Chapter 6
Chelsea was beginning to think the world was out to get her. Every time things started to get a little better, they immediately fell apart again. She could see from the look on Sangi’s face that she was pissed off. Matthew on the other hand wouldn’t even acknowledge the woman. At that moment, Chelsea was seriously considering running away from the whole situation, but it was too late for that.
Chelsea sighed before she shook her hand. “Yes, I’m Chelsea. Nice to meet you.”
Sangi didn’t say a word. She turned, pushing her way through the gathering people. Chelsea wanted to talk to her, try to calm her down at least, but at the moment Emily was looking at her expectantly. Chelsea caught Matthew’s mother staring in her direction. She offered a hand to Emily.
“It’s nice to meet you.”
Chelsea tried desperately to get away, but Emily wasn’t having any of it. The more she tried to slip away from the woman, the more she seemed to come up with an excuse for her to stay. She could see Matthew clenching his jaw.
“How have you been, Matthew?” Emily asked, a smirk on her face.
Matthew went to open his mouth, but Chelsea beat him to it. “He’s fine, thanks to me. We’re going, now.”
She took Matthew’s arm, pulling him away from the woman. Was everyone in his hometown a little off? They slipped outside where a few stragglers were puffing on cigarettes. When they were out of earshot of the guests, Matthew laughed. It wasn’t his usual good natured chuckle she’d grown used to hearing. It bordered on scary.
“I can’t believe she would even show her face here. I didn’t think my brother would actually be stupid enough to invite her when I was coming,” he scoffed. “This is ridiculous. I’m with you, let’s leave.”
Chelsea shook her head. “No, daddy needs to at least rest for the night. He’s not as young as he used to be. Besides,” she said folding her arms over her chest, “does she really bother you that much?”
Matthew must have seen something on her face because he wrapped her up in his arms. A strong hand ran over her back. He kissed her forehead before he separated them a little.
“She means less than nothing to me. I guess the only reason it still pisses me off is that it was my brother.”
“You still talk to him nice enough.”
“I didn’t want to upset my parents. It’s like everyone knows about it, they just don’t bring it up anymore.” Matthew shrugged. “I’ll be fine.”
Chelsea took his hand giving it a tight squeeze. A small bit of his smile returned making her feel that old comfort she’d gotten so used to. He reached over laying his hand on her cheek. Slowly, as if to test the waters, he placed his lips on hers. The soft tickle of his mouth against hers made her feel warm all over. She held onto the front of his jacket, kissing him back until she was out of breath. When they pulled away from each other, they were both smiling. Until Chelsea remembered Sangi.
“Shit! I forgot about Sangi. I have to go check on her.”
Matthew nodded. “I’ll come with you.”
They slipped back into the house with its soft music playing. The sound of Frank Sinatra filtered through the speakers making her sleepy. At first they stuck together sweeping from room to room looking for her. Once she didn’t pop up downstairs they split up before starting in on the second floor. Sangi was no where to be found. They walked outside together, the smell of hydrangeas punctuating the air. Chelsea finally admitted defeat. Sangi obviously didn’t want to be found.
When they entered the house again, everyone was heading to the tables to eat. Chelsea briefly apologized to her parents for leaving them alone. Lyle waved her off saying they’d had a lovely chat. Chelsea sighed in relief. As long as Catherine didn’t say anything crazy while her parents were there, everything would be fine. When everyone was seated, Chelsea looked around the table. Still, no Sangi. She hadn’t picked up her phone either. It wasn’t like her to do that, but then again, it wasn’t like her to fall for a guy so quickly.
Dinner was once more brought in on silver trays. The smells were intoxicating, even if Chelsea didn’t know the names of half the dishes. She’d made a name for herself as a lawyer the past few years. While she could afford some luxuries, she just didn’t want them. Chelsea liked her simple life, her simple foods and the lack of complications that seemed to come along with living in a family like Matthew’s. At dinner, Catherine wouldn’t look at her or Matthew. She barely shared a glance with her husband. With her parents however, Catherine chatted, laughed, told stories. Chelsea rolled her eyes so hard she thought they would disappear inside of her head.
The dinner went by slowly for Chelsea, but she didn’t remember actually tasting anything. She was worried about Sangi. She kept her eyes on Andrew who was being manhandled by Emily. Once, he looked up, catching her eyes. She raised an eyebrow, scoffed and went back to eating dinner. She tried her best to mingle with the people around her, but she had no experience in trips to Venice or the newest designer trends. Catherine seemed to know that. It was as if she sat her next to these people who she would have nothing in common with, when down the table they were discussing politics. Now that was a conversation.
Chelsea watched as halfway through dinner, Andrew pulled out his phone before disappearing. She slipped her own phone out, but there was still no reply from her friend. She was getting really worried. As soon as desert was cleared off of her plate, raspberry creme brulee that she had to admit tasted like heaven, she decided to check for Sangi one more time. Matthew offered to go with her, but she told him to entertain his guests. Besides, she wanted to talk to Sangi alone.