Fighting Ourselves.

Ellie’s POV

I was sitting at the table, Nate at my right, Matt at my left. The silence was awkward as we were waiting for Brian and Adeline to make their entrance.

“So, when is the divorce?” Nate asked, his hand resting on my thigh. I choked and my eyes opened wide.

“Hum, soon.” I said, playing with the folded napkin. “Just need to send the papers and stuff…” I replied. Nate nodded and wrapped his arm around my shoulder just as Brian, Adeline, Damien and Hailie made their entrance. Brian was holding the twins hands as Adeline was walking behind, her hands shoved in her pockets. She didn’t look too pleased. Brian took the sit opposite me and Damien and Hailie sat by Brian’s sides. Adeline choose the seat between Johnny and Zacky, ignoring Brian’s murderous glare, just as he ignored Nate’s and Matt’s glares.

“So, what’s the plan now?” asked Jay. I shrugged. Adeline was looking at the bar, completely out of the lame excuse of a conversation we were trying to have.

“We are heading back to Huntington tomorrow afternoon.” Said Matt in a monotonous voice. I blinked and bit my lip.

“So that means we are going back to France?” asked Nate with a small smile.

“We can’t.” said Adeline, finally bringing her attention back to us. “We need to sort that stuff out, we can’t go back to the other side of the ocean without being divorced. I want that thing sorted out as soon as possible.” She said, looking at me and then at Brian before looking at her kids. It was amazing how she was trying her best not to swear in front of her kids…

“You mean you’re going back to Huntington?” asked Brian.

“Obviously.” She said, shrugging.

“Well, stay if you want…” started Nate, I cut him off.

“I should stay here too, at least until the divorce is sorted out.” I said, looking at Brian and then at Matt, before my eyes fell on Nate who didn’t look all that thrilled by the news.

“You coming Jay?” Adeline asked, looking at her best friend.

“Nah, I’ve got work waiting for me ya know…” he said smiling sadly.

“I’m staying though.” Stated Nate, “We are going to see my parents after that shit is sorted out.”

Adeline glared at Nate, “Language.” She warned. Nate waved it off. Adeline bit her lip, obviously restraining herself from blowing off at Nate. Her fists were clenched on her lap. I couldn’t see them, but I knew my sister…

“We’re going to stay with Daddy?” asked Hailie, looking up from the menu and to her father who was smiling lovingly at her. Adeline’s head snapped in Brian’s direction, but she kept her mouth shut, obviously waiting for Brian’s reply.

“It’s not that easy Hailie. Your mother and I have things to sort out, that’s why we are all going to California… It’ll be like some kind of holiday or something for both you and Damien.” Explained Brian, keeping his eyes on his daughter before he looked up briefly to catch Adeline’s eyes. She nodded slowly and turned her attention back to Jay, talking quickly in French about work, asking him if he was going to be okay.

My mind drifted off somewhere else, where it wasn’t all that awkward to be sitting with our old friends, where there wasn’t so much tension between everyone… In other words: a better place.

I wish things would go back to normal, or at least as normal as things could be. Without any divorce papers to sign, without the murderous glares shot back between the guys…

But we can’t always get what we want, right? So the best we could do was trying to make this trip to Huntington a little less awkward than this one…

Because it couldn’t be worst, right?