All Chapters of Too Young To Want Him: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

159 Chapters

Announced to the World

Patricia did not simply request Ava to sit. She basically commanded her to sit.“Sit!” Patricia hissed, in front of the dining table, and crossed her arms. She was not patient enough to talk.Ava obeyed as she lowered herself into the chair. She was aware that such a conversation would not be amusing. Her chest was tight, as though something other than that were about to strike her.Patricia began, "We should discuss the engagement.”Ava nodded. "Okay."Patricia heaved a sigh and told her, "We have kept such a secret. Everyone's already talking. They’re asking questions."Ava looked down at her hands. "People always talk.""Yeah," Patricia snapped. "We gotta control the story. Right now there ain't a story."Ava swallowed. "What do you want me to do?"Patricia straightened. You must declare the marriage to all the people.Ava’s head lifted. "Publicly?""Yeah," Patricia said firmly. "Online. Social media. There is a place where people can hear it loud and clear.”Ava shook her head. "I

Names Spoken Softly

The hall was strange. Immediately, Ava entered.Even before anybody mentioned it, she saw it, before she even got to her locker. There was a lapse in conversation. Laughter got quieter. There was a constant stream of people. She kept her head down, clutched her bag close, as all the eyes could be closed.She caught murmurs, tender yet keen enough to hurt."That's her.""She's engaged, right?""So young."Ava did not want to hear, but to hear her shoes on the floor. Each step increased the rate of her heart. She had been aware that this would occur, but knowing it did not make it any easier.She turned the dial a few times, uncertainly at her locker. She had to make two attempts to open it."Ava."She raised her eyes to be met with a pale face of Riley standing beside her with an expression of concern."Hey," Ava said quietly.Riley looked about, after which she leaned forward. "Are you okay?"Ava forced a small smile. "I'm fine."Riley frowned. "You don't look fine."The girls, as Ava

When Timing Betrays You

When Marcus was putting the boxes together with his uncle in the small storage behind the community hall, something addressed him. "Marcus." He wheeled around and beheld Mr. Halden close to the door. Mr. Halden was an old family friend who had known Marcus since he was a little boy. Big, grey hair, ever so cool and self-possessed. Mr Halden," said Marcus politely. I was not expecting to see you today. “I just came by,” Mr. Halden said with a slight smile. “Your uncle informed me that you were around.” Marcus wiped his hands on his jeans. "Yeah, just helping out." Mr. Halden went in and glanced round, then at Marcus. "Busy days lately, huh?" Marcus nodded. "You could say that." There was silence, no ominous thing, but thinking. “I noticed the announcement,” Mr. Halden said carelessly. "Ava and Mark. They’re getting engaged." Marcus experienced tightness in his chest, though he maintained a calm expression on his face. "Yeah. It’s happening fast." That is what attr

The Timeline Doesn’t Lie

Bella was sitting on her bed with her laptop open, her phone next to it, and a notebook on it and in front of her. The room was extremely silent, with the only sounds the slight clicking of keys and the low buzzing of the overhead fan. And this was no more inquisitive; it was certitude gradually droning. She opened the Insta page of Ava and began to scroll. Announcement of engagement, Bella muttered. “Two weeks ago.” She jotted the date down.Then she scrolled way back. Photos. Comments. Tagged posts. She gazed at a photograph made months before a coffee mug on a table, with the light of the sun in it. Bella checked the caption. “Quiet day at home.” Bella frowned. “Home,” she repeated. She clicked on the date. Now her fingers were moving more rapidly. Saying this slowly she added, “That was the same week.” She opened the profile of Mark and sifted through his posts from that time including location, time, and remarks. Bella leaned back a bit. She avoided saying to herself t

Proof or Destruction

Bella was in the kitchen late that evening at a time when Mark found her. She was leaning over the counter and scrolling slowly with her phone in her hand. Her face looked serious. It was too quiet in the house, too quiet, and it irritated him still more."Are you ever going to stop?" Mark asked sharply.Bella looked up. "Stop what?"“This,” said he, and shook his hand between them. "The digging. Staring at your phone. The manner in which you observe Ava as though it is some form of crime scene.”There was a narrowing of Bella's eyes. "You're exaggerating.""I'm not," Mark replied. “Weeks have passed in obsession. She placed her phone on the ground. “Obsessed, or do you think you are paying attention?”Mark gave a little laugh, which was not funny. "You're ruining things. You keep on bringing it up every time I attempt to breathe. Dates. Timelines. Looks. It never ends."Bella folded her arms. “It is that none of it makes sense.”“That does not mean you are allowed to disembowel ever

Questions Without Amswers

The hospital corridor reeked with cleaning spray and some sweet smell. Ava stood stiffly on the waiting chair with her hands on her stomach. Patricia was sitting beside her, erect, impatient, already irritated at the time.Waited too long, Patricia checked her watch a third time. “This is not how pregnant women should be kept.”Ava didn't answer. She checked the floor tiles counting the little cracks. She felt sick in her stomach, but she did not know whether it was the baby or nerves."Sit properly," Patricia added. "You're slouching."Ava sat up on her heels.A door was opened and Ava was called by name. Patricia rose in front of Ava even more before she could attempt any answer.“We're coming,” said Patricia.The interior of the exam room was too white and bright. Ava got on the bed gradually and Patricia was near the counter observing every step of Ava like a guard.The physician made a pleasant entrance. "Good morning, Ava. And you must be her mother.""Yes," Patricia replied. "I

A Mother’s Doubt

Homeward drive in the car in silence after the hospital. Even quiet. Patricia was clutching the steering wheel and looking down the road. Ava sat beside her and stared out of the window at trees and buildings as they flew by. Her heart was racing, with one beat stronger than the preceding.They arrived at the house. Patricia was parked and switched off the car, and remained in the car.“Come in, Ava, give me a kiss,” said Patricia, “perhaps too calm. We need to talk."Ava felt her stomach drop.Patricia closed and locked the door in the house. The click made Ava flinch. Patricia laid aside her bag on the table and slowly turned around."Sit," she said.Ava was sitting on the couch side with her hands clenched together.Patricia stayed standing. The doctor asked me lots of questions today, the doctor said. "Important questions."Ava nodded, but said nothing.She inquired of Mark, his blood type and family history, and genetic illnesses, and she was asking you about his family history

The Touch That Shouldn’t Happen

Ava got out of the little grocery store which was close to the house when the afternoon sun was down. She carried two heavy bags and the plastic was forced to fit tightly around the goods. She was on her tensed shoulders and pale of face.She moved slowly forward a couple of times and paused.Her stomach tightened. It was not pain, but the burden bearing on her arms. She changed one bag to make it more balanced but to no avail. As she walked she bumped her legs against the bags.Marcus was standing by his car across the street behind her. He was now through with his errands. At first, he didn’t notice Ava. Then he saw her.He froze.She looked thinner and tired. She moved more slowly than normal but cautiously, in a manner that constricted his chest.Marcus advised himself to turn his head.He didn’t.Ava took a couple of steps and paused. She exhaled a little and dropped one of the bags on the ground. She patted her back a second or so, and then sat up, and looked ahead, as though she

Too Close to Hide

At first, Elena made no reply.She was standing there at the door, gazing down the line between Marcus and Ava. It was a cramped room as though something unexplained had just occurred and was not going to leave.Ava shifted uneasily. “I was only putting away the groceries,” she said rushingly.Elena smiled, which did not reach her eyes. “I can see that.”Marcus cleared his throat. “She needed help. That’s all.”Elena tilted her head. “Help?”Yes, Marcus said. “She was carrying too much.”Ava looked at the counter. She was slightly trembling in her hands as she fixed a bag.“I didn’t ask him to,” she said.“I know,” Elena said calmly. “Marcus likes to help.”Her voice was light, although she continued to look at him.Marcus shifted weight. “It wasn’t a big deal.”Elena continued moving into the kitchen. “It seemed like a moment.”Marcus frowned. “A moment?”Elena nodded slowly. “Yes. When nobody is speaking, it is all happening.”Ava's chest tightened. She made a turn and grabbed a bag

A Smile Full of Secrets

Bella was sitting at her desk, her laptop on. She glowed on her face because of the screen light. The air was still and all that could be heard was the humming of a ceiling fan. She had closed the door and pulled up the curtains. She had no desire for someone to interrupt. She had tabbed and dated notes on her screen, screenshots, messages, and photos. Bella sat back, folded her arms, and noticed everything attentively.So,” she said to herself again, “let us look at that.”One of these folders was Timeline.The initial one bore the date when Ava broke up with Mark. The second one was the one when Ava told her that she was pregnant. The third note depicted the time Marcus was at home.Bella's lips curled a little.“That rift,” she said, “never heals. Whatever the number of times I look.”Her phone buzzed. A message from Mark.Mark: Are you still awake?Bella responded and typed quickly.Bella: Yes. What's wrong?A moment passed.Mark: I can't sleep. Everything feels off.Bella gave a

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