Perfect Strangers

Knocking his drink back in no less than three gulps, he winked at her. “Don’t worry, Capulet. I’ll make sure that this whole thing is believable, by the time we leave Florida to come home, she will be eating out of the palm of my hand and calling me Son.”

Myla gulped and picked up her last remaining drink. “That’s the last thing I need,” she muttered before she brought the drink to her lips.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The cab slowly turned right into Sycamore Grove, and Myla felt her guts instantly slither and coil up as the familiar tree-lined road ahead entered her vision. She glanced out of the window, her eyes staring at the neighboring houses, nothing had changed since she was last here. She spotted Mr. Banks in his yard, pulling up a few random weeds that had taken up residence. He still looked the same now as he did when she was younger, albeit some greying hair and a receding hair line, but he still looked the same. Her stomach churned when she remembered all the scrapes she used to get herself into with his daughter, Darcy.

“Is it much farther?” Kai asked interrupting her thoughts.

“No,” she sighed nervously, “just at the end of this road you’ll spot the gates to hell.”

“The gates to hell, huh?”

“Kai, do not take anything my mother says to you to heart, she can be a vicious bitch, she says what she thinks and doesn’t care if she pleases or offends you,” she said, turning to look at him.

“They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, Juliet,” he muttered lowly. A feeling of impending dread washed over him.

“You think I’m bad? You haven’t seen anything yet, she makes the devil look like a saint. When I was young—” She stopped mid-sentence when the iron clad gates came into view. “Oh God, what are we doing? Let’s just go home,” she gasped and clamped her hand on his arm. “This isn’t going to work, Kai.”

Her eyes were wide open with panic and a trace of sweat shone across her top lip, she started to pant and her bottom lip began quivering. Tears began to form and pool on her lower lids, Kai instantly and without thought, reached out, and cupped her cheek. “My God, Myla. Is it really that bad coming home?”

She sucked her bottom lip into to her mouth and clenched her eyes shut tight fighting to keep the wells from spilling down her cheek.

“We can do this, Myla. In front of your family, I will be the most doting boyfriend slash fiancé you have ever had, and if you act the same way towards me and we don’t contradict each other in front of them, all will be fine. Trust me.”

“Do you really believe that?” She whispered, his thumb brushed her bottom lip.

“Yes. I have an Art studio at stake here, and I’m not risking losing that for anything.”

Moving her face away from his hand, she took a deep breath and dabbed underneath her eyes.

“Show me your best fake smile,” he ordered as she composed herself. Turning to face him, she grinned widely, baring her teeth. Kai chuckled. “Maybe too much teeth showing,” he said and laughed louder when she swatted his arm. The ‘gates to hell’ automatically opened and the cab began its way up the short-graveled driveway. You can do this, you can do this, you can do this.

The expansive family home loomed into view, which had once been secluded among trees, now it stood in all its glory, prominently for all to see. To the right of it was a triple free- standing garage, which housed her father’s classic cars. Myla’s eyes flitted up towards the upstairs balconies. She noted they had been repainted bright white to match the tall pillars adorning the front door. A loud whistle pierced through her hearing. “You didn’t tell me you came from money,” Kai said. He leant towards her to get a better look at the house as the cab came to a standstill.

“This house was my grandfather’s, he left it to my father when he died, I was six when we moved into it. I imagined it was a castle and I was the princess, I used to spend hours out on that left-hand balcony calling for my Prince to come and rescue me,” she replied, smiling at the memory of her childhood imagination.

“Did he ever find you?”

“Who?” she asked, turning around to face him. She found her face inches from his, and she gasped slightly at the proximity.

“Your prince, did he ever find you?” He repeated. She pushed him back from her personal space.

“No, I’m still waiting for him,” she replied quietly, turning back to look at the house. Her chest constricted and she felt her heart slam into her rib cage when her eyes drifted towards the large black front door. It had opened, and there she stood, the witch. She stood tall, her shoulders back and her chin held high, her dark hair sat pulled up, high on top of her head. She was wearing a dark trouser suit with a white shirt underneath, the collars of which were pulled out and splayed over the lapels of her suit jacket. Her face held its normal stern look as she placed her hands on her hips.

“Is that your mother?” Kai asked.

“Yes, that’s her all right. The wicked witch of the west.”

“She sure looks intimidating.”

“Did you really expect anything else? I don’t know why my father stays with her. Just look at her fucking face, she looks like she is chewing on a damned wasp.”

Kai started laughing, “I love your expressions, Myla. I really do.”

Wiping her clammy hands over her legs, she opened her purse and stuffed some bills towards the cab driver. “Are you ready?” she asked Kai, slinging her purse strap over her shoulder.

“No, but now we are here, let’s do it,” he shrugged with a small smile.