Page 12 of Boundaries

I was annoyed that Nix was coming back so soon, with a bit more time we may have been able to eradicate what Jenna felt for him. We’d done well so far in a drip method type of way. The no contact had helped too of course.

The truth of the matter was, when he got back, all the hard work we had put into helping Jenna get over him would be reset. Frustrating. Like that game of Monopoly when you advance to go, but get to collect fuck all.

*****

Later that evening, I sat on my bed and texted my boyfriend, Alex. We were going out to supper. He was taking me to a local pub which had recently been refurbished.

After showering, I padded over to my wardrobe, wondering what to wear. I’d leave my hair loose. It fell almost to my waist in soft chocolate brown waves and Alex liked to play with it.

Alex and I had met at work and had been seeing each other for almost two months. I worked at a local stable. It wasn’t a career by any measure but I’d finished my A-levels now and hadn’t a clue what I wanted to do next. I wasn’t sure I would go down the University route like most of my friends. Betty was the same as me. We just didn’t want to leave home, and I wouldn’t have had an offer from our local Uni in Norwich. My results were not high enough. I did fancy photography, but there were no courses near us and I’d have to go to London to pursue that. So, for now, I mucked out the stables. Alex exercised the horses and we’d just clicked.

I chose a pastel sage off-the-shoulder Bardot summer dress. It was fitted and short and displayed my legs which were lightly tanned. I wasn’t a sun worshipper, but I did like to catch a few rays when I had the chance, a cheeky top-up always improved my mood. After applying minimal makeup and fluffing my hair, I grabbed my purse and slotted my feet into toe-post sandals. I eyed my toes critically, the nail polish there had started to peel off, but I’d have to deal with that another time, I was already running late. A bad trait of mine.

As I left my bedroom and set off down the stairs, my parents, Chrissy, and my brother Mattie were in the kitchen making dinner. I had already told my mum that I was going out to supper. Jenna was nowhere to be seen, and would probably be moping in her bedroom reading that stupid bloody book.

Chrissy sat at the kitchen table with her arms folded, looking like a moody school kid. She was only sixteen after all and indulged herself with the occasional strop now and then. Mattie sat opposite her. I could only see the back of his head. He didn’t even turn to acknowledge my arrival, he just sat there texting on his phone, self-involved much? Mattie was still going through that process of ‘coming out’ and was finding it difficult, us living in the country where boys ate testosterone for breakfast.

As I entered the space, all eyes were on me. I wasn’t sure what I’d interrupted. Maybe my folks had heard the rumour about Chrissy with a McKenna boy? One could only hope. I hadn’t said anything, of course, I was many things, but a snitch wasn’t one of them.

“You look lovely Amy,” my mum complimented and I gave her a spin. Dad also smiled as he moved away from Chrissy to wash his hands in the sink. He looked like he’d been rolling in mud all day. I was surprised my mother had allowed him in the kitchen when Sally had recently cleaned it. Mum had proper OCD.

My brother just exhaled loudly, like he had something to say, but couldn’t string the words together. This caused my mother to shoot him a look which was difficult to read; a warning of sorts?

“Where is Alex taking you,” Chrissy questioned, overpronouncing my boyfriend’s name. She pulled her focus off Mattie, her eyes wandering over my dress.

The energy in the room was off. I couldn’t read exactly what it was but something wasn’t right. It felt like I’d interrupted a conversation about me or something. Had they heard about my visit to the McKenna’s place? Surely not, as my father wouldn’t have greeted me in such a friendly way. I’d be sitting in one of those kitchen chairs with a light shining in my eyes and thumb screws on by now.

I moved to the table and stood by Chrissy.

“The Windmill in Necton,” I replied breezily. She had a strange glare in her eye. It didn’t take long for her to reveal the reason for said glare.

“Isn’t that my dress?” she questioned with a tilt of her head. Chrissy was pretty in a cherubic way, but still possessed that puppy fat type of roundness. Let’s face it, there was no way she’d fit in the dress I was wearing. I wouldn’t tell her that though.

“No Chrissy, it’s mine.”

Her eyes narrowed and then Dad turned back from the sink wearing an expression of concern.

I ran my eyes over all their faces, I had interrupted something but after my crappy morning, I so didn’t want to get involved in any more bullshit.

“Anyways, looks like you guys have something to discuss, so, I’ll leave you to it,” I said with a grin toward my sister. A hidden message purely for Chrissy which said, good luck with that biatch! I meant it with a pinch of salt of course, as I said, my family were close and I loved my little sister.

She rubbed her nose with her index finger, secretly flipping me off and my grin turned meaty.

“Have a good time,” my mum cooed and I turned and walked to the door before my brother’s voice stopped me.

“Tell Alex I’m still up for that game of Duos on Fortnite later, if he’s going online,” Mattie shot out, twisting in his chair. I spun to face him and smiled, nodding my head in agreement. Both Alex and Mattie were huge gamer geeks and regularly teamed up on their PS4s or Xboxes (Mattie had both). I liked that my brother and boyfriend got along. There were already too many dysfunctional relationships in the area without adding to them. Coming up against resistance all the time was draining.

Alex was sitting in his car on his phone, but he looked up when the crunch of my feet hit the gravel. He hurriedly slid his phone into his pocket which was a bit odd, like he didn’t want me to see it.

I shook off the thought. His expression beamed his appreciation and I climbed into his car, thoroughly looking forward to some good chat and a nice large steak.

*****

The Windmill had recently reopened after new ownership and so I was a little apprehensive but luckily, the food was delicious. Everything looked so clean and fresh and the décor was modern, considering it was a country pub. It felt a bit more like a restaurant than a bar.

It was quiet, with one other couple in there when we arrived and only two barmaids present. I preferred it quiet, as I didn’t do noise and had little to no patience with waiting.

I took another sip of wine, eyeing Alex over the rim. He looked handsome with his dark blonde hair and clear blue eyes. His build was tall and athletic, but he wasn’t overly muscly. I preferred his build to the beefcakes that were the McKenna brothers. Alex was understated and less in your face. A good guy. He possessed a great sense of fashion, which was unique in a country lad.

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