The Little Crow

Chapter Forty Two - [The Dinner]

Hi everyone!

Enjoy the new chapter!!! I also wanted to mention that I put an important and personal note at the end of the chapter that I would love for people to read, especially if you've gotten this far into the story!

Don't forget to vote and comment to let me know your thoughts! <3

Love, luckycharms <3

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Thea had no idea how her grandmother got to her so quickly, but there she was, grinning ear to ear at Niall. "I've seen your face in the papers," her grandmother said. "You're General Niall Killian. How lovely!"

Niall removed his scarf to reveal his face, holding it in his hands as he smiled respectfully at the woman. "It's lovely to meet you. I've heard quite a bit about you, Professor Rhaanan."

Thea raised a brow. No one called her grandmother that anymore, but it seemed like her grandmother was thrilled. "Oh please, just call me grandma. You're a friend of Thea's, after all."

"He's my boss," Thea said quickly.

"Didn't care much about that when you were complimenting his eyelashes now were you?" Her grandmother muttered, pretending to try and be quiet though being perfectly clear enough for the General to hear.

And in response, Thea felt her blood rush to her face in embarrassment, ignoring the General's raised brows. God, she would have strangled the woman if Thea didn't love her so much.

"Oh, where are your manners, Thea? It's freezing outside, invite the man in," her grandmother said, ignoring the look of distress on her granddaughters face. "General Killian, you must stay for dinner."

Thea felt her heart stop as she looked up at Niall, who was still smiling despite wearing an expression that showed his surprise. Clearly he hadn't expected such awkwardness from Thea's grandmother, and then to be welcomed in for dinner with the Rhaanan's.

Frowning in an attempt to hide her embarrassment, Thea kept her eyes low and then proceeded to sigh before she stepped aside, opening the door wider. "Please, come in."

She didn't know how it happened but soon, she was sitting in the living room with her grandmother, father and Niall, who was sitting across from her, the newspaper with Niall's picture in it still spread open on the couch she was sitting on before the man himself showed up.

Despite Niall being nothing but respectful, there was a tension in the room through all the small talk between her parents and Niall that Thea knew everyone could feel. Of course, that was expected... seeing as the General of the Aiverian Army and the Deputy Secretary of Defense was sitting on a pretty little couch in the little home of a modest Elorian family.

"How is she doing in Achlis?" Thea's father asked, trying to break the tension at least a little but also sounding like a parent asking a teacher about how their child was doing in school. "She tells us she enjoys the work she's doing there, though it keeps her busy."

Thea felt her cheeks burn more.

She had not told her family yet that she had quit... she didn't know how. She didn't know how to tell them that she quit because she was mad that her team didn't tell her that Aaryan was alive. She didn't even know how and if she could tell them that Aaryan was alive.

However, it seemed Niall understood, seeing as his response was simply: "She does great work there. She's a valuable asset to the team and we've taken incredibly large steps forward in our projects thanks to her contributions."