Home of my Heart

Chapter Five

Troy’s presence didn’t sour the evening for me. Everyone still chose to talk to me and Troy and I didn’t cross each other’s paths unless we didn’t have any other way to avoid each other. But we didn’t make the avoiding obvious. The only time we interacted on purpose was to show to everyone that we were civil with each other and there was no tension whatsoever.

I’m pretty sure we could’ve won an Oscar with our performance.

Currently, I’m sprawled on the floor and playing with Lance. He never left my side the entire time and I’ve secretly fed him half of the things on my plate when it was time for eating. I’m pretty sure Georgina’s gonna scold me for doing so but if only she’s seen how happy it made her puppy she wouldn’t be mad at me for long. I mean come on, who could resist those big puppy brown eyes?

“Adrienne.”

I look up to see Martine standing in front of Lance and I. I stand up so we could be in level with each other. I’m sure she’s stopping to say goodbye. Most of everyone is already leaving since it’s nearly midnight and I’m pretty sure everyone has work to do.

“Hey, Martine,” I greet her with a smile. Martine used to be on the cheer team with me. We were good friends, not as good as Georgina and I but we hung out sometimes out of sheer will and not because of everyone expected cheerleaders to do so. She’s mostly the one I struck a conversation with tonight but they were short chats about here and there.

“Sorry I couldn’t talk to you long earlier. I feel like I just got the chance to see everyone again and you know what’s it like when that happens. The catching up is hectic,” she tells me and then leans in for a quick hug, “but it really is nice to see you again. All we know about you then is that you’re one of Detroit’s TV hosts. That must be nice.”

I nod at her and then throw Lance the avocado toy the two of us had been playing with. “Yes. It really is. I wish the show could reach up to here so everyone could see it.”

Martine’s smile is tight-lipped as she nods. I’m not sure if she would want to see WUD. “YouTube can do the trick for that. Anyway, I really should get going. I have work to do. It must be nice for you to have a month leave for this.”

“Sure is. I didn’t think that I would need a break from doing what I love most but hey, we get tired at some point,” I respond to her. “Well, I guess I’ll be seeing you around town for a while.”

“Call me for coffee sometime so we can catch up longer,” Martine offers and then hugs me again and pats Lance. “See you around, Aide. Bye.”

I wave at her and watch as she disappears out of the front door. When I look around, I didn’t realize that she was the last guest to leave. I see Georgina in the kitchen and then decide to help her out with the dishes.

She’s with Troy and Leon and they’re both just in the process of loading the dish dryer. I guess I must’ve been playing with Lance for a while in the living room. When Leon turns around and sees me, he glances subtly at Troy and the tap him on the shoulder.

“I have something to discuss with you in the office,” Leon tells him. When Troy turns and sees me, his gaze is on me for a brief moment. But no matter how fleeting, his gaze burns in my skin, rooting me to my spot, unmoving and unyielding, as if the world stopped for a fleeting while.

“Sure,” he responds and follows Leon out of the room. He passes by me and the momentary close proximity doesn’t fail to jolt me.

When they were finally gone, it’s the only time I release the breath I didn’t realize I was holding.

“Looks like someone still has an effect on you,” Georgina comments, eyeing me from across the room. She pushes herself off of the counter and then grabs two glasses and fills them with sparkling red wine. Lance barks at her and she shakes her head at him, saying, “No Lancey, this is hooman food. Doggo can’t have it.”

She places my glass on the counter and takes a seat on a stool. I follow suit and then drink half of the content of my drink. “Guilt has its way of making you feel tense.”

“Mmm-hmm,” Georgina mutters, an eyebrow raise and amusement glinting in her green eyes.

I narrow my eyes at her and defensively say, “It’s nothing other than guilt, George. Stop thinking other things.”

She chuckles. “I didn’t say anything, Aide. Why are you so defensive?”

I huff and then finish my drink and then pour myself another one. “It’s because you’re looking at me as if you’re thinking the same thing that you did when we were in high school and before you found out he and I were together.”

“That time when the two of you were sneaking around but looked at each other like you were ready to rip each other’s clothes off in the middle of the hallway?” Georgina asks, smiling sweetly at me. “Even in church the two of you kept throwing glances at each other that were nothing but subtle.”

I didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of agreeing to everything she’s saying because I didn’t want to acknowledge that any of that ever happened even if it did. Georgina takes my silence as confirmation though and laughs at me but has the mind not to probe even deeper.

“He’s not affecting me like that, okay?” I still find myself in need to correct her. Georgina looks at me, thoroughly amused and I sigh. “I have Edmund, George.”

“I thought you were seeing Ethan at that time.”

“George!”

She laughs and then finishes her glass. “Okay, okay. You’re just conscious of being in the same room with him because his presence gives life to the guilt that continues to live inside of you because of what you’ve done to him eight years ago. And that guilt is eating you up and making you anxious. I get it.”

She’s holding the glass and swirling the content, watching as the red liquid swish around the goblet. In a whisper, she tells me, “You know, when we were in high school, I always imagined what our Friday nights would be like in the future. I always thought that the two of us would be in the kitchen gossiping what a pain in the ass our husband is being in the house while the two of them knock themselves off on football game on TV.”

I can see it as she describes it to me and the thought tugs at my heart. Once upon a time, it was a future achievable. But a lot of things changed in the last eight years. I’m brought back to the conversation I had with Troy earlier and thought of the last thing he told me. The house that we were renting, the one we were working our asses off to buy to be our own.

I had the urge to ask Georgina. I’m sure she knew. I want a confirmation but suddenly, the boys were in the room. When I turn, I see Leon and Troy leaning against the wide door frame of the kitchen. The sight of Troy pinches my heart. He looks nothing like the guy I left eight years ago but there’s a touch of familiarity in his eyes that holds my gaze.

“Do you boys want something to drink?” Georgina asks, jumping off of her stool to get to the fridge. She opens the two-door fridge and waits for their response. Leon nods at his fiancé and she tosses him a can of beer that he catches with ease. “What about you, Troy?”

Troy shakes his head but comes into the kitchen. “No, thanks. I’m driving Sonny bright and early tomorrow.”

“Aww, really, that’s so sweet!” Georgina comments and then closes the fridge. Sonny? Who the heck is Sonny? I suddenly want to ask who is Sonny but decide against it. I don’t have the right to ask questions.

Troy sits across from me but doesn’t give me any attention. He’s preoccupied with his phone at the moment. Probably texting Sonny. Georgina takes her seat again and I grab the battle of wine, refilling my glass to the brim.

Leon whistles lowly. “Don’t you think that’s a little too much, Aide?”

I shrug and drink half of the glass. I can feel Troy’s gaze burning on me but I ignore him. I mean, didn’t we agree that we won’t bother each other unless it’s absolutely necessary?

“Been a while since I’ve let loose,” I reply coolly.

“New boyfriend has a set of rules of his own?” Leon asks, smirking at me and I roll my eyes at him, blatantly ignoring his question but I can still feel Troy staring at me. I’m sure he’s dying to know about my new boyfriend like I’m dying to know who the hell is Sonny.

Georgina waves her hands and signals to end the conversation before it even starts. “Anyways, I’m glad that you’re both still here because we have this huge favour to ask from you guys. And technically, it’s not a favour because it’s part of your duties as our best man and maid-of-honor.”

Troy and I simultaneously groan and I tell Georgina, “You better not have brought me back here to Callisburg to do the dirty work for you wedding.”

Georgina smiles sheepishly at me and then links arms with Leon. “We’re actually going out of town this week. I’m coming with Leon to Nashville to meet up with one of his clients. There’s some things I wanted to check off the list this week and I was hoping that the two of you could do it for me.”

I want to say no to her almost immediately but Troy beat me to the punch by agreeing. “Sure. As long as Adrienne’s up for it.”

They’re all looking at me and I can feel the demand in Georgina’s glare. It’s as if she’s trying to tell me through her eyes that this is the time I can make up for leaving without an explanation. I close my eyes and let out a sigh, knowing that I can’t do anything but agree.

“Sure, I’m game,” I say with a tight-lipped smile.

Troy clasps his hands together. “When are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow morning.”

My jaw drops at Leon’s answer and I suddenly want to skin Georgina alive. I thought they’d leave the day after tomorrow or some time later in the week but no, they’re leaving tomorrow which means that I’ll be stuck with Troy as soon as they leave. Georgina’s grinning at me and there’s a victorious glint in her eyes. It’s taking everything inside of me not to slam the glass I’m holding and gauge her eyes out with the shards.

I haven’t even been in Callisburg for 24 hours but I’m going to spend the next day with my ex-boyfriend. Great.

Troy nods his head slowly and turns to look at me. “Well, I’ll pick you up tomorrow after work. I’ll take the afternoon off so we can start.”

“Okay,” I tell him, chewing at my bottom lip.

Troy doesn’t acknowledge my answer and hops off the stool. “Great. I’ll see you tomorrow, Adrienne. I better get going since I gotta wake up early for Sonny.”

He hugs Georgina and Leon and gives me a curt nod before leaving. Leon sees him out and I’m left with Lance and Georgina at the kitchen. I glare at my best friend.

“You little bitch.”

Georgina has the audacity to grin at me. “Oh come on, Aide. It’s not like I’m trying to bridge you guys back together. If you had agreed yesterday to come back with me, you could’ve had a full day to give yourself a pep talk. And besides, you don’t have to worry. It seems like Troy’s been unbelievably calm about your comeback.”

I nod in agreement. The Troy I left eight years ago would’ve been lashing out at me and demanding answers the moment he caught sight of me. In my room earlier tonight, he could’ve screamed at me or threw hurtful words at me. And I would’ve deserved it, I do deserve it.

But he hasn’t done anything.

“Yea, he’s nothing like the Troy I used to know,” I comment as I look at the wide door frame and imagine him and Leon at the door talking, “I’ve always wondered if he’ll ever grow out of his anger and immaturity.”

Georgina nudges my arm. “It had to take your leaving for his growing. Well, there’s a bright side of it after all.”

I sighed and then stretched. “I’m beat. I’m going to head up and get some sleep. I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow. It hasn’t been 24 hours in Callisburg and my life is back into its pace when I lived here.”

Georgina chuckled. “Oh come on, Aide, you know you love it.”

I roll my eyes and scoff but don’t reply. I head into the room that’s mine for a month and strip into my underwear. I like sleeping semi-naked. It’s always been a thing about me and Edmund had found it weird at first but I remembered that Troy found it hilarious. Well, there are always two sides of every coin but then again, it’s not like they’re the same one.

I crash on the bed and wrap the blanket around myself until only my head can be seen. I stare at the ceiling and think about how today went. I didn’t expect to see my mother this early nor Troy. I want to blame Georgina for it but I know that I couldn’t. The estranged relationship I had with the two of them is not her fault but mine.

I’m the one who left Callisburg just like that. I might’ve had Dean tell our mother that I’m leaving but I know that she wasn’t all too supportive with the decision to pursue a hosting career. She always preferred practicality over creativity. I’m not sure how she reacted when Dean dropped out of law school and decided to become a pastor of our church. He didn’t really give me much details of how our mother reacted.

With another sigh, I try to close my eyes and allow myself to drift into sleep but I couldn’t. My phone suddenly lights up and I check to see the notification. It’s only then that I realized I haven’t contacted Edmund since I landed and silently curse myself at forgetting.

Immediately, I call him. “I thought you’d never call. Too caught up with home?”

I smile when I hear his smooth voice, as if it wipes away the worries and stress that has settled on me since I arrived back in Callisburg. “Home is where you are.”

“Don’t say that. You’re making me miss you even more,” he replies and I can imagine him smiling, “You’re staying at Dean’s?”

I wince and then roll onto my back. I stare at the white ceiling. “Nope. Turns out he’s staying at Mom’s and he just forgot to mention it to me when I called him last night.”

“So you’re at your Mom’s?” Edmund’s voice is cautious and I sigh.

“I’m at Georgina’s. My relationship with my mother still remains estranged and I’m not welcome at her home,” I explain to Edmund and try my best not to sound affected.

“Aww, love, it’s gonna get better. You’ll be there for a month and it’s gonna get better. I just know it.”

I want to tell him that he doesn’t know my mother, that he’s not aware that she’s queen at holding grudges. But I don’t want to burden him with the knowledge. Edmund can judge my mother with his own opinion when he meets her, I don’t want to taint it with mine.

“Yea. I think she’s just surprise to see me,” I tell him and try my best to sound hopeful when I’m anything but, “How was your day?”

“I wish you’re here in bed with me when you ask that question,” I smile at the hint of wistfulness in his tone when he says it. It’s when he says things like that that I question what I’ve done to deserve someone as sweet as him. Certainly the universe wouldn’t have blessed someone like who had done what she did with a guy like him. But the universe had.

I guess that just falls in one of the mysteries of the universe.

“I’ll be back before you know it,” I assure him. With the rate of how things are going right now, I might be back sooner than either of us thought and maybe just come back for the wedding. I’m not sure how the week without Leon and Georgina will turn out for me, especially when I have to spend it with Troy. “So tell me, how has today been?”

“I went to church,” Edmund begins to recount to me his day and I listen to his voice, reminding myself that this is the voice that I’ll hear for the rest of my life the moment we take our turn to say ‘I do’. I lift my hand and look at the ring on my finger. The rock is huge and flashy and I’ve received compliments about it all night.

I wonder if Troy noticed it. Of course he would, the ring demanded attention.

“Adrienne?” Edmund’s voice brings me back to the present and I curse myself for wandering with my thoughts. “You must be tired. I’ll text you tomorrow and call you when I get home, okay? I love you, Aide.”

“Okay. Love you too.”