Sick Like Me (Sick Like #1)

Chapter 27

TWENTY-SEVEN

Mrs Whitney Moore was a beautiful woman, short in height with bright white money pieces framing her face, a bright contrast against her dark brown hair. The pieces looked dyed, but they were very much natural and just perfect chance.

I entered the kitchen in my red wedding style dress, the red veil itching the back of my shoulders as I pinned it just above where my hair sat half up on my head. I let out a puff of air, calling for the attention of the woman.

“Ashton, honey, could you help me lay the food on the dining table? Those pair are still getting ready and everyone will start showing up soon, I feel so unprepared!” The middle-aged woman rushed around the kitchen, pulling out the plastic tub of varying dips from the fridge before placing it on the crowded kitchen island.

The Moores’ hosted Halloween parties every year, but they hosted it on the night before Halloween. Mostly because they enjoyed spending time with their family and friends, and most people had plans on Halloween night as it was. So they settled for their annual Halloween party to be the night before.

Mrs Moore was dressed up in a tartan skirt, and a grey cardigan atop a white dress shirt that she cut lazily into a crop style. Her hair was tied back into ponytails on either side of her head while her money pieces remained free, framing her face.

“Sure thing Mrs Moore,” I smiled as I picked up a bowl of tortilla crisps, and a wooden board that had a bowl of hummus in the middle with different slices of vegetables around the edges.

“Thank you sweetheart,” The older woman called after me as I walked around the corner to the slightly-pushed-to-the-side dining table that could fit at least six people around it. I placed the plates down, knowing that within no time Mrs Moore would place everything wherever she deemed fit once she got all the items on the table.

Sure enough, the woman walked into the room with a hurricane force. She smiled at me before she placed down bowls of foods, then she turned to me. “Are you staying the night? I need to know if we need to set up one of the spare room.”

I hummed as I debated the offer. I nodded slowly, then smiled in return to the woman. “Yes please, if you’ll have me and it won’t be too much of a hassle.”

Mrs Moore waved her hand, dismissing my concerns. She then made her way back to the kitchen and so I followed her to grab more items. Once the dining table was full of sweet and savoury treats, and the paper plates dotted around neatly, I found myself at home on the sofa in the kitchen where the glass doors welcomed you to the back garden.

The Moore family lived in an area which looked much like where I did. Their house was between the city and the countryside, and they had plenty of land around them so they had a large garden which was often used during the summer of family and friend wide BBQs.

“I’m more than happy to have you stay with us, we don’t see you all too often since you and Stef started the new project,” She began as she came back to the dining room with a par cart full of varying drinks. “Plus we’re going to have so much food left over, we can snack on it in the middle of the night or in the morning, we could use the help.”

I laughed slightly, but nodded my head in agreement. “I’ll go check that Stefan and Peyton are done styling the front porch,” I tore myself away from the woman for some space. When she had her mind focused on something, such as making sure the dining room was packed full of food, then it was best to be out of her way and leave her to it.

I made my way around the hallway that led to the living room, then to the front inside porch which then led to the outside front porch.

I got to the porch and opened the door, half expecting to intrude on my best friends in the middle of a make out session or something. But surprisingly, I found them metre apart as Peyton hung fake spiderwebs from the wall that blocked the garden from the view of the driveway, and Stefan was busy making it look like a skeleton had been buried in the flower bow at the end of the steps.

I noted on the middle steps to one side, there were two pumpkins which had been carved, flames flickering inside from tiny tea lights. Along the edge of the steps, there were battery operated candles all lit to ensure everyone had a clear path of their way to the front door.

I made my way to Peyton, sensing a mild bit of tension between the pair. I leant against the wall, which earned me a slight glare from Peyton as she paused her fussing. She slapped my shoulder, harder than it seemed she intended to, which earned a flinch and gasp from myself.

I pushed myself off the wall and turned my back to Stefan who was none the wiser to my intrusion. I followed Peyton, keeping myself as close to her as possible while I spoke in a voice I hoped only she could hear. “What’s going on? Couple’s fight? ”

“I ended… Whatever the hell we were,” She stated matter of factly, not seeming the bit phased by it.

I raised my eyebrows in surprise, but then she shot me a look that showed me she had never expected things to work between the pair regardless. “We got together in a rush after our relationships ended. It was quick sex that we mistook for feelings.”

“He’s liked you a while, you know,” I stated, pulling one side of my lips up into a half smile. “But I agree, you both rushed into things. You can always try again at a later time once you’re both sure you’re not using one another as a rebound.”

Peyton looked irritated by my response, and so I decided it best to let the topic go but not after I gave her a warning. “Don’t let it ruin the night, we all love spending this time of year together and if you two begin fighting, you’re going to ruin the mood for everyone.”

“I’m an adult,” She snapped at me, moving me out of the way as her hands fussed with the fake cobwebs again. “I’m going to act civil and as if nothing ever happened between the pair of us. It’s him that may be the problem.”

I shot Stefan a look over my shoulder as he stood from the flowerbed. He gave me a wide smile and waved slightly, and I couldn’t help but frown as I turned my head back to Peyton. “Stefan looks perfectly happy and civil,” I defended him.

Peyton rolled her eyes. “That’s the problem,” She stated.

Footsteps sounded, then the squeaking of trainers as Stefan made his way inside to seek our his parents to see if they had other requests to busy himself with. I then moved back to give Peyton more space. I was then free to speak as loud as I needed.

“Let me get this straight, you broke up with him , and you’re mad that he isn’t all ‘gloom and doom’ about the whole thing?” I asked, to which she closed her eyes and tilted her head back.

“I know he likes me, I knew he liked me months ago. I used him as a rebound, I know I did. I enjoyed my time with him but I don’t want to hurt him. But at the same time, I want him to hate me,” She spoke, her head remaining to the sky.

“Above all things, you guys were friends first. We’re all great friends, and that kind of thing seems rare these days. He was fine never acting on his feelings for you before, and he seems happy he at least gave it a shot,” I tried to be the voice of reason.

Why was it I was good at giving advice, but when it came to my own fucked up romance, I could barely muster up three words before my mind went blank?

“You need to feel what you feel, and embrace that. Then you need to overcome it, and once you have, you’ll find a new normal,” I replied, stepping close to her and placing my arms around her in a loose hug.

Peyton didn’t hug back, but she also didn’t push me away. She stood there, taking in deep breaths through her nose and pushing them out past her lips. She finally whispered against my hair, “I think we should seriously consider getting married to each other.”

I let out a laugh and pulled back, which revealed she had a smile on her own lips. I raised my hand to gently poke her arm. “There she is. Now come on, we need to make sure everything is all sorted inside before people start turning up.”

Two hours later, the main lights throughout the Moore household were turned off while varying LED lights and fairy light trails became the main source of vision throughout the property.

I stood with Peyton to my right, and Stefan to my left as I held a plastic orange cup with bats over it in my hand. Inside was some fruity punch, chunks of fruit floating inside it. Mrs Moore had made it earlier that day, and it tastes great .

The vodka Stefan let us use to spike the drinks in our cups made it all the more better, though.

Peyton seemed to loosen up once she had a drink down her, and Stefan remained his happy self. I was thankful he didn’t seem heartbroken. But then again, the pair had only been hooking up for a few weeks at most, not quite long enough to fall in love.

That made my mind wander to my own love life, though. I had told Dakota I would send him a photo of my outfit the day before, to which I had no response. I then sent him a mirror selfie earlier of my outfit, which again earned crickets from our chat.

Owen, in contrast, had sent me a message that very morning asking me my plans. I had given him a brief rundown, and then I ignored his following message as I felt I was in no mood to entertain him.

I felt bad. I knew I was leading him on, but we never did much when we were together and it felt as if we were more of a companionship, rather than a relationship. We basked in basked in one another’s company with very minimal physical intimacy.

It I had both Owen and Dakota, I got the best of both worlds. One gave me a connection of loyalty and the feeling of comfort. The other made my skin feel like it was on fire from his every touch, a feeling I was finding myself addicted to despite how fleeting the experience had felt.

I wanted to chose just one of them, with the hopes they could somehow bring me what the other person did within time. But it was wrong to compare the men. They were different. They had different names, different backgrounds, different personalities and life goals.

I knew who the one I wanted was, and I hated to admit it. Because it meant I would be breaking the heart of a lovely man.

I downed my drink in one go, then I pulled my phone off of the table in the conservatory which was usually used for breakfasts when the whole Moore household took the time to sit down together.

I opened the messaging app I used for both men and opened Owen’s message.

Owen: I hope you have a great evening!

I smiled at the sweet message, but then I closed my eyes. He isn’t who you want , my mind reminded me.

The heart wanted what it wanted, and it was Dakota Vernon.

It felt selfish to end things over text with Owen, especially when we had been hanging out for months. But I could imagine the crushed look on his face, knowing he was the only one falling in love while my attentions were diverted elsewhere.

I felt the device be ripped from my hand, then I watched as Mrs Moore placed the phone in a plastic bag after she locked the screen. She gave me a wide toothy smile. “Come on, get off your phone and enjoy the company!” She yelled, louder than necessary since the music was more so in the dining room.

The Moore house was an older build, but had been modernised before they moved in around seven years ago. Around the three story house were speakers, which they used to their full advantage during any parties they threw.

The conservatory, a small glass room built onto the ‘utility room’ beside the kitchen, was a new addition to the house as of last year. It hadn’t been fitted with a speaker as it was a place Mr Moore used to read, and secretly smoke away from the prying eyes of his family.

I let my lips part, wanting to reach out for my phone. But the woman was a typical Welsh mother. There was no arguing with her.

“You three get your arses inside the house now, and have a good party and eat so much you feel like your trousers are going to rip open. Got it?” She asked.

I saw how much effort the woman had put into the party, and us sneaking off to drink the alcoholic punch was a low blow to her efforts. So I nodded my head and pushed myself off the counters I had been leaning against.

Mrs Moore grabbed my arm gently and pulled me close, kissing my cheek gently to show she meant no harm and just wanted us to connect with other patrons at the party. I understood her intentions. If I agreed with them was another thing, but I could part from my phone for a few hours. I probably needed the distance.

Mrs Moore held her hand out, and Peyton wasted no time in throwing her phone into it before she followed after me to the open glass doors. Stefan gave a bit more of a debate about it, but one narrow-eyed look from his mother was all the warning he needed to hand the thing over.

So the three of us went back inside the main section of the house, the music loud. We made our way to the dining table, and found there to be more than enough food to feed a small village.

I picked up a plate, then piled on varying picky bits such as sandwiches, warmed up mozzarella sticks, slices of pizza, and all other sorts. Mrs Moore had everything covered. It would have been hard to find something you didn’t want to eat. Savoury snacks, to sweet treats. And on a separate side table against one the walls, she listed gluten and allergen free foods, and even vegetarian and vegan alternatives to the spread on the main table.

I had my plate full, as did Stefan and Peyton. But we barely made a dent in all the mountains of food, and I half suspected the following morning I would be coerced into taking a tray of food home with me. All the better for me, really. The less cooking I had to do, the better.

We made our way to the living room, which was two rooms split by a folding divider wall which could be pushed open whenever you wished to expend the living room area.

The house had people dotted all around, talking about varying things and some even dancing. Thankfully the side of the open living room where the fire sat was empty, whereas the side with the TV was full of kids watching spooky movies.

“No fair, those kids get to watch TV but we can’t even hold our phones?” Stefan pouted as he threw himself into the navy sofa that faced the window. I then took a seat in the matching sofa pushed against the window, while Peyton took a seat on the grey armchair sat facing the small fireplace.

“We need to be less reliant on our phones. They never had mobiles like twenty years ago, and now we’re addicted to them,” Peyton tried to defend our friends mother, to which he looked less than impressed with but the look he gave revealed he knew she—and his mother—were right.

“How your lover boys anyway?” Stefan asked. Peyton tensed up slightly, but then she shook the feeling off as she stuffed her face with a battered chicken nuggets.

I shrugged one shoulder lazily. “I’m thinking of ending things,” I replied a little cryptically.

Stefan gasped and sat on the edge of the sofa, his paper plate with a cartoon monster on it barely able to support on his knees from the sudden movement. “With which one? Please don’t say my boy Owen. You know how much I adore him.”

“You’ve only met him, like, once,” I laughed and rolled my eyes, to which Stefan let out a groan and slouched back against the sofa.

“My poor boy is about to be broken hearted,” He replied dramatically, which earned us a few annoyed shushes from the kids on the other side of the room.

“Hey, kids, it’s my damn house,” He replied, which earned him no further responses. He then turned back to me and put on his most serious tone. “If that’s what you think is best for you though, then do it butty. You’re stringing the poor man along and it pains me to see.”

“Are you my friend, or his?” I laughed at his response, which earned a quiet retaliation from Peyton by our sides .

“Leave her to make her own choices, Stefan,” She spoke softly, her eyes on the unlit fireplace opposite. “She needs to make her own mistakes, and to learn from them. We can’t control what she does.”

Stefan went silent and the humour wiped from his face as he turned to Peyton. He looked paler, slightly worried by her response. “Hey, Pey, are you okay?” He asked, reaching a gentle hand out to touch her knee.

Peyton flinched, then she placed her plate down and stood. She forced a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes—and both of us could tell. “I’m going to go to the bathroom for a minute, don’t miss me.”

She almost ran off to the direction of the stairs. All guests who were only there for the party had been directed to use the downstairs toilet, but Peyton was staying the night and also gave no concern for the rules as she sought her way to one of the upstairs bathrooms.

I suspected she would be going to the one on the third floor, the place where her spare room for the night would be. She needed peace and quiet, and that was the best place to go for it.

“Do you know if there’s anything going on with her?” I asked Stefan, unsure if she had begun to confide in him more during the short period he claimed himself to be her boyfriend.

He gave a single raise of his shoulder. “She hasn’t told me of any concerns lately other than feeling like she was using me as a rebound, so we broke up. She seemed fine, but something about her today feels… off .”

“I know exactly what you mean,” I mumbled, looking to the unlit fireplace as if it would expose all her secrets.

That night, Peyton crawled into my bed. She said nothing as she lay there on her back. And I said nothing in response. I had the feeling she would find it hard to verbalise her feelings, and that she just needed to be near me to gain some sense of comfort.

Whatever she needed, I would be that for her or give it to her. No questions asked.