Always There

Chapter Twenty-Two

Elena and Mateo are speaking in Spanish, their voices low. I do my best to try and not overhear them considering that it seems as though they're having a very private conversation.

Not to mention that I don't really give a shit about their feelings, but eh.

Mateo eventually steps out of his mother's embrace, slowly turning to look at Blossom and I. I notice how he focuses in on Blossom though, and his eyes widen for merely a moment before he tells her, "I can't thank you and your family enough for allowing me to come over for dinner last minute, Lexi."

I almost gag at how formal he always seems to be, but I decide to keep my mouth shut for the sake of Blossom and my dad.

"I'm so glad that you're here, Matt," Blossom says with a smile, and I watch as she leaves my side to go and hug Mateo.

She looks so comfortable and content in his arms, and I find myself clenching my fingers of the hand that she had just been holding not too long ago as if I miss her hand in mine already.

Looking to my side, I find that my dad is watching me closely. He has a look of sympathy on his face as his eyes flicker between me and Mateo and Blossom, but I just shake my head at him, pleading with him to not comment.

She loves you, Bryce. Not him. She's never loved him. If she had loved him, she would've started a relationship with him and not you. Mateo was always there for her, but she waited for you.

"How have you been since we saw each other last?" Blossom asks Mateo, and I let out a breath of relief as they unwrap their arms from around each other.

As the two of them converse, Blossom folds her hands in front of herself. I watch as she begins to twist her ring around her finger and the sight relieves me even further.

I look to my right again to find Elena and my dad standing awfully close together. They're watching Blossom and Mateo closely, and I suddenly feel lonely and insecure once again, just as swiftly as that.

"I'm going to go back to dinner," I announce randomly, my voice dull.

The only response that I'm able to elicit from Blossom is a smile and nod of her head before she turns right back to Mateo, resuming their conversation.

Turning on my heel, I quickly exit the foyer and head back into the dining room to take my seat at the table again. Everyone looks up at me for merely a second before they return to their conversations, the only people who stay interested in me being Adriana and Addison.

"Was that your brother who just showed up, Bryce?" Adriana asks me, and I swear to God that I want to cry almost instantaneously.

Why is everything suddenly about him? And why the fuck is that making me so jealous?

I nod slowly at Adriana, who turns to her sister to giggle together before Addison asks me the next question. "What's his name?"

I momentarily consider pretending that I didn't hear her question, but I know that that would just make me look like a fucking idiot and so I answer by saying, "His name is Mateo."

I try to sound as unenthused as possible, but as I've earlier established, the twins are dumb as shit and so they don't pick up on the fact that I don't want to be having this fucking conversation with them.

Blossom and Mateo walk into the room so close together that their arms brush with every step, and I have to shut my eyes for a moment as I take a deep breath in.

I don't want to be here. I want to be with just my dad and my girl, at his house and not here, surrounded by all of these people.

My brain feels a little bit groggy, and I can faintly feel an anxiety attack coming on.