Chapter 2
On Christmas Day, Tristan and I decided to visit his mother, Emily.
However, I was packing the diaper bag when he came over looking guilty.
He said, "Mike called me about something. You and Bella should grab a cab to Mom's.
"I'll be there in two hours tops. I'll bring you guys home."
Mike Carey was his college roommate.
Whenever Tristan had something to hide, he'd use Mike as an excuse.
Before I could say anything, he started getting impatient.
Then he made the call.
"Alright, that's settled," he said, making it clear there was no room for argument.
He turned to leave, but I called out to him.
He turned around with an annoyed look.
"Elaine, there's no point stopping me. I'm leaving. That's final," Tristan said.
Seeing him so worked up, I rolled my eyes and pointed at the boxes by the door.
I said, "I was just gonna say you forgot the Christmas gifts.
"These two are for Mike. The rest are for Mom. Put them in the car."
Tristan shot me an unreadable look for a few seconds, then grabbed everything and left.
Getting a cab on Christmas Day was nearly impossible.
Luckily, a neighbor was heading that way and dropped me off near the Lloyd residence.
Southern winters were cold and wet. The ground was slick from the rain.
I walked carefully but still fell. Luckily, Bella was fine.
I finally made it to the house, all banged up, and Emily immediately started scolding me.
She snapped, "Where's Tristan? He couldn't even drive his own wife and daughter?
"Honestly, Elaine, you're so silly. It's freezing. You didn't have to come."
She put ointment on my scrapes and then sat down with Bella in her arms.
"Tell me the truth. Did you two fight?" Emily asked.
I smiled and made up some excuse.
She gave me a look and then called Tristan.
Even after that, he still didn't come back right away.
He finally showed up around five in the afternoon. Sophie was with him.
Sophie ignored me and greeted Emily with a cheerful smile.
"Mrs. Lloyd, I had nowhere to go today. Hope you don't mind me crashing dinner," Sophie said.
Emily's face darkened as she turned to Tristan.
"Look who you brought. She can't even say hello when she walks into someone's house?" she said.
Sophie's smile froze. She glanced at Tristan and mumbled a reluctant greeting to me.
Emily huffed, told me to sit still, and went to the kitchen.
I nodded at them and limped back to the room to check on Bella.
Later, Tristan knocked and said he wanted to talk.
He held my scraped hand, gently tracing the wound, looking all guilty.
"I'm sorry. I should've driven you," he said.
I got startled and quickly pulled away.
"It's nothing. Just a scratch," I said.
His hand hung in the air for so long that I started looking for an escape.
Tristan finally spoke again, explaining why Sophie was there.
"Sophie called me while I was on the way. She was alone, so I brought her. Professor James was my teacher, after all," he said.
I glanced at Bella, who was about to wake up, and nodded a couple of times.
"I get it. She's your friend, and her dad was your teacher. He asked you to look out for her before he died. It's just Christmas dinner. It's fine," I said.
Whenever we fought, he'd always use those same lines to shut me down.
I could say them in my sleep.
But now, when I repeated them back, he didn't look too happy.
He suddenly raised his voice.
He shouted, "If you're not mad, then why didn't you tell me you were hurt?
"You used to be so sensitive. Even a little candle burn would make you cry. But today, you fell and didn't even text me."
I was honestly confused.
I had no idea why he was bringing up the past.
Maybe he forgot what he used to say.