The Way I Loved You {Divergent}

Part VII

"He's close to my mother,
Talks business with my father,
He's charming and endearing,
And I'm comfortable."

"Hello, Ms Prior. How's your evening?" Al asks as he waltzes into the kitchen.

He stands with some fresh vegetables, and almost immediately starts to chop them up effortlessly, quickly creating a salad.

"I'm lovely, Al, and you?" My mother replies, pulling the meatloaf out of the oven.

"Just as swell." He replies. I roll my eyes at their cheesy, all-too-polite manner of talking. I guess its better than Tobias somehow offending Mom and having an awkward, silent dinner. "Tris, could you get some bowls out for the salad?"

I walk over to the cabinet, and reach up to grab a few bowls, and hand them to Al. Our hands meet, and instead of finding the warm, electric spark I should have felt, I met cold and dry hands.

I shook my head slightly. I couldn't keep comparing Al to Tobias; it would get me no where.

But I couldn't stop myself from doing it.

I hear a car door and realize that Dad and Caleb are back from the grocery store with an apple pie and a few necessities for the week ahead. Dad enters the kitchen first, and sets a bag on the counter which my mother and I immediately start putting the food away.

"Hey, Pumpkin." Dad says, kissing the top of my head. I blush at the gesture, even if it was my own father, and continue on with my work.

~~~

During dinner, Al is the perfect gentleman. He keeps the conversation going, with everyone included in the subject, and never wasn't paying attention. He was such a charmer, and I felt like I somehow didn't deserve such an endearing guy.

He talks of business, which Dad finds mature for someone my age, and academics with Caleb, and how superb the meatloaf is to Mom. He occasionally glances at me, to make sure he is doing okay, but little does he know how amazing he is doing; how much better he is at this than Tobias.

As the meal continues on, I relax and feel well enough to serve the apple pie. I feel strange, I'm tense; I'm comfortable.

I'm not sure if I like it or not.