Page 13 of Fragile Lives
A small ball of ginger curls, supposedly Kenneth’s mom, rushes to greet us.
…And I get hit by a strong case of déjà vu—she reminds me of someone. Someone I’ve met recently but can’t forget. Such a weird and unwelcome memory coming out of nowhere.
The woman wipes her hand on her stained apron and offers her hand. “I’m Stella. And you must be Archie?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I reply and give her small hand a gentle shake. I feel like a fucking elephant next to her, and I eye Kenneth who’s even bulkier than I am. It’s unbelievable that such a tiny human could produce him.
“Everyone’s already here,” she announces cheerfully and gestures somewhere behind her.
“Are we late?” Kenneth glances at his wristwatch.
“No,” she waves him off. “Everyone is early today for a change.” She sends me a conspiratorial wink, and I smile back as if I understand what she means. “Let’s go.”
She puts her hand on my shoulder and nudges me forward, so I follow her lead. It’s pretty quiet here for everyone to be “already here.” I only hear one voice belonging to Freya. No one else is talking.
When we step into the living room, the tension is so thick that it can be cut with a knife.
Alex sits in a chair, a deep line between his furrowed brows, his hand resting on Freya’s lower back. Planted on the armchair next to him, she chirps away some nonsense as she usually does when she’s nervous.
An older man who looks a lot like Alex and Kenneth sits in the other chair, the same look on his face as on Alex’s. His eyes are trained on the wall in front of him. A young man who reminds me of young Alex in both looks and attitude is plantedat the table, glued to the phone in his hands. I can see the family resemblance among everyone here.
“You know Freya.” Stella draws my attention back to her. “This is Keith.” She points to the older man. “Well, and that’s Kenneth.” Then she adds with a cackle, “I didn’t know you guys were friends.”
“I didn’t either,” Alex says, eyes narrowed a little. It’s the first thing he’s said since we showed up.
I give him a half-smile, mentally urging Stella to continue introductions and save me from the incoming interrogation.
“Aiden is right there,” she tells me, eyeing him. “Drop your phone,” she scolds him.
He rolls his eyes but puts the phone face down on the table. “’Sup.”
I nod at him, seeing so much Alex in him. He came to the service just like that, angry and bitter but able to follow the rules.
“And this is Leila.”
…A bucket of cold water is dumped over my head.
And a second bucket follows as Stella points to the silent woman sitting on the low window. She’s half-hidden behind a heavy curtain. Her long, red hair is thrown over her right shoulder and lies across her chest in soft waves. A thick book is open in her hands. Her eyes are wide, her mouth slightly ajar.
“Leila, this is Archie, Alex’s friend from the military.”
“Archie?” she asks, her voice small.
“Yeah. Archie. Hi,” I reply firmly, not giving her any indication that I recognize her. It’s an asshole move, but a needed one to survive this dinner. It’s going to be tough. I should have listened to Kenneth’s warning.
“Hi,Archie,” she says, stressing the name. Her face is full of disgust, and I can’t tell if it’s because she’s mad that I pretended not to remember her or because of what she witnessed on thebridge and what happened after. I’d be pissed, too, if she forgot the kiss. Because I haven’t.
“Alright!” Stella claps her hands excitedly. “Now that everyone is here, let’s go eat. I spent the whole day cooking, so you all better clean your plates or else.”
I don’t remember when I last ate a homemade meal. I would be excited about it if not for the hot glare from the little ginger. She avoids looking at me, but every so often, her stare lands on the side of my face, and when I look, her nose scrunches as if she smells something foul, and she turns away.
At the table, everyone takes their assigned spots. I wait for everyone to be seated so Stella can point out where I should sit. Keith sits at the head of the table, and to his left are Alex, Freya, and Aiden. Opposite them are Leila, me, and Kenneth.
Fuck.
Stella runs around the table serving everyone food and chirping nonstop. I haven’t seen her stop moving for a moment.
“Mom—” Kenneth wants to say something; his voice is annoyed, but he’s interrupted by Leila.
