Page 95 of Patiently Yours
“Here?” I hiss at her quietly. “Like ourhome?”
She nods. Rory is rarely nervous, but right now I can smell the burned edges of her cranberry scent.
I stand up in a panic and look around my room. “Shit, what do I do?” I look around for nothing and then start to change my clothes.
“I don’t know, but they’re in our living room, claiming you have plans for dinner.”
I shake my head with exasperation. “Of course they are. They’ll probably blame me and say I forgot ‘like usual.’” I’d normally question whether or not I did forget something, but I never forget plans when they involve my parents. I open my closet and start to sniff through my clothes.
“What are you doing?” Rory asks with her eyebrows raised.
“I need something that isn’t covered in my scent or I need a stronger descenter, because my mom will comment on my smell.”
“Stacia, that’s fucked.” Rory crosses her arms. “For two people who are so concerned about proper etiquette, you’d think they’d learn some fucking manners when it comes to omegas.”
“I know.” I let out a breath. “Can you please tell them that I’m almost done getting ready? This is going to be a fucking nightmare.”
She nods softly before exiting my room. It takes a second to collect myself, but I finally breathe a bit easier when I have on scent canceling underwear and recently washed clothes. I put on as much descenter as I can before a chirp sounds from my bed.
Uriah: Fine, we can all agree to disagree.
Uriah: But I’m right.
I giggle and respond to the group chat before they can keep bantering.
Stacia: Major Alert Guys. My parents just showed up and are forcing me to dinner . I’ll be back as soon as I can.
Kendall: That’s horrible news. Do you need help getting out of it?
Ciro: We could show up to the restaurant and whisk you away like charming knights
Uriah: Please tell me you’re joking
Ciro: I’m not. I’m picturing bulky metal and everything. The whole nine.
Stacia: It’ll be okay. Thank you for thinking about me.
Atlas: We’re always thinking about you. Please text us as soon as you’re done. We’ll come get you.
I beamand send one final heart emoji before sighing with relief. I can get throughonedinner with my parents.I can. Because these boys are everything I never knew I needed and they’ll be waiting for me.
It’s beentwenty minutes of complete hell.
I was met with scowls as my greeting when I finally emerged from my room. My mother not only sneered at my outfit, but she very obnoxiously sniffed the air around me before pulling a descenter from her purse. I’m convinced that she does it to undermine me. They were in my living room, for fuck’s sake. There’s no way she didn’t already smell me. My father commented on my tardiness, but I couldn’t even respond before my mother was putting her own two cents in.You know how she is, Robert: clueless and selfish.
Loretta Kelmeckis is what you would describe as the typical detached trophy wife. She’s beautiful, but her eyes lack warmth and her nails are always extra sharp. Literally andmetaphorically. I sometimes try to think of what my mother was like before she married my father. Was she free spirited? Did she have a rebellious phase? Or was she always this callous, calculated woman who was destined to hate her only child?
The what-ifs are always unproductive. It just saddens me that both of them are as cold as they come. My childhood would have been a lot more meaningful if at least one of them had shown me they cared.
I instead found the love I craved in stories and books.
The entire car ride is silent except for their persistent narcissistic ramblings. Their scents bring back terrible memories. At some point, my body goes numb and their voices become muffled as I stare out the window, pretending I am anywhere else.
I don’t recall how we got here, but we’re suddenly sitting at a table. The lights overhead are too bright and the table-cloths are a deep red. I peer down at the menu in my hands and the letters blur together. Is this even English? Did we get on a private jet and I just don’t remember?
A waiter comes by and speaks in English. Okay, I’m not losing my mind then.
I look over the menu, my parents’ voices still muffled and far away. I can’t assemble the energy needed to interact or even placate them today. I think I hear my mother mutterdimwitted omegaunder her breath after I ignore her again. It’s all too much; my skin feels like it’s on fire but I’m frozen in my spot.
