PAYBACK IS A BITCH

Chapter Thirty three: Messing with him

Billy's question, his snide tone caused the room to fall into tensed uncomfortable silence. The kids stopped their food to watch us, their eyes flickering between us like a tennis match. I looked at Billy on the other side of the table with no expression. His was unhappy and hard. I asked him silently with my eyes if he really wants to get into this right now in front of the kids. I don't want the kids to think there is something wrong, despite my grievances against their father, I want to protect them at all cost. I could already feel the discerning eyes of our eldest watching, calculating and reading into every eye contact, every unspoken gesture. 

I might be worried about our kids, but Billy seemed to be blinded by whatever bug that has bitten him to give a care. His intense unsmiling gaze seems to yell that he wasn't giving up until he gets an answer to his question. So I gave him one with a cheeky innocent smile on my face.

"It was fantastic, the most fun I have had in a long while!!!!," I drew out the long while to give the impression of a time line to encompass the period of meeting Billy, knowing that he will bite and he didn't disappoint. His handsome face rumpled into a hardened expression, his fury barely restrained while his eyes did its best to scream what his lips couldn't. Before he could say something, the kids took over the conversation.

"Where did you go?" Josh the oblivious jumped into the thick tension between his dad and I to ask. I took my eyes from Billy to look at my son, his big blue eyes so similar to the ones glaring at me from across the table stared up at me with innocent curiosity. "We went to the zoo." Despite my intention to taunt Billy with my outing with Grey, a real smile appeared on my face as the memory of the day I had floated across my mind.

"Did you see the lions, what about an antelope, a zebra?" Sophie fired out successively, with an eager excitement of a kid, just like her brother watching me with excited curiosity. Yes, My smile was still on my face as I went ahead to tell them about the animals we saw, making sure to explain to Sophie that there was no antelope, zebra. She was disappointed but that only lasted for a second before she was back with her numerous question which I was happy to answer. entertaining them with tales of my encounter with the animals.

They all moaned with envy when I spoke about the pandas, even Dave interest got piqued at the mention of the cute animals. "I have got pictures, want to see?" They all nodded eagerly. I took out my phone and opened my images and then passed it on to Sophie. Billy has yet to say something, and when I sneaked a glance in his direction, he was sulking like a two year old. 

I smiled secretly to myself and went back to discussing the pictures with my kids. They all gushed over the pandas, missing how close Grey and I were in those pictures, and when Billy asked to see it was the first thing he saw. 

"Nice," he said curtly and got to his feet, smacking his napkin down on the desk, and then walked off, leaving the kids confused. "Is daddy, alright?" Sophie asked with a look of concern in her green eyes. 

"He is, baby, just tired from his trip. So would you guys love to go to the zoo with me sometime?" I changed the subject. Josh and Sophie nodded their head. Dave didn't say anything, and when I looked, I saw him staring in the direction of the door his father just walked through. "Will dad be coming with us?" At Sophie's question Dave looked away from the door to look at me. They were all staring at me waiting for my response. 

I see the tension between Billy and I didn't escape the kids. "Of course," I smiled brightly at them, a little too much. Josh and Sophie relaxed, even smiled at me, but my eldest remained suspicious. After dinner Josh and Sophie left, but Dave hung back. Without saying a word he started clearing the table with me. Walking in tandem we cleaned the dishes. While we worked he finally asked the question that had been at his lips for a while.