Separately Together

Chapter Sixteen: Its a Girl! 1/2

Pink fireworks lit up the sky and everyone cheered as Finnic and Liz enveloped each other in a tight hug. He kissed her forehead deeply. Both seem thrilled but I know they were going to be happy either way.

Gander kept his distance, standing off in the background. "He's going to be a great dad." My mother says as she comes to stand beside me. "You did good with the party."

"Thank you." I say as I stare off in the distant. There was a part of me that just wanted to crawl onto her and let her sooth all of these problems that have arisen in my life but a part of me is guarded because she shares a bed with a man that hurt me too deep to be reversed.

"So, you and Harley?" She asks and I look at her like she has two heads until I remember that Harley lied to my brother.

"Oh, yeah." I say simply hoping that she doesn't dig because she knew me better than anyone and I knew she would see through the lies.

"I knew you liked him when you were younger." This time the crazy looks stick onto my face, how could she have possibly known.

"I read your diary. He was on every other page." She admits and my eyebrows shoot up high trying to remember what was in that thing from so many years ago.

"Mom!" I shriek and throw my hands over my face. Heat rising to my cheeks at all the corny love notes I wrote, and depressing thoughts went into that thing. I'm glad I burned it.

"What?" She says throwing her hands up. "I was worried about you; you didn't have any friends."

I shake my head and remove my hands, "I can't believe you." She giggles and pulls me into a hug, no wonder she had put me in therapy. I wanted to be mad about the invasion of privacy, but it was a long time ago and she has done worse, way worse. Making this small betrayal kind of funny.

A silence passes between us and the elephant in the room presses the words out of my mother's mouth. "You don't have to except him. Just don't push me away ... Please."

I suck in a big gulp of air trying to think of the best thing to say in this moment.

"I won't. Promise." I pull her into another hug.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

~.~.~.~.~

The house was beautiful, the ceiling was covered in blue balloons and inflatable remote-controlled dolphins 'swam' around. The music was elegant, instead of the movie typical blaring vulgar songs. People dance in the center of the living space and lights were projected on the ceiling making it look like stars were everywhere. This was by far the most spectacular thing I've ever seen.

It made me want to know who designed it and put into action. Did Elizabeth do all of this?

Bubbles were everywhere tickling my skin when they popped against it. The place was beautiful it was the people that had me hiding behind Harleys broad shoulders a place I have become comfortable with when we are in public. It helped that he was twice my size.

"Well, Harley has brought a plus one. It's a shock he's came at all." A man dressed in a white button up and jeans walks up to us, I'm surprised he could even see me. Harley steps to the side considering my cover was blown anyways.

"Eric." Harley holds out his hand in a greeting they seemed to know each other in a pleasant way, consider they were both smirking at each other.

"So, who is this, fine lady?" He says it as a complement, but I see Harley grow tense even though the smirk never falls.

"This is Madeline." He knows I go by Maddie, but he didn't seem like he wanted to disclose that information to the man.

"Finally settled down?" Eric asks his as he switches his glaze from my face to Harley every now and again. He had black hair and brown eyes; he wasn't bad looking but his personality made my skin itch and if I've learned anything it was to listen to your instincts.