Page 8 of SnowBound

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ABIGAIL

“What was that about?” asked the guy on my left, watching me with a raised brow and a don’t fuck with me expression. With disheveled dark hair—I wished I could run my fingers through the locks—a square jaw, and dark eyes that could suck me in if I let them, he was both intriguing and very cute. He possessed a set of broad shoulders, and even when he was sitting down, he appeared to be tall enough that people probably would never mess with him. Next to him, I felt petite and delicate. Not that I was a tiny woman, but still, his build made me appear smaller than I really was.

His gaze locked on mine as he waited for me to answer, and I shrugged, trying to play innocent. Deep down, I was still queasy about the conversation with my mother. She had a way of inserting herself into my life and making me feel like I was always in the wrong. My parents would attend their annual Christmas benefit tomorrow night, and my presence was mandatory. Somehow, they liked to show me off as if I were a prize. A well-mannered, shiny trophy to parade around. And like they had done for the last three years, they set me up with Troy, whose father, a wealthy businessman, always made generous donations. And my parents used me to get their way all the time.

Troy tried to force himself on me last year. His mouth aimed for mine, and his hands started roaming over my front even after I said no. He stopped and bent in pain because I kneed him in the balls and butted his nose with my head, resulting in a bloody mess all over his white shirt. My mother accused me of trying to seduce him. My father said he was disappointed in my behavior. Neither of them took my side or listened to my version of the story. In their minds, my behavior was at fault. And it always had been.

No matter how much I stood up for myself and denied any wrongdoing, Troy, with his future-politician charisma, succeeded in walking away from a situation that could have ended badly—for me and me alone.

For weeks afterward, my parents blamed me to save face with Troy’s father.

And forced me to apologize and say I had overreacted.

Troy said I’d been sending him mixed signals all night, and he’d tried to kiss me because I begged him to. They believed him. And now they wanted to preserve their fake dignity again and had promised his father I had gotten over our little disagreement and would happily accompany him once more. Without ever asking me what I thought about it.

I was so used to this kind of behavior it didn’t surprise me anymore.

“No idea what you’re talking about,” I said with a shrug.

“C’mon. That phone call. It upset you. Who was it?”

I flicked my wrist, doing my best to hide the messy feelings still simmering inside me. “Nobody. Not important.”

“It didn’t sound like nothing.”

I turned to face him. “Were you eavesdropping on my conversation?” I lifted one eyebrow to accentuate my words.

“Huh…not really. It’s just, I couldn’t help hearing some of it since you’re like sitting two feet from me.”

A soft blush took over his face, and he looked adorable with rosy cheeks. Busted.

“Anyway, you should never do anything you’re uncomfortable doing. Just sayin’. No matter who’s asking you.”

“Oh, so you’re all philosophical now. Surprising,” I said with a too-wide smile.

“What’s surprising? That I can reflect on stuff?”

“You were all moody before. And now you’re giving me free advice based on something you partly heard and have no idea what it is all about. Isn’t it a bit presumptuous?”

“Not really.” He gave me a half-shrug. “Take it or leave it.”

“Well, I’m glad to know my standing up for myself is important to you.” His gaze drilled holes through my skull, and my fake confidence crumbled. “Family stuff. It’s hard to please people sometimes. Mostly when it doesn’t fit in with your own values and dreams.”

“Yeah. I get it. I’m attending college to please my mother. She insisted I get a degree before pursuing my dreams.” His shoulders slouched forward. “It is what it is.”

“You don’t look happy about it. How can it be bad? I would die for my parents’ encouragement in getting my degree. So far, they haven’t been my biggest supporters.”

“I’m sorry. My mother is not a fan of my pursuing music as a career, but she wouldn’t want me to do anything else than what excited me. Getting a degree in music is my idea of meeting her halfway.”

My lips arced at the corner. “You are lucky to have her rooting for you. It’s precious.”

“I guess. She’s important to me. It’s only been the two of us all my life. She sacrificed a lot for me so I could get the best. And still does. It hasn’t always been easy growing up with a single parent. She loves me. But I can’t imagine what she’s been through to get it all done.”

“My parents are still together, so I can’t tell. Sometimes, though, I feel like I don’t fit in. I’m the outsider. Either they don’t get me…or they’re not interested in trying.” I sighed. “Enough with parental drama, please.” I pointed to his empty cup. “Want another one?”

“Huh…sure. Black and no—”