Falling for my Ex-Fiancee’s Best friend

“Really?” Harriet asked Thorpes in disbelief.

“She’ll be fine.” Thorpes said to Harriet and made his way to his room. He did not want to stress too much about everything that happened.

Harriet decided to prepare dinner for the family since they spent all evening thinking about where Demelza was. She made her way to the kitchen and stood for a while indecisive of what they were going to eat. After a while of standing and thinking, she decided to prepare pasta. It’ll take her less than an hour to do so and that way, they would have an early dinner.

She picked up the necessary ingredients she needed to prepare the meal and began chopping and dicing them. While cooking, she hummed her favorite songs which were melodious to Thorpes ears whenever he listened. Just as she calculated, she finished in less than an hour. She picked up three plates from the plate rack and dished everyone’s food and set it on the dining table with a fork and knife beside each plate. After doing that, she took out the orange juice in the fridge and pour into the three-glass cup for each of them and then set it beside each person’s plate. After ensuring everything was set, she smiled feeling satisfied.

She headed upstairs to call her husband and Demelza out for dinner but she met Thorpes on his way down already. He couldn’t endure anymore of the appetizing aroma he had been perceiving.

“Dinner is ready.” Harriet said to him.

“Right about time.” He responded with a very wide smile.

“You can head down, I’ll go call Demelza now.” Harriet said to Thorpes.

“Already there.” He responded without wasting time. He rushed down stairs like a child who had not eaten all day. Besides, Harriet is a very good cook.

“Hey Mel, dinner is ready.” Harriet called out to Demelza who refused to respond to Harriet’s knocks on the door.

“Go away, I don’t want to eat.” Demelza responded which got Harriet upset. She had been putting up an attitude since she left the hospital and she wouldn’t even eat. Unknown to Harriet, Demelza had eaten to her fill and wasn’t hungry.

“Okay, just try to eat a little. I prepared it very nicely and there was orange juice too.” Harriet told her hoping that would make her want to eat because Demelza loves orange juice a lot and sometimes, she would not eat without it.

“I’m not hungry, I ate already.” Demelza responded.

“Mel baby, come. Fine, don’t eat. Just come sit on the table with us.” Harriet stressed; just anything to get Demelza out of her room.

“Damn it! Demelza exclaimed. “I do not want to eat. You are not even my mum, so stop acting like one.” Demelza added rudely which pierced Harriet’s heart.

Harriet felt so hurt because except for times when she was reminded, she is not Demelza’s mother, she never thought about it because of how much she loves her. She shook her head and turned to leave almost in tears but she met Thorpes eyes. He had slowly come upstairs and he heard everything they said. He felt very upset with Demelza and sad for Harriet because he knew how much love she has for Demelza.

He walked to her and hugged her tightly while he patted her back because he didn’t want her to cry. He knew how much effort she put into preparing the meal and she made the pasta exactly how Demelza likes it. All the effort was definitely for Demelza’s sake so he understood exactly how she felt. Harriet soon broke free from Thorpes embrace and walked away.

He watched her leave before walking to Demelza’s door. He knew it was a lot for Demelza but she doesn’t have to treat her family like trash just because she was heartbroken. He knocked twice on her door but she refused to respond. “I know you are in there and deliberately ignoring us, open up so I do not have to force it open. You are not a child anymore so don’t make me treat you like one okay.” Thorpes scolded her but she still gave him a deaf ear.

After a while of waiting for her to open up the door, he started banging the door and it made him really upset.

Demelza who sat down watching the door put on her air pod and started listening to music on the loudest volume. She actually cared less about what any of them had to say at the moment. When Thorpes got impatient, je walked downstairs to get a pin. He was very good at using pins to unlock doors so in order not to destroy the door, he decided to do that.

When he finally got the door open, he entered the room and was so shocked to see Demelza sitting on her bed and looking at the direction of the door. Thorpes was shocked to his bones to see that she heard him and Harriet all along except the few times she chooses to be a brat. “Really, Mel?” he asked her in disbelief.

“Yeah, dad, really. You all should give me some space.” She screamed rudely which infuriated Thorpes so much.

“I understand that you are going through something but you are overreacting. We are all going through something okay. I cannot have you disrespecting I and your mother this way.” Thorpes scolded her.

“Step mum” Demelza responded with her hands creating a quotation in the air.

Without thinking, Thorpes gave her a very dirty slap on the cheek which surprised himself and Demelza. Harriet was downstairs in the garden so she had no idea of what was going on upstairs. Thorpes hated the fact that he hit his daughter but he didn’t regret it because she needed to come back to her senses.

Demelza looked at her father straight in the eyes and dashed out of the room with her shoulders brushing against his. Thorpes just stood there watching her leave in disbelief. He did not know what to do or what this was but whatever it was, was enough for Demelza to walk out of him that way.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

While she walked out, she passed by Harriet who was about to go back into the house. Harriet did not say a word to her, noticing the amount of anger Demelza had in her. She allowed her leave and walked into the house to check on Thorpes. It was quite obvious that something had ensued between the both of them. It was quite worrisome to see that he didn’t come after her.

“Hey, what happened?” Harriet asked her husband immediately she got to him standing b-y the dinning.

“I hit her.” he responded in a very low tone.

“Oops!” she said as she wasn’t expecting that. Demelza must have gone really far because he never does that, not until Demelza really committed an offense.

“She’ll be fine alright. She is an adult, let her have her space and clear her head.” Harriet said to Thorpes who still had a long face.

She pulled him by the hand and dragged him to his chair to sit and eat. After ensuring he started eating, she picked up Demelza’s food and put it in the refrigerator with hopes that she would return home and eat it. She sat down to have dinner with Thorpes. They needed it. It has been a crazy week for them. She had earlier turned on the water heater in the bathroom so that they could have a hot bath after dinner.

***

She strolled down the street for a bit and then got to a very lonely street without noticing it. As she walked, she felt like she was being followed which made quicken her footsteps. She turned back only for her suspicion to be confirmed. She saw a man dressed in black following her which got her really scared. She started running hoping she would be able to outrun them and get to a coffee shop by the corner but she came to an instant halt the minute she saw another guy come out from the corner.

So many thoughts flashed through her mind and she started regretting leaving home. She hated being a brat and if she had just eaten, all of these wouldn’t have happened. Worst of it all was that she had left home without her hand bag and no hand bag simply meant no pepper spray for self-defense.

She slowly began to retreat when the guy in front walked closer to her; she totally forgot one was behind her until her back met his firm chest. She could feel her stomach churn and her heart race so fast like it was going to pop out of her chest.

He held her by the neck but not tight enough to strangle her but tight enough to make her feel scared. “Please don’t hurt me.” she begged the man with a trembling voice.

…