Untimely Love (Book 3)

♠Chapter 18♠

My mother left Angelica and me in my apartment with our promise not to do anything without protection. We agreed without correcting her this time because it was obvious she wasn't going to believe a word we said.

  As much as I knew Angel and I were never going down that road, I understood my mother to an extent. At one point, she'd asked me and Ariana the same questions, and look where we were now.

  When my mom left, there was a feeling in my stomach that told me something was wrong. She knew something or was keeping it to herself. It didn't have to be bad but I knew she was sitting on important information.

  I didn't push though, because we decided to have lunch together tomorrow. Maybe it would come up then.

  I swear on everything that she knows.

  "Your mother's a delight," Angelica said as she cleared all our trash into the takeout bags they came in.

  I blinked at her.

  She shrugged. "She's like a breath of fresh air."

  "Are you being sarcastic?"

  She gave me a look, then rolled her eyes. "No, I think she's... unique."

  I nodded. "So you are being sarcastic." I gathered all the plates and utensils while she laughed.

  "I'm not! She's intimidating but there's something so warm under that stoic-ness. Nothing like you though- you're a roasted marshmallow compared to her."

  I snickered. "So I've been told."

  "She cares about you a lot though. It shows."

  Thinking back to what my mom had said to me before dinner, all I could do was nod. I headed to the kitchen to do the dishes. Angel followed me to throw the garbage in the trash, then stood next to me to rinse and dry.

  Angelica cleared her throat before she started, "I didn't mean to... overhear your conversation before dinner. But I did. Just at the end there."

  It was like the day Nate came over and accidentally saw that photo of me and Ariana kissing. There was a calmness that was there that I thought wouldn't be when the possibility of getting found out happened. I wasn't embarrassed by it and in these past few weeks, there was some self-reflection and revelations on certain things.

  I realized I didn't care as much as I used to—not as I did a few months ago. I wasn't one hundred percent healed from it, that I knew, but I didn't have to lie and say I was fine anymore only to realize I wasn't when I ended up in spaces where she was.

  I didn't know how to tell my mom this because the damage was already done. There was no going back and quite frankly, I didn't want to.

  "She was a friend of yours?" Angelica asked hesitantly. "I've just heard that name a few times being around you and your friends. Plus, you've been in your head after what your mom said." A small amount of humor shone through that last statement. "If you ever want to talk about it..." She shrugged.

  There was silence between us again. It stretched on for a while as we continued doing dishes—my brain slipping into default as my mind wandered.

  "I think..."

  I'd paused for so long that Angelica mirrored, "You think?"

  I handed her a soapy spoon. "I might've messed stuff up for her."

  "Who?"

  "Ariana," I said on a heavy exhale.

  "How so?"