Page 68 of Take Me Slowly: part 2
Nothing had changed since I was here last. Nothing was out of place. Every last blade of grass was perfectly manicured. They paid good money to have it kept this way. As if somehow they'd cause offence by having slight imperfections outside the front of their house.
The house itself? Grey brick, white windows and a black front door. The place looked like any other house on the street. Nothing about it stood out from the rest.
Of course not. My mother and stepfather wouldn't want to embarrass themselves by being different. My mother was so obsessed with blending in she might have been a chameleon. On the outside at least. Behind closed doors, everything was a different story.
"No wonder you left," Riley said as we approached the front door. "This place looks like suburban Boringville. Let me guess, everyone has two-point-three kids, a dog and a cat."
"How do you have point three of a kid anyway?" Connor asked. He pointed a finger at Riley before the other guy could answer. "I know about mathematical statistics and all that shit. It's a rhetorical question." He narrowed his eyes like he wasexpecting a smartass remark anyway. Knowing Riley, that was a fair guess.
Riley grinned. "I knew that. What makes you think I was going to take it seriously?"
"I knew you weren't," Connor told him. "I'm trying to circumvent some sort of bullshit response."
"Ask a silly question." Riley shrugged. "Do we do rock, paper, scissors to decide who’s going to knock on the door?" He raised his hand, ready to compete for the honour. As if somehow it made a difference who did the knocking. Or the ringing of the doorbell.
Brooks gave him a funny look before stepping past him and pulling a key out of his pocket. He slid it into the front door lock and turned it before pushing the door open.
"Or we could do that." Riley followed him inside. "I should have known you'd have a key. That's kind of our thing, isn't it?" He sounded slightly disappointed, like he'd been hoping for the chance to break the door down.
I hung back, my hand in Josiah's. I hadn't realised it until now, but this wasn't home anymore. The more I thought about it, the more I understood this hadn't been home for a long time. Was it ever? Right now, I felt like a stranger stepping into someone else's house. As if at any moment the police would come and arrest us for trespassing.
"It's okay if you’ve changed your mind," Josiah said softly. "We can leave." He tucked me to him, his body warm against mine. The smell of pine and leather, reassuring, soothing. Home.
A stark contrast to the smell of cleaning products inside the house. Between that and the buzz of traffic outside. It felt like another planet. So different from the mountains. The air wasn't as cold, but the city was colder in other ways. Impersonal andunwelcoming. A street full of boxes where people lived their anonymous lives. Convenient to amenities, but soulless.
Here, people didn't even know their neighbours’ names. Or their business. Or if they were even home. It seemed like such an impersonal way to live.
"Brooks, what are you doing here?" My mother's voice came from the kitchen.
"We thought we'd pay you a visit," he replied.
I gave Josiah a quick glance before sighing and leading him in, letting the door close behind us.
"Who's we…" Felicity caught sight of me as I stepped into the room, Josiah beside me. "Leah, sweetheart! This is unexpected." She stepped over to give me a hug and a kiss on my cheek. Her heels made her taller than me, and her black trousers and white silk blouse made me feel scruffy. Comfortable, but like I hadn't put any thought into my outfit before leaving this morning. Whereas she'd probably been planning this outfit for days.
"Hi, Mom." I gave her an awkward hug back, then introduced her to Connor, Riley and Josiah.
"You're keeping some interesting company," she said, giving them appraising glances as I said their names. Clearly wondering what their relationship with me was. Assuming, correctly, the guys had relationships with each other.
"I don't think I've ever been called interesting before," Riley said.
"I bet you have," Connor told him. "You are interesting."
Riley gave him a sidelong look. "I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. It sounds like a consolation prize."
Connor jabbed him with his elbow. "It's not a consolation prize. There's nothing wrong with being interesting."
"It's better than annoying as hell." Brooks stepped over to the cabinet where the coffee cups were stored and started to pullsome out. He checked the coffee machine before turning it on and starting to heat the water.
"As fascinating as this is," Felicity said slowly, "is there a particular reason for this visit?" She picked up her phone from the countertop and glanced at the screen. "I was just about to head out to drinks with the girls."
"Drinks can wait," I said. "We came to ask a few questions."
She laughed, but the sound was a nervous one. "If it's important, you could have called. I really have to head out—" She took a couple of steps toward the door.
"It is important," I insisted. I didn't come all this way just for her to brush me off and walk away. I knew exactly what she was expecting and hoping for. She'd leave and when she got back, we'd be gone. And any potential controversy along with us. That was how she dealt with problems. By ignoring them and hoping not to be pushed to face them.
But this wasn't going to walk out the door when she wasn't looking. She was going to listen whether she liked it or not.
