Chapter 6 A Chaotic Family Dinner

• Noah’s P.O.V.
• “Son, we are having a family dinner tonight, and I expect you to be here.” My Mother had called the minute I had decided that I was going to pull an all-nighter at work.
• After much argument, my valid distaste for family gatherings along with my mother’s emotional blackmail. I stood outside my family house and contemplated knocking.
• I didn’t want to be here. I didn’t want to sit at a table where my need for a girlfriend would be a constant topic throughout the night.
• I exhaled and inhaled, reaching my hand toward the doorbell when the familiar sound of Veronica's laughter locked my limbs down in fury.
• What was she doing here?
• She shouldn’t have been here after the stunt she had pulled with Liam.
• Veronica has always been a thorn in my flesh, but now she is a bigger pain to my life. It seemed like her purpose in life was to torment me to the very end.
• My fist clenched, I reached for the doorbell again and pressed it this time.
• “Coming” I heard my mother’s excited voice, the kind she used when Veronica was around.
• The sound of the door opening raised my gaze to the door and standing there was my mother, who smiled so brightly at me that I almost felt guilty for contemplating going back home.
• “Oh my darling!” She opened her arms and took me in for a hug. “It has been a while.”
• “Mum, let me go, you saw me last week” I protested, even as my arms went around her.
• She let go of me, just as my eyes connected with icy blue eyes, and it felt like hell had just frozen over.
• Oh, fuck me!
• What was Liam doing here?
• I just got invited to my own torture party and there was no out for me.
• “Come in, Come in”
• My mother ushered me into the house, just as my eyes didn’t sway away from Liam’s face.
• “Hi Noah!” And just like that, Veronica's shitty voice was enough to break the hold he had on me.
• “I didn’t know you would be here” She smiled at me, her smile taunting me.
• “You didn’t expect me to be at my parents' house?” I raised my brow at her, not hiding my disgust for her.
• “I mean…” She began, her hand snaking up Liam's chest, “I didn’t think you’d be comfortable.”
• Right there, I decided I wanted to hurt her and Liam more by letting her play this sick game of hers.
• I looked away from Veronica to look at Liam, “What are you doing here?”
• “I am a guest,” he said in his usual broody voice, and I couldn’t fight off the shiver that raked me.
• His eyes darkened just as he realized how much effect his voice had on me.
• “Who the fuck would invite you?” I spat out, trying to hide the fact that I would kneel if he asked me to.
• “Noah!” I felt a hard hit on my back. “Don’t be rude, that’s Veronica's fiancé.”
• “I know, Mum, but that doesn’t excuse him being here,” I looked back at him. “Leave.”
• “I can’t, that wouldn’t make me a good guest.” He smirked and at that moment I wanted to watch life fade from his eyes as I strangled him.
• “Noah?”
• God, could this get any worse?
• I sighed as I turned back to face Veronica's parents standing by the door.
• Her mother rushed forward to embrace me in her arms. “I knew it was you!” She exclaimed in a voice that seemed as fake as her smile.
• They obviously share the same dislike as their daughter towards me. They were the most judgmental people I have ever come across.
• “Hi”, I greeted them and turned away from them before they started pointing out what, and how they didn’t like the color of my hair or my choice of clothing.
• “Dinner is ready, everyone should come sit,” my father announced.
• We all moved toward the dining area and I picked a seat across from Veronica, just as Liam thought it was a good idea to sit beside me.
• Fucker, just wanted to look for a means to trigger me, and I was not going to give him the satisfaction of that.
• He can go to hell with his bitch of a Fiancé by his side.
• I looked down at the table as the fresh smell of pot-roasted chicken hit me and I found myself moaning in delight.
• “Careful or I will think you are asking for it,” I heard Liam whisper and I whipped my head to him, staring at him in surprise as he cut through his chicken and put it in his mouth.
• “Do not talk to me,” I whispered back through clenched teeth.
• His lips moved as he ignored what I said, and my eyes zeroed in.
• “Noah, how was work going?”
• It sounded faint in my mind, that the only thing on there was the urge to kiss Liam.
• “Noah!”
• I turned away quickly, afraid someone had pried my thoughts open to see the dirty things that were there right now.
• I shouldn’t be thinking about nasty things towards Liam.
• But Christ could not help it, he looked like a totally different kind of meal, and I was down for that.
• I glanced up at my mum, “Did you say something?”
• “I asked how work was going?”
• I sighed, this wasn’t a conversation I wanted to dive into.
• “Still the same old shit”
• “Language Noah,” my father fired back almost immediately.
• I hummed and dug into my food. Zeroing whatever conversation is going on at the table.
• “Liam has been the best…..”
• I choked and spluttered, coughing violently as a palm landed on my thighs.
• “Have some water,” My mum handed me a glass of water as she hit my back multiple times.
• I drank hurriedly, and the coughing seemed to slowly diffuse.
• “You should eat more slowly,” Veronica’s mother chirped.
• If only she knew…
• I looked back at my food and pried Liam's hand off my thighs, not bothering to look at him only for him to drop it back.
• If he wanted to play this game, then fine.
• “Veronica, how did you and Liam fall in love?”
• I could feel Liam tighten his hold on me, but I wasn’t going to look at him.
• Shit.
• I felt his finger go higher, towards my crotch and I gasped.
• “It was love at first sight,” Veronica laughed like she had said something funny and a taste of disgust filled my tongue.
• “You both don’t seem in love with each other though?” I fired, watching as the smile came off her face.
• “What would you know? You don’t have a girlfriend and I doubt you have ever been in love.” Veronica’s mother piped up.
• And just like that, the warmth of Liam’s fingers disappeared from my thighs.
• I glanced at him, then looked away immediately.
• I wouldn’t be affected by this.
• "Mummy, I don’t think that’s true. Go on Noah, tell them how you had a thing for Liam back in high school."
• And I froze, every nerve of my body freezing up as Veronica outed me to my family.
• “Veronica…”
• “It is just jokes, Liam.” She laughed it off even though I still felt my body locked.
• “Is that why you haven’t brought a girlfriend home, Son?” my father asked.
• “You are gay?” Veronica’s mother shrieked, and it took everything in me not to throw up at the judgmental tone in her voice.
• It felt I was back there in that room, with the word faggot written across my locker while people mocked him.
• I’d be beaten and bruised just because I didn’t take a sexual liking to women.
• I felt choked up, just as I began to shake.
• I couldn’t stop myself from shrieking back to my chair at the thought of being hit all over again for my sexual preference.
• I shouldn’t be back here, I shouldn’t be shaking at the thought of being out of my closet—at the thought of my family finding out I liked men, but I was.
• It felt like I was drowning and that was going to be the death of me.
• “Noah?” I could hear Liam’s voice call out from the distant part at the back of my mind. “Baby, look at me.”
• My eyes connected with his.
• “Breathe,”
• And just like he ordered, I took a breath.
• My chest burned as I inhaled oxygen greedily. I had almost forgotten to breathe.
• I gazed around to notice no one was eating anymore, and their eyes were on me. My mother stared at me in worry, while my father stared at me in confusion and if looks could kill I’d be dead from the look Veronica was directing at me.
• I just had a panic attack in front of my family while Liam was on his knees in front of me, my hands in his.
• Talk about a fucking disaster.