Juliette Pov
“Do you like it?” Mrs. Julia asked me while I licked the Vanilla ice cream from my spoon.
“Yes ma’am Thank you,” I said and took an another spoon of ice cream into my mouth.
“Ma’am?” she asked puzzled and laughed “oh dear!”
“Call me mom. I’m like your mother” she said in a soothing voice that almost made me cry. I missed my mom so badly. I wished to hear her voice for at least once.
Nevertheless, I smiled at the kind woman at me and said in a low voice as it felt strange for me to call another woman as a mom “Thank you, mom”.
She chuckled and held my left hand into her warm ones “Why is your hand so cold?” she asked looking worried.
I stayed quiet biting my tongue and stared at the cup of ice cream before me.
“Should I tell her that her son is the reason of my condition?” I wondered.
“Oh I get it!” suddenly she said in a high tone as if it strike her. I looked at her in confusion.
“You are nervous, right? Because you are meeting your in-laws for the first time” she said and looked as if she solved the hardest puzzle by herself.
“I think I should not,” I thought
I gave her a small smile and merely nodded my head.
“Oh don’t be nervous my dear. I do accept that I was little mad beforehand for Zachary not telling me anything about you and let alone getting married but the moment I saw you there standing with my son looking at him so lovingly all my thoughts and doubts went out of the window” she said making me cringe inwardly.
“Lovingly?” I thought.
“I always wanted a woman who would take care of my son and would love him. I wanted a woman who would give him love which we couldn’t give him when he was young” she paused for a moment making me confused.
“What does she mean?” I wondered.
“Oh,” she exhaled a breath.
“Please ease my heart by promising me that you would take care of my son” suddenly she said making my heart beat vigorously against my chest.
“Please promise me no matter what you will always love him and have trust upon him” she urged and looked at me with pleading eyes.
“Love? Care? Trust?” I thought.
“What am I supposed to do now? Where is that Zachary when he is needed?” I thought.
“I-I” I began to stutter.
“I promise,” I said and in the moment I hated Zachary even more for making me do so.
“Thank you dear” she exhaled a breath and left my hand keeping it on her forehead.
“I am so glad that he found a woman like you” I heard her whisper and my heart clenched “See what you are making me do and look how you are giving fake hopes to your own mother Zachary,” I thought.
I took the spoon and scooped up a spoonful of cold ice cream which was now beginning to melt and put it inside my mouth.
“I have found a weakness of yours” suddenly she said and I turned towards her to find her looking smugly at me.
“You eat ice cream when you are filled with anxiety or when you are nervous right?” she said and I sighed in relief.
“Yes, mom” I smiled nodding at her and she smiled back at me “Just like I like to eat pizza” she whispered but I heard it.
“I guess I found your weakness too,” I said and she looked at me startled and the next moment we both burst out laughing.
“I see you two are getting along very well” I heard Zachary’s voice and I turned towards the entrance of the dining room to find him walking towards us.
“Oh very well,” mom told him beaming with happiness.
“It’s good,” said Zachary’s father as he too walked inside after him.
“So c’mon let me show you two your new room,” she said and that is when I began to wish that somehow the chair on which I was sitting super glue to me so that I remain sitting on it for the rest of my life. As insane it sounds I would rather stick to the chair than sharing a room with Zachary.
“C’mon” mom took hold of my hand and pulled me up from the chair. Like a fool, I glared at the chair for not accepting my wish.
She walked towards the door with me following behind her as I had no choice because she was still holding my hand literally dragging me. She seemed more excited to give us our room.
We walked out of the dining room and then walked past a hall. I kept on glancing at everything while we passed. Everything seemed so expensive and classy.
“We are here,” she said as we stood before a door.
“Oh, here it goes,” I thought.
We walked into the room only to find it decorated for a newly wedded couple. The rose petals that were on the bed, the flower curtains and the flower vines made me want to die.
But apart from all this, the room was very big. The walls were painted white and had woody painting frames hanged on it. The bed even had a canopy and it was covered with a net curtain. Everything in the room was either white or gray.
If it was some another day with other situation then I was sure that I would have jumped up and down clapping my hands feeling excited but today everything was different. Contrasting to it I was feeling gross out.
“Do you like it?” Mom asked and I gave her a nervous smile.
“What is this mom?” Zachary asked looking baffled as his eyes roamed around the room.
“What is what?” she asked looking confused.
“This! This all decoration” he asked as he pushed me and walked inside the room not even bothering to show some courtesy to me.
“I know isn’t it amazing? I decorated it myself” she beamed showing her perfectly sized white teeth.
“But Mo-” Zachary was cut off “Okay now you two rest. You must be very tired. Take a nap and later on you can go out for shopping for the reception party or maybe it will be more appropriate if I call a designer to the house. Rest well” she said and left closing the door after her but not before winking at me.
“Weird! Mine suppose to be mother-in-law winked at me” I thought staring at the closed door like a goof.
I gulped down the lump that formed in my throat and turned around to find Zachary standing on his spot with his back facing me muttering something to himself while he shook his head occasionally.
He walked straight which I guessed was the bathroom leaving me standing not even uttering a word for which I was genuinely thankful. I didn’t want any conversation between us because I don’t
want to get close to a man who killed my lover.
I didn’t forget what he did to Emmett.
I closed my eyes imagining his smile. I loved his smile. Whenever I saw him smiling I would always smile back. It was like a reflex. My lips twitched up every time I saw him smiling. He is so charming.
“I should say he was charming” I corrected feeling guilty that I couldn’t do anything.
I am the worst lover one could ever have.
I went towards the bed and sat on the edge and got rid of my shoes. I was so tired that I didn’t even think about changing my clothes. I turned towards the side and closed my eyes when I heard the shower running.
A few minutes later I felt the bed dip beside me. My eyes snapped open and I sat up in a jerk which made me feel little dizzy.
I saw him sitting on his side with his back facing me. He was now in a black Tee and a loose pant. He was raking his finger through his wet hair probably unaware of the fact that I was now sitting on my side staring at his back.
I got up from the bed and took the pillow and went towards the couch. I wouldn’t ever share a bed with a criminal. He was a criminal after all and I hated him with all my guts.
I threw the pillow on the couch and made myself comfortable on it. I turned the other side where I couldn’t see his face and hugged myself closing my eyes drifting off to sleep.
An annoying sound disturbed my sleep which made me groan in irritation.
I clicked my tongue in irritation.
I hoped the source to fade away but when it didn’t my eyes fluttered open and I looked around to find the room’s light off. The television was on and the light from the screen flashed on my eyes as the plasma Tv hung just in front of my couch on the wall.
It was the sound of the TV which was irritating me.
“Will you please reduce the sound?” I asked politely to him hoping that he would reduce it and let me sleep.
Surprisingly, the sound decreased and I sighed in relief. But it was only for a second because the next moment he increased the sound even more.
“Ugh! What the heck?” I groaned as I sat up on the couch glaring at him.
He sat leaning against the headboard with his legs crossed over each other. His one hand was above his head while another was on the Tv remote.
“I am trying to sleep. What are you doing?” I asked irritated.
He chose to ignore me and he flipped through the channels not even bothering about my discomfort.
“Are you listening to me?” I asked and bit down on my lips annoyed.
I lied back on the couch and to my extreme annoyance, he chose to annoy me even further by increasing the volume to the level where my ears began to hurt.
“Ugh!” I took the pillow and slapped it on my ear trying to shield the voice to get into my ears.
“Why?” I cried as I sat on the couch cupping my ears.
As if it wasn’t the end he increased the volume to the end. The room boomed with the television’s sound as I kept on shrieking in irritation. I wondered how nobody in the house didn’t get annoyed by the terrible irritating annoying voice.
I yelled in annoyance and ran towards the bathroom.
But I was quite sure that through the horrible sound of the TV I somehow managed to hear him saying in triumphant “Score one for Zachary.”