CHAPTER457
Leila has been circling aggressively since I got here. I don’t know what’s with her. I hope to God she’s not pregnant again, but all the signs are there. Irrational moods and weird sporadic tears, aggressive behavior, and the questioning, like she belongs in the Gestapo. If I see her eat anything with cream, then I will buy her the damn test myself. She hates cream, milk, dairy, anything like that, yet pregnant she lives on it. Biggest neon sign ever and I eye up her plate with serious doubt. Nothing creamy on show.
If there is a God above, then please do not let her fall pregnant while I am nearby.
It’s not that I wouldn’t like my sister to have more kids, it’s just, Leila is awful when pregnant and to be fair, as a mother she is kind of terrifying. Unlike Emma with her earth momma vibe and gentle nature; Leila is a hot mess who runs her twins to school in her pajamas and hair rollers. She drinks way too much wine when her kids are driving her insane, and as both boys have ADHD and are the most hyper kids known to man, I can hardly blame her.
She loves the convenience of microwaves and had to hire a cook to make sure they had a decent diet, yet she loves to fuel them on anything that shuts them up. Even if that’s daily soda and chips when Daniel isn’t looking. Pregnant she hates everyone, everything, breathes fire, and makes everyone suffer along with her. I don’t get how Daniel survives at all.
“Good. I love it and I really feel like I have found my calling in life.” I smile gently at him. I love Daniel. For a guy who used to be one lady killing, party boy, with serious sex addiction, he turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to my sister and he clearly adores her. He is the calm to her wild, the serene to her crazy, and he knows just how to handle her.
“She’s amazing, you should see the portfolio she is building. I think we have the next big thing on our hands.” Jenny beams: far more comfortable in talking about others than herself, and she smiles with pride at me. She reminds me of that girl next door stereotypes in movies, who always turn out to be the cute girl at the end who gets the hot man.
“I think both of you are equally talented, we work well the three of us. Different strengths, different characters and we sort of merge to make one amazing team.” I laugh when Christian fans himself a little dramatically. Jenny laughing along with me and nudging him playfully.
“But I, of course, bring all the pizazz.” He beams at us, fluttering those annoyingly dark long lashes and looking all coquettish.
“True!” Both Jenny and I say in unison and then giggle. I catch Daniel eyeing me warily; I can almost sense that little mind working away behind brown eyes. I give him an intense narrowed look and get that Daniel Hunter special smile. The “I know what’s going on” cheeky glint that Leila usually hates him for.
“I would love it more if you had a nice fella to come home to every night. Is Arry still keeping an eye on you? The city isn’t safe for single girls anymore, Sophs.” Leila carries on, digging into another round of bread with relish and I seriously revisit the pregnancy thing. She isn’t normally a big eater. I catch Daniel frowning her way too and wonder if he is thinking the same thing as she demolishes her third bread roll.
“I don’t need Arrick to take care of me anymore; pretty sure he has enough women to be taking care of nowadays.” I snap a little too hastily, the interrogating eyes on me and curse myself at my lack of control. I need to learn not to react whenever he is the subject.
“Meaning?” Leila is full boar staring at me now. Most of the quiet chit chat around us falls away as everyone listens in with interest. I guess the sudden silence is the moment of bated breath where they all sit astonished that I am no longer the puppy dog trailing Arrick Carrero.
“He has a life and a woman. We just don’t see each other much now, we’re both so busy.” I lie expertly. Deflecting flawlessly with a raised brow and air of nonchalance.
“But she has us, I live nearby, and Jenny is three blocks further out, and were never away from her side.” Christian cuts in. Savior that I adore and knowing how to sidetrack the interrogator faultlessly.
“It’s not like him to not be around as much? Have you two had a fight?” Leila has her eyes on me, homed in, and scrutinizing me. Almost like that little bloodhound side to her paranoid personality is suddenly sniffing something out, and I steady my breath to appear unaffected.
“No. Can we stop talking about him, please? I’m sure I can have a life that doesn’t revolve around him, and it had to happen one day … you know, growing up, moving on. I can’t live in his shadow forever.” I keep my voice deadpan, nerves steady and concentrate on funneling soup into my mouth carefully. Precision perfect.
“Arrick’s a busy man, babes. I’m sure he is still looking out for her in every way, like he always did.” Daniel cuts in, throwing me an unreadable look, he clearly knows full well that Arrick is no longer in my life. Jake is his best friend and that makes Arry one too. His choice not to tell my sister, however, baffles me. But then I guess he is just looking out for me, knowing fine well she would demand I come back home without my eternal fucking guardian. Like little Sophie is incapable of surviving in life without his ever-looming presence to make sure I don’t fuck it all up.
Figures!
“We just saw him last week. Complete sweetheart.” Christian smiles softly, deviously vague and curbing more suspicion.
“Right. And he has that girlfriend, Natasha, to be caring for too, it’s not down to him to be solely responsible for our girl. She’s got to learn to do it solo.” My dad cuts in and I tense, anger bubbling at the mention of her while Leila is riling my nerves. Suddenly ultra-touchy with this subject when I know the source of my heartache is less than a hundred feet away at his parents” house tonight. This is why I have avoided family dinners, where everyone gets to come together to focus on me.
“Nice girl … never really seen the connection though, she’s a bit … I don’t know … bland. A bit quiet and tame, for our Arry.” My mom is frowning my way as if she expects me to have some sort of input and I frown hard back at her.
“Lame more like.” Leila mutters and for once I find myself smiling at her impulsively. I always knew she was lukewarm to the other girl, but she has never actually openly insulted her in front of me before.
“Leila!” My mother scolds, giving her a stern maternal look of displeasure.
“She’s a very sweet young lady and seems like a genuine homely person. She is always very polite and well mannered.” She adds with a gentler tone that doesn’t seem all that genuine, and I start to wonder how long I have been oblivious to my family’s distinct lack of affection for the girl Arrick has been bringing home for two years."
