“I guess you wouldn’t be.” He heaves a sigh like he still can’t believe it, then gets up from the table. “Let me get changed, and then your education will begin.” He sounds very serious. It makes me grin to myself as I settle back on the sofa with a blanket.
I’m just settling in when he joins me, now wearing sweats, the way he did yesterday after the funeral. As good as he looks in a suit—and he does, it’s damn unfair how good he looks—I like him better this way. He doesn’t seem so untouchable when he’s not all buttoned up.
“Get ready to be impressed,” he tells me once he finds the movie and starts it up. It’s funny, seeing him care so much. I could almost fool myself into believing we’re just two regular people getting to know each other, learning what the other one likes, spending the night on the couch in front of a movie.
I can almost forget he took me hostage and pushed me into marriage. And the thing is, right now, I wish I could forget. Because this is the closest thing to normal I think I’ve ever known. I mean, what do I know about it? The only experience I have to go on is what I’ve seen on TV and read about in books. But it feels nice, and I guess that’s all that matters.
Charles Foster Kane’s life is pretty much completely falling apart, and I am totally captivated when, out of nowhere, the elevator pings and the doors slide open.
I shoot a look at Liam, who is already sitting up straighter, on edge… that is, until Selina walks in like she owns the place.Without her having to say a word, I know the night is over. The air in the room changes all of a sudden. I feel awkward and uncomfortable.
It doesn’t help that she comes to a sudden stop with her hands on her hips, looking from us to the TV and back again. “Am I interrupting movie night?” She says it like there’s something funny about it.
“And if you are? Would you care?” Liam laughs it off.
I don’t laugh. Instead, I keep my gaze trained on the TV, though something tells me I just missed my chance to find out how the movie ends. At least without interruptions.
“You look awfully cozy together,” she observes, rounding the sofa, coming to a stop behind Liam. That means she’s pretty close to me, too. I watch from the corner of my eye as she starts rubbing his shoulders. “I guess you really needed the chance to relax for once.”
Something hot and bitter rises up in my chest and fills my throat and threatens to come pouring out of my mouth before I bite my tongue to hold it back. I’m basically fighting for my life over here while she massages Liam, kneading his neck, digging her fingers into his muscles. She might as well lift a leg and pee on him while she’s at it. Anything, so long as I know he’s her territory.
“I’m trying to give Aurora an education in film,” Liam explains. If he’s annoyed at the interruption, he doesn’t show it.
“Wait, you mean she’s completely clueless when it comes to the classics? I’m so shocked.” She snickers dryly. “I figured with a father like Donovan Blackwell, she would’ve been hitting up all the art houses and museums. He always pretended to be so cultured.”
I love how she talks about me and my life like I’m not sitting right here.
“Then again,” she continues, “she’s just a girl. Why would he want a daughter to do anything more than look pretty?”
It’s not that she laughs. It’s that Liam laughs with her while I sit and shrink a little bit at a time. They’re right, they’re absolutely right, but they don’t need to throw it in my face. I was actually enjoying myself before she showed up to remind me of my place in things.
I should thank her. Maybe I was starting to get the wrong idea. Maybe I will thank her... after I break her teeth.
“You know.” Liam picks up the remote and pauses the movie before standing with a stretch. He touches a hand to the wound on his back and winces before continuing, “I have some business I need to discuss with Selina. You should go back to the bedroom now. Movie time is over.”
And there we are. I’ve been put in my place by both of them. It’s bad enough that he has to order me around, but does he have to do it in front of her? I might as well be back home. Bossed around, ignored, never treated like I have any thoughts or wants or needs of my own. I’m just a breathing body that takes up space. The only thing I have is my dignity, which is the only reason why I get up and retreat without saying a word.
It’s not until I’m in the room with the door closed that it hits me. There is a difference between the old days and now. Back then, I was glad to be sent away so I could be alone.
Tonight, I didn’t want to be sent away. I’m not sure exactly what that means.
16
LIAM
It takes me a while to finish with Selina. It was almost like she didn’t want to leave and tried to keep me talking.
When I return to the bedroom, Aurora is sitting on the bed, dressed in her pajamas, and a book propped up on her lap. She stares at the page, not even glancing up at me as I approach.
At first, I assume she is simply deep into the story, but as I take her in further, I notice her pouty lips, tight shoulders, and the anger in her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” I question, as I step up to the bed.
“Nothing,” she says without looking up.
“Don’t lie to me,” I warn, snatching the book from her lap.
She turns her head away from me, her long hair covering her features like a curtain. Crossing her arms over her chest, she pulls her legs up.
