Selfish Appetite [5 Seconds of Summer]

[5]

"Dinner at the Bennett's." 

- - 

Sloan

At 20:09, Tony steps into the kitchen, where I pace impatiently, waiting for Alice's guests to arrive so we can finally eat and get this night over with.

No matter how much I care for Tony, meeting his grandson isn't high on my list of priorities. I've survived five years without an introduction. I can survive twice as many more.

Tony spots me standing around and rushes over to pull me into a hug.

From the other room, I hear my grandmother chatting with Robert.

"Thank you for doing this. I know this dinner isn't exactly how you wanted to spend your evening," Tony says, taking my hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. "She'll feel so much more confident with you here," he adds, voice barely above a whisper.

I smile, ignoring the guilt creeping up my insides for not giving a damn about tonight.

"It's honestly my pleasure. It's going to be a fun night." I say, feigning enthusiasm as I gesture for him to sit and have some appetizers.

My grandmother enters, holding a bouquet of lilies.

"They're beautiful." I say as she transfers them into a pale green vase.

"I hope you're hungry. I pulled out some of my best tricks for tonight," she tells Tony, who beams at her.

"Starving. I spent the whole day working in the garden."

"Excellent. I made roast beef, and for dessert, strawberry tart." Alice says excitedly.

Tony grins as she sets the vase in the middle of the table.

"Luke loves strawberries! It's like you knew." he teases, nudging her.

Alice and I exchange confused glances. Tony catches them and raises an eyebrow.

"Tony, you told us his name was Robert." she points out, mirroring my thoughts.

"His middle name is Robert." Tony clarifies, and Alice sighs in distress.

"I just called him Robert in there, and he smiled like nothing was wrong!" she frets. Tony chuckles, taking her hand and pressing a quick kiss to her knuckles.

I avert my gaze to the window, avoiding the affectionate display. The reflection in the glass mocks me.

"He's a good kid. He probably didn't want to make you uncomfortable." Tony reassures her.

"So, what do I call him?" I half-joke to ease the tension. Tony sends me an appreciative smile.

"Luke. Or Lucas, though he doesn't like the nickname. I use it anyway," he admits, amused. "Luke! Get in here and introduce yourself already! The car's fine, it's not blocking anyone!" he calls out. "His face is probably still glued to your hallway window." he mutters, shaking his head.

I wipe the counter once more, whether out of habit or nerves, as Alice fusses over the flowers. "I can't believe I called him the wrong name." she murmurs repeatedly. I chuckle under my breath.

Luke is a dickhead's name, I want to say. I don't. It's not their fault.

Just my luck that tonight, of all nights, I have to sit through dinner with Tony's grandson, who happens to share a name with Ed's cousin.

I know it's a common name, but still, just hearing it irks me.

Especially after last night's near screaming match.