Beside Him

Chapter 14// Dinner Time In The Harrison Household

I smiled at the beautiful, yet clearly surprised couple before me.

The man was tall, so tall I had to crane my neck and the woman was tiny, probably only an inch or two taller than me.

It would've looked odd if it wasn't for the fact that physically, the two were practically models.

The man, dressed in a cashmere sweater and trousers with the collar of his white shirt sticking out and sleeves rolled up to his elbows, was a hunk of a man to put it moderately.

He had brown, short hair, his smile kind yet the lack of laugh lines showing its rarity.

The woman had short, ear length blonde hair, startlingly bright and oddly fimiliar.

She was curvy, a perfect burgundy dress highlighting her clear beauty and making her green eyes stand out like an anomaly.

Her smile was kind too, yet the presence of laugh lines showed the contrast between the couple.

Either late 30s or early 40s. Young.

And Archer King's parents.

Oh, crap.

"Mr King." I yelped suddenly, sticking out my hand. He raised an eyebrow, his straight cut jaw a perfect resemblance to his son's.

"I'm sorry, darling, I haven't seen you around here before." His accent was Spanish, his grip on my hand firm.

I smiled sheepishly. "I'm Emily and Darren's granddaughter, Rivi."

He let go of my hand and raised an amused eyebrow. "Well now I know you're lying because I've heard so much about this granddaughter and if there's one thing I remember it's that her name is Adelaide."

I shook my head and laughed lightly. "That's my middle name yet they insist on calling me just that. But everyone else calls me Rivi."

Except your son, who seems to be M I A.

"Ahh, I see. Well it's lovely to meet you, little Rivi."

I smiled and turned towards the woman, sticking out my hand. She looked from my eyes to it before looking at me in disgust.

I retreated my hand, utterly confused before suddenly, I was in her arms, the scent of lavender almost overpowering.

"Christ." I breathed out, the woman more than my height in her heels.

"Rivi, I have heard so much about you. From not only your grandparents but also from my son. We are not going to meet with a handshake." She said into my hair and I laughed.

She pulled back and inspected me. "The famous River Harrison. My son talks about you so much I swear I know every detail."

I smiled, covering up my shock.

"Would you like to come in?" I asked, guiding them with my hands and ignoring the pang in my chest.

Archer's not here.

As if reading my thoughts, Mrs King spoke up. "Archer has the tendency to be a little slow dear. He must have forgotten we were coming here for dinner so he'll come when he realises." She said softly.

"Oh, Ok, Thank you Mrs Kin-"

"None of that Mrs King stuff from you. All of Archer's friends call me Mrs K." She said in mock anger, pulling our arms to link.

This is my type of woman.

I smiled. "Thanks you," I paused. "Mrs K."

We all sat around the table in the dining room, me at the end of Lolly and Pops and Mr and Mrs King on the opposite side of them, leaving the seat opposite me empty for Archer on the 6 people table.

"Tell me more about yourself, Rivi. I'd love to know what it is that's got my son so infatuated by you-"

He was cut off by an obnoxious throat clearing and all of us turned to look at the doorway, where none other than the son stood.

Archer stood glaring at his father who only smirked in return, wearing black jeans and a black shirt, a white bomber jacket and white vans making the outfit look all the better.

His hair was messy, as if someone had been running their hands through it constantly, his face flushed and red, his cheek having a small lipstick mark on it.

My eyes zoned in, inspecting the rest of his features to check if they all pointed to the same thing~ Archer King had just ran here from his w***e's house.

His eyes were glinting in happiness, the green the colour of fresh grass. I could smell him from here, the scent of nature something that calmed me down immediately.

His usually emotionless face was lit up in a small, very tiny smile and my heart skipped a beat.

Don't be judgemental River. You don't know where he's come from.

I tilted my head to the left at his hand, containing a sheet of paper.

When I saw what it was, my heart thudded out of my chest.

Thank you, King Archer.

From

Layla

Xoxo

And then there was a small lipstick mark again.

A child. He was with a child. A small smile appeared on my face but disappeared as the guilt consumed me.

So judgemental River. So, so judgemental.

"Sorry I'm late, got stuck with Layla. What's for dinner?" He asked, taking a seat opposite me but never once meeting my eyes.

I looked down in shame.

"Adelaide." My head snapped up at Lolly's voice, meeting her confused gaze.

"Yeah?" I asked but my voice came out hoarse so I cleared my throat and asked again.

"Can you ask Giana to set the table please?" She asked and I practically bolted out of there, only sparing her a nod.

I sat on the counter as Giana talked about her day, telling me everything Lolly had gotten up to today.

Giana Collins was Lolly and Pops's personal nurse. She was paid more in a week than other nurses were in a year.

Lucky girl.

"I'll have to take tomorrow off, Ms Harrison." She said respectfully and I sighed.

I'd told her again and again to call me River but for some unfathomable reason, she always said no.

"That's ok, Giana. Please, call me Rivi." I said as I walked out of the room, taking out my phone and pulling it in front of me as I checked a message from dad saying he was happy that I'd said yes to the wedding.

I smiled and sent him a text back.

"Who are you grinning away to?" Pops asked, throwing his arm around my chair and kissing my temple. I smiled and put my phone away.

I felt Archer's eyes on me but when I looked, he was solely focused on Lolly and his mum as they talked about my mum's fashion brand.

"Dad. I was texting dad." I sighed, chewing the inside of my cheek. Archer's gaze met mind for a millisecond before going back to the other conversation.

Mr King got bored of his wife's talks and turned to me.

"Ok little Rivi. You still haven't told me much about yourself. I've heard plenty from your grandparents and my son-" this earned him a glare from Archer to which he flicked his hand. "-but I'd love to hear it from you."

I paused for a moment. "I don't know what to say."

He smiled kindly and I had to double take at how similar yet different it was to Archer's. "Well, let's start off with what college you want to go to, if any at all."

"Oxford." I replied instantly, earning myself a pat on the back from Pops.

Mr King's eyebrows rose. "Impressive. What major?"

"Fine art." I paused. "I think."

He looked impressed. "And why Oxford of all universities?"

"All Harrisons go there." I said with a shrug. He looked at me, waiting for me to expand. "Ever since it was made, the original families there included the Harrisons. If I don't go, I'll ruin our reputation. It's compulsory."

I shrugged it off as if it was no big deal but it was. God, it was.

The Harrisons basically made Oxford university and

if I didn't get in I would truly be disowned.

Pressure much?

"My son's not that sure about his life, are you Archer?" Archer's jaw clenched and he looked away. "Sometimes it's Oxford. Sometimes Harvard. Sometimes Washington sometimes Seattle. My boy's just like me in that sense. I didn't decide on my university until I met his mother."

Both Mrs K and Archer's head snapped to him as he spoke, his eyes far away and, if I looked closely, slightly glazed.

Archer looked away instantly after, his jaw working ferociously under his skin.

"She was only young, 16 actually when she got pregnant with Archer." He spoke and I frowned. Why was he talking about Archer's mum as if she wasn't right beside him?

"I had no idea what I was doing with my life but I knew that she had to be in it. She just had to. So when she decided she was moving back to Barcelona to live with her mum, I packed my bags and moved right with her. I was only 17, I thought I wanted to be in a rock band but with her, it was like the world made sense. I wanted to do everything to make her happy. Including go to a country where I knew no one and start right from the bottom. Thankfully I had somewhat good grades and I wasn't really a naughty kid so I got into Barcelona University easily and actually passed in business. She was so happy. So, so happy."

His voice cracked and I looked away, thinking I was interrupting a private moment.

My eyes met Archer's and locked there. Mr King stopped talking, everyone stopped moving.

No one said a thing as I looked at Archer and he looked at me.

Then he spoke and I gasped at the venom in his voice, the hatred in his eyes directed solely to me.

"She's dead." He said through gritted teeth. "Valerie is my step mum. My mother, is dead."