After my showdown with Jamie, I was as muted as a television set. Yeah, that was the nearest comparison I could come up with because my thinking hadn’t been straight. I had been so satisfied with my outburst at Mr Arrogant until I discovered that his mom had been there. She’d probably been there the whole time. 

Pretending to adjust the folding at the edge of my jeans, I hit my head against the table for the millionth time since dinner started. After my discovery that Nicole had been standing there, I hurried down the stairs and out the door to get some fresh air. I had let my anger control me, yet again and this time, it’d probably gotten me into more serious shit. Of course, to make me all the more guilty, Nicole had come out herself to get me when everyone else was already seated for dinner. Somehow, she got Jamie down for dinner too. If she could’ve done that so easily, why did she have to get me involved in the first place? She apologized on behalf of everyone for not making me feel so welcome. 

When she led me back in, I followed her without saying a word. Talking about guilt-tripping, to top, the seat left for me was the one next to Jamie’s. I glanced at him only once to find him involved in a stare-down with his father. Mr McLane sat at the head of the table, Nicole sat next to him to his left, and Nico came next. Jamie sat on the right next to his dad and I came after. He looked like he was avoiding me or maybe he was just too engrossed with the glares he was shooting his dad. When Nicole got to the table with the last dish, she announced, “Let’s pray.”

She took her husband’s hand and then, Nico’s. Jamie looked at his father’s hands and then to mine. This was turning out to be the most awkward dinner I’d ever had in my life. I could’ve just agreed with the guy himself when he told me to stay home. Lesson of the day: Stubbornness does you no good. If these were a movie, everyone should learn from my stupidity. I ducked my head under the table to retie my perfectly tied up sneakers and this time, even without having to fake it, I hit my head. My head was getting used to situations like this pretty fast.

“Are you alright, sweetie? Are you uncomfortable there?” Nicole forced, gesturing towards my side of the table and I caught sight of Nico stiffening a laugh at my flushed look. Jamie abruptly got up from his seat and gestured to it. “You can sit here.” Without waiting for my response, he drew out my chair in one swift motion, ushering me to get up. He could’ve at least acted like he wasn’t doing this because he didn’t want to hold hands with his dad. My instincts fought to argue but I shouldn’t be stubborn about that now. Look where stubbornness got me in the first place. When we were seated, Nicole shot Jamie a disapproving look. “Can we pray now?” I put my hands in Mr McLane’s cold ones and looked to Jamie, half expecting him to ignore me but he looked away and offered his hands, wide open. Putting my hands in his, I jerked it away when I felt its warmth because I’d been expecting the opposite. He raised an eyebrow at me and I felt my hairs standing on edge. I put my hands back in his and relaxed, closing my eyes. The prayer was short but I felt like I was holding hands with him for a long time. The warmth of his hands was comforting and when he’d wrapped his then around mine, it felt like he was trying to tell me something. Who was I kidding? This was Jamie. It was clear that he was equally as repulsed by me as I was by him.

“Amen.” I shot my eyes open and yanked my hands away from his. I was only feeling bad that his mom heard me scolding him. I didn’t feel bad for scolding him.

“Dad, mom started a cooking vlog.” Nico piped up as we began eating. His father smiled. He actually smiled at him, looking at Nico as he spoke. “Wow, that’s good. You should send me a link. My new secretary, Maggie loves watching those.” The smile on Nicole’s face faltered and I sensed Jamie stiffen beside me. Nico continued eating, identifying the change in the atmosphere. That tension was back. “Jamie helps her film it. He’s great with the camera.”

“At least, he’s good with something. That’s unless he doesn’t sell the channel to his friends for some weed.” His father retorted and Nicole choked on her food, her little son handing her a glass of water and finally deciding to find something interesting in his food instead of speaking again and while Jamie took his glass of wine and downed it all, I picked at my food.

I didn’t know where the problem was stemmed from. Dad, mom or kids? The man was quite mouthy but how was I sure that they hadn’t done something to make him this way? I started analyzing it in my head because what else was I supposed to do when I’d been thrown in between this family feud? As we continued eating in silence, each of us occupied by our own noisy thoughts, we heard a distant ring from the kitchen. Nicole stood up to get it but her husband’s voice stopped her.

“You sit, let Jamie get it.” He was obviously brewing trouble.

“It’s my phone. I’ll get it myself.” Nicole’s hands trembled, probably out of provocation. Before he could say anything to counter what his wife had said, Jamie got up from his seat and hurried over to the kitchen. Judging by every of his action tonight, I was sure he hadn’t gotten up based on his father’s request but probably because he needed to get out of here. Any other idea of small talk was diminished as we all ate silently, except for the occasional voice we heard from the kitchen as Jamie spoke to whoever was on the phone. Even after we stopped hearing his voice, meaning that he’d hung up, he didn’t emerge from the kitchen. Nicole excused herself from the table, this time; she didn’t wait for her husband to speak as she walked down to the kitchen. I heard hushed whispers from mother and son before they finally emerged from the kitchen. I snuck a peek at everyone’s plates and sighed. Seriously? Did anyone want to get this dinner over with at all? They’d barely touched their food. If they were so used to staying in this kind of toxic atmosphere, I wasn’t and I wanted to get out of it as soon as possible.

“So, do you live with your parents?” Oh God, tell me that question wasn’t just directed at me. My mouth went dry and I took a sip of water.

“Uhm…yes. I mean no. Well, kind of. My parents are not- uhm- not together. I live with my dad.” Shoot me! What was with me with all that incoherent rambling? I stole a glance at the man who’d just asked the question. Apparently, he had more questions to ask.

“Did my son become friends with you of his own will? I’m curious, seeing as the others he’s made are quite…” He put a finger up, looking for a word to qualify Jamie’s friends. “Should I say mannerless, with no future plans?” Jamie’s face had turned red with anger as he spoke through gritted teeth.

“I didn’t see you making any friends that had any good influence on you, seeing as your actions are still the same since I last saw you.” Nicole gasped. I did too. I didn’t think I had any appetite for food anymore and it looked like everyone felt the same way. The lasagna was great but the company’s attitude towards one another sucked. Mr McLane got to his feet and banged the table angrily, making me jump in shock.

“That’s it! He’s coming with me to London. He’s got some few things to leran!”

“Newsflash, I’m nineteen. You can’t make me do what I don’t want to do.” Jamie retorted.

I felt a tug on my sleeve and I glanced sideways to find Nico, his eyes glittering with unshed tears. “Please, let’s go up to my room . I need to make plans for my birthday.” The way he asked gently and politely made me doubt for a second that he was Nico but he was a kid and no matter how tough he acted, that gentleness was still inside of him. Long gone was the sarcastic little boy I once knew.

“Well if you want to show me that you’re a big boy, you can stop using my money and go find somewhere else to live.” Mr McLane’s voice boomed and I quickly nodded at the Nico. “Yeah, sure.”

I got up to leave and suddenly, I heard Nicole’s voice. “No one is leaving!” She sounded so angry and I stopped in my tracks. I looked back at her, thinking she was referring to me but she continued. “Jamie is not leaving this house, not until it’s of his own will to do so. He is my son!”

“I should’ve known. You made him this way. His stubbornness, coupled with your letting him do whatever pleases him. I’m the one to blame for bringing him to you.”

We took his loud response as our cue to leave. Two at a time, I flew up the stairs, right behind Nico up to his room. When I walked in, he shut the door behind him.

“I told mom not to invite you over.” Here’s the return of the rude kid I’d come to know. But then, when I saw the look in his eyes, I knew that was not the case. A tear rolled down his eyes and several others followed. “Especially when she asked dad to come home today.” He was sobbing so much now and I hurried over to where he sat on his bed, trying to swipe the tears away. I began to pat his back as he spoke in between sobs.

“I didn’t want you to see the mess our family is when we’re together. She said they’d act good if they saw we had a visitor. I don’t know who to blame. Jamie? Dad? It can’t be mom. She’s tried so much in gluing our family together.” He sniffled and wiped his nose. I saw this as my cue to speak.

“I’m sorry that you have to witness this at a young age. I started watching my parents fight at a young age too and trust me, it was as horrible, if not worse.”

“They didn’t care who else was around.” I frowned as I remembered once when my parents had taken me along to a company dinner. It was a special Christmas dinner at the company where everyone was supposed to bring along their family members. My parents had had a fight right there, in front of everyone. Apparently, dad had done something that made mom mad and she’d decided to lay it all out right there. I’d cried so much because of how ashamed I’d been and so I understood how Nico must have felt.

“Is that why your parents are not together anymore?” His question broke me out of my thoughts.

“I don’t really know the whole story but if their fights was the reason, it was a good enough reason.” I’d said that out loud before I realized that I shouldn’t have.

“Uhm…That’s not what I meant.” I tried to counter what I said but he beat me to it.”

“Worse things have happened and they’re still together. Even Jamie is still here. This is nothing.” My heart broke for the little boy who’d seen so many things he shouldn’t have. I pulled him into a hug and he didn’t resist. When we finally pulled away, I wiped the tear stains off his face and helped him get ready for bed. When he was tucked in and I was about to turn off the lamp, he spoke.

“Can I come over tomorrow to talk about my birthday plans?” I smiled as I recalled that he’d used that as an excuse to take me away from the argument.

“Sure, you can come over anytime.”

“Thank you.” His ‘thank you’ held a meaning and I ruffled his hair before turning off the lamp and leaving the room.

The house was finally quiet but I still tiptoed downstairs. I was just going to get my phone and maybe sneak home if I didn’t see anyone around. Hopefully, because I didn’t think I’d be comfortable facing either Nicole or Jamie. Or worst of all, his dad!

As I approached the living room, I heard voices coming from the kitchen. The plates on the table were all cleared but my phone wasn’t on it. I checked the couch I’d sat on earlier when I first got here this evening but my phone wasn’t there. I looked around and I was sure I hadn’t taken my phone up with me to Nico’s room. I sighed as I knew what I had to do. I had to go to the kitchen to ask whoever was there.

“-you should be glad that mom asked me to come down here. I didn’t invite you here, so why ask to see me before you left?” I stopped, just beside the kitchen entrance when I heard Jamie’s voice. Gosh, and I thought this was over.

“Looks like you’re finally starting to get comfortable here. Now, I’m the intruder.” What did his dad mean by that? I was now eavesdropping shamelessly and I didn’t care. Perhaps, now, I could find out why their relationship was the way it was.

“Whatever you’re trying to get at, I’d advise you to drop it.” Jamie’s voice rang out.

“Or else what? Whoever thought I’d see the day where my son would speak to me like he was speaking to a little kid.” His father laughed bitterly.

“Like I said earlier, there’s some work you need to do in London. It’s quite obvious that you don’t even have an interest in going to college, what else can I do but to help your sorry self? I’m giving you a job so you won’t end up on the streets. I face-palmed myself. They were both stubborn. It sounded like Mr McLane cared but why should he be so arrogant about his offer?

“Seeing as your offer is only for your benefit, you can keep that slot for someone else.” Jamie gritted out and I heard his dad scoff. “It’s not like you have important things or friends to give up such nice offer for. I don’t see any reason why you should choose to stay back here. As it is, your friends are so useless that I don’t see any reason why you should stay behind to keep them happy.”

“But I do have my girlfriend.” He was so fast in storming out of the kitchen that I stayed rooted to my spot out of shock.

He pulled me from where I stood and I stuttered. “I…I…” He wrapped his fingers around mine and pulled me so that his dad could get a better view of us. “Have a safe trip.”

He had a triumphant look to his eyes when he turned to me. “Were you planning to leave without giving me a goodnight kiss?” I blinked and from my peripheral view, I saw his dad and he was practically breathing out fire. He looked so furious. When Jamie reached up to touch my cheeks, I flinched because this time, his fingers were cold. He moved his hands down to my wrists and pulled me up the stairs. What the hell had come over him? The grip he had on my wrist was very tight but I followed, speechless and he didn’t let go.