she'd seemed like a good person from what i've picked on her, but I preferred the low amounts of communication, because at the end of the day she was the reason my mothers life had went to shit, along with someone else, even if Mina didn't know it at the time.

I knew I was always going to be a person who was far too petty for their own good, never actually letting anything go, even the littlest of things but I didn't plan on changing that, it came in handy on the odd day too.

I walked out my fathers mansion, looking ahead to see Adair smoking outside and near his car, his phone still pressed to his ear as he laughed at something said probably by Max, because like me, the only person who could bring any expression other than the neutral one to our faces were our girls.

I shook my head of that thought as I walked down the stairs, taking my car keys out my pocket and he nodded over at me as a goodbye which i'd returned with my own nod.

The entire way back home was just a long drive of restraining myself from making a U turn and going over to see Calliope, but I knew that was the last thing I should ever even consider doing right now.

Maybe I needed to get drunk, or sleep.

I blinked.

I'll do both.