Sweet Home (Sweet Home 1)

I looked from Lexi to Ally, who were also gawking at Cass in confusion. As I turned back to Cass, she was jerking her head back repeatedly, glaring at Ally, urging her to see something over her shoulder. I snapped back to Ally, who was frozen on the spot, chewing on her lip.

Cass linked my arm, a huge fake smile on her face. “Let’s go. Y’all know how much I like my daily screws. Safety first, folks!”

I snatched back my hand and dropped my shopping bags to the floor. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Ally and Cass tried to act confounded by my question. Lexi was gaping over my shoulder with a dismayed expression. Ally nudged her and Lexi faced me, plastering a huge grin on her face.

Something wasn’t adding up.

I went to turn when Cass clamped her hand around my arm. “Molly!”

“WHAT?!” I screamed in frustration.

Cass’s round face softened at my outburst. “Let’s go home. Please, just, let’s go.”

Nervous flutters accosted my stomach. My friends were hiding something, something I needed to see.

I slowly turned around, my heart shattering when I finally saw what had them all flustered.

Romeo was sitting in a fancy restaurant on the luxurious outdoor terrace with Shelly and two other women.

All the air disappeared from my lungs in one swift whoosh.

Ally’s hand wrapped around my shoulder, squeezing in support. “Molly, the blond-haired woman is Romeo’s momma and the redhead is Shelly’s, Mrs. Blair. They’re both a real pair of bitchy old crows.”

I nodded slowly, taking in the scene. Shelly sat next to Rome, right next to Rome, her arm pressing against his and her hand laid on his chest. The two older women smiled in delight at the two as they sipped on their wine, while I fought back reactionary nausea.

“He’s been lying to me,” I said as devastation seized complete control of my senses.

“Let’s just go. Talk to him later,” Cass urged once again.

“No! I want to watch. I want to make sure I have this whole situation right.”

“Why, Molly? Don’t do this to yourself.” Lexi stood before me, trying to block my line of sight. I moved her gently aside.

“Because I want to remember how this feels, just in case I stupidly let anyone in again.”

Ally narrowed her eyes. “I don’t believe it’s what it looks like! He wouldn’t cheat on you, Molls. Especially with her. You’re all he wants!”

“Obviously not.”

We all stood frozen in place, watching the story play out as if it were the latest blockbuster release. Shelly leaned in and kissed Romeo’s cheek in response to something he just said. Apparently, it was very funny if her playful antics were any indication.

Cass folded her large arms over her equally large chest. “Shelly’s all over him, but he’s not paying a bit of attention to her. In fact, he looks freakin’ miserable. Maybe Ally’s right?”

He did look uncomfortable, annoyed even, but at that moment, all I saw was a pulsing red haze bordering my vision and a neon gun range target sign smack in the middle of Shelly’s head.

I turned to walk away as tears pricked my eyes. “I’m going home. I can’t see this.”

Two things happened at once. Cass and Lexi stood before me, blocking my path like bodyguards, and Ally set off into a steady run as she crossed the road, heading directly towards the restaurant.

“What’s she doing?” I exclaimed shrilly, my heart beating double time the closer she got in her approach.

Mrs. Prince noticed Ally first as she stood on the sidewalk on the other side of their table, arms crossed and foot tapping. Mrs. Prince looked utterly disgusted as she too folded her arms in blatant dismissal of her niece.

I couldn’t hear what was being said, but the lurch in everyone’s attention towards my location alerted me to the fact that Ally had revealed my presence. The expressions were varied. Mrs. Prince clenched her eyes in a harsh glare as she zeroed in on me. Mrs. Blair simply looked bemused. Shelly lunged for Romeo’s arm with a smug grin on her overtly scarlet lips and Romeo paled, aggressively throwing off Shelly’s arm and leaping off his chair.

Our gazes locked. I couldn’t seem to look away, and Romeo began barking questions at Ally. His face contorted and his head fell into his hands. He looked broken, but I wouldn’t go to him. He could go to hell for all I cared right now.

“Cass, I’m going to hail a cab.”

Cass and Lexi sighed and Cass kicked the closest brick wall, scuffing her black boots before placing her hands on my shoulders. “Okay, honey. Do what you gotta do. We’ll see you when we get home. We’d better wait for Ally, and I’m guessing you wanna be on your own?”

I nodded, picked up my shopping bags, and set off to flag down a cab.

“Molly!” Romeo’s taut voice nailed my cowboy boots to the spot. I cast a subtle glance back and Romeo, in his dark, tight T-shirt and jeans, stared at me in panic from his position in the restaurant, his body pressed right up against the white picket fence.

Mrs. Prince laughed menacingly, leaning up to whisper in Romeo’s ear.

He blanched and dropped his shoulders in defeat. I witnessed, first-hand, the power his mother wielded over her son, just like his father’s attack all those weeks ago—they were controlling their Romeo puppet with their manipulative strings.

Rome’s jaw clenched and Mrs. Prince wiggled her fingers in a snotty wave in my direction behind his back. She was only missing the obligatory cackle.

Ally threw her hands up in the air in frustration and I took that as my signal to leave and ran for a taxi.

I jogged down the road, holding out my hand to an approaching cab, and I thanked God that it began to slow down.

“Rome, don’t you dare!” Mrs. Prince’s authoritative voice screamed, and I heard tyres screeching and horns blaring from behind me. Before the cab had drawn to a stop, I opened the back door and dived in.

The alarmed driver frowned at me in the mirror. “Where to?”

“UA, University Row.”

He signalled to pull away. I leaned back in the seat, closing my eyes, when fists suddenly pounded on the window.

“Molly, baby, listen…” Romeo was at the door, running alongside the cab, frantically pulling on the locked handle and slapping the roof. I turned my head away from his worried face, squeezing my eyes shut.