Aileen
Mom pulled out her phone and dialed his number. It’s over, everything is over. There’s no turning out on this one. Dave, you fucked up really bad.
“Uh, hello, Dave? Where are you now at the moment?”
Straight to the point?
“Oh, at a restaurant? Then is your car parked out or something? Oh…. you must’ve brought your favorite one?”
“Well, actually, we are”I snatched her phone away from her right that instant.
“Hi, Mom. I was just checking up on you. Don’t mind her,” I answered on the phone.
“Aileen? Is it you?”
“Yeah, it’s me. Mom and I were out hanging and she was starting to miss you that’s why she called you. Don’t take her words seriously.”
“I see….”
“Why did you take my phone?” Mom whispered low.
“Anyway, sorry for disturbing. See you at home! Bye!” I promptly said before hanging up on him.
I heaved a sigh in assurance. Thank god, I managed everything somehow. If he by any chance got upset right now, I wouldn’t have any chance to convince him to let me go to the party.
“Aileen, please explain why did you not let me talk to him on the phone?” Mom asked, snatching her phone back from me.
“Mom, please be sensible,” I replied, turning to her, “Right now, he must be inside to meet a client or for work purposes. Why are you prying into his affairs like this? It doesn’t look good.”
“Prying into his affairs? But, I only wanted to know whether he was here or not. It’s not as extreme as you are making it sound like.”
“Oh really? Have you ever called him upfront and asked him questions like this before? You did not, right?”
She nodded hesitantly, “No, I don’t remember doing that before.”
“Then, don’t you think he will find your actions suspicious?” I asked, “Even though your intentions are good?”
“But, what should I do then? If I can’t ask him, how am I going to get the answers?”
“It’s okay, you don’t need to have the answer always,” I replied, patting her shoulder. “You believe in him, right? That’s all that matters.”
She nodded, smiling. “Yeah, I believe in him. And I believe in you as well. Cause you two are my loved and dear ones.”
“Mom!” I called hugging her tightly, “Let’s go home. We’ve been out for too long.”
“Yeah, let’s go back. I’ve already called the driver.”
The driver came in five minutes and we got into the car and headed towards home.
On our way, I kept thinking about the scene I saw inside the restaurant. The way she was laughing while looking at him.
There was something in her eyes, that I can’t describe in words. Something far more deeper than just normal friendship. It was way beyond that.
Arriving home, I went to get changed. I stayed in my room and kept checking the time, waiting for Dave to arrive.
I shouldn’t be worrying about Sarah so much. Yeah, they might be friends but she’s his Mom now, right?
“Step-Mom and she’s around the same age as him,” Kiki my wolf comments sarcastically. “You are going to lose your man at this rate. Be aware.”
You have to be joking Kiki! They’ve been friends for so long. If Dave had feelings for her, he would’ve had it from the very beginning.
It won’t just suddenly appear out of nowhere, will it? It’s not possible. Don’t be ridiculous.
“I’m ridiculous, huh? We’ll see. For now, you should think about how you are going to secure your place in his heart. Cause I can already see the future. And it’s not good.”
Come on, are you trying to threaten me with your words or something?
“No, just telling the truth. Anyway, take care, bye.”
Why does she have to be negative? I don’t understand her problem.
A few seconds later, I heard the sound of a car pulling in through the main gate. I looked out through the window to see Dave’s car.
He’s home, finally. I went downstairs to greet him. But, considering my request, I was starting to feel a little bit nervous from within.
Will he agree? Will he let me go to the party? If I don’t go, how is Skylar going to react to it? Won’t it be insulting towards him, when we went ahead to ask me personally?
When I went to the living room, I saw him heading inside wearing the same clothes he was wearing earlier.
On top of that, he looked a bit intoxicated as well.
I approached him steadily, standing right in front of him out of nowhere.
“Welcome home,” I greeted.
He looked up at me and replied back, “Uh…. I’m home. When did the two of you come back?”
“Um…. half an hour ago? I guess…”
“I see, I’ll go change then. See you at the dinner table.”
“Uh, sure. I’ll heat the food for you.”
“Okay.”
He walked past me heading upstairs. I forgot to tell him we already ate outside.
I went to the kitchen to heat the food and Mom entered right after me.
“Aileen, what are you doing in the kitchen?” she asked, leaning against the counter.
“Heating up the food for him. Are you hungry? I’ll heat your share as well.”
“No, I’m not hungry nor am I here for the food. What is your plan? That’s what I came here to ask you about.”
“My plan?”
“How are you going to convince Dave? Have you thought of that yet?”
I turned off the stove turning to Mom.
“Uh…not yet. But, I guess it’ll go smoothly somehow.”
“And how are you so confident in yourself if you don’t have a plan in mind?”
“Uh….. well, what’s the point in even overthinking about it? I’ll just confront him. That’ll be for the best.”
“Are you sure, that’ll work out well?” she asked, hesitant present in her tone.
I shook my head. “Yeah, I hope so at least.”
She patted my shoulder, “I hope everything goes well. Cause, I really want you to hang out with your classmates and make friends. Friendships last a lifetime if they are treasured well. You know it.”
“Yeah, I know,” I replied, “Thanks for understanding me and supporting me, Mom.”
She smiled, “Don’t be. This is my duty as your Mother. And, if you need any help in convincing him, just text me. I’ll be there to support you. If we join our forces together, I bet even he has to surrender before us!”
I laughed hearing her plan, “Mom, we aren’t raging a war against him. Don’t worry. Thanks for your concern. I’ll be fine.”
“I’m heading to bed. Try to talk to him by today, or else you won’t find time to do it tomorrow. Keep that in mind.” She said before leaving the kitchen.
“Yeah, I’ll do it by today.” I replied, “Goodnight, bye.”
“Bye, sweetie.”
After heating the food I brought it over to the dining table.
I heard footsteps approaching a few minutes later. Dave came down and took a seat on the chair.
“What’s for dinner today?” he asked, roaming his eyes all around the dishes.
Wasn’t he out for dinner with Sarah? Then, why does he want to eat dinner at home? Don’t tell me he’s hungry again.
“Uh…. it’s…” I checked the dishes before replying, “Tuna salad, grilled chicken, and pasta it seems.”
“Why are you talking as if you didn’t eat dinner at home?” he inquired, looking a bit suspicious.
“Cause, I didn’t,” I replied, without thinking.
“Huh?”
“I mean…. Mom and I ate outside. So, we decided to skip dinner. I heated up the food only for you.”
“You ate outside?” he repeated.
I nodded, “Yeah.”
It took him a minute to process what I said. His gaze lowered, and his face became a bit sad, the next minute.
What? Did I say anything to hurt him? But, what?
“Uh, Dave…. is everything alright?”
“Uh…. hm…” he looked up at me, “It’s just I was out for dinner. And I ate a light meal so I could eat at home. And now I’m finding out you two ate outside. This makes it look like my efforts were in vain. But, it’s okay. I know you didn’t mean it like that. It’s okay. Don’t worry.”
What? He ate a light meal so he could eat at home. Then…. was I overthinking it all along? Sarah hasn’t been able to take him away from us yet!
She wasn’t even trying in the first place! Nor is Dave trying to abandon us.
“Uh, I….” I tried to talk but was too much overwhelmed by my own feelings.
My mind keeps betraying my heart even though I’m not supposed to do it.
How much often do I have to remind myself that Dave isn’t the kind of person who would cheat on his mate?
“Dave, I’m sorry for not waiting for you to have dinner,” I replied, sitting down at the chair beside him, “As my compensation, I’ll eat dinner with you now. But, in return, you have to listen to what I have to say to you. How does that sound?”
He looked at me a bit confused, “Sure, but what do you have to say to me? And why would you force yourself to eat a second dinner when you aren’t hungry?”
“I can do anything to make you happy and feel at home,” I picked up the fork and spoon ready to dine, “And about what I want you to listen to is…”
You can do it, Aileen. You’ve come so far.
“Is?”
“My friend Skylar has invited me over to his house for his celebration party in the college Tennis competition. So, I have to go there tomorrow evening. That’s why I’m here to ask about your permission. Would you allow me to go there? I’ll make sure to come back by 9 p. m.”