Megan

We hung up. I was determined to go to see Vic and demand to know what had happened.

Just wait, you little bastard! You better not have hurt her, or I will hurt you!

"Is everything okay?" Sam asked from the dining room.

"I'm not really sure, but I think that something's not quite right with my best friend. Don't worry about it, I'll look into it later. Thank you for asking though," I replied as I walked to the dining room to sit back down and finish my breakfast.

Something in my gut told me that Vic the dick was passé which I liked because I never really liked him for her. However, it wasn't the right time to go into it more, so I pushed any further thoughts of Eden's love life aside for another time when I was alone.

We continued talking and agreed on calling each other if either of us needed a dance partner or a drinking buddy for a night out. I liked her easygoing attitude and I was already looking forward to introducing her to Eden. Since I was Ems' only real friend she had regular contact with, and because it looked to me that she was single again, I felt that Sam would be a great addition to her life.

After Sam left I also got ready to go out. I was on a mission, to confront Vic the dick to demand to know what he possibly could have done to cause Eden to run away somewhere and not tell anyone, especially me, where she was. There were so many scenarios playing in my head, one worse than the other, I had to find out what had happened.

*

I didn't know for how long I had been knocking at Vic and Eden's place, but nobody answered. Instead the neighbor from across the hall, the seventy-year-old widow Mrs. Grant, came out of her apartment, probably after feeling disturbed by my long and incessant hammering at the door.

"There is nobody home, dear," she said. "I'm so sorry for causing such a raucous, Mrs. Grant. But, I really wanted to talk to Vic, you know, Eden's boyfriend," I apologized.

"Oh, I see. Well, you'll have to come back another time. You see, yesterday I heard screaming coming from inside there," she began while nodding at Eden's apartment to point at the place of origin, "Of course I was worried, so I came to look through the peephole to see what was happening, and all I saw was Eden running out of the place with a small suitcase in her hand." My eyes grew bigger and my heart rate began to speed up at what I just heard, "What happened next?" I asked.

"Well, she had left the door open after storming out, you see, so I could look inside her place and saw Vic on the floor, he looked hurt," she continued. After hearing about the scene Mrs. Grant had witnessed, I was worried sick about Eden, but I also felt a sense of pride, that she was able to protect herself and had hurt the scumbag.

"Then Vic must have called somebody, because a guy I had never seen before, came to pick him up, after a while. Vic was walking with a severe limp, and the new guy had to support him out of his place." She finished her story. My eyes grew big at her mention of Vic's limp.

"Thank you so much for telling me, Mrs. Grant. I really appreciate you taking your time to talk to me," I said thankfully before saying goodbye. "Oh, no need to thank me, dear. I'm glad I could help you somehow. See you, dear." She waved at me before closing her apartment door behind her.

So, there was definitely a fight, a breakup for sure. I felt sad for my best friend, for what she was going through at the moment; and also helpless because she had left and I couldn't do anything for her. She promised to call me, I reminded myself. So, I would just have to wait for that and ask her then, if I could help her somehow.

*

I made my way to my parents' house, it was Sunday, and our family came together that day as often as possible, if our busy work schedule allowed it. In my case, I was always expected since in my line of work, we didn't work during the weekends.

Opening the door to my childhood home, I was greeted by the usual chaos. This time it was my sixteen-year-old sibling, my youngest sister, who was the baby of the family. She was self-centered, pampered, intelligent and strong willed, and we all loved her just the way she was.

Sienna was arguing with my mother in the living room about her going to a party following weekend. "Mom, you don't understand. The party this weekend is a very important one, everyone is expecting me to come," Sienna complained. "And why is that?" My mother Helen wanted to know.

"Because I'm the most popular girl in school, of course. And a party without me, is not a party at all," Sienna said smugly.

"Hey, mom. I'm home. Hey, sis." I greeted them both, kissing them on their cheeks, causing them to pause their discussion. They just nodded in recognition, before I left for the kitchen.

My brother Henry, the eldest of us five siblings, was the one cooking that day. I hugged him from behind his back in greeting, "Hello, big brother. I missed you so much. What are you cooking for us today?"

"Hello, little one. Missed you too. Today's menu is, roasted figs with Parma ham and goats cheese for starter, saltimbocca alla Romana for our entrée, and finally, for dessert tiramisu." My stomach growled, and I began to salivate, "That all sounds so mouthwateringly delicious. An Italian dinner tonight then, huh?"

"Yep."

"Where are Lindsey and Lana?" I asked referring to my older sisters, who are twins. "They're not here yet, they'll be here a little later," said Henry looking up from his cutting board. I sat down on a counter stool and watched my brother work his magic in the kitchen.

People outside from our family often thought of him as cold and reserved, but that was not how he was when it was only us, the Roberts family. It was just his aura of great capability that surrounded him that might be intimidating to others. However, in private he was easygoing and loved to make his mother and sisters laugh.

Henry was a surgeon in the making, the whole family supported him, despite the fact that my father's business was once in need of a successor. However, my parents never forced anyone of us, children, to do what we didn't want to. They had always encouraged us to follow our dreams, since it was our lives and they didn't want us to have any regrets one day. So, instead of my brother, my uncle John stepped in to lead the family company.

I grabbed a cookie and nibbled on it to give my empty tummy something to work on before our dinner was served and stared at the family picture attached to the fridge with magnets. The image was taken just a few weeks ago at my father's birthday party. We all looked happy, because we were. Our parents had always told us since we were little that the most important thing to strive for in life was happiness, with oneself, with others, and love was just the sweet and delicious cherry on top.

I was happy with my life, but I still hadn't found the cherry on top of my delicious ice cream life. Not that a happy life alone wasn't enough, but it would just add a little something more to one's life if there was someone to share it with, my parents preached. I personally didn't like cherries, but it was just about the proverbial cherry.

My older twins sisters who could not be more different from one another, Lindsey and Lana were only a year older than me. Lindsey had studied law at a prestigious university, while Lana quit after just one semester to travel the world with only a backpack and with whoever she was dating at that moment.

Lindsey was older by only a few minutes, but she had always felt more mature than her twin. Lana was a free spirit, who loved adventure and was an adrenaline junkie. The more dangerous something was, the more attractive the activity was for her.

My parents supported both of them; all of us children, actually. They were the best parents one could ever wish for. I loved them, my family in general, very much. I sighed in contentment after staring at the family foto for a long time. Henry was still busy with cooking, and I was getting bored, so I decided to go talk to someone else in the house.

I found my university professor of a mother in the living room doing some crossword puzzles and I hugged her from behind the armchair she was sitting on. "Wow, mom. What a daredevil you are. Using a ball pen rather than a pencil to solve that puzzle?" I teased her. "Oh please. This is child's play. It's too easy, it's boring me actually," she winked at me.

"Where is dad?" I asked while staring intently at the puzzle trying to solve at least one. "He's upstairs talking to your uncle on the phone," she replied absentmindedly.

We stayed like that for a few moments until my mother finally finished the puzzle. "So, what's up with you?" She began after putting away the famous newspaper. "Oh, nothing much! Same old, same old," I replied while making my way in front of her legs to lay my head on her laps.

She started combing through my hair with her fingers and I closed my eyes at the pleasant caress. I felt so comfortable, I was close to falling asleep when my mother started to address the issue of boyfriends.

"Are you currently dating someone?" She asked as nonchalantly as she could manage. Since I had my eyes closed, she couldn't see me roll my eyes at the question. She knew how I hated talking about that topic, since my love life was considered a running gag in the family.

I never had a relationship that lasted longer than three months. They had even invented a name for me. I was the bad guy magnet. Not the bad guys with hearts of gold, but rather the bad guys who are big dicks through and through.

I didn't know how exactly I managed to always choose the wrong guy, but if someone would put me in a room full of good guys and one asshole, there was a hundred percent certainty that I would find the dick amongst the angels and fall for the devil.

"Mom, please. Not now. Not ever. You know how I hate talking about that," I complained as I tried to get away from her lap, but she didn't let me. She continued to comb through my hair with her fingers and kept silent again.

I had never before brought someone home to introduce to the family. I was always the person with no plus one in every family celebrations, like weddings and so on. Oftentimes I brought Eden as my partner, but she couldn't always go, since Vic was a needy little bastard who occupied my bff too much. But not anymore. The thought was a comforting one.

"You didn't forget about your uncle John's wedding in two weeks, right?" She interrupted my thoughts. Oh no. That was why she was asking.

"Actually, I did," I began, "What about it?" I opened my eyes and turned my head to look at her in the eyes. "Well, I was thinking, maybe you need a date for the wedding?" Her tone was quizzical.

"Mom. I don't need a date to attend a wedding," I began to raise myself from my sitting position, but before I could move away, she held my hands. "I know you don't need one, but..." she trailed off.

Oh oh. Here it comes. She was working towards something. I sensed a bomb about to be ignited by her next words, me being the explosion device in that particular scenario.

"But, what? Mom," I was getting agitated as she held my hands more tightly since I was beginning to pull away. "Well, you know I love you, dear. Do you?" she treaded carefully. "Yes, I do. So spit it out, before I storm out of this house. I suddenly have lost my appetite," I said annoyed.

"I have a date for you, and he is coming tonight for dinner," the words spilled out of her mouth in a hurried stream as she stood up and away from me, expecting my imminent outburst. "Mom," I said loudly.

DING! DONG!

"Oh that must be him," she said before quickly leaving me to open the front door.

Oh hell no. This is gonna be an awesome dinner. I can't wait.

***

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