Shedding The Armour | A Kanej Fanfiction

chapter eleven - second first time

Heyy guys. I know that you don't deserve an update only once a month. I've had really bad writers block and then exams started. Sorry :(
Here's to hoping I become somewhat consistent from here on.

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Inej POV

They made their way over to the table. Inej looked over at Kaz briefly. It seemed like he was purposefully slowing his pace as if to delay meeting her parents for the second first time. But Inej didn't push it, she knew better than to do so. If he wanted to talk about it now, tomorrow, or even never, she was fine with giving him that space and choice.

She knew that he dealt with his emotions differently. Whilst she may prefer the physical comfort of her friends or family, Kaz tended to close up and not depend on anyone, becoming someone she always imagined reflected the person he became after Jordie - his brother - passed away (although she had never seen him like that, this was just based off stories that Jesper and others had told her about Kaz from years ago).

When he was ready, he would talk if he wanted to. And trust and understanding formed the basis of any relationship for Inej - whether that was friendship or romantically. One problem was, was that she didn't know how to define what her and Kaz had, they had never fully acknowledged it.

They reached the table. Thinking that Kaz would rather sit opposite her father than mother because he was less intimidating, she walked over to his chair and pulled it out for him. With a glazed expression, Kaz sat down as if on autopilot. After walking around and giving her parents a quick hug, Inej took her own seat.

The subtle balmy and spicy scent of carnations carried over to her, drawing her eyes to the origin of the fragrance. Arranged in bunches in the middle of the table, her favourite flowers had been placed on the table. She glanced over at Kaz and although he tried to hide it, his hand was trembling as he lifted it to brush the hair out of his face. She couldn't help the number of times, she would quickly look at him just to make sure he was alright. Realisation then dawned upon her. That must be why Nina calls me the mother of all the crows, always concerned for their safety.

An awkward silence followed. For one of the first times in her life, she was struggling to make small talk. Maybe it was because she didn't want to make small talk. She wanted them all to be comfortable and at ease while talking to each other. The only problem was that she didn't know what to say to break the ice.

Thankfully, a waiter approached their table. His dark hair was falling over his eyes and he lifted his hand up to sweep it to the side. He wore the traditional white shirt and black trousers combination and he smiled dazzlingly at them.

She noticed that his eyes remained fixated on her for perhaps a second too long. Until she heard a rather loud cough from Kaz sitting beside her breaking him out of his reverie.

Hmmm...she rather enjoyed seeing Kaz like this - all jealous. Playing along, she looked up shyly though her lashes and saw the startling effect she had on the waiter.

"H-Hello. Wh-what would y-you like to order today?" He stumbled awfully across his words.

Her mother broke the awkward silence. She smiled sweetly at the waiter, and he gave her a grin in return. Interesting. You didn't see those often in Ketterdam, unless, of course, you were a part of the richer class.

"Could I please order the tandoori roti and dal makhana."

"Excellent choice ma'am. 1 portion?"

Inej's mother quickly glanced over at her husband and a silent look passed between them. "Could you make that 2 portions please?"