Fifty-three

Mind you, she is completely out of her mind if she thinks I'll ever tell her where Mason is currently licking his wounds. The fact that she doesn't know offers me a little insight into their relationship.

" I know you were here that day, and he was with you," She takes a step closer, her mignonne features twisting maliciously. It is so at odds with her petite form, and I struggle to reconcile those two attributes. I know she referring to that fatidic day after the party where Mason and I both hid in the pocket to avoid confronting her, but avoidance works only for so long. Eventually, I will have to stand in front of her and acknowledge our relationship. I have no idea what Mason tells her, whenever I bring up the subject his mood sours drastically. And I'd rather not know what the hell is going on between them than taint the memory of our very few stolen moments.

Choosing silence for now is the best form of engaging Ava. Plus, I want to know what exactly goes through that little head of hers.

Fits of rage have a little downside, emotion becomes impossible to control, and eventually, the darkest parts of ourselves rise to the surface to dominate the scene. It's a determiner, in my opinion, but I might be wrong, which points out the flaws that we so desperately try to conceal from others.

She pets her stomach, bunching the loose fabric of her shirt. For some reason, my eyes snag on the gesture," You have no idea what you're doing," Her voice cracks, only for a fraction, before hardening once more when she speaks again," You're meddling in affairs you have no place," It's quite vague, but her hand splayed on her stomach has my full attention. I refuse to believe what she is silently implying, and choose to trust Mason. The alternative makes me a monster. I'm anything but.

In the silence she carries on, while Enid and Marie's heads pop from around the door frame, looking concerned with the kerfuffle. Imperceptibly slow, I shake my head at them to not interfere. I feel like I'm missing something and if I give her enough time she will spill it.

Her lips curl in a sneer but it lacks the pathos she previously displayed, it's almost apathetic.

" Mason is playing with you. You're his new shiny toy. He will get bored of you, eventually. It might be in a week, a month, a year, but sooner rather than later he will do what he did to every single woman who was stupid enough to crawl into his bed," Good thing it is the other way around. I never crawled into his bed, but he crawled plenty into mine.

" When you disappeared he drowned his sorrows in my body," I can't tell if she is lying, but doubt is creeping in, threatening to shatter my resolve, and my trust in Mason.

I steal a glance at Enid, her eyes wide, trying and failing to conceal her surprise. She either didn't know or Ava went too far.

" Then you came back," She sucks in a dramatic breath, her ample bosom pressing against the thin fabric hugging her chest, stretching it enough, so I get a glimpse of what's under the shirt. At times like this, my greatest insecurity gets the best of me.

" Tell me what's on your mind Ava," I decide to put some effort into this conversation. The calmness in my tone, at odds with the turmoil raging inside me. She is shaking our relationship from the very foundation, and for the first time, I begin to see the cracks in it. It is built on lies, deception, and singular truths.

" I hate to break it to you but you're nothing more than a distraction. I know you see him, probably more often than I do," Hurt creeps in on her features, slowly morphing back to resentment and rage. She is jealous, I would be too. She is in a one sided relationship. Nothing can compensate for that. To love someone, and that love not being returned. The lack of reciprocity hurts more than a fatal injury. The emotional pain runs soul deep, as opposed to the body which can heal rather fast. Emotional trauma tends to bleed for years before it even begins to scab over.

" Ava," I say quietly, " You're in this position because you chose to be involved. I'm not responsible for your choices, as you are not for mine. These are the consequences od your own decisions, and when the time comes I will deal with my own. Until then, I suggest you go on a long vacation, before the nuptials. Get you all your ducks in a row. You cannot hold me responsible for your misery, it won't change the reality. Mason doesn't love you. He never did. Regarding what has happened between you two, it is none of my business," Slowly I release the pent-up sigh lodged in my lungs, and I smile at Enid and Marie, who are sitting in the doorway watching.

Ava looks over her shoulder at Enid and Marie. They both give her a waning smile as she turns around, pushes past them, and storms out in true Ava Morston fashion. I don't know what she will do next, but I have a feeling it's nothing good.

Enid and Marie rush towards me, both wrapping their arms around me, showering me with love. I truly hope I've dealt with Ava in the most dignified way possible. I don't want to hurt her any more than she is, hurling insults at her won't make things better.

Being surrounded by their love eases the tension-coiled muscles, and I can finally breathe with ease.

Bumping into Ava was the last thing I needed, but when life gives you lemons...

Enid pulls away, carefully assessing me while Marie slides a hand over my back, and I still don't know what I've done to deserve the love this woman is showing me. I have to remember to ask.

" Welcome home dear," Enid smiles up at me, her usually buoyant disposition making a rebound after the earlier heavy conversation with Ava.

" It's good to be home," I kiss her cheek, her weathered skin still soft and plump in her old age, reflecting the kindness she holds inside.

Marie chuckles at my side, not one to hold her tongue and mince her words," The broad is crazy," She sighs at my side as we make our way out of the bedroom.

" She is in love," I try to justify Ava's erratic behaviour, but also knowing that is only half the truth.

" Nonsense," Marie waves a dismissive hand, " There is crazy in love and there is that," She points a finger towards the front door, the same path Ava took when she tucked her tail between her legs and fled.

" True" Enid hums at my side, " Whatever she is suffering from has nothing to do with love," Enid notes gazing up at me with a furrow between her grey-blond eyebrows.

Maybe she is right. Mason is an attractive man, irresistible I dare say. Ava has been pinning after him for years on end. Perhaps she is in love, but not with Mason. To love someone you'd have to know them, otherwise, it's nothing more than delusional fantasy.