Darker The Forbidden Berry

Chapter 10

Aja’s belly was doing flips as she folded and unfolded her hands over and over again. They were in a tiny car meant to fit on the back roads of quaint Italian towns, but right now it just felt claustrophobic. Aja closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“How long until we get there?”

“About five minutes. Why?”

“I want to know how long I have to decide if I need to throw up,” she murmured, teeth clenched.

“It’s going to be okay, Aja. You’re worrying about this way too much.”

“I would argue that I’m not worrying enough,” she whispered, her head pressed against the back of the seat as she tried to force her stomach to calm itself. “Your parents already don’t like me.”

“My mother doesn’t like you. My father doesn’t have an opinion yet. Also, my mother doesn’t like anyone.”

“I know you are trying to calm me down, but it isn’t working.”

She rubbed her tiny baby bump, trying to calm herself and her child who was apparently treating her insides like punching bags. Aja knew that no matter what, Finn was going to love her and that they would be together, but that did not help the anxiety she was feeling now. Meeting the in-laws in the best of circumstances was nerve-wracking, but she was going into a situation where she knew they did not like her. Who could blame her for her nerves?

“We’re here.”

Aja deflated and turned her head to look at the gaudy Italian estate. It resembled the house in Detroit with carefully placed topiaries and rose bushes that dotted the beige-colored exterior. It was a Tuscan style home with brickwork and large windows to match. They made their way up a winding driveway, passing a small flower garden and a large garage. Finn must have gotten his love of cars from his dad.

The car rolled to a stop in the half-circle driveway and Finn stepped out to open her door for her, offering his hand.

“Ready?”

“Not even a little bit,” she murmured, though she took his hand and stepped out of the car.

Aja hesitated for just a moment before clinging to Finn’s arm and following him up to the house. He pulled a small keyring out of his pocket and unlocked the door, pushing it open. It led to a long marble hallway with two large rooms on either side. She was pretty sure that this was an exact replica of the house in Detroit. This house had way more sculptures, though. In fact, it had more art in general. That was a good sign. She could talk about art.

Finn led her down the hall and into a room with several couches and a floor to ceiling bookshelf. They went to a smaller love-seat and settled in. Finn put his arms around her shoulders and kissed her temple.

“It’s all going to be okay.”

He could say that all he wanted but she was having a really hard time believing it. Aja wrung her hands, eyes darting to the ornate door that reached from the floor to the ceiling. Finally, it creaked open, groaning at its own weight and a short woman with cropped, white hair and a sensible gray business suit walked through the set of doors. Her face was set in a scowl and her thin lips were painted a deep burgundy that bordered in brown. Her short hair suited her and made her look like every terrifying realtor Aja had ever met.

Behind her, a taller man with a belly followed. He was wearing a simple button-down with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a pair of dress pants with a simple belt. His face was rounded and pleasant with a smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes behind thin, wire-framed glasses.

“Welcome home, son,” the man greeted, crossing the room and wrapping his arms around Finn’s broad shoulders.

They clapped each other on the back before Finn’s mother stepped forward. Her arms were crossed over her bony chest and she said nothing. When Finn’s father stepped back away from Finn he moved to Aja and wrapped her in an embrace Aja had not expected. She let out a surprised squeak and hesitantly wrapped her arms around the man in return.

“You must be Aja, yeah?” He asked, pulling away and putting a hand on her shoulder.

Her eyes darted to Finn and then back to his father. His warm welcome had caught her off guard. After all, Finn did not have much to say about his dad. He was not usually the person who came up in conversation. He finally released her from his embrace and he settled on the couch opposite Finn and Aja. Aja could not help but notice that they were sitting on opposite sides of the couch.

“Nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Somerset.”

“Please, call me Richard,” Mr. Somerset said, waving his hand a little.

“Oh. Of course,” Aja said, her face relaxing just a little.

“You may continue calling me Mrs. Somerset,” Finn’s mother said, her eyes fixed on Aja.

Aja sank back a little and leaned into Finn for some comfort. Richard sighed and eyed his wife, shaking his head a little.

“We are all here for a reason, let’s get it out of the way,” Mrs. Somerset said, leaning forward enough to look just a little intimidating.

Finn adjusted himself to mirror his mother’s body language, his eyes fixed on her as if to challenge whatever she was planning on doing next.

“Why are we here, mother….?”

“Because you decided to run off with some random girl….!”

Aja winced and had to restrain herself from putting a hand over her baby bump. Mrs. Somerset still did not know about the pregnancy and Aja wanted to keep it that way for at least a little while. The long flowy dress she wore hid their secret rather well.

“Her name is Aja and she’s not a random girl, mother!” He snapped, eyes wide with what Aja could only read as rage.

“Do not raise your voice at me!”

Richard stood up and put his body in between them. This was clearly something he’d done before.

“Both of you cut it out right now!” He snapped. “We have a guest and this is not going to turn into the normal screaming match, got it? You two are going to have a civil conversation. Finn, you will not raise your voice and Linda, you will call her by her name!”

Both Finn and Linda set their lips into thin lines and leaned back into their seats. Finn’s hand curled into the fabric of the couch and Linda’s crossed arms tightened and her jaw set.

“Thank you,” Richard said, voice softening as he returned to his seat.

“Aja and I grew close while she was doing the job that you hired her to do.”

“I did not realize I was paying her to sleep with you.”

“She did what she was expected to do and she was very good at it,” Finn said simply. “Since she kept such a close eye on me, we just started spending more time together and we fell in love,” he said softly, trying his best to keep his voice even.

“And how do you know she isn’t taking advantage of you?” Linda asked, her eyes going back to Aja.

“Because she loves me,” he said simply.

“Are you really that stupid?” Linda huffed, leaning back into the couch.

Aja bristled at the words. It felt like a personal insult, even though she knew it wasn’t. Linda was mad and she did not trust Aja, which made sense to some extent, but Linda seemed overly aggressive about it. Aja was not asking for trust right out of the gate.