Page 9 of Holiday Plus-One
“Oh Jesus, mom.”
“Oh, this is good, she’s calling you mom instead of mama. What didn’t she say no to?” Vic decides this is the moment where he’s going to join a conversation that has nothing to do with him.
My eyes immediately go to Riley as if on cue. Riley spreads his legs a bit wider as he sits forward with his elbows on his legs, he isn’t even looking up, he’s on his phone.
“She’s open to dating again,” immediately, Riley’s eyes shoot up and look right into mine. The intention in his eyes are clear as day and all I can do is profusely blink. I’ve never just looked at someone and I knew what they wanted from me at that moment. “It’s been sooooooooo long.”
I quickly glare at my mom as she overstretched, and she shrugs her shoulders.
“Has it?” Riley speaks up.
“Yeah, well, not as long as mama just tried to make it seem. Just been three years.”
“May I ask what happened?”
“He passed.”
Riley gives me a small smile. “I’m sorry. No one deserves that.”
“I appreciate it.”
There was nothing but sincerity in his voice and it put me at ease. He wasn’t trying to come over and hug me because I lost someone nor was, he trying to pry. He just… I don’t know what it is with Riley but what am I going to do?
The room falls into a peaceful silence, but Riley’s eyes haven’t left mine and I don’t want them to.
“Riley, did you tell mom that she needs to bring her something blue?” Tracie asks and it shocks me out of my moment.
“Mom?” I repeat.
“Yeah,” she answers. “Riley’s my brother.” she answers.
My eyes widen in shock and Riley glares at Tracie.
“Parents were married and divorced so no blood relations, sweetheart.”
Although he’s answering Tracie, he’s looking at me. He won’t take his eyes off me and its unnerving me.
“Don’t sweetheart me, Riley. You’re my brother.” Tracie answers with a huff and he looks her way.
In this moment, I see the love he has for her.
“Of course, I’m your brother and you’re my sister, I was just explaining it to Valentina, that’s all.”
“I guess.” Tracie says.
I roll my eyes because I realize how much I still don’t like her and it clicks that Riley may still be watching me and when I look at him, he very much is but he has a curious look this time. Like he wants to know something. He looks between me and Tracie with a confused expression but my phone pings, getting my attention. Good save because I had absolutely nothing to say to Riley besides the fact that I don’t like his sister this many years later.
Riley
Valentina doesn’t like Tracie;I can tell, and I want to ask why…
My curiosity always gets the best of me and that’s why I barely slept wanting to find out about the look from Valentina and why Tracie was being a little annoying by saying I was her brother as if this was news. Tracie’s mother was my father’s second wife for two years and we decided to stay close because we did become close but our parents, or rather my father doesn’t know how to stay married. He’s currently on wife number four but that helped me realize that I do not want more than one wife. I’ll make it work as much as I can.
I know that others would deem this as not really a good thing because then I’m overcompensating but sometimes when you overcompensate, that means you’re going to give even more. I don’t plan on doing this with someone who doesn’t want me, hell no. Once I’m with someone, I’m all in.
That was my downfall before, and it ended badly but that’s nothing to think about again. I’m over it and I’m sure somewhere, wherever Carrie is, she’s moved on too.
My phone pings and I know it’s been going off for an hour now, but bridezilla isn’t going to get me out of my house before I’m ready to move. Then my doorbell goes off about three times and I roll my eyes again.
