"I suppose saying I am going to murder you while I am sitting in front of your bodyguards is a stupid thing to say," I muttered staring out the window at what must be Katherine's house. I took in the vine-covered gate, surrounded by a large wall with vines of flowers with a mix of awe and trepidation. It felt like I was staring up at a mysterious castle... if the castle was surrounded by so much foliage that you couldn't actually see what was on the other side.
Am I heading into a home, or a torture chamber... or both?
"Don't be silly," Laliana said getting out of the car. I followed behind, taking in the smell of sweet flowers that instantly filled the crisp cool air, wafting off the wall.
"If Day or Night here thought you were going to murder me, they never would have let you into the car," Laliana finished shooting me a mischievous smile.
I raised a brow and then turned back to the two suits that had been sitting with us in the back of the limo. "So... your names are Night and Day? ...Seriously?"
Day shook his head, shooting me a deadpan expression. "Code names. We don't give out real names."
"And did you get stuck with the name Day because you have a bright personality?" I asked.
Laliana pushed me towards the gate. "Okay... let's get you inside before you cause problems." Then she waved at the two suits. "Thank you for the ride boys."
They nodded in unison before shuffling back into the limo as I was pushed into the opening that appeared in the gate.
I couldn't see the house I was entering, which left me more hesitant, wishing the chipper Time of Day Suit Twins were coming with us so I could continue to heckle them as a distraction.
Suddenly, I was consumed by plants as I stumbled onto a rock path with thick walls of lush green on either side. I was standing in the most breathtaking garden I had ever seen. But I didn't get a chance to stop and take it in.
"I'll give you a tour later. Keep going. I know you well enough that making a break for it is not off of the list of possibilities."
"What on earth?" I balked staring around even as Laliana pushed me forward, urging me towards a front door that was painted a bright red. I felt like I was about to be pushed through a portal and back into the real world after stumbling into a fairy glen. Twinkle lights lit the vines that snaked above my head as I moved under a set of arches. The light cast a combination of sparkle and warm sun rays as the final bits of sun settled across the green in a final evening embrace.
"Beautiful right?!? This place feels like magic come to life," Laliana said with reverence, moving to stand next to me and taking my hand in hers, tugging me along. Her smile grew with each step, her body relaxing as we moved. I could see how much she loved the garden as her eyes drank in the world around us.
I nodded, speechless. No words seemed good enough to express how utterly breathtaking Katherine's place was. "I spend a lot of time here."
"I can see why. It's a lush garden in a metal desert," I whispered. The quiet place demanded a quiet response.
Laliana paused at the front door, hand hovering above the doorbell. "Dang. That's a good line. Can I use it for a book?"
I shrugged. "Sure." I didn't mind. Laliana wouldn't quote me poorly and throw it up on a website.
She pulled out her phone and quickly wrote down the line. "So..." Laliana offered me an encouraging smile. "You ready?" She rang the doorbell before I could respond, sending my heart searching for a better place to hide. It felt too exposed even behind flesh, and a ribcage.
Nope. Not even close. "I guess," I replied, trying to believe it.
...
I felt like I was in the middle of a reality television show where a family sits down for dinner and everyone at the table hates everyone else, making the entire thing a tense, awkward situation that made you want to crawl under a blanket and never come out. I didn't want to be on a fake hit TV show.
I wanted a normal dinner by myself, watching kdrama's while I yelled at the television about the character's poor life choices. Was that an option?
But instead, I was stuck with option one. And nothing about this was fake. It was all real. I really was related to a stubborn sister who didn't like another stubborn person for yelling at me. And the boy I was in lâ a boy that I really liked had visual evidence of me making out with someone else after I had really gotten his cousin stabbedâ okay so maybe I was in some sort of drama show without my knowledge.
And there we all sat, staring at each other silently at the dinner table like a weird family that didn't know how to talk to each other without breaking out into an argument.
The only one who seemed oblivious of the tension was Katherine, who was all smiles as she set the table full of handmade pizzas, taking a moment to take in the people around it with a warm expression. And each time she left the room, the tension would slam back in as silence took over.
Katherine had refused help, leaving the rest of us to all sit in silence, like the most intense combination of a staring contest and the silent game of all time.
After Katherine's third trip into and out of the room carrying the most mouth-watering pizzas I had ever seen, I turned to look at Iz who sat next to Aiden, who watched me silently from right across the table. "How are you feeling?"
Iz offered me a tired smile, her face a little paler than I liked. "Pretty good. Got home a few hours ago. The doctor doesn't want me eating too much yet, or anything too solid... which is why I think mom made a whole lotta pizza. Like probably too many pizzas. I think she thinks pizzas aren't a solid."
Iz looked up at her brother and gave him a taunting grin. "You owe me five bucks." He sighed and dropped a five-dollar bill on the table without a word.
Then Iz looked back at me. "I'm glad you came. Aiden didn't think Laliana could get you to come."
Laliana who sat on the other size of Iz, gawked at Aiden. "You bet against me!?!"
A hint of a smile crossed his lips. Aiden leaned his elbow on the table so he could see past Iz to look back at Laliana. "It wasn't against you. Just..." he motioned towards me.
"Ohhh against Allie? Is that why you suggested she come?" Iz who sat between them, leaned back with an amused expression, giving Laliana full access to glare at Aiden. "So you could get points with me, but hoped she wouldn't come at all?" Laliana asked, her tone sickly sweet as she gave Aiden a dangerous look.
"Iâ" Aiden began, seeming amused by Laliana's attempt at fury, but paused when Katherine came back into the dining room with more pizza.
"Smells good!" Laliana said to Katherine, her normal smile back in place, like she hadn't been on the verge of chewing Aiden out half a second before.
"Thank you. Just a few more trips. I'll be back with the pepperoni pizzas!" Katherine said before gliding out of the room again.
She was hardly out the door before Iz jumped in, cutting off Laliana and Aiden's attempt to restart the conversation. "It was just a silly bet! I knew I was going to win and deep down I think Aiden felt bad and took the stupid side of the bet. So chill out and let's change the subject. If you guys are going to argue about something, please let it be about something important. I am playing my sick girl card! No stupid arguments!"
Aiden scowled.
"Would you prefer I call it the stabbed girl card?" Iz asked, staring her older brother down with a surprisingly fierce stare. Wow... she really is Grumpy Dude's sister. That's one powerful glare.
"I would rather we not talk at all," he replied.
Iz ignored him and looked around the table. She spotted Misty to my left, who sat staring at her lap, begging to go unnoticed. Misty hadn't said a word since arriving at Katherine's door with Delle a moment after I had.
"Hi! I don't think we've met. You must be one of Allie's sisters. I'm Iz!"
Misty jumped, startled out of her cocoon just enough to stare back at Iz with a flustered expression. "Yep. Hi. Yep."
Iz waited for her to introduce herself, but Misty went back to staring at her hands, not registering, or perhaps terrified that Iz was trying to engage her in a conversation.
"That's our Misty," Delle said wrapping an arm around Misty's shoulders from where she sat on Misty's left. "A girl of few words." She smiled at Iz. "I'm Delle. Allie's other sister. Nice to meet you Iz."
"You're a detective right?" Iz asked leaning forward slowly, her face pinching for a moment as she adjusted how she sat.
"I am," Delle said with pride.
"That's such a cool job!" Iz said with awe.
Delle leaned back in her chair until the front two legs lifted off the ground, stretching her arms up and behind her head. "Coolest job around. Well, besides being a designer or dry cleaner, a writer, a driver or..." she looked at Aiden and then shrugged. "No, that's about it."
Aiden rolled his eyes. "I'm wounded."
"So easily?" Delle replied with a challenging smile as the chair tilted forward and the front two legs hit the floor with a satisfying clack. "Shame. I was hoping it would take an actual beating to take you down."
"Heyâ!" I began just as Katherine came back in. "Look who's back with more food!" I continued, hoping to save face. But I just sounded like an over-eager lunatic.
Katherine laughed. "You must be hungry! I've never seen anyone so excited to eat, other than Tate!" She dropped the final pans of pizza on the table and settled down in her chair at the far end of the table.
"Dig in!" she said, throwing her arms into the air, delighted by our open stares at the pizzas.
"That was a good save," Tate said quietly, leaning towards me from where he sat next to me at the other end of the table from Katherine.
I searched his face, trying to read him. But he was a closed book. "Thanks," I whispered back, my heart fluttering wildly. "I'm thinking of taking up a second career in cheering for people when they enter the room to cover up arguments."
A smile tugged at his lips, betraying his unreadable expression. "I'd pay to see that." He plucked up two pieces of Hawaiian pizza and put them on his plate.
"You just want me to introduce you every time you enter a room," I replied.
Tate took a bite of his pizza, face thoughtful. Then he offered me an amused grin, the unreadable expression cracking, revealing a hint of the sunshine boy underneath. "A little, yeah."
I swallowed, my heart aching at the sight of his smile, his bright green eyes. I had missed his honesty. His warmth. His arms. His lips. Him. "Hey, Tate..."
He shook his head. "I do want to talk. But..." he looked at Aiden and Delle with a pointed expression. "I don't want to rush though. Not when those two are on a very fragile and VERY temporary truce thanks to the pizza and I don't think it will take long for them to find a reason to start throwing shade again."
He offered me an encouraging smile that didn't fully reach his eyes. "Thanks for giving me space, Allie. I know that scared you."
"It did," I admitted. "But I meant what I said." I looked away, face burning as I picked up a piece of pizza blindly and dropped it on what I hoped was my plate, but wasn't fully sure. My hand-eye coordination felt off and it was hard to breathe. "I don't..." I cleared my throat and tried again. "I don't plan on going anywhere."
I couldn't bear to look at Tate. Talking about my feelings was terrifying, so instead, I shoved half of a piece of pizza into my mouth, pretending, and probably failing to look completely calm. Gosh, I am bad at this...
Suddenly, I felt Misty reach for my free hand and give it an encouraging squeeze. She was too observant for her own good. She also had scary-level good hearing and had gotten a front-row seat to my attempt at confessing how much I cared.
Better her than Delle, who would probably be laughing if she heard me.
"Thanks," I whispered.
Misty shot me a wink before going back to eating silently.
"Did you make all of these?" Delle asked staring at the spread of pizzas in awe. The table was full of cheese pizza, pepperoni pizza, meat lovers pizza, Hawaiian pizza, Caprese pizza, chicken parm pizza, and prosciutto and pesto pizza. There were also several other pizzas that were full of combinations I couldn't keep track of but instead looked like colorful pieces of delicious cheesy art.
"Yes. And I expect you all to finish this, or take it home." Katherine waved towards the kitchen. "I keep to-go containers so you don't have to worry about taking my Tupperware home."
I smiled to myself. Of course she does. She's too thoughtful and wonderful for this world.
Delle, who didn't need to be told to eat twice, started in on her second piece of pizza. "Yes Ma'am!"
"So..." Katherine said once everyone had eaten a piece of pizza and had settled into that quiet space where food was the only activity required at the dinner table. "Allie, how are you feeling?"
I touched my collar gently, playing with the bandages that sat like a strange fashion statement across my neck. "It hurts a little. But overall, I am doing okay."
"Any theories on who did it?" Iz asked, nibbling on a piece of cheese pizza.
"My vote is Laurence," Misty said surprising everyone at the table.
Delle shook her head. "I don't think so. He seems to be very smitten with Allie."
I could feel Tate tense next to me.
"Those notes were creepy though!" Iz blurted.
"Yeah, who gives a plant like that as a gift! A clear sign of a stalker," Misty added to Iz's point. Iz and Misty smiled at each other, bonding over their agreed theory.
Great... now she wants to talk?
"I have to agree with Delle. He doesn't seem like the villain here. Just a guy who likes Allie," Laliana chimed in.
I wanted to sink into the ground and die as Tate stopped eating and stared at the food on his plate like he was trying to decide if he had lost his appetite.
"Any other theories?" Tate asked, his voice tense, pushing away his plate.
Aiden nodded, raising a brow at his cousin with a confused look. "Yes... I don't think it was Laurence. He doesn't come across as much of a stabber."
"No more murder talk at the table!" Katherine said with a scolding tone. "Honestly, this isn't dinner table talk. Or Thanksgiving talk."
"It's not Thanksgiving mom," Aiden pointed out.
"But it is the day before Thanksgiving. And it is dinner. Humor me," Katherine said dryly.
Aiden held up his hands, relenting.
Everyone went back to eating silently since no one was sure what was and wasn't allowed to be talked about. Apparently, the only topic we all had in common was theories on attempted murderers.
"Did you two start dating while I was out?" Iz asked turning to look at me and Tate. I nearly spat out my bite of pizza.
"Ohhhh I like this topic better," Katherine added, clapping her hands together excitedly.
"I think the murder conversation may be a better topic," I said to every single set of eyes that had turned to look at Tate and me before downing a glass of water to buy time.
"Sorry Allie, I'm afraid that is a closed topic for now," Aiden said with an amused smirk.
"Can we add you talking to the list of off-the-table things in general?" I asked and then immediately wanted to scold myself. That was a stupid burn.
"All in favor?" Tate said raising his hand, backing up my attempt to get out of the topic.
"Aye!" Delle, Misty, and I all said in unison.
I covered my mouth to stop myself from laughing.
"A tie," Aiden said with an easy shrug. "Better luck next time. So let's get back to your dating history."
I narrowed my eyes at him, steelâ no adamantium like the indestructible metal that filled Wolverineâ filled my body, filling me with determination. "No."
"All in favor of making Allie talk about her dating history?" Aiden said, raising his hand, staring back in challenge.
"All in favor of me punching you in the face?" I growled.
"All in favor of kicking Allie out the door and leaving her to fend for herself?" Aiden responded. "You don't need anyone right? It's not like you care who you hurâ"
I stood up before he could continue, my voice taking on a dangerous edge. "Aiden. Outside. Now."
The air left the room as everyone looked between us.
He raised a brow. "I don't follow."
"Aiden," Laliana murmured, her brow furrowed.
"Clearly. Do I need to speak louder?" I asked through gritted teeth.
"Allie..." Tate warned.
Aiden tilted his head to the side, analyzing me with his ice-cold eyes. Everyone held their breaths, waiting for his response. "No," he finally said.
"Then it shouldn't be this much of a challenge to get my words through your thick skull. Get up and get outside. We are ending this, NOW."
---
Thank you for reading chapter forty-four! I hope you are enjoying the story! Or are at least curious to see where it goes! Add this story to your reading list to know when the next chapter drops!
UPDATE DAYS - A NEW CHAPTER EVERY FRIDAY!
It looks like Allie is completely done with Aiden. What will happen? Will they break into an actual fight, exchange heated words, or something else entirely?
It looks like Iz and Misty have a tentative friendship blossoming! Will Iz pull Misty out of her shell?
What do you think of Katherine's garden?
How many arguments about murder suspects do you think Katherine has had to deal with at the dinner table?
What will happen next?
CHAPTER QUESTION - If you were going to make your own pizza, what would you have on it?