Chapter 5 — A seat at the Table
1159 Words
"Come, darling, sit here," Soraya muttered, pulling out a chair beside Adrian for Veronica to sit and eat.
She smiled warmly and took calm, measured steps toward the seat. The inviting aroma of freshly made pancakes and eggs filled the house, mingling with the sweet scent of orange juice.
Soraya Cole was a widow in her early forties. She had been married to Richard, an abusive and self-absorbed man who constantly made her feel worthless and incapable of surviving without him. Fortunately for her, he died of a stroke just two days before his birthday.
Adrian had grown up in an abusive home. His father would beat both him and his mother. Sometimes, the man would lock Adrian up for days and order Soraya not to give him food or water. Adrian hated his father with every fiber of his being, and who could blame him? No wonder he was terrified of the dark and fiercely protective of his mother. She was all he had.
"So, what’s your name?" Soraya asked, the sound of cutlery scraping against plates filling the air as she swallowed a forkful of pancake.
"Uhm, my name is Veronica Will..." She stopped herself just before completing her surname. The thought of revealing who she truly was made her uneasy. She didn’t want Adrian or Soraya to know her real identity. "Veronica Wilson," she lied, offering an awkward smile.
"That’s a lovely name. What do you do?" Soraya pressed gently.
"Mom, can you at least let her eat?" Adrian interjected, his eyes fixed on his mother.
"Come on, boy. I like the girl and I want to know more about her. Is that a crime?" Soraya frowned slightly.
"No, it’s okay, ma’am," Veronica murmured. She hesitated for a moment, quickly searching for the perfect lie. "I… uh, got a scholarship to study theater at Montero University," she said smoothly.
"Wait, Montero University?" Soraya asked, surprised. She turned to her son. "Adrian, isn’t that the same university you applied to study music?"
Soraya stared at Adrian in shock, disbelief written across her face. "Speak of fate! I knew you two had something coming. You know what they say, what an elder sees sitting, even if a child climbs the highest tree, he can't see that."
"Mom..." Adrian dragged the word with second-hand embarrassment. He wasn't ready for his mother's silly proverbs, as she called it.
"I just know your mother is as humble as you," Soraya said warmly, smiling at Veronica.
She began to cough, the food nearly choking her at that statement. Her mother? Humble? Diana Williams could be many things, but humble was definitely not one of them.
"Are you okay?" Adrian asked, concern flashing in his eyes as both he and Soraya looked at her.
"Come on, drink some juice." Soraya picked up the glass of orange juice beside her and handed it over to Veronica. She took it, drinking quickly, her eyes flickering toward Adrian before looking away.
"My mom," Veronica said. "Yes, She's... really humble," she nodded with a strained grin, the thought alone almost made her laugh.
"What does your mom do? What about your father?" Soraya asked.
"My mom is… uh, a teacher. And my father, I’d rather not talk about him," Veronica replied smoothly.
"Oh," Soraya whispered, glancing slowly at Adrian. "The feeling is mutual."
Adrian shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Sensing his discomfort, Soraya slowly lost interest in asking more questions about her family and allowed Veronica to finish her meal in peace.
They ate and laughed as Soraya cracked jokes about Adrian, sharing embarrassing stories that had Veronica laughing out loud. Adrian had no choice but to join in, he knew his mother wouldn’t stop teasing him anytime soon. There was no stopping her once she started.
***
After they finished eating, Veronica went upstairs to get dressed and prepare to face the real world again. Just as she finished changing, she heard a soft knock on the door.
"Come in," she said. She didn’t need to ask who it was—it was Adrian. The door creaked shut behind him as he stepped into the room.
"Thank you for yesterday… and today," Veronica said, rubbing her hands together, nervous. "And I’m really sorry for how I acted at the bar. I was going through a lot, and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. You can call me a b***h or a brat if you want, but... I’m really sorry."
She stopped, waiting for a response, but Adrian remained silent, his gaze fixed on her lips as the words left them. She felt incredibly stupid, and Veronica, in her usual style snapped.
"Wait, I just apologized! All you had to say was ‘okay, you’re forgiven.’ You don’t have to be an asshole about it," she cursed, clearly irritated.
Adrian let out a soft laugh. "That didn’t sound like a real apology. It felt like you just wanted to clear your guilt and owe me less."
"What?" Her brows furrowed "Is that what you think of me? I swallowed my pride to apologize, something most girls wouldn’t even do, and that's your response?"
Adrian bit his lip softly, staring at the ground. Okay, maybe that came out wrong, he thought. "I didn’t mean it that way. Stop overreacting."
"Now I’m overreacting..." she whispered to herself with a sarcastic smile before repeating louder, "I’m overreacting?"
Adrian’s jaw dropped in disbelief. "Jesus, what the hell do I say? I meant, it’s not that deep. Come on."
He tried to calm her down, but he couldn’t help noticing how much hotter she looked when she was angry.
Veronica grabbed her bags and unplugged her phone from the charger. The moment she turned it on, her eyes widened at the screen.
"Holy s**t," she muttered. "Thirty-two missed calls. My mom is going to kill me."
"Do you need me to come with you?" Adrian asked, concern evident in his voice.
"Hell no," she snapped instantly, then paused, her tone soft. "I mean… no, thank you. That would only make things worse since she doesn’t know you."
Adrian nodded. "Alright."
"Tell your mom I appreciate her hospitality, but I really have to go now," she said, reaching for the door handle.
She hurried downstairs and exited the building, with Adrian gently shutting the door behind her. A few blocks away, she hailed a ride and headed straight home.
"Where’s Veronica?" Soraya asked the moment she heard the door close. "She didn’t even say goodbye."
"She… uh, had an emergency, so she had to rush off," Adrian lied smoothly.
Soraya didn’t press further. One look at her son’s face told her he was acting strange again.
- Writer
