THE SCENT OF ROAST CHICKEN consumed the whole of Gavin’s smart house.
Gavin had hired a few excellent chefs to cook up something for the feast since he knew barely anything about cooking and Avery refused to get out of her room.
She’d been behaving uncanny for some weeks, his conscience pricked him to ask her what was wrong. When he did, it didn’t end well. Gavin nearly had a knife in his heart. She kept on screaming it was his fault she was in this position and chased him around the house with a knife.
He promised himself to stay at least ten feet away from her.
He’d expected her to be locked up in her room during the feast but she was the first at the table.
Sydney came in five minutes to the stipulated time.
She mustered all the strength in her not to lose her composure. The house looked exactly how she’d left it but it felt a whole lot different. It was like a shallow pit sucking her into memories. Memories she so desperately wants to forget.
Sydney looked at the couch. She remembered watching a movie alone with Gavin. She remembered the way he held her. His arms around her waist. Him pulling her to him. His lips on hers. His body. His love, his love, his love.
A depressing breath escaped her parted lips. It hurt, it hurt so much. It hurt that she couldn’t forget him. That she couldn’t look at him and not feel love-struck.
Something wet and cold touched her cheeks. Sydney flinched and turned so quickly that her brain almost broke through her skull.
Her eyes widened with mortification as she saw Gavin’s smiling face ogling her up to down.
She felt naked. ” Why did you do that?” Her voice was a stretch of emptiness.
His eyes locked with hers and wilted for a piercing second. ” You look beautiful.”
” You didn’t answer my question.”
He walked to the Christmas tree by the staircase. Dingies were hung on it as Christmas lights, socks, and photos. Their family picture. A picture of her at seventeen. Her holding baby Ethan in the hospital with a bright smile across her teenage face. A picture she took when she was eighteen with her on Gavin’s back, legs looped around his waist, his bright green eyes eluding love.
Love, love, love.
Gavin took a present and turned to Sydney, who was paler than he saw her a few seconds back.
He reached to hold her shoulder but she quickly moved away. He sighed and stretched the present to her.
” I bought you something, I had to give you today since you won’t be here for boxing day.”
She stared at the gift contemplating if to take it. Eventually, she collected it.
” I didn’t get you anything.”
” That’s unnecessary.” His eyes grazed the necklace on her neck. His face stiffened as he turned to the dining room.
” Mum and Dad will be here soon, let’s settle down.” He held out a hand to her, desperate.
She looked at his open hand and then at his face. Holding him would be like staying in the Arctic naked. She walked past him and went to the dining room.
He followed behind.
Emily and Ethan sat opposite each other. Exactly two seats away from Avery, who was clutching a butter knife while staring at her lap, shaking slightly. Sydney didn’t want to care what was wrong with her.
Must be the effect of the pregnancy. She thought.
The silver table was filled with different kinds of foods Sydney knew they wouldn’t finish today. In the middle was a large roasted chicken. By the sides, fruits, gingerbreads, salads, fruitcakes, seafood, and much more.
It was like Christmas with her mother. Sydney told her mother Merry Christmas first. She wanted to travel to Arizona and spend Christmas with her mother.
” Sweetheart sit next to me.” Gavin’s lips were too close to her neck.
She wanted to shout at him to get lost but the doorbell rang. Her heart was on her head.
Gavin said he’d take the door. Sydney sat next to Ethan. Four rows from where she knew Gavin would sit.
She listened to the sound of Gavin’s father, Christopher, laughing. Gavin’s mother, Matilda’s footstep inching closer. Gavin telling his mother to be nice. His mother uttering a five letter vile word. Gavin’s voice raising. Them approaching.
Their voices in the dining room.
Emily flew out of her chair and hugged her granddaddy. Ethan continued staring out the window. Avery was up and smiling at Mathilda.
Sydney was a statue.
She managed to get up to greet Christopher. He’d grown more gray hair than blonde since she’d last seen him. She thought he’d rebuke her, but instead, he pulled her into a tight, fatherly hug.
” Oh, you little child, you’ve grown a lot.” He grabbed her face and kissed her forehead. ” Love would always be a difficult emotion.”
” Not exactly difficult; she found it easy to destroy my son’s heart; at least, I’m glad he’s made a good choice by choosing to be with Avery again,” Mathilda spoke curtly.
Gavin glared at her.
They all exchanged pleasantries before settling down.
Mathilda scowled at Ethan who made no move to welcome them. ” Like mother like son. What a little brat.”
” Let the boy be. This is Christmas be polite Angel.” Christopher chided his wife.
Mathilda leaned into the chair and said nothing again.
They shared grace. Sydney wanted to serve the food but Avery beat her to it. Her hands were shaking as she served the meal. Everyone noticed except Mathilda who was too busy showering praises on her.
” How sweet of you, I always knew you’d make a good daughter-in-law.” Mathilda smiled as Avery served her some chicken.
Sydney felt strange Avery wasn’t talking down on her or using Mathilda’s love for her to her benefit. Avery wasn’t saying anything. Just a faint smile. Small nod.
Sydney noticed the marks peeking out of the sweater Avery was wearing. The marks on her neck. Did anyone put a whip on her body?
She couldn’t summon the courage to ask her what was wrong.
” I’m surprised you decided to come for Christmas this year despite the fact you mean nothing to my son-”
” Mum.”
” I don’t see your parents. Where are they? Your maniac of a father and your down-to-earth mother, where are they? ”
” Mum, if you don’t keep quiet, I’ll kick you out of my house.” Gavin barked and nearly choked on the chicken.
Mathilda laughed. ” Don’t talk while eating honey.” She looked at Ethan. ” Darling, where are your other grandparents?”
Ethan didn’t move his eyes from his food. He wanted to tell her where she was supposed to be but he remained mute.
” Son of an unchaste woman. ” She muttered under her breath.
The room fell silent for a while before Christopher spoke to Sydney.
” Dear, it’s been a rough year for you. If I were you, would have left this country the moment this idiot I call a son cheated.”
” Dad what are you saying-”
Christopher threw a dirty glance slapping him across the face and telling him to shut up. ” Don’t speak when I’m not talking to you. ”
Gavin was a humble bird.
He pointed at Sydney, anger suddenly consuming him. ” Can you see what you’ve done to her? I should have passed a bullet through your head the day you said you wanted to marry her. I had faith you would love her more than anything. Look at her. Look at your children. I could have sworn Christmas six years ago wasn’t as gloomy as this one.”
Mathilda spoke as he was catching his breath. ” Don’t scold him, he did the right thing. I’ve always wanted Avery as my daughter-in-law.”
Christopher avoided looking at his wife before he’d say something that would make her run mad.
He looked at Gavin who was drowning in shame. ” Didn’t you think twice before cheating on her? Where did your conscience go son? Look at you, you look like a man who’d lost all ray of hope in his life. You had something good and you just let it waste. You must be enjoying a new life with your mistress.” He threw a glance at Avery. He was more ashamed. He used to like her a hell lot. He considered her the daughter he never had.
” Shame on you Avery, your mother would be weeping in heaven.”
Plates fell and crashed to the ground as Avery jerked out of her seat. She pointed a knife to Christopher, her eyes void of emotion.
Three different gasps.
” Stop giving yourself attention, drop the knife,” Ethan spoke for the first time.
Christopher and Avery had a stare battle. He looked at her like a father looked at his child. He could see she was consumed by the anger of the past. Avery’s hand shook on the knife. It fell off her hand and she stormed out of the dining room.
Mathilda stood in concern. ” How can you bring up her dead mother?” She said hypocritically and turned to Gavin. ” Go talk to her.”
Gavin’s eyes slowly rose from his food, and he looked at Sydney, who was as stiff as a bone.
” Sweet-”
She stood and left in a flash. Gavin’s chair tumbled over as he got up and went after her. Ethan’s fist clenched and he got up and went after them.
He hid by a wall and watched as his Daddy grabbed his Mommy’s hand. His heart was accelerating every second but he maintained a nonchalant look.
Gavin swung Sydney over and drew her into his arms. He wrapped his arm tightly around hers so she wouldn’t pull away.
” Don’t run away, please. I’m sorry, I need you to believe me-”
She wasn’t struggling. She was too boneless to. ” How do you expect me to believe you when you’ve taken my heart and smashed it against the wall ten thousand times!”
” I made a mistake, sorry- Don’t believe me if you don’t want to. Please forgive me, baby-”
” Let go of me, please. Please let go. Gavin let go of me!” She was screaming.
She pushed herself off him when his grip on her loosened. She wasn’t crying or sobbing. She was breathing heavily.
He reached out to her but she moved away.
” I’m not different from you. I’m not any faithful. I kissed someone, Gavin; I hate myself for not liking it. He wasn’t you- I’m so angry with myself for still letting you affect me-”
” Sydney it’s fine. Calm down, it’s fine.” His voice was calm and loving.
He watched her as she held her knees and panted.
Slowly, carefully, he approached her. Stopped a few inches away.
” I want to tell you something. The truth. I should have told you years ago, if I had, we wouldn’t be in this situation.”
She was standing straight. Looking at him in confusion and longing. She wanted to reach out to him. Touch him. Love him. Kiss him. A thousand chains were drawing her back.
Meanwhile, Avery sat on the toilet seat, staring at the message on her phone screen. From Gabriel.
– Cancel the plans, tell them to back down, or else I’ll do worse than I’ve done to you –
Avery was a vibrating power plant. Her hand shook as she dialed the kidnapper’s number. Her mind drew countless images of what Gabriel had done to her.
The mirrors around her. Her multiple reflection closing down on her. The reverberations of their screams. The sound of footsteps slamming against metal. Her ears. Her eyes. Her mind.
She called the kidnapper and asked him to back off.
Gavin was still trying to gather his words. He didn’t know how to start telling her. He didn’t know if she’d hate him more especially if she Ethan was in danger.
He didn’t have the chance to finish gathering his thoughts when a loud gunshot broke through the silence.
He heard screaming.
Sydney was fine and staring behind him. He wasn’t hurt, he wasn’t feeling pain.
He heard Ethan screaming and was too scared to look back.