Three: I'm getting engaged!

Barry was sitting by his laptop typing away. After his last two movies not doing well, his study room had basically become a camping site. And the media wasn't being too kind about it either. His publicist Thomas was beginning to propose he engage in the most ridiculous stunts in order to gain attention from the public and hopefully be relevant in another way. To keep him fresh in the minds of the audience. But Barry wasn't trying to be remembered for whatever shenanigans he was up to. He was invested in getting past his writer's block, attending classes, and hiring anyone he could to make sure he was bagging those awards.

As his fingers were running through the keyboard at the speed of light, his study room door slowly crept open. Like whoever was behind it felt a little bit of shame for even trying to interrupt the sacred event that was Barry's writing. And Vanessa his then fling was right to be cautious. His mood had been all over the place lately so he was unpredictable. He caught her leg sticking out of the high slit on her velvet emerald dress, and from the corner of his eye.

" I'm working right now Nessa, I can't right now. "

" Oh, I wasn't here for that. " Vanessa quickly shot back, trying to hide her hurt. Indeed, she wasn't here to seduce him she just happened to afford to dress like a goddess during every beat of her life. But how was it so easy for him to just shut her down like that? Swallowing a hard lump she went on, holding her polka face. " Your parents are here. "

Barry froze. He'd have taken messing around between his work hours than dealing with his parents at that moment. His big hands rubbed his temples. There was nothing that could be done. He knew how they were, they'd pester him like some kind of a parasitic bug or haunt him for the rest of his life if he didn't come to meet them. He'd figured their random pop-ups would be a habit for them seeing as they had bought him his current house as a gift but hadn't been able to resist the offer regardless. In his distress, he noticed Vanessa was still by the door.

Vanessa loved his parents, they seemed to get along quite well. Throwing themselves at the media and milking everything they could out of their fame was their thing. His parents being the most adored celebrity couple had not stopped trying to get him to take things with Vanessa seriously and he was sure he was going to hear more of that on that day. Just the thought of it tired him out even more.

" I'm sorry I snapped at you, babe. This stuff has me going crazy. " he swiveled away from his desk and walked towards the door. " You look stunning"

Vanessa loved it when he was getting this way. It gave her hope that one day he might see her through a different lens. He wouldn't admit it, but he was fixated with feelings he still had on his high school crush. A girl who would never see him in that light but Barry was delusional like that. I mean, it was his job to be delusional and fictional in that way.

In the next moment, trying to rid himself of guilt, Barry apologized for more while planting the softest tiniest kisses on the length of her neck, she considered letting him know that she might have seen her. Well, she thought she did. It was very unlikely that Bianca Mathews would end up waiting tables. But in case she was, she wanted Barry to know she couldn't compare to her right now. She wasn't all that.

He was holding onto something that didn't exist, but none of that was worth ruining their moment. It wasn't a real moment, she knew that. He was tired and his eyes were puffy from not having slept in the past thirty-six hours. That moment was everything to her and for Barry, he might have as well been refreshing himself with coffee. But if she waited a little longer, she hoped perhaps he'd come to his senses

" There is our star." Her mom reached out to him arms open with that unnaturally perfect smile of hers. it seemed so freaking directed it felt like he'd walked d into some sort of ad. That was a shameless lie. He wasn't their star. Their precious Star was Mac, his older brother. It turns out they were really excited to be parents to Mac. You know how parents completely adore an infant even though all it does is just cry and shit on Itself? They kind of had never snapped out of that with Mac. Every tiny little thing Mac did was impressive and they wanted it on the Guinness world book of record. Meanwhile, he struggled from the sidelines to be the perfect little boy but Mac had their hearts. His life was kind of like that lately. They were only smothering him now because they felt there were still parts of his life they could control, unlike Mac who was impossible to sway.

" Drop it, mom you don't have to mock me." Validation from either of his parents at his age felt like mockery. That and the fact that they had been fed so much positive bullshit in attempts to sell products and continue to nauseate the world with their tips to staying in love forever, so he'd naturally come to distrust them.

" Have you been staying up all night again?" there was no concern in his fads voice, just formality. It was just an observation framed as a question. as he rubbed circles on the back of his head. He hated being babied like this. He didn't like the rubbing thing, but he was sure there was a chapter on one of their many stupid books about the right way to gradually thin the hair of children's heads.

He quickly put distance between them as soon as he had the chance, being grateful for the airplane landing strip size of his living room. His mom in that shirt time bad already found herself a champagne flute and had herself comfortable on his couch. Was his house even his? Vanessa, seeing how much Barry was straining gripped her arms around Barry's hairy arm, his dress matching his expensive pajama suit that was so intricately designed he could make a trend out of them if je stepped out of the house with them. He liked his PJs being fancy enough to be worn out. He wasn't good with small talk, and every minute that went by that he wasn't at his desk trying to revive his career made his fingers ache for the familiar feeling of clacking his keyboard, fascinating himself with his genius which apparently the world didn't get.

" So great of you to check on us Mr and Mrs Button. What brings you by? " Vanessa asked, taking in Mrs Buttons look and planning to compliment it and start another conversation if there was a silent moment. She'd go on a run about where she bought her jewellery, and how rare they were. It would be smooth.

" She's so sweet. It's okay Nessa, you don't have to speak for Barry."

" I was working, and I intend to get back to it. "

" Thomas has told us you're turning into a workaholic. And we came to check up on you. You don't have to live this way Barry. You could pause the writing for a while, give the people a show and by the time you get back to it, theyll want to hear what you have to say. "His dads words sounded awfully familiar. like someone had said those exact words to him over a business phone a earlier with Thomas. He snotted at their audacity.

" You're not relatable! Thats what people like, seeing snippets of your inside life and allowing them to live vicariously through you." Mrs Button backed up her husband, her hand automatically resting on her his exposed knee. A gesture he'd only ever seen directed into his movies. They were out here proving their romance even to him who actually knew them and didn't care how they appeared to him. He could feel his coffee from earlier before shooting up his gut.

" That's what they have you for! Everyone loves you why can't you enjoy them. why don't YOU give them a freaking show?"

" Because our careers are not wilting. "

" Wow dad that's rich. What are you guys even known for anymore, huh? Aren't you tired of this mask?"

" The mask bought the very house you live in young man" His mother intervened. It was automatic like flipping a switch, if his dad was agitated she'd calm him down, If he were arguing she would be in his corner, like Pavlov and his salivating dogs. She didn't even think about it. This was not the way he'd planned his morning to go. To have the mighty king of alphas and his submissive wife telling him what to do.

" Can you at least go public with Vanessa. She's on her prime, everyone adores her right now. This could really work well for you. Your brother is so happy..."

" I'm getting engaged, soon. So just get off my back okay! I don't need this shit."

He wasn't getting engaged, but they'd done it. They'd pressed that button, compared him to Mac. Barry head done undeniably alot of impressive stuff;He had a huge shelf filled with trophies for heaven's sake, positioned right across the main entrance so no one could miss it. All very highly valued awards, and just because there was this one thing that Mac had that he didn't his parents were being zeroed in on that. He couldn't take it.