Chapter 16 #2
Then again, I didn’t bother to try to ask my aunt why she hired the investigator. Despite Dina mentioning my safety, I could almost guarantee my family wouldn’t bother. If Julian knew something about them that I should know, he should tell me.
“They sold their house last year, before you came here, and very quickly and for less than market value, according to my dad. He’s always watching sales of houses in our area or the market in general.
He thought about buying their place because they were asking so little.
Ultimately, he didn’t because he hates your uncle and didn’t want to deal with him, not even in a real estate situation.
I can’t see them selling that place for so little unless they had to, and that didn’t have anything to do with you, do you see what I’m saying? ”
Because they had to? I nodded, despite wondering about his choice of wording. “They seem very wealthy. I mean look how they’re living. My whole family lives like this, but you think they’re in trouble?”
He shook his head. “I have no idea, truthfully. If my parents know, they haven’t told me.”
I considered it, but it still didn’t explain why they would have me followed.
If I was spending too much money, they would have simply told me, probably as meanly as possible.
It would cost more money to hire him than I could spend on pizza or a pair of new sneakers, even if I had been using my credit card.
Unless they worried I would use the card to do something really expensive? I wondered if they thought I used drugs or something.
We stepped out of my room to find my aunt waiting in the hall. She stared at me as I exited then lifted her eyebrows slowly. “Alatheia, I’ll speak to you alone.”
Julian met my gaze. “You okay with that?”
My aunt’s tone went shrill when she said, “She is my niece, and you are a minor child visiting my home. You’ll leave, young man, because I told you to go. Alatheia, a word now .”
I shivered, sensing violence snapping in the air around her. Attuned to it from practice, I knew when it was coming and I wondered if she would really strike me.
“I’ll be fine,” I said to Julian, because it wasn’t his job to protect me.
He’d only known me for a few days, and despite letting his brother sleep in my bed and the unusual amount of kissing, I didn’t expect him to handle my aunt.
If I didn’t know how to handle my aunt, how could I expect anyone else to face her?
I steeled my spine as Julian obeyed my request and left, throwing me a lingering look over his shoulder I couldn’t ponder at the moment.
My aunt grabbed the end of my hair and ran it through her fingertips as if testing the texture. My heart rate kicked up and I caught my breath. It took me way too long to grab my hair back from her. Why did I freeze? What is wrong with me?
“I don’t know what you have been saying to the Lents about us, little girl …
” She leaned closer, her breath hot on my face.
“But I don’t ever want to be spoken to by Dina Lent in that way again.
” She lowered her voice, her face so close, I could smell her toothpaste.
With that scent came a realization—she wasn’t drunk or otherwise out of it.
Tricia was showing me how she really felt about me, and to be honest, it hurt.
“She may get to look down on me, but guess what? You are nothing. Less than nothing. You’re a gnat.
After she is done with you, you’ll have even less than that nothing.
I don’t know which one of those boys you opened your legs for, maybe all of them?
It fits you, especially after what you did in Chicago to my sister.
You deserve to suffer for what you put my poor sister through, so go.
Have a great time in the Hamptons. Just remember while you’re there, you’re nothing but the burden my shit twin saddled the whole fucking family with after she overdosed on drugs.
” She turned her back on me before she strode down the hall, leaving me shaking.
As a parting shot, she tossed over her shoulder, “I’ll see you after the Lents get tired of you. ”
Stunned, I couldn’t force myself to breathe, not to mention move.
She might not have dished out any physical violence, but tears pricked my eyes at the emotional damage.
Sure, I knew she felt that way about me, but she’d never said it to my face before.
Tears flooded my eyes, spilling over because I couldn’t hold them back anymore.
I wouldn’t let her see, but I could break for just a moment.
Overdosed? No one ever told me, but maybe they wouldn’t. They told me that she got sick and died, but maybe they made that up?
Tears still streaking down my face, but unable to stop them, I rushed out of the apartment, dragging my suitcase behind me. Julian waited in the hall, leaning against the wall where the elevator would appear. My lips trembled when I spotted him, so I turned around so he couldn’t see my face.
“Sorry. I just need a moment,” I said, trying to collect myself.
I didn’t hear him move, but he was a light-footed walker in his boat shoes. His hand seemed warm, though, and ever so strong when it made contact with the skin on the back of my neck.
“Sorry,” I apologized again, trying not to sob and keeping my face to the closed door. “I don’t want to cry, but I can’t stop it right now. Maybe you could just … wait for me downstairs.”
He squeezed my shoulder. “No. Come on, turn around. I knew she was going to do or say something terrible. Come on.”
I let him turn me to face him because I didn’t have the energy to fight anymore.
I was just … so damn alone. Then again, maybe I wasn’t.
Maybe someone followed me still, taking pictures of my every move.
Julian hugged me against him, so I turned into his embrace and buried my forehead down in his shoulder.
His white t-shirt smelled like laundry soap and something slightly spicier, but as I sniffled, I worried I might get it wet.
I squeezed my eyes closed tighter, but the tears streamed out of them just the same. “I’m sorry. I know we don’t know each other well enough for this.” I didn’t manage to say more before a sob shattered me, breaking through my barriers as if they were made of cotton candy.
“Let’s pretend that we do.” He kept his voice low as he rubbed my back. “Let’s pretend we’ve known each other for years. I love getting to know you, but let’s pretend I already do if it means you can cry, because she was awful.”
He let me sob it out until I could control myself, still rubbing my spine, even though I soaked his designer tee shirt. I admitted, “I’m crying for the second time today, but I’m not a crier.”
“We all have bad days.” He wiped his thumbs under my eyes, with no sign of frustration or unease in his expression.
“I’m glad we were here for you today. Most of the time, we keep people at such a distance, so it makes every interaction too distanced for us to be there for people.
I’m glad I had a chance to be here for you. Did she hurt you?”
I sniffled. “Not physically. It’s just been a lot. She said some mean things, ones that were hard for me to hear. Um, I soaked your shirt. I don’t know the brand, but I would guess it is far too expensive to be covered in my tears.”
His gaze might be warm, but the world proved cold, too cold for him to make any difference for me.
He dismissed my worries with a wave. “Fuck my shirt. Come on.” He pushed the elevator button but didn’t let go of me, tucking me close against his side. “Will you tell me what she said? Or not yet ready to share?”
I’d told Barrett quite a lot of it the night before, so what could it hurt?
“Bad things happened to me in Chicago, then I got blamed for them.” I didn’t want to start crying again so I breathed through my nose for a couple of seconds until I controlled myself enough to speak again.
“She also said my mother died of a drug overdose. No one ever told me that before, so I will have to look into it.”
The elevator arrived, so he ushered me inside.
As the door closed, he bent over and kissed me gently, on the lips.
“She might have been lying. Just to be mean. To hurt you. Whatever happened in Chicago, I’m sure you didn’t actually do anything terrible, since I can see it in your eyes.
I won’t press you for your secrets, but I can tell that’s not who you are. ”
I sniffed, amused at him despite the topic. “You can tell from my eyes, huh? They must be pretty red right now.”
“I find your eyes beautiful, and I can tell from the eyes, though yours aren’t red.
They never hide true intent, like you seem to tell things about us based on our shoes.
” I caught my breath and he laughed. “See? I’m actually pretty observant.
I don’t know what you’re getting from it but, yeah, I noticed you looking.
We all have our ways of judging people.” He kissed my head again. “What do my shoes tell you?”
I dug my head into his shoulder again, finding his warmth and safety too tempting to leave.
“For starters, they told me you aren’t to be trusted.
I’m hoping I was wrong, because I’ve really started to trust you and your brothers.
If it turns out that you’re not anomalous shoe wearers, I’ll be super sad. ”
His lips curved into a sad smile. “I’ll buy different shoes. I would rather if my clothing said safe when it comes to you. Tell me what to wear.” We arrived in the lobby together. “Better yet, in a few days, we’ll go shopping. You can pick my shoes for me.”
I shook my head before lifting it. “Maybe I need to readjust my criteria?”
“You do what you need to, but I’m not adjusting mine. I like looking in your eyes too much.”