The irritation on Dave’s face was enough to tell he didn’t like this interaction at all.
“Nice to meet you, Skylar,” He replied, forcing a fake smile, “So, how long have you been here? Did Aileen welcome you properly?”
“Me? I’ve been here since the morning. We had lunch together as well.”
Why the heck is so blunt? I really can’t do anything with this guy.
“Since the morning…. hm…. that’s interesting. So, what was your purpose of visit? Must be something important?”
“Important? Nah, I came over to play some games. And just when I was leaving I was thinking I couldn’t see you two before leaving and that made me very sad. But, I managed to run into you. What a coincidence, right?”
“True,” Dave laughed, “I’m glad to run into you as well. This is the first time my daughter brought a friend over to college. So, I thought you must be special. Sorry about my bluntness.”
“Special? Well, I don’t know about that. But, we are good friends, right, Aileen?” he asked, glancing at me.
I couldn’t do anything but nod, “Yeah….”. Mom does something instead of standing still like a doll.
“Skylar, can you describe Aileen as a person?” Dave asked, glancing at me.
“Describe her as a person. That’s…..”
“Is it tough? I understand.”
“No, no, that’s easy,” Skylar chuckled, “She’s like an unapproachable cat whom you can’t seem to ignore no matter what. And if you try to get close to her, she’ll chase you away when she wants to befriend you from inside. But, if you keep trying over time, they warm up to you. Am I right? However, I admit everyone’s perspectives differ. So, it can’t be the right answer to your question.”
So, this is how Skylar sees me as? A grumpy cat?
“No, your answer is acceptable,” Dave replied, putting his hands in his pockets. “It’s a vivid description of her character. You’ve been observing her carefully, haven’t you?”
“Uh…. kind of? Well, we spend so much time at college together. It’s easy to make that kind of deduction based on plain sight only.”
“I see…. you have a good eye for character, I have to give it to you,” Dave compliments.
“I’m honored. I just hope we have a long years of friendship together. That’s all I wish for from her.”
Skylar isn’t running his mouth but is putting his words so carefully. Meanwhile, Dave is trying to set up a trap for him. I can tell he has no good intentions.
“You are so sweet Skylar,” Mom interrupts, patting on his head, “Please take care of my clumsy, socially awkward daughter like you’ve been doing till now. I’ll appreciate it.”
“Don’t worry, Luna. I’ll make sure she doesn’t get in trouble and let anyone else put her in trouble either. You can count on me!” he assured her.
“Aww…. you sound so mature for your age. Your parents raised you well. I hope I get to meet them someday too. Bring them over someday, will you?”
Skylar’s face became a bit sad to hear that.
“Uh….. I can’t do that, unfortunately. They aren’t home most of the time, busy with work and traveling the world. They don’t have time for trivial tasks like these.”
“I see…. that’s a bit unfortunate. Even though you are so well-mannered. They could spend some time with their child.”
“That’s asking for too much, I don’t wish for this type of treatment from them. So, I don’t feel bad.”
“Do you wish for a simple friendship or is there a hidden intention behind your actions?” Dave asked, narrowing his eyes at Skylar.
Skylar smiled, “I only want to be her friend. There’s no hidden intention behind my actions. But, that’s only up to you to believe it. I can’t force it on you. I don’t mind if I don’t earn your trust right away.”
Dave sighed in response, “You are so serious. I was just playing with you. Relax. And did you bring your games with you before leaving?”
“Uh, no, she said she wanted to play some more so I left everything. I can just pick them up some other day.”
“Aren’t you generous? Those games must cost a lot, don’t they? Are you sure you can leave them up to her like this?”
Skylar laughed, “That is the least of my concerns. I don’t care about materialistic possessions so much. There’s nothing valuable to me at hand. As long as I have money, I can buy it. Then, how are they that valuable to begin with, right?”
“You are talking like a ruthless dictator,” Dave remarks, gazing down at him. “You don’t value money and don’t like possessing anything. Then, what exactly are you looking for? What do you desire?”
There was a long pause after Dave spoke. Skylar was thinking about something in his mind.
Mom and Dave both kept their eyes on him, full of expectations.
The atmosphere was so tense it could cut through a paper.