ALL BECAUSE OF YOU

Chapter 7: His psycho girlfriend

"Hey, Kelly, how's that business idea of yours coming along?" Maxwell inquired, his tone casual as he flipped through his book.

"Ah, you mean the one she's too broke to fund?" Emma interjected with a playful giggle, igniting a round of laughter among the group. Kelly's forced smile quickly faded, replaced by a pang of discomfort as she lowered her head in her hand.

"Yeah, she's like seriously broke," Gabe chimed in, a mischievous glint in his eye as he playfully swung his arm over Kelly's shoulder, only to be met with a swift brush-off.

"Okay, okay, ease up, guys," Kelly muttered under her breath, her irritation obvious as she rose from her seat.

"Kelly, why don't you just ask your mum for some cash to kick-start your business?" Emma suggested, though she knew the history between Kelly and her mother, but her concern was tempered with genuine curiosity, her words hanging in the air like a delicate thread of hope, she knew that Kelly's mother was crazy rich and would gladly help her.

"I can't do this," Kelly replied softly, as she walked away from them straight to the bathroom and splashed water to her face washing away the thoughts.

As Gabe, Maxwell, and Emma went to their respective workplace, Kelly found herself enveloped in an unexpected solitude.

Alone in the house, Kelly reflected on the stark contrast between her current lifestyle and the whirlwind of social engagements that once filled her life. She never imagined that she would come to appreciate the simplicity of solitude, relishing the freedom to forgo the elaborate preparations required for dates and parties. But if she was being honest with herself, she missed her life two months ago. She missed Ethan.

'Zeke.. umm.. hi. I'm sorry for ignoring you lately, I guess.. my life has just been overwhelming.'

'It's fine, I was sure you had your reasons. So.. errm, you wanna hangout today?'

'I would, but I.. I want to be alone for now.'

'Oh, that's cool. If you decide you don't want to be alone, I'll always be here for you. Wait.. did that sound cringe?'

'It did. Byeee.'

With a heavy sigh, Kelly concluded her call and shifted her focus to her laptop, determined to bring her artistic vision to life for the upcoming showroom. Minutes turned into hours as she crafted designs, she concentrated deeply, until a rumbling hunger stirred within her. Intent on quelling the craving, she entered the kitchen, struggling to make a smoothie, only to find herself in a scene of chaos as ingredients and spills adorned every surface, including her clothes. As if that wasn't bad enough, all of her clothes were in the laundry, she really had to learn how to do laundry on her own.

Reluctantly, she made her way to Gabe's room to wear his clothes for the first or twentieth time, no one's counting. Sorting through Gabe's wardrobe, she couldn't help but lament his lack of fashion sense, each cloth appearing more haphazardly chosen than the last. Finally settling on a mismatched ensemble, she dedicated three painstaking hours to arrange the clothes exactly how she had met it.

The constant chime of the doorbell pierced through Kelly's sanctuary, each ring an unwelcome intrusion into her solitude. With a begrudging sigh, she finally relented, trudging toward the door. As she swung the door open, her breath caught in her throat, she wasn't meant to be surprised but she was.

"What are you doing here? And why are you wearing my boyfriend's clothes?" Priscilla's tone was sharp, her hands planted firmly on her hips as she demanded an explanation. Caught off guard by the accusation, Kelly stood frozen in shock, her mind racing to formulate a response that would assuage Priscilla's suspicions.

Before she could utter a word, Priscilla's impatience boiled over, and with a forceful shove, she propelled Kelly out of the doorway.

Retreating to her room, alone with her thoughts, she grappled with the weight of Priscilla's unending questions, she didn't understand the reason she's acting like this is the first time she had seen her in Gabe's house, the tension between them hanging heavy in the air like a suffocating fog.

Hours passed in tense silence as both women remained in separate places in the house before Gabe arrived home from work.

"I still don't understand why she has to be here!" Priscilla's voice rang out, sharp with frustration, her arms folded tightly across her chest as she glared at Gabe.

"She's my best friend, Priscilla, and I'm doing what I can to help her in her time of need," Gabe retorted, his tone mirroring her intensity, though his words failed to quell her mounting anger.

"You're raising your voice because of this... this biyatch!" Priscilla seethed, her fists landing with light but pointed punches against Gabe's chest. "I don't see any reason she can't live with her rich mother or Emma. Why does it always have to be you?"

Gabe's attempt to interject was swiftly cut off by Priscilla's continued tirade. "My point is, I don't find it comforting that my boyfriend has his so-called 'bestie' living in his house," she declared, her frustration boiling over as she stomped her feet and crossed her arms in defiance. "And you know what hurt me the most, babe? You didn't even tell me! I had to hear it from my friends. Do you know how embarrassing that is?"

"What is embarrassing, is you insulting her when she can clearly hear you.." Kelly, despite her discomfort, remained a silent witness to their escalating conflict, her heart heavy with guilt at being the cause of their discord. She just wanted to stop their argument over her, she was having a tremendous headache.

"I don't give a shit or two," Priscilla snapped back, her gaze unwavering as she directed her eyes towards Kelly. "Kelly can't get over her ex-boyfriend, and weeks later, she moves into my boyfriend's house. How do you expect me to react?"

Kelly's chest tightened with each word exchanged between the couple, the echoes of their argument stirring painful memories of her own tumultuous upbringing.

"It's fine, I'll leave in the morning," she let out a heavy sigh, as she retreated to her room to pack her belongings.

A pang of guilt gnawed at Priscilla's conscience as she watched her pack. Despite her misgivings, she was determined to do whatever it took to protect her relationship with Gabe.

***

Kelly swayed to the rhythm of her music in the kitchen of her mother's mansion while cooking Gabe's signature mac and cheese recipe. The tapping on her shoulder interrupted her reverie, and she turned with a bright smile, as she met with a sight of her mother.

"Good morning, mother," Kelly greeted, her tone laced with an odd tension as she observed Evelyn's panicked demeanor.

"Why are you here? You are not supposed to be here!" Evelyn's hushed whisper sliced through the air like a knife, her urgency evident as she chastised Kelly's unexpected presence.

"Geez Louise, mum, you're not the only one with spare keys," Kelly retorted, her nonchalant demeanor belying the uneasy knot that tightened in her stomach. As she resumed her cooking, Kelly's attention was abruptly diverted by the sound of the kitchen door creaking open, revealing an half-naked man draped in nothing but a towel.

"Babe, you said you heard someone..." the man's voice trailed off as his eyes widened in surprise at the sight of Kelly. Evelyn's hand flew to her head in exasperation, as she whispered a string of curses.

With a raised eyebrow and a hand planted firmly on her hip, Kelly confronted the intruder, her voice tinged with suspicion and authority. "And who might you be?"

"Oh, I've heard a lot about you..." the man began, his words trailing off under Kelly's penetrating gaze.

"And I have heard nothing about you." Before he could offer any further explanation, Kelly interrupted with a steely glare, her eyes darting between her mother and the stranger in their midst.