Page 14 of Withered

“Dinner’s ready.” Mom calls from the dining room.

Aria leaps from the couch and dashes into the dining room. I'm about to follow her when my arm is pulled back and I'm pushed against the wall.

“What the hell are you doing?” I glare at him and speak through gritted teeth.

As I try to wriggle out of his arm that is securely wrapped around my waist, I glance in the direction of the kitchen to see if our respective moms might see us.

“Don’t do that. I’ll only hold you tightly.” Jake smirks, and I stop immediately. His green eyes are so intense that they bore into mine. As weird as it sounds, I like it. His arm is perfectly holding me in place, and I can feel the warmth of his body spreading through mine.

Unsure of what to do, I put my hands on his chest in a slow, seductive manner, the action making him raise his eyebrows, and the smirk reappears. Although I don’t let it stay for long. I use all my strength to push him, making his smirk disappear.

“Whoa! Easy tiger.” He sounds rather amused. “I didn’t think of you as a violent type.”

“Just let me go.” I wriggle again, but it’s no use. “Honestly, what do you want?” I’m so annoyed right now. If he wasn’t my guest, I would have kicked him.

He inches closer to my face, and I back away, saying, “Nothing. I’m just answering your question.” He speaks in a low voice, making him sound sultry.

Going past my face, he stops near my ear, and I suck in a breath because of how close we are. And damn, he smells good.

“I’m here for dinner.” His grip loosens, and I expect him to leave me, but he still has one arm holding me. He moves his other hand behind my neck and starts inching closer.

No, this can’t be happening.I clear my throat and snap him out. “Uh, let’s go; they are waiting.”

“You were so enjoying this,” he says so smugly, and I finally do what I want to. I kick him right in the balls, making him lose his grip on me, and leave without looking back.

Mom, Esme, and Aria are seated at the dining table. I join them and take a seat next to Mom, with Esme and Aria across from us.

Esme asks me, “Rose, where is Jake? I thought you were together.”

“Oh yeah, he got a call,” I lie. I hate lying. And for whom am I lying? That self-centered egotist who only considers himself.

Jake joins after a while. He glares at me, and I do my best to avoid him. “Sorry, I’m late. I got a call.”

As soon as he sayscall, my eyes widen. We both gave the same excuse.

“We’re aware. Take a seat.” Esme nods her head at an empty chair right next to me.

“You knew?” Jake asks her, confused.

“Yes, Rose told us.” She tells him and glances at me. I smile lightly at her and notice Jake. If looks could kill, I would be dead right now.

“Hello, ma’am, I’m Jake.” He greets Mom, eyeing her. I kick his leg under the table and throw my best glare at him, but he just smirks. I roll my eyes at him and return to my food.

“Hi, Jake. Nice to meet you,” Mom greets him.

Throughout the dinner, only Mom and Esme exchange words. Aria eats in silence. Jake was on his phone the whole time, and I had food. I pipe up in the conversation once in a while.

Jake leaves after dinner, saying he was meeting someone, and I couldn’t be happier. Esme and Mom are chatting nonstop as if they're long-lost friends. Even Kristy and I sometimes struggle with what to talk about.

After what felt like an eternity, Esme notices that her daughter has fallen asleep with her head on my lap. She fell asleep right after we had dessert. “Oh, lord, she’s sleeping soundly.”

“She must be tired,” Mom says, looking at us.

“I must get going.” Esme walks over and takes Aria in her arms. “Thank you so much for dinner. It was lovely.” She smiles at my mom and then at me.

“No worries. You are welcome here anytime.” Mom gives her a small side hug.

“Bye Rose.” She waves at me.

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