Her Savior (Book Two Of The Brave Series)

6-Dinner

                                 6-Dinner

Aria got home before her mother and Daniel which was a relief. She went upstairs and dumped her bag onto her bedroom floor before shedding the warmth of the leather jacket Xepher had given her and tucking it neatly underneath her bed. She didn't want to imagine what Daniel would do to it. Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out to find a text from her mother.

Mom: I'll be home in a little bit. Dinner at six. Dress nice please. Love you.

Aria didn't respond. Her silence extended to any form of communication and her mother knew that. She put the phone on her desk and headed back downstairs. The pork chops she pulled from the freezer earlier that morning were now fully defrosted and ready to be seasoned. She set to work seasoning it and prepping it to be cooked before putting it back into the fridge. Once the seasoning began setting, she reached into the veggie drawer and pulled out the yams and veggies she planned to make with the pork.

As she prepped everything, she felt her thoughts shift to the earlier events of the day. Xepher and his promise. He wouldn't actually keep it. Would he? Even if he did would she want him too? She stayed alone because no one wanted to be around someone that didn't talk, but also so that Daniel couldn't threaten anymore people she cared about. She sighed to herself. She couldn't stop the desire to have the chance for friendships, but also the fear to do so.

Looking at the clock she saw it was already five in the afternoon, so she stepped outside, and turned the grill on. While the grill heated up, she ran upstairs to her bedroom to get dressed. She opened her closet, looking for something to wear. She didn't have much. Her mom gave her a credit card a few years back when she got too busy with work to take her shopping, though Aria barely ever used it. Aria looked for something nice but noticed she only owned jeans and long sleeves. Then she remembered when her mother was out of town or shopping for herself, she'd pick up some nice items for Aria too.

Digging into the far back of the closet Aria found a simple black skirt that went to her knees and flowed nicely. She put on a light blue long sleeve and tucked it under the skirt and put on black close-toed three-inch heels. She unbraided her hair and ran a brush through it, it fell in waves around her shoulders.

When she was done, she ran back downstairs, noticing she had about forty minutes left. The sound of the front door opening caught her attention. Her mother came around the corner as she placed two pans on the stove and started melting butter in one and boiling water with brown sugar in another.

"Hi Sweetie." Her mother cooed, still in her gray pants suit. She walked to Aria and kissed her on the forehead, leaning down slightly to do so. She wore heels and was a few inches taller than Aria naturally. Her mother said Aria got her short stature from her grandmother and her dad's side of the family.

"Smells good, pork chops?" Aria nodded. "Good choice kiddo, well I'm going to get my bags packed and then get dressed since the flight is pretty much after dinner." She turned to leave but paused in the doorway, reading the dry erase calendar that was on the wall. It was the only thing that told her mom what was going on in her life. It hurts Aria to know her mother was sad at her silence, but in her mind, it was the only way. She watched a small smile return to her mother's face then, and her eyes seemed to moisten with tears.

"A girls day huh, Aria?" She nodded in response. "That's wonderful. I'm so happy." Her mother smiled and then continued to the staircase to her bedroom. Aria continued on autopilot with her tasks, setting the fresh cut veggies into the, now melted, butter. The sizzle of the stove made her smile. She was able to keep her mind busy with cooking, and she enjoyed the result. She hummed to herself as she dropped the cut-up yams into the boiling brown sugar water. She was in her own little world for a moment. Just one moment.