Silence.

Awkward silence.

Almost two hours of awkward silence to be precise.

This seems to be a recurring theme in our "relationship" so far, which is definitely not a good thing. Especially since, we have another 5 months to go until we're through with each other.

Twiddling with my fingers, I gradually drag my gaze from my lap to glance at him. With peripheral vision, I can see his eyes are focused strictly on the road. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. I'm gonna go with bad especially since he hasn't said a word to me since he started driving.

Great, now I have to make peace.

"Look," I sigh, clenching my eyes shut.   "I'm sorry about how I acted back there. It's nothing personal. I just....I don't like opening up to people unless their name is Maya or Kaydence." He says nothing, so I continue. "So, for future reference, keep the personal questions to a minimum and-"

"So let me get this straight," he interrupts and I can't decipher the tone in his voice. "It's alright for you to ask me personal questions, but I can't do the same with you?"

"Don't do that," I send him a sharp look. "Don't turn my words around."

"Isn't that what you're saying though?" He retaliates, eyes still focused on the road.

"No, what I'm saying is I'd rather you not try to get any information about my past out of me because it will only end up bad for you. I only asked you about your mother, because I honestly cared about what was bothering you. "I answer brusquely, spurting each word with more and more frustration.

Again, silence.

"How could you tell?" He asks, after several minutes. "That something was up with me, I mean? Not many people are able to do that."

"I'm good at reading people," I shrug. "Plus, I just like helping people."

"But you don't like people helping you?" He counters, and I can't help but to roll my eyes.

"No, I don't, and even if I did; I don't need help."

He chuckles and shakes his head, and I feel my anger begin to boil. "What the hell is...." I trail off as he pulls up to a decent sized and upscale looking home. "Wait.......this is your parents' house?"

He glances at me, "Yeah."

"This is where you grew up?" My mouth drops, as he pulls into the lengthy driveway. "In this house? In this neighborhood? In-"

"In this state too," he says sarcastically, bringing the car to a stop.

"Life has surely dealt you a nice ass hand," I mutter, unbuckling my seatbelt. "Wait, so what's the plan here?"

He looks at me with confusion, "Pardon?"

"What am I supposed to say to your parents? Hi, I'm Arianna. I'm the woman who met and married your son all in one night, so now I'll be around for the next 5 months." I say sarcastically, with a broad smile. I drop the fake grin, "yes, because that will go over so well."

"Just be you Arianna," he sighs, placing his hand over mine. The subtle action sends chills down my spine and I quickly snatch my hand back. "What's wrong?"

"You're very touchy feely, ya know that   ?" I mumble.

"Didn't seem to bother you when we were in the kitchen," he smiles arrogantly.

Blushing profusely, I mutter out a weak, "Fuck you." I reach to open the car door, but he tells me to wait. "Why?"

Rolling his eyes, he swings the door open and exits. The hell? Does he want me to sit in this damn car or something? Well, maybe he wants to talk to his family first or something. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Are you coming or what?" Quickly whisking my head to the side, I find Colin waiting with a frustrated expression. He's holding the door open for me.

"Oh," I murmur lamely, crawling out the car. "You didn't have to do that ya know. I'm perfectly capable of opening a car door."

"Did I ever say you weren't?" He complains, obviously frustrated. "Why do you have to question every little thing I do?"

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe, just maybe, I don't trust you?" I shoot back, unconsciously playing on his words from earlier today.

"What part of N O don't you understand?" I hear Maya's shout, followed by the slamming of a car door. Stomping up to us, she directly faces Colin.  "Why the hell did you send that cad to drive us? Kay and I would have found this place without him. We didn't need or want his help."

"Speak for yourself," Kay adds, walking towards us with Derrick close behind.

"What are you talking about?" Colin questions, "I didn't send him-"

"Colin!" A shrilly, high pitched voice screams and I swear, I've never heard such an irritating sound before in my life. A woman, clearly in her mid-thirties, dressed in several shades of pink, is the source. Her blonde hair stretches past her shoulders by a few inches and frames her oddly shaped face. The broad smile on her face reveals a triangular shaped chin and pearly white teeth. The age lines near her ocean eyes are even more visible because of the load of makeup she has piled on. She looks like a middle aged, real life Barbie Doll.

Without even acknowledging the rest of us, she jumps straight into Colin's arms. As strange as it is, I can't help the bit of jealousy I feel forming.

"Nice to see you too Lindsay," he laughs, letting her down. "Mom didn't tell me you were going to be here."

"You didn't tell us you were getting married," she arches an eyebrow.

"Oh," Colin nervously rubs the back of his neck. "She told you about that?"

Lindsay nods her head with a disapproving look, "To be honest with you Colin, I'm more disappointed than angry." She chides. "You know better! Wifing up some girl you met in a club that you know nothing about? For all you know she could be a stripper, or God forbid, something worse, like an escort!"

"This woman," I correct, inserting myself into the conversation. I don't know who this woman thinks she is, but she has no idea who she's playing with. "Is standing right here, so I'd appreciate it if you talked to me, rather than about me. Let's get one thing straight, I'm not a stripper, and I'm sure as hell not an escort."

"Oh do please forgive me," she cuts me off, feigning a look of guilt. "Where are my manners? I'm Lindsay, Colin's sister-in-law. You must be....Adrian?"

"Arianna," I correct, maintaining my stern disposition. "Please to meet you."

"Likewise," I mirror her fake smile.

She turns back towards Colin and grabs his hand, "Come on Mr. MVP. We have a lot of catching up to do." Without even looking back at the rest of, Lindsay and Colin walk off into the house.

"I don't like that bitch."

"Should I kick her ass now or later?"

"Please tell me the rest of his family isn't like her."

"Join the club," Derrick mutters in response to Maya. He then turns towards me, "No, she and Colin's bro are the only rude ones. His sister and his parents are the nicest people you could ever meet." A beat. "A hint of advice to all of you though? Colin really is a nice guy. You can say whatever you want about him, and he'll just brush it off. He's chill like that, but he doesn't let anyone talk about his family. That's his world right there."

"Even wannabe Barbie?" Maya refers to Lindsay.

Derrick nods, "The last time I tried telling him about her, he and I went almost three months without speaking. Hell, our friendship would have probably been over if I hadn't apologized."

"Blood is thicker than water...." I trail off, crossing my arms. "So, what would happen if I were to tell him about-"

"Don't," Derrick's voice takes on a firm tone. "It won't end well for either of you. Like I said, Colin is my boy, and he really is a good person. But his family is basically his weakness. When provoked, he has a nasty temper....."

"Well so do I," Kay buts in. "So, as I said before, should I kick her ass now or later?"

Maya's POV:

Rolling my eyes, I adjust the straps on my purse. "Let's just get this over with."

"Don't worry," Derrick smiles at Kay and I, placing his arm around both of us. "I'll keep her out of your way."  

"How about you stay out of my way as well?" I flash him a fake smile, and shrug his arm off and move by Aria. Ever since the word ‘temper' left Derrick's mouth, she's been strangely quiet. I feel a pang in my chest when I realize she's scratching at her arms. "Stop it," I command gently. She looks at me with confusion and I dart my eyes down at her arms, and she follows my lead. She blinks her eyes at the sight of her now inflamed arms. The pressure of her scratching has left nasty red lines on both of her lower arms. "Are you sure you're up for this?" She offers no reply, and continues to stare down at her arms. . Looking up, I see Derrick and Kay have headed inside. "Aria, I'm sure Derrick was just exaggerating about Colin. Besides, everyone has a temper girl."

"Yes, but not everyone knows how to control their temper Maya," She scoffs bitterly. I can hear her voice cracking. No, I refuse to let her revert. She has come too far to relapse.

"Listen to me," I grab both of her hands and squeeze them tightly. "I promise you Aria, whatever awaits you in the next 5 months, good or bad, I will be there with you. I wasn't there for you back then like I should have been, but you can bet your ass that I'm going to be there for you now." A small smile forms on her face, "I don't know, I just....I have a good feeling about this. There's just this peace within that I can't really describe."

"The queen of pessimism of herself, has a good feeling? I'm shocked." She jokes, and wipes at her eyes. "Thank you Maya."

I return her smile, "Anytime." Linking our arms, I start leading us towards the door.

One thing is for sure, this is guaranteed to be an interesting dinner.