“So you must be Archer.”

Mom gave Archer an appraising look as she stood up from the couch. Nobody could really blame Archer for looking as nervous as he did. Mom’s lips were pursed and her shrewd businesswoman gaze was on full blast.

“I am,” Archer said with a nod.

“Michaela.” Mom introduced herself, leaning forward to shake Archer’s hand.

“Pleasure.”

Archer’s voice was calm and as smooth as ever, but there was a tic going in his cheek and the fingers of his left hand were curled into a fist.

“You seem rather old for a Junior in high school,” Mom said, examining Archer further.

“I started school late,” Archer answered. “I turn eighteen in May.”

Mom’s eyes flicked towards me and she raised a single eyebrow as if to say much too old for you, Hadley Ann.

God, this was horribly awful.

I couldn’t believe my mother had actually insisted that she meet Archer before she would be okay with us spending the day in the city together. Never mind the fact that Archer and I had spent plenty enough time alone together since November. Never mind the fact that I’d gone out of town with his family last weekend. Nothing had really changed. Except now we were just in danger of making out a lot more.

“Well, shall we have lunch, then?” Mom said, gesturing towards the dining table. “I hope you dont mind Italian food.”

“No,” Archer said quickly. “Not at all.”

“Of course, it’s not like you eat Italian food every day,” I whispered to Archer as we made for the dining table.

“Har, har,” he muttered back. “We’ll get horrible, grease clogging food later.”

I took a seat beside Archer while Mom sat at the head of the table, like usual. There were plates of linguini and ravioli and spaghetti spread out on the table along with breadsticks and a few chocolate covered cannolis.

Definitely takeout.

“You didn’t start lunch without me, did you?”

Dad waltzed through the apartment as we were all dishing out pasta and breadsticks. He didn’t look surprised to see Archer sitting at the table at all, which was definitely a relief.

Mom’s less than pleasant behavior so far was a little off putting.

“Archer,” Dad said with a polite smile. “Pleasure to see you again.”

“And you, sir,” Acher returned, shaking Dad’s hand.

“Been looking after my girl, I hope?”

My cheeks immediately flamed red out of embarrassment.

Dad didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong with what he’d just said. He looked pleasantly at ease as he dished out his own lunch.

“It’s no easy feat,” Archer said. I couldn’t tell if he was being serious or not. “But I’d like to think so.”

“Good, good.”

Dad’s mind was clearly somewhere else as he dug into his meal and fiddled around on his iPhone at the same time.

I sighed, picking at my food, feeling embarrassed.

Having my parents acting so uninterested and just the slightest bit rude around Archer wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when Mom asked to meet him.

I kept glancing at Archer out of the corner of my eye as I ate, hoping he wasn’t too mad about this.

“So, tell me, Archer,” Mom said, dabbing at her mouth with a napkin. “Do you enjoy school?”

Oh, God. She just had to ask that, didn’t she?

“It’s alright,” Archer answered. “I keep busy with my AP classes and work most of the time.”

“Work?” Mom repeated flatly.

“His family owns a coffee house,” I cut in. “That’s where I work. Remember?”

“Right, right,” Mom said, waving a hand. “And how is business?”

“Fine,” Archer said. He was keeping his voice leveled and polite, but I knew him well enough to know that he was uncomfortable at the moment. “The place has been around since the 1880’s, so it’s relatively well known.”

Mom looked surprised at this. “Oh, really? How impressive.”

Yeah, I thought with an eye roll. She clearly finds that impressive.

Archer shrugged a shoulder and remained silent.

Conversation after that was very, very awkward. Mom was at least somewhat trying to engage Archer in conversation. Archer was actually very polite in his responses and didn’t sound the least bit snarky. I mostly remained silent, speaking only when I was addressed.

Dad, on the other hand, was completely silent.

By the time we had at least eaten some of the cannolis and Mom stood up in obvious dismissal, I was about ready to start crying out in prayer.

I desperately wanted to leave.

“Well, I hope you two have a fun time,” Mom told us stiffly. “Keep your cell phone one, Hadley, and be safe.”

“And be back by ten,” Dad added without looking up from his phone.

So apparently he had been listening.

“I know the drill,” I said. “We’ll be safe, I promise.”

Mom nodded, gave Archer another handshake, and then I was all but dragging Archer out of the apartment.

I started apologizing as soon as the front door swung shut.

“God, Archer, I am so sorry. I know my parents are awful, but I didn’t think – ”

Archer gave me a stunned look for half a moment before he burst out laughing.

I just stared at him.

“In all honesty, Hadley?” he said. “I expected the likes of that. Your parents are significant business figures in New York City. Of course they’d have attitudes.”

I blew out a sigh, rubbing a hand across my face. “Still. They weren’t exactly nice and they could have treated you better.”

Archer shrugged as we made for the elevator. “It was rather amusing, actually.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, for you, maybe.”

“Hey,” Archer said, giving me a nudge. “You put up with my family. It’s only fair that I put up with your parents.”

“Well, aren’t you the nice boyfriend?”

“Damn straight.”

I suppose you could say that today was a rather important day of sorts. Today was going to be mine and Archer’s first official date…or something. I was kind of nervous about the whole thing. I had no idea where we were going or what we were going to be doing and Archer refused to tell me. I was a little put out, but I was hoping for the best.

Outside, the air was frosty and the sky overhead was covered with thick, gray clouds. It was definitely December in New York, that was for sure.

“So will you tell me where we’re going now?” I asked Archer as we headed down the sidewalk.

He glanced over at me with a serious look. “No. I told you I wouldn’t tell you, so stop asking.”

“Whatever,” I scoffed, rolling my eyes.

“Hn.”

I was a little surprised that Archer had actually planned out the day for us. Almost about as surprised as when he’d sort of stated that we were going out now. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting to happen now that we were dating, but it sure wasn’t this. It was nice, though. I was just glad it temporarily kept my mind off of other less pleasant things.

I kept my hands in my pockets as we walked and I was thankful I remembered to bring my hat. It was a little chillier than I thought it was going to be.

Archer was walking with swift, purposeful strides and I had to force myself to keep up with him. Archer had at least a good ten inches on me and his legs were definitely longer than mine.

“Will you please tell me where we’re going now?” I huffed out in annoyance. “We’ve walked at least seven blocks!”

Archer gave his trademark smirk. “We’re almost there. Calm down.”

I was beginning to get a little irritated.

Archer kept to his word, however. We walked ended up walking over only one more block before Archer came to an abrupt stop and gestured grandly towards the building we were standing in front of.

“Well?”

“You want to go here?” I asked, looking at Archer with wide eyes.

“I heard you’ve always wanted to go here,” he replied, looking sheepish. “So I figured I’d be nice for once and take you.”

We were standing outside the Metropolitan Musuem of Art – a large, grand building built in a sort of Greek architectural style.

He was right. I really had always wanted to go here. I’d lived in New York City all my life and not once had I ever gone here before. Taelor had never wanted to go with me, my parents were always working, and I didn’t want to go alone.

“How did you know I’ve always wanted to come here?” I said in astonishment.

I distinctly remembered never mentioning this place before.

Archer’s cheeks filled with color and he cleared his throat, averting his eyes from mine. “I asked Taelor.”

That one had me stumped.

“I never thought you would ever speak to Taelor if it weren’t absolutely necessary, that’s for sure,” I said. “Wow. Thank you.”

“Yeah, well, she gave me a ton of shit for it.”

“I mean it. Thank you.”

Archer looked over at me and gave one of his rare smiles. “You’re welcome.”

I smiled back.

I had a feeling this was going to turn out to be a pretty awesome day. But who knew?

We made our way up the long flight of steps leading up to the entrance. A bored looking woman gladly accepted Archer’s money for our tickets and then we entered the grand building I’d pretty much dreamed about before.

“So.” Archer glanced over at me as we stood in the large, airy entrance hall. “Where to first?”

I gave an excited little giggle and dragged Archer off to one of the information kiosks. I grabbed a map and flipped it open, eagerly scanning the list of exhibits they offered.

“Ooh! Let’s go here! Art in Renaissance Venice!”

Admittedly, I was surprised that Archer made no fuss as I grabbed his hand again and pulled him off in the direction of the exhibit.

I shouldn’t have felt this thrill in the pit of my stomach when Archer laced his fingers through mine and didn’t let go of my hand. It wasn’t like we hadn’t ever touched or anything like that before. Of course we had. So I didn’t understand why holding hands seemed so different this time.

I swallowed hard and glanced over at Archer as we walked. He glanced down at me in return and raised an eyebrow in question.

I smiled weakly in return and quickly looked away.

For some odd reason, that moment – as fleeting as it’d been – made me realize just how much things had changed between Archer and me. Lots of things had changed. And I was completely okay with it, too.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when we finally reached the Art in Renaissance Venice exhibit. It definitely wasn’t the sight that greeted me, that was for sure.

The rooms were dimly lit and the portraits lining the walls were illuminated by small lights tacked up above the frames. The paint on the canvases contrasted against the paint of the walls and drew my eye more than anything else.

This had definitely been worth waiting for.

“Wow,” I managed to breathe out. “This is amazing.”

Archer remained silent as we stood in front of the first painting on our left. It was a painting by Vittore Carpoccio, depicting a scene of Venice in the pinnacle of the Italian Renaissance.

“You’re just drinking this up, aren’t you?” Archer asked, half serious, half teasing.

“Just a little,” I admitted.

“Come on, then. There’s more to see.”

Yes, there most certainly is, I thought with a small smile. And it’s barely past noon yet.

After nearly an hour and a half of walking through the exhibit, my appreciation for Italian art had only increased ten-fold. The more we walked, the more each painting grew more intricate and much more vibrant in color. On one than more occasion Archer had to drag me away from a portrait because I had spent at least more than five minutes just staring at it in amazement.

My favorite painting was near the end of the exhibit.

It was titled the Madonna and Child. The stunning portrait was of a woman holding a small baby in her arms. The look on the woman’s face was what really made me stop and stare.

She looked sad. Very, very sad. She wasn’t looking at the baby in her arms, but you could tell he was on her mind.

The woman made me think of Regina. I didn’t know why at first, but the more I looked at the painting, the more it became clear.

There was no question that Regina was a troubled woman who was in pain – a lot of pain. Yet she still held on for Archer, her son, because he mattered to her. Even though I was the farthest thing from a mother, I knew that Regina put her own needs beside her because of her children, because she knew they were more important than her own troubles.

I sat on the bench across the way from the portrait and my mind was swarming with thoughts. My nerves were twisting into knots and my breathing was starting to get a little heavy.

What if Death was right? What if Havoc really was going to come after me instead of Archer? What if Havoc thought that it would be worth more to take my life than to wait for Archer to take his?

What would I do then?

“What are you thinking about?” Archer asked, sitting down beside me.

“What do you want to do with your life, Archer?”

Archer gave me a look of surprise. “Excuse me?”

“Please,” I said. “Just answer the question.”

I got this feeling of dread as Archer continued to stare at me, like he knew that I knew something about him that I wasn’t sharing with him.

I dug my fingernails into my jeans and waited anxiously for him to answer my question.

“I don’t know,” Archer finally said, looking away from me. “I’ve spent the majority of my time worrying about my little sisters and my mom and grandma to think about myself.”

“You’re important, too.”

Archer glanced over at me with an undefinable look on his face. “Why do you care so much?”

I was stunned at his question.

“You deserved to be cared about,” I said, feeling a little embarrassed.

Archer didn’t say anything. He stared at me for several moments with a blank expression on his face. And then he leaned over and kissed me.

The kiss was sweet and gentle and it made me feel…special.

My phone rining loudly in my coat pocket was what made me jump away from Archer in surprise.

Archer let out a frustrated groan and ran a hand through his hair in annoyance. “Why is it that we’re always interrupted?”

“Beats me,” I muttered, rummaging around in my pockets for my phone.

I checked the number calling before answering, and it wasn’t one I recognized.

Shit.

I took a deep breath before answering. “Hello?’

The line was silent for a moment before a muffled voice said, “Hadley?”

“Regina?” I stood up, pressing the phone closer to my ear. “Is that you?”

“Yes.” There was noise in the background, making it hard to hear, but she didn’t sound well at all. “Can I speak to Archer?”

“Uh, sure,” I said slowly, glancing over at Archer. He stared back with a cautious expression. “Is everything alright?”

“Please, Hadley. I need to talk to Archer.”

Archer was already standing with an outstretched hand in my direction. I passed off the phone to him and waited with baited breath to hear what was going on.

“Ma?” Archer said quickly. “What’s going on?”

I watched Archer’s face for any sign of emotion that would give away what was so urgent. What Regina said made Archer close his eyes and let out a shaky breath.

“Okay,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

He disconnected and tossed the phone to me before turning and walking away without so much as another word.

“Archer!” I called after him. “What’s going on?”

I literally had to sprint to catch up to him. His strides were so long he’d almost made it to the staircase by the time I reached him.

“Archer!” I grabbed his wrist and spun him back around to face me. He did not look too happy at all and refused to meet my eye. “What happened?”

“My grandmother had a heart attack.”

Those words hit me like a battering ram, nearly knocking me over.

“What?” I gasped. “Is she alright?”

“I don’t know,” Archer ground out. “But she’s 79, Hadley. The odds aren’t in her favor.”

My first thought was to blame this on Havoc, like everything else that had been going on lately, but Archer did have a point. Victoria was 79.

“You should go to the hospital,” I said, clearing my throat. “I’ll come with – ”

“No! No. I don’t want you to come,” Archer said, making me stumble back a step.

If it was possible, those words hurt more than hearing that Victoria had a heart attack.

“Look, Hadley,” Archer said, his voice low and intense. “I know you care about my family. But I don’t want you coming. I care about you, you know I do, but right now I need to be with my family without you there. I’ll call you later and let you know what’s going on. I just need to go by myself.”

“But – ”

“I wouldn’t expect you to understand,” Archer muttered, sighing heavily. “Since you don’t even have a family.”

He left after saying those words that stung beyond belief.

I stood there in the middle of the museum, trying to get my breathing under control. It didn’t surprise me that tears were already streaking down my cheeks.

Listening to what Archer had said hurt, but he was right. I didn’t even have a family.

So what was I supposed to do now?

“Excuse me, miss. Are you alright?”

I looked over at the elderly man who had wandered over to my side, a concerened look on his face.

“Oh, I’m fine,” I said, rubbing a hand across my cheeks. “Thanks.”

The old man sighed and patted my arm. “Keep your chin up, dear.”

Oh, I wish I could. But that was easier said than done.

I thanked the old man again before leaving. I didn’t feel like seeing the rest of the museum, even if I’d been waiting years to see it.

I stood outside on the curb with my hands in my pockets, staring up at the cloud covered sky.

I was at a lost of what to do now.

Go home and wait for news about Victoria? Go home and mope?

If I could ever use some advice about what to do, it would most certainly be now.

I blew out a sigh and stepped off the sidewalk, intent on finding a cab. I might as well go home, since I had nothing else to do.

And that’s when the car came racing down the street out of nowhere, heading straight towards me.

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I’m not so sure if this chapter even needs a note….what do you guys think?