ROGUE

78 : A Familiar Face

Your POV

The journey to Lockhart wasn't too long, and it wasn't too awkward either.
Jason spoke to me as if nothing had happened last night, and it still bothered me that I didn't know where he had been.
Singe marks on his hands had caught my attention, but I decided against confronting him. Things were sensitive at the moment, and I definitely did not want to make it worse.

I fiddled with the hem of my plain white t-shirt as Jason pulled up on his mom's driveway, which was occupied with two other cars.
One of them was red, and the other was a glossy white sports-vehicle.
Jason didn't seem to recognise the white car, and he furrowed his eyebrows at it suspiciously, his brown eyes flickering over the empty space where the licence plate should've been.
"That's weird." He said as he stopped the car and continued to peer out the window.

I un-clicked my seatbelt. "Does your mom have two cars or something?" I suggested, already knowing what he was talking about, but he replied by shaking his head and sucking in his cheeks. After a moment, he brushed it off and slid out of the car. I did the same, and walked up to the door, shoving my hands in the pockets of my denim jeans.
"Are you nervous?" I asked him, wondering if he felt the same as me.

I had obviously met Jason's mom before, but not exactly in the way I would've expected.
My palms were sweating, and I couldn't help but wonder if she held something against me after the time everything blew up in her house.
Jason knocked on the door and slid his arm around my shoulders. "Kinda." He replied, before pressing his lips to my temple. He knew me too well to feel the need to return my question, and he gently pulled me closer in attempt to reassure me.

We weren't waiting very long before sounds of shuffling came from the other side of the door, and it suddenly swung open, revealing a familiar woman who's blue eyes lit up the moment she saw us. "Jason, Y/n!" She beamed, clasping her hands together. "I'm so glad you decided to come! Come inside!" She gestured excitedly, causing my lips to tug up.

"Thanks." I mumbled, trying my best not to appear awkward or vulnerable.
I knew that I looked drained; my skin was paler than usual, and my eyes were permanently bloodshot; and even despite my desperate attempts to cover up my dreadful appearance with makeup, it was still obvious that I wasn't mentally or physically well.

Jason and I both stepped inside and Pattie shut the door behind us both.
"Jason told me that you haven't been feeling very well lately," She said to me, and I glanced at Jason, who was shaking his head subtly, signalising that he hadn't informed his mom about the pregnancy. My breath hitched before I forced a smile. "No, I haven't." I agreed. "I think I've come down with the flu."

"Oh, you poor thing." She sympathised, resting her hand on my shoulder. "Let me know if there's anything I can get for you."

"Thank you." I nodded appreciatively as Jason walked up beside me and slid his hand into mine. Pattie nodded back, before turning around and walking through the corridor towards the kitchen, where a pleasant smell of bolognese was lingering.
"You didn't tell her?" I confirmed quietly as we began to follow her.

Jason stayed silent for a moment. "She never knew about the baby in the first place." His voice hardened as he spoke. "I don't think we should tell her. Let's keep the mood lighthearted."

I nodded understandingly as we passed through the corridor. Jason's eyes landed on the framed photo of him and his sister, and his jaw visibly clenched before he shook his head and fixed his eyes on the carpeted floor.
I squeezed his hand, noticing his sudden uneasiness, and he repaid me with a faint smile.

"I'm making spaghetti bolognese," Pattie stated the obvious as she moved the pan full of noodles back and fourth on the stove. "Take a seat in the dining room and it'll be ready in a moment."

"Okay," Jason said as he began to lead me into the next room. Once through the door, we were met with a delicately set out table with shiny white plates and silver knives and forks.
Five chairs were neatly tucked beneath it... except one which was unexpectedly occupied.

Jason's face screwed up with disapproval.
"What the fuck are you doing here?"
A man, with dark brown hair and mysterious green eyes looked up from his phone. He looked about forty-five years old, and his lips curved into a smirk. He studied Jason for a moment and remained silent, before his gaze switched to me. He greeted me with his eyes, and I couldn't tell if he was trying to be friendly or purposely trying to creep me out.
Noticing, Jason stood directly in front of me and snapped his fingers at the man.
"Yo, I asked you a question."

The man looked back at Jason. "It's been a while, Jason." He said, visibly unintimidated by the defensive stance that Jason's body had transformed into. "You've grown up."

Jason's eyes thinned. "I think you should leave." He hissed, unnecessarily losing his temper.

"I've been invited for lunch." He said simply, shutting off his phone and placing it down onto the table.

It was obvious that Jason didn't like this man.
But since I wasn't aware of any valid reason why, I tugged on his arm in attempt to stop his temper from rising. "Jason." I mumbled, looking up at him in confusion. "Let's sit down."

I slid out a chair and sank down into it, but Jason remained standing, burning a hole into the man's head with his intimidating glare.
"You're in my sister's seat." He growled.

The man nodded his head once, clearly unwilling to argue. "My apologies."
And with that, he simply shuffled along to the next chair.

Jason scoffed as he took his own seat, and I reached for his hand beneath the table.
He allowed me to intertwine our fingers, but kept his hand limp and lifeless.

Silence lingered in the air like a ghost for what felt like minutes, until Pattie scurried into the dining room with a large dish of Spaghetti and placed it down onto the table.
She looked between Jason and the man for a moment, and sucked in an uneasy breath.

"Jason," She squeaked. "You remember Michael Rogers, don't you?"

I furrowed my eyebrows, and couldn't help but feel as though I had missed something.
Jason's jaw clenched and unclenched, and I began to feel slightly nauseous from the anxiety that was beginning to settle in my stomach.

"How could I forget?"

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