Heart to Hart ✔️

12. Lemon Sunset

The roads stayed clear the entire drive back from Sian's, not one red traffic light delaying our journey. If only the rest of my night was that easy.

On the way home, my stomach knotted and I started feeling nauseous. I dreaded the moment I would have to walk into my house, expecting to be met with my father's shouts or my mother and sister's frosty attitudes.

As promised, Alec stood by my side as I waited for whatever fate had in store for me. Opening the front door, we were greeted with a burst of pungent and sharp citrus aromas. Once the initial sharpness settled, a buttery chicken smell mixed with the lemon wafted through the air. My mouth watered and my belly managed to rumble, even with the sense of trepidation that lodged itself in the pit of my gut.

"Are you ready to go in?" Alec whispered, rubbing my lower back.

"Honestly? I feel like I might be sick." Taking a deep breath in, I wiped the hair that stuck to my forehead out of the way and rolled my shoulders.

The sound of laughter, mixed with the clattering of plates and cutlery, echoed down the hallway from the kitchen.

"Here goes nothing." I slid my shoes off and placed them neatly on our shoe rack. Alec followed suit, then gripped my hand in his.

"Natasha is that you, dear?" My mother pushed the kitchen door open. Her voice was high and cheery, a contrast to the ice-cold glare directed at me. Upon seeing Alec, the scowl on her face relaxed as she ran her hands down her dress to smooth the material out.

"Mum, I'm so sorry I'm late. We went to Petersfield to visit Sian," I stuttered.

"It's all my fault, Mrs Wilson. I'm really sorry. Natasha warned me she had to be home to help you but I lost track of time and kept her out longer than I should have," Alec butted in, my full name out of his mouth sounding alien.

"No need to apologise, Alec. You're just in time. Care to join us? I've made plenty to go around." Not too dissimilar to a toothpaste advert, my mother flashed a wide toothy smile.

"If you're sure you have enough, that would be lovely." Perfect. Alec's impeccable manners and charm would keep Mum off my back.

Once Mum headed back to the kitchen, Alec turned to me, eyes wide and eyebrows raised. I shrugged my shoulders. Mother was in dinner party mode. My punishment for my tardiness would only be delayed until Alec and Daniel had left.

***

I nudged the kitchen door open with my hip and tugged Alec into the room with me.

My father silently eyed us as we entered, his gaze dropping to our joined hands. Alec's grip only tightened as I tried to release my hold. His thumb brushed my knuckles, letting me know I wasn't alone.

Mum placed an extra plate and a set of cutlery onto the dinner table and motioned for us to sit down. With my dad at the head of the table, I faced Rosie. Alec settled down to my right, opposite Daniel, leaving my mother the last free seat at the end.

Daniel shot me a beaming smile and shook Alec's hand while my sister glared at us, her arms crossed over her chest.

Small filo pastry tarts with a pinky creamy mixture were placed in front of us. Subtly nearing my nose to take a sniff, I tried naming the dish without having to ask my mother.

Alec leant over to me and whispered into my ear, "salmon."

Fish! Great! I couldn't think of anything worse.