Chapter 18
646 Words
He turns off onto a different street, the neighborhood getting increasingly nice with each passing house as he maneuvers the car into an area lined with large, expensive mansions.
He pulls the car into a long gravel driveway in front of one of the mansions.
“My God!Your parents live here?Just how rich are they?”
Opening the door,he takes my hand and helps me out.
“Very”,he answered.
“They only like to flaunt it around every chance they get, so don't worry about their bullshit. All money and no class. And don't think I won't notice if you try getting up to anything while we're inside. My parents have the whole place rigged with cameras—even the damn bathroom.”
“Bathroom???”,I laugh.
“I'm not joking, sweetheart. I grew up in that place. They absolutely have cameras in the bathrooms. They used to go through the footage at the end of the day to keep track of their employees and the guests.I'm dead serious.”
“Gee,okay”.
As if on cue, the front door of the house swings open to reveal a man about the same age as Aiden standing in the doorway with a wide smile on his face. He’s besides a woman who looks like a slightly older, slightly shorter copy of Aiden. She doesn't look nearly as happy as her husband does.
Aiden's Mother:Her voice is cold and calculating, her eyes roaming over me critically.“Well… this can't be the little girlfriend you promised to bring. I thought we told you to dress for the occasion, son?”
“What stupid ass occasion?”Aiden fires back.I press his palm slightly.
Ignoring the jab about how I’m dressed, voice flat and cold.
“ ...This is her. And if you've got anything to say about it, save it. We're not staying long anyway.”
His mother raises an eyebrow at that but doesn't argue further—just steps aside with a stiff smile to let us both in while Aiden practically drags me through the door with him like he's already regretting this whole thing.
As soon as the door shuts behind us,Aiden's grip relaxes slightly—but he doesn't let go of my hand completely. There's a tense silence in the room—his parents watching me closely while he seems to struggle to hold himself back from growling at them again. His father is the first to break the silence, clearing his throat and forcing an almost painfully pleasant smile.
Aiden's Father:”Well… it's nice to meet you. I'm Richard, and this is my wife Claire. You can call me Rich or Richard, sweetheart. And I suppose I can speak for Claire when I say you look stunning.”
“Oh,why thank you very much.Nice to meet you both”,i reply with a fake big smile,not liking the way his mom stares at me.
Aiden's Father:”And what's your name, sweetheart? We'd love to know the name of the lovely lady who's caught our son's attention.”His smile is still pleasant, but it's clear the man has nothing but skepticism in his eyes—like he's just waiting for me to say something dumb.
Aiden clears his throat as he talks.
“Mother,father,I’d like you to meet my girlfriend,Tiana Davis”.
His mother stiffens—her lips pressing into a thin line as she stares at me with barely concealed disapproval.
Aiden's Mother:”Tiana.”
The way she says my name is like it leaves a bad taste in her mouth. You can practically hear the condescension dripping from her tone. “How… interesting.”
Aiden tenses beside me—his grip tightening on my palm before he forces himself to relax again with an irritated huff, clearly trying to keep his temper under control.
- Writer
