Crossing the Line (19 page)

Well,
two can play that game, Mr Ford.

I leap up and strip out of my clothes at
lightening speed. My heart is pounding, and I find myself chuckling about
seeing his shocked face as we stand face to face with our goodies on show. I
lie on the sofa and try to look sexy, resting my head on my hand.

Aden’s footsteps get closer, and I try not
to laugh. The door creaks open, and I look up through my eyelashes. Aden’s eyes
bulge, and so do mine. He’s standing fully dressed, holding a fucking DVD.
Crap. He actually meant he wants to watch a film and not he wants to make like
bunnies.

My mouth drops open, and my face burst into
flames. Oh no. “Um.”

“Um?” he prompts, smirking his sexy arse
off. “What did you think was going to happen in here, Millie?” He knows
full-fucking-well what I thought was going to happen – the bastard.

“Nothing,” I mumble, reaching for my
clothes.

“No, no, no, don’t get dressed. I prefer
your plan.” He throws the DVD onto the sofa beside him and in one swift
movement pulls his trousers down.

The last two weeks have officially been the
best of my life. Me and Aden are more serious now, and I love knowing we’re
exclusive and that we still can’t keep our hands off each other. We’ve spent
practically every night together at his place. Mum knows something is going on,
just not who it is with.

Aden is due over for another get him with
Isabel dinner any minute. They haven’t seen each other since the last dinner
where I her told her all about his company. He’s promised me he’ll speak to her
if she is still under the illusion that something is going to happen between
them. I think he’s hoping she’ll get the hint because that conversation will be
very awkward and he’s friendly with my family.

I smooth down my dress and try to hide my
excitement of seeing him again. How can you spend almost every single day and
night with someone and not want to punch them in the face? Surely I should be
getting annoyed at him for leaving the toilet seat up by now? I’m honestly not,
though.

“Amelie, please come down for dinner,” Dad
calls through my door. “Aden has just pulled into the driveway.”

I squeal quietly like a little girl and run
to the door. Dad is gone. How quickly can that man move? Aden is just walking
in the house as I walk down the stairs. His eyes find mine and a smile tugs at
his lips. He’s wearing grey trousers and a light blue shirt, dressing down
slightly but still looking respectable in my parents’ eyes.

“Hello, Aden.” Isabel swings her hips as
she moves towards him. Slut.

“Isabel,” he replies and gives him a flirty
smile.

This is really going too far now. I can
tell from his tight return smile, he knows it too. He is going to have to
have that conversation. I don’t want Isabel to put everything into getting Aden
when it isn’t going to happen. It’s not fair to anyone.

Mum leads us through to the dining room,
and I take a seat opposite Aden, with Isabel at his side, of course. Oliver is
here tonight, sitting next to me and already drinking a brandy.

“Evening,” he says in my ear.

“What’re you doing here?”

“I have work in the morning, so I’m joining
Samantha and the boys in Jersey tomorrow afternoon. Wine?”

“Definitely,” I reply, handing him my
glass.

“So, Aden, how’s work?” Isabel asks,
smiling up through her eyelashes.

I want to throw something at her. I take my
frustration out on the new potatoes, picturing her head as I jam my fork into
them roughly. Out of the corner of my eye I see Aden try to get my attention
but watching your sister flirt with your boyfriend isn’t an easy thing to
watch.

“What’s wrong with you?” Oliver whispers in
my ear eying my now mashed potato.

I shrug. “Nothing.”

“Don’t lie, Amelie. Something’s going on.”

“I’m sorry, but I should really leave.” My
head snaps up as Aden stands. What’s going on? Why is he leaving?

“Oh, already?” Isabel looks like she’s
about to throw a tantrum.

“Yes. I’m very sorry for leaving like
this.”

“Do you have another engagement?” she asks.

Aden frowns. “Something like that. If I’ve
given you the wrong impression, Isabel, I apologise.” Crap, he’s doing it
now
? In front of everyone?

“Um…” she trails off, unsure of what to
say. “You’re seeing someone else, or?”

“Yes. I have a girlfriend.” He smiles.
Whoa.
Oh damn shit. Don’t say it’s me,
don’t say it’s me!
“Thank you for dinner, Elizabeth, Samuel.” He walks out
of the room, leaving us all speechless. The bastard did it in public!

I jump up, still a little in shock from how
quick that all happened. “I’ll see him out.” It doesn’t even matter to me if
they guess I’m the girlfriend. I just want to confront him.

“Aden,” I hiss as I close the front door
behind me. He is almost to his car. Christ he can move fast when he wants to
get away.

He spins around and smiles apologetically.
“I know what you’re going to say, Millie.”

“How could you do that to her in front of
everyone? I know she can be full on, and a little crazy but she’s my sister and
she doesn’t deserve to be treated like that, you arsehole!” I’m mad now. I want
to strangle her most of the time, but I still love her.

Aden laughs. “Nicely put.”

“This is not funny. You’re a complete
bastard for doing that to her.”

“She squeezed my thigh.”

I deadpan. “The slut did what?” He bursts
out laughing again. Why is this funny? “Shut up, Aden. She touched your thigh
at the dinner table?”

“Yes. Look I’m sorry, but I can’t sit there
with her hand on me. I should have said something a lot sooner, but apart from
taking a little too much interest in me she hadn’t actually done anything
wrong.” He scratches his jaw. “Please don’t be mad at me.”

I sigh. “I’m not mad.” Now I know she was
trying to feel him up. “At least they know you’re taken now.”

“And we need to tell them it’s you soon.
The longer we leave it now the worse it will be.” I nod. He leans in and kisses
me, and my heart soars. When he pulls away, he groans. “Err, actually we don’t
need to worry about telling them.”

“No,” I whisper, turning around. They are
all standing there, in a row of judgement. My parents, Oliver and Isabel and
all, but Oliver look angry.
No, no, no!

Chapter Eighteen

Oh,
well this is just bloody perfect.
I’m panicking. My
heart feels like it’s going to explode and soon I’ll be having a full on panic
attack. This isn’t how they are supposed to find out. I wonder what would
happen if I freak out and yell at Aden to get his hands off me?

Mum takes a deep breath, and I know I’m not
going to like it. “I think we should all go back inside, don’t you?” She raises
her eyebrow at me. “We have a lot to discus.”

I groan and look to Aden to get us out of
it, willing him to pretend he’s having a heart attack or something. He nods at
my mum. What? Why can’t he say no or drop to the floor? Idiot.

“Good.” Mum gestures with her hand towards
the door.

“Sorry,” Aden whispers as we step back into
the house, away from the safety of the outside and witnesses. I want to scream
dramatically as we were so close to being gone. This house is like a bloody
prison – one not even Michael Scofield could break out of.

I follow behind my parents like a naughty
little girl about to be told off. That actually is a pretty accurate
description of what about to happen. Aden is just behind me, his hand brushing
against my back. I want to rip his hand off and kiss him at the same time.
We’re public now. I like it.

The formal living room is uninviting and
plain uncomfortable. It’s the head masters office of living rooms. The sofa
looks like you can sink into it and relax, but you can’t, it’s just an
illusion, it’s really like sitting on concrete. On the walls hang creepy oil
paintings of painfully ugly old people, which are relatives, apparently. Botox
and face-lifts are what will stop me looking like them.

“I’ll get some drinks,” Dad mumbles and
makes his way over to the drinks cabinet. I can tell he’d rather be anywhere
than here too, but he’d never tell Mum to drop it. Man needs to grow a pair.
Although, to be fair to him, when she has
that
look – the one that would scare Freddy Kruger – I’d do what I was
told too.

He pours out six glasses of brandy. I hate
brandy. Does he know me at all? Or are they all for him…? No one says a word,
and I don’t like it. I hate silences and feel the need to fill them. Now really
is not the time for some of the crap that spouts out of my mouth, though. Dad
walks slowly around the room, passing everyone a glass. Mine is placed on the
table. Well he’s really pissed then.

He walks back over and sighs as he sits
down beside Mum. We all watch him, following his every move. Glancing at Aden
out of the corner of my eye, I plead with him with my eyes to say something.
Neither of us wants me to be the one to break the silence.

“So when I asked if there was anything
between you and Aden, you lied to me?” Mum says calm as anything. Beneath the
surface, she’ll be boiling.

Technically that was a big fat lie, but…
Oh, who am I kidding, there’s no way out of it. “Yes,” I reply and feel Aden’s
eyes boring into my head. “We didn’t want to tell yet.”

“Tell me how long I have been making a fool
out of myself and wasting my time?” Isabel asks.

“About three months,” I reply. Her eyes
narrow, and I realise I probably should have said she wasn’t making a fool of
herself too. Her face turns red, not from embarrassment but anger. Well it
isn’t my fault she was sniffing around my boyfriend like a dog to shit.

“Have I done something to hurt you,
Amelie?”

“What?”

Isabel shakes her head. “Did you plan on
humiliating me?”

“No. For once this isn’t about you, Isabel.”
And I thought she looked mad before. She doesn’t look like she’s breathing, and
I can practically see steam shooting out of her ears.

“Really?” she mutters sarcastically. Bitch.
“You can’t stand to see anyone else happy because you know you’re so messed
up.”

“Messed up? You’re the one practically
forcing someone to marry you. Men don’t like desperation, Isabel, try lighting
up a little and remove the stick from your arse at the same time.”

“Amelie Cohen!” Dad snaps. “That’s enough.”

Oh just me getting told off then. “You know
what? Shove this,” I spit and stand up. There’s no fucking point in me
explaining anything because they’ll never understand my side. I don’t get far,
Aden’s hand clamps around my wrist. “Let go, Aden!”

He shakes his head. “No. We’re doing this
properly.”

I scowl. We can’t do it properly because
they’re not going to listen. “I’m not staying her to be insulted, accused and
freaking told off! I’m not seven.”

He sighs. “Please, Millie.” I hate it when
he looks at me with those big blue eyes, all wide and pleading. I sit down.
“Thank you.”
You’re not welcome.

“Amelie, I don’t understand why you felt
the need to lie to me,” Mum says. “I’m your mother.”
Yes, pretty much hit the nail on the head there, Mum.
Does she
really think she’s an approachable person? I’d be less scared going into a
lion’s cage wearing a dead, bloodied corpse of a deer.

Aden takes my hand and gives it a squeeze.
At least I have him on my side. “Look, I’m sorry that we didn’t tell you
sooner, but we weren’t ready. It was my decision to wait a little while before
announcing we’re together because I’m Amelie’s boss and she hasn’t been working
for me long. She’s also my first PA. I think you can appreciate how that will
look.”

Dad nods and took a long swig of his
brandy. “Of course, of course.”

“Right,” Mum says, sitting forward in her
seat in an
I’ve decided what’s going to
happen now so like it or shut the hell up
fashion. “You’ll wait another
month before we announce you’re a couple. You will have to continue concealing
your relationship for the time being.” She looks directly at me. “So that means
you will have to behave.” I blink heavily. “We’ll make the announcement at your
father’s fifty-fifth birthday party.”

My eyes widen. A formal announcement? No.
Aden nods and squeezes my hand again. “That sounds perfect.” Traitorous
bastard. How can he agree to that?

Wait, wait, wait. My jaw drops. Mum isn’t
yelling. She’s being…. supportive. Am I dreaming? Something is wrong here, and
I don’t like it. “Pinch me,” I whisper.

“Sorry, Amelie?” Mum asks at the same time
Aden turns to me, frowning in confusion.

“Pinch me,” I repeat.

“What? I’m not pinching you,” Aden replies.

“Amelie, honestly, what is the matter with
you?” Mum’s looking at me like I’m an alien again, so some order has been
restored.

I point at her. “You. You’re not freaking.”

“It’s rude to point, stop that at once,”
she scolds. “Of course I’m not freaking.” There’s so many things I want to say,
but I can’t because I’m trying not to laugh at her saying freaking.

“But why not?” Aden shoots me a look that
screams
shut up
. Yeah, okay maybe I
shouldn’t complain but my mother doesn’t support me, ever. “You wanted Aden
with Isabel.”

My sister scoffs and purses her lips. It
would seem Mum has passed the lemon over to her. “I honestly thought you would
end up with one of those hooligan biker types covered in tattoos.” Way to
stereotype. At least they’re not stuck up. “You have no idea how thrilled I am
to know that you’ve chosen well, and will be looked after.”

Oh, fuck that. “I do not need looking
after. Aden’s my boyfriend, not my dad.” When will they understand that I’m
perfectly capable of taking care of myself?

“Millie,” Aden whispers warningly, and I
glare at him. “Your mum is just concerned.”

“Thank you, Aden. He’s right, Amelie. As
I’ve said to you before, you will understand when you have a child of your
own.” I sigh in exasperation. Have I not made it clear on about fifteen million
different occasions that I don’t want children? Does anyone actually listen to
anything I say?

“Whatever,” I mutter. It’s like getting
blood from a stone.

Aden smirks in amusement and turns his
attention back to my parents. “I’ll take care of her.” He’s said that for a
reaction and my revenge will be not giving him one – because he’ll always
expect it to come.

“We appreciate that,” Dad replies. I hate
them all.

“Isabel, are you okay?” I ask.

Whoa, clearly not. The death glare I’m
getting almost makes me shudder. I can’t even see the green of her eyes they’re
squinted so tight. “I can’t believe this,” she snaps.

“Me neither,” I reply honestly. That isn’t
what she wants to hear, but it’s the truth. My parents are being supportive.
They actually like something I’m doing. Alternate universe, definitely. Have we
spiralled into another dimension?

Isabel looks at Mum, and for a second I
think she’s going to stand up and stomp her feet until Mum give her what she
wants. She’s supposed to be on her side not mine. “Mum?” she says.

“It will be fine, Isabel.”

“Fine?” she squeals. Oh God self-respect,
Isabel! “How is this going to be fine?” Her eyes fill with tears, and I
instantly feel sorry for her. Isabel isn’t a bad person she’s just been
brainwashed by this idea that you have to have a big house and rich husband to
be happy. She spends all her time worrying about finding a man and starting her
life when it’s quickly passing her by. It’s my parents’ fault, without a doubt,
they should have taught her she can be happy on her own too.

“Isabel, you’re hardly middle-aged. No need
to buy the cats yet. Just calm down and relax the desperate.” My hand is
squeezed again. Well she needs to hear it.

Her eyes practically pop out of her head.
She growls – actually growls – and face is tomato colour again.
Mum’s response isn’t what I think it’ll be. “Enough arguing, both of you. I’m
tired so maybe we should all go to bed and continue this discussion another
time. Amelie, are you staying at Aden’s tonight?”

Whoa. “Um.” I blink in shock. Am I?

Aden nods. “She’s staying with me if that’s
okay?” Err back up. If it’s okay? Why the hell is he asking?

Dad nods and raises to his feet, and Aden
does the same. They shake hands. “Of course.” Oh for goodness sake. Are they
all playing what should Amelie do next?

“Did you want me to leave the room while
you plan the rest of my life?” I ask sarcastically.

“Good night, Amelie, Aden,” Mum says,
completely ignoring my comment. Isabel stalks out of the room. Drama queen.
Oliver follows with an amused smile. He’d said nothing the whole time, just sat
there drinking his brandy and enjoying the show. Glad we made his night
interesting.

“Okay, goodnight,” I mumble.

What the hell just happened? Aden leads me
to his car, and I’m too dazed to register getting in and Aden driving off.
“What was that? I’m not dreaming, right? They are happy for me and not all ‘bad
Amelie’. I mean that’s like a momentous occasion, we should do something to
mark it, get tattoos.” My eyes widen in realisation. “I’m dreaming.” Of course
I am, that’s the only explanation. “Great. Now you’re gonna turn into a huge
yellow dinosaur or I’ll suddenly appear in a book shop and be surrounded by
pigeons that-”

“Amelie,” Aden snaps, cutting me off. “What
on earth goes through your mind? I seriously worry about you.”

Okay, he’s still him, and I’m still in the
car. How does that happen in dreams anyway? You can be enjoying a lovely dream,
sunning yourself on the beach, and the next minute you walk to get an ice cream
and end up in a library. “Oh, it all happened.”

He nods in confirmation. “It happened,
you’re not dreaming. Now stop worrying, it’s a good thing they’re happy for
us.” Is it? “And we’ll be talking about the dinosaur and pigeon thing later.”

I’m still half in shock that it went well.
I expected yelling, anything else puts me firmly in a false sense of security.
Something is going to happen. They will realise that Isabel’s level of
desperate is off the chart and no sane man will be willing to take her on so
will freak out that I’ve stolen her only chance.

“I’m tired,” I say, covering my mouth with
the back of my hand as I yawn. Having my parents support me is exhausting.

“We’ll be home soon, stop whining,” he
replies with a small smile. Home? I like the sound of that, but it’s way too
soon, isn’t it? Yes, it is. Maybe I don’t need to move out right away now. My
parents are happy I’m with Aden so they’ll be off my back a bit and I can stay
with Aden some nights. This could work.

Will I be forever tired now I’ll be hearing
‘yes, Amelie’ more than ‘no, Amelie?’ “Do you think Isabel will cause
problems?” She’s so bitter it wouldn’t surprise me if she tries something.

Aden frowns. “Like what?”

“Accidentally on purpose letting it slip
about us.”

His frown grows more pronounced. “I didn’t
think of that.”

“That’s not surprising, I am the smart
one.”

He laughs. “Of course you are, Amelie. Honestly,
though, do you think she will?”

How am I supposed to know? What am I, the
Oracle? “I don’t know. That wouldn’t go down well with Mum and Dad so she might
be too scared of the scandal and Mum’s reaction.” I roll my eyes. “I’m sure
it’ll be fine. She’ll probably just be a cow to me, and I’m kind of used to
that anyway.”