The Art of Starting Over

Chapter 28 - The Party Part 2

Three hours later, the party is still going strong. Millie is surrounded by her friends, laughing her head off right in the middle of the room. Sosa is happily engaged in conversation with Derek, if you can call whispering, giggling and drunkenly singing to tunes they don't know, conversation. And I'm sitting on the fifth step of the staircase with a particularly strong vodka orange in my hand watching the room.

Jeremy finally takes off his apron and his eyes meet mine from the kitchen doorway.

"Is everything okay, Sparky?" he asks, coming to sit down next to me and nudging me gently with his shoulder.

"Yes," I reply half-truthfully. "It's nice to see everyone getting together at a time like this. Makes you rethink the definition of family. Looks like blood doesn't count for shit."

He raises his brows slightly and says carefully, "I'm not arguing with you there."

I rest my head on his shoulder, grateful for his presence over the past few days. He's been dropping over to check in on us almost every day, bringing cancer-fighting fruit and vegetables saving us several trips to the supermarket. He took her to her pre-op appointment himself last Thursday so that I wouldn't use up any of my leave, insisting I would need the days off more after the procedure. I didn't argue with him and accepted the nice gesture.

Our truce however was very shortlived. He showed up the next day with all the books I needed for my lessons with Marisa and wouldn't take any money. This led to a huge argument and he only let us pay him back when Millie cast him a look from the kitchen doorway so severe that it instantly shut him up.

"Jeremy," I start hesitantly, knowing perfectly well that I'm heading into dangerous territory. "Why don't you and your parents get along?"

I feel his shoulder muscles go rigid, but to my great surprise, he sighs and answers. "We're different. We want different things. They want me to be like them and being like them is my biggest fear. I'm a constant disappointment to them."

I hear the sorrow in his voice. He may have the whole world hoodwinked but he can't fool me into thinking he doesn't care. 

"No, you're not. And that's not a reason to shun them the way you do," I say softly thinking of my own relationship with my dad which is now practically non-existent.

"It's not just that," he replies and I look up into his face, calm yet focused, his eyes soft and blue. "I never had this. Family and friends being there for one another, genuinely wanting to be in the same room with each other. Or hearty family dinners and playing rummy afterwards, watching really bad soaps... I had an abusive father coming home and locking himself up in his study with his secretary and a bag of snow while my delusional mother stole money from Dad's wallet to buy expensive champagne to bust with my uncle in the bedroom."

I gasp in shock before I can stop myself and he gives me a half-smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. He wraps an arm around my shoulders and pulls me back to him. "Don't worry about it, Sparky. Now I have the privilege of being an obstinate, rebellious child who blames all his flaws on bad parenting."

I lean further into his shoulder and fight the urge to kiss Jeremy's cheek. This Jeremy. My Jeremy. 

Thankfully, Sosa chooses that moment to come over and ask if she can use the bathroom upstairs. "Too many old people are using this one," she explains.

I laugh and scoot over so that she can pass between us, which she does quickly almost tripping on her way up.

"Well, I better start plating the dessert," Jeremy sighs.

"There's dessert?" I raise my eyebrows at him. "I'm so full I can't eat another bite."

He smiles back wickedly and says, "It's just ice cream," before disappearing into the kitchen.