Apathetic and Affectionate

3. The Meeting Point

Armondri didn't pay attention to the dinner table covered with delicious meals and snacks. He had eaten before he came here and his mind was too occupied with Fay and annoyance with the polite conservation. It was also difficult enough to remain polite, with the main subject of the talk being Fay, and not exactly in a good way. Still, Armondri paid extra attention whenever Fay came up in hopes of learning more about her lifestyle and any details to remember.

"You look like a promising young man, especially when you're blessed with masculine attractiveness," Mr. Thang said.

"Thank you."

"You must have a lot of experience with dating."

"No, I haven't dated anyone yet, actually."

"None?" Mr. Thang exclaimed. "Well, that's surprising, but it's not too late to start now. Never even had a crush? There must be many young girls fawning over you!"

"I'm not into younger girls," Armondri replied, sounding specifically as if Mr. Thang was suggesting high school girls to him, but it was brushed over as Armondri added, "I think I'm more attracted to older girls."

"Oh," Mr. Thang said, unsure of what to make of this. Part of him was thinking about how the boy would look good with one of his daughters, so Armondri's statement crushed that possibility. Sophia and Avery also felt disappointed by Armondri's comment.

"Do you want some tips on how to handle Fay?"

"I'd rather hear about her habits—anything out of the ordinary," Armondri replied patiently.

Mr. Thang gave a dissatisfied sigh but thought thoughtfully. Armondri smiled cunningly, seeing that he knew nothing about his daughter. Part of him was glad for that, because it estranged him and Fay further, but another part of him was angry because Mr. Thang never bothered to build a familial relationship with Fay and give her his time and attention.

"Oh, I know!" Avery said quickly, as if she was desperate to please the handsome young man. "I sometimes see her just sitting outside staring into space—always when it's early morning or at night when the weather's nasty."

The truth was that Avery never witnessed those but she had overheard the servants gossiping about Fay's strange habits. Avery felt disappointed in herself seeing Armondri take this information seriously and regretted speaking, but it brought his attention to her.

"That's quite interesting—it kind of sounds peaceful," Amrondri said.

"Peaceful? In what way?" Sophia said, starting to find him strange.

"Think about it—sitting in silence watching nature is meditation itself."

"Not when you're as still as a corpse in freezing temperatures," Avery mumbled. Her eyes widened and her hand went over her mouth when she realized she said careless and concerning words out loud, to Armondri, who did seem to have a negative opinion of Fay. Or perhaps he was and was simply hiding it because it'd be rude to showcase that in front of her family.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Mrs. Thang gently knocked on her eldest daughter's door and called out, "Fay, it's time."

The woman was relieved to hear the noises of the wheelchair and the door opening. She walked back down the stairs while Fay took the elevator. Mrs. Thang thought the atmosphere at the table was a little stranger than it should have been, but it wasn't too awkward and she flashed a grateful smile at Armondri, aware of his natural skills to ease awkward small talk.

"Fay will be here in a few seconds," Mrs. Thang announced.

"I'm surprised she actually got out of that room," Avery said. She avoided saying anymore seeing Mrs. Thang's glare.

"Of course she is, why wouldn't she?" Mrs. Thang said.

There was a spot at the table where it was intentionally left empty without a chair, where Armondri could guess was for Fay's spot. She would be sitting across from him, although she would be at the opposite end of the table. There was a soft ding! and Armondri had to strain himself from immediately looking up—unlike the father and daughters who openly stared as if they'd never seen a disabled person before.

Finally, when it seemed like she was at the table, Armondri looked up—his breath taken away when he saw her. Fay Timer, the person he had been waiting for. Armondri looked away, not wanting to be caught staring too much, but he caught a clear glimpse of her for the first time in two years. She looked the same, yet like a completely different person. Her dark, curly hair was shorter, her skin was paler than before, likely because of the lack of sunlight. On her lap was a red blanket and she wore gloves. The biggest difference, other than seeing her in a wheelchair, was the lifeless look in her tired eyes. Her eyes were cold and uncaring. There was not a bit of joy in seeing her family.

"Took you long enough," Mr. Thang said rudely.

Armondri glanced at him with contempt, wishing he could fire an insult back at him but remained calm. However, meeting Armodnri's eyes, Mr. Thang was startled by the hostile stare from the boy, but after a blink, Armondri's eyes returned the gentle look that suited him. Perhaps he had imagined it?

"Now that everyone's here, we can enjoy this dinner," Mrs. Thang said. "Armondri, please help yourself and eat well. There's plenty of food here. That goes for you too, Fay."

Armondri briefly glanced at Fay—at the right moment as Fay's eyes also wept over to him, but they didn't linger longer and Armondri felt disappointed to be casted aside so easily. Still, he wasn't discouraged as this was the only beginning and he couldn't think about wishing for his crush to look at him longer if he hadn't given her any reason to.

"Armondri, this is my daughter I'm assigning to your care, Fay Time," Mrs. Thang said. Then turning to her daughter, appearing a little more tense, as if not knowing what to expect, "And Fay, um, this is Armondri Tlhin—your caretaker."

Again, Fay (forcingly) looked up at Armondri, but this time, he was a little more prepared and flashed her his winning friendly smile that he hadn't even shown the Thang daughters, and so the Thang family were shocked by the nicest smile they'd ever seen, and it only seemed more like Armondri's tattoos and piercings were an attempt to make him look rougher so no one would only think about his gentility. But with Fay, she stared coldly at him, even though she was more puzzled by his friendliness than annoyed with it.

"Say something, don't act like you're a mute," Mr. Thang said.

"Timothy," Mrs. Thang scolded.

"Oh, do you have a sore throat?" Armondri interjected, looking at Fay. "Sometimes, when I have a cold and it's cold outside, I usually get a sore throat too and can't talk well. It happens too when I don't drink enough water."

"Right, drinking enough water is important," Mrs. Thang agreed, shooting Armondri a thankful look. "The food tonight is a little greasy too, so make sure to finish a glass of water." Mrs. Thang pushed Fay's glass of water towards her, and unhappy, Fay glanced at the person who had started this, and he merely raised his own glass at her and drank too. Fay glowered at him but still drank a few sips to get her mother off her back. It was a great surprise to Mrs. Thang to see her daughter being so obedient and she was more reassured that she had picked the right person.

"Do you get sick often?" Mrs. Thang asked Armondri.

"No, I'm overall a healthy person, and if I do get sick, I recover quickly."

Conservations were started, the topic centered around Sophia's and Avery's school life, and it was around that time that Fay quietly left. She had not spoken a single word, not even a sound. Armondri mentally sighed, wondering how he could help someone who was so wrapped in lonely silence. His eyes fell on Fay's dinner plate. It was empty, Fay had eaten everything on her plate, but it was too clean. Fay had only eaten a little, and her glass of water was still ¾ full.