The "Proper" Girl Next Door

3. Dinner With A Side Of Uneasiness

    That same feeling that Roy felt when he first met Primrose came back as soon as the door to the Gaillots' Residence opened to reveal the young teenaged girl who stared at him with no emotion. However, the feeling was stronger than before now that he was close to Primrose. He cleared his throat in order to prevent himself from stuttering. "Hello there," He said, sounding as casual as possible. "Primrose, is it? I hope my family and I aren't late for dinner. My parents made a main dish and a dessert for you and your family to try. Is that okay with you?"
    A strange glint appeared in Primrose's violet eyes upon hearing him say her name for the first time. Roy pretended not to notice it, but he could have sworn that there was a bare trace of an unexplainable smile on her lips. "Come on inside," Primrose spoke for the first time before holding open the door for the Montgomerys. "Do make sure to take your shoes off by the entrance." For someone that looked emotionless and unapproachable, Primrose had an unexpectedly sweet tone in her voice. Not to mention, she was oddly polite to him and his family...
    Which made Roy even more unsettled around Primrose...
    But he had to still be polite around Primrose and her family. After all, his girlfriend was the one that advised him to stay polite around the Gaillots. Regardless, he nodded before he and his family entered inside. They took their shoes off and placed them to the side. Just then, Béatrice exited the dining room and approached the Montgomerys. "Welcome, welcome!" She greeted the family before her eyes landed on the two trays. "Oh, I see you brought some food over! I believe it will go well with the ratatouille that I made."
    "We sure did," Finn replied. "We brought a main dish and a dessert. I see you met my wife and my sons. I'm Finn Montgomery, a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Gaillot." He held his hand out for a handshake.
    Béatrice shook Finn's hand with a smile. "Oh, there's no need to be so formal. You can just call me Béatrice. Or Béa if it suits your fancy. You and Aileen can set the dessert tray onto the serving table as well as the main dish tray onto the dining table in the dining room. Follow me, you four. Dinner is just about ready, so Vladimir and Henri should be done setting up the table." She motioned for the Montgomerys to follow her before making her way to the dining room. The Montgomerys wasted no time following Béatrice. However, Roy did not notice the smile that appeared on Primrose's face.
The family made it to the dining room where Vladimir sat at the dining table. He turned to see the Montgomerys and frowned. Meanwhile, Henri entered the dining room with the serving casserole dish that had ratatouille in it. When he saw the Montgomerys, he smiled brightly. "Ah, Aileen! Great to see you again! I take it that that's your husband?" Henri gestured to Finn who placed the dessert tray on the serving table.
"Yes, that is my husband, Finn," Aileen replied, turning to her husband. "Finn, this is Henri, Béatrice's husband." Finn's attention turned to the brunette man that stood at the table.
"Pleased to meet you," Finn said. "I do hope that you like the food that my wife and I prepared. It is Scottish cuisine, I must let you know."
"I'm open to trying new things," Henri said. "I'm sure that Scottish food tastes good. Well, since everyone is here, we may as well sit down for dinner."

    Roy had hoped that he would either be seated next to his brother, next to his parents, or next to Vladimir. But to his dismay, he was seated next to Primrose. Roy could practically feel his heart pounding with dread as he tried to remain calm. At the corner of his eyes, he could see both a trace of an amused smirk appearing on Primrose's lips while a glint of...interest in her cold eyes.
    "So, mind explaining to us what this meal is that you cooked?" Henri asked Finn, looking at the haggis that was served to him. "It smells oddly amazing despite how strange it appears."
    "This is Scotland's national dish called haggis," Finn explained. "It's a savory meat pudding made from the heart, lungs, and liver of the sheep, minced and mixed with mutton suet, or the raw hard fat of sheep meat, and oatmeal. Then, it is seasoned with onion, cayenne pepper, and other spices before the mixture is finally packed into the sheep's stomach and boiled. My family love this dish so much that we even use it for when we prepare the traditional Scottish breakfast."
    "Oh! I did not know that you also eat haggis for breakfast!" Henri scooped a small forkful of the pudding and took a bite to see what he thought. His eyes lit up in surprise. "It has quite a crumbly texture and an acquired taste. But oddly, I'm starting to like this. I can see why the Scots love this dish."
    Vladimir stared at his plate in slight disgust. But he decided to give it a try. Mainly so he wouldn't offend the Montgomerys. He took a bite out of the dish and hummed. "It's alright," He spoke for the first time. Béatrice and Primrose both took bites out of the dish as they noticed that Henri and Vladimir seem to like it.
"Simply delicious!" Béatrice commented, a wide smile appearing in her face. "This brings me back memories when I would teach my darling Primrose how to cook. She always made the best coq au vin and still does."
"That's lovely to hear," Aileen said, taking a bite out of the ratatouille. "What else have you taught Primrose growing up?"
"Pretty much everything that every proper young lady should learn; how to clean, how to dress, how to behave in every occasion, and how to speak to others when spoken to." Béatrice's smile didn't fade away. "I want her to be able to find a proper husband one day. But enough about me. Why don't you tell me a bit about your sons? I'm sure that my two children would love to hang around with them. Especially, Primrose." Béatrice turned and noticed Vladimir was simply fiddling with his food, not paying anyone else any mind. Her polite demeanor suddenly changed in an instant as she slammed her fist loudly on the table, startling everyone.
"NO PLAYING WITH YOUR FOOD!!" Béatrice yelled, glaring harshly at Vladimir. "HOW OLD DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?" The Montgomerys all froze in terror. Roy, however, noticed that Primrose didn't react to her brother being scolded. She was treating this scene as though she had gotten used to seeing it. Vladimir glared right back at his mother, but stopped fiddling with his food. Béatrice turned back to the Montgomerys, her sweet facade suddenly returning in an instant. "Do pardon my sudden outburst. My son can be rather difficult, you see."
"No worries, we understand," Finn said, internally amazed at how his tone didn't expose his fear. He cleared his throat in order to calm himself down. "Now, as for your question earlier, our boys have been pretty occupied and have their futures planned out. Roy is a member of the Martial Arts Club and made plans to join the military after college. Ivor is in the Science Club and wants to be a psychologist after college."
"We also have two older sons; Thomas and Blake," Aileen added. "They're currently in college, working really hard to get their degree."
"Oh, well, that is nice to hear," Béatrice said. "I wish my two kids can meet them. Well, I am happy that everyone is enjoying dinner. After this, we can happily try the dessert. It will go well with the crème brulée that I made as well."

    After everyone had finished dessert, the Montgomerys wished the Gaillots a goodnight before they went back to their house. As they walked, Finn broke the silence. "Aileen, what did you think of the Gaillots?" He asked. "To be honest, I actually thought that Béatrice was rather...intimidating."
    "I will not lie, I do suspect that something is off about that family," Aileen said. "Have you noticed how she was quick to change the subject? I think she could be hiding something, but maybe I'm still shook up from her outburst."
    Roy stayed silent during the entire walk home. He didn't know how to tell his parents that he felt the same way. Especially whenever he was near Primrose. The family of four made it to their house before they head on inside for the night...
    ....
    ...Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched by Primrose from her bedroom window. The platinum-blonde haired teenager smiled at the sight of Roy's retreating figure. It had only been almost a day since she'd met him and, already, she had grown rather fond of him. Roy was simply perfect for her, with his fair skin that bore no flaws, black hair that gave him an alluring charm, and eyes that reminded Primrose of the wild pink roses.
    As a child, Primrose remembered her mother telling her that she would find a proper man one day. And she was right all this time. Because she had found her ideal man and he just so happened to have lived next door. Primrose let out a lovestruck sigh before turning away from the window. She could already imagine a future with Roy; the two of them would have a grand wedding after they finish school. Then, they would snuggle up with each other underneath a sunset while they watched their children frolic together. It's the perfect life that Primrose wanted with Roy...
....
...It's the life that she will have, whether Roy wants it or not.

Madame Prim and her family belong to kaylohalo
Roy and his family belong to me.

Words And Translations
Ratatouille — (Pronounced RA-TUH-TOO-WE) A French Provençal dish of stewed vegetables including the common ingredients; tomato, garlic, onion, courgette (zucchini), aubergine (eggplant), capsicum (bell pepper), and leafy greens like chives or fennel.
Crème Brulée — (Pronounced CREM-BROO-LAY) Also known as "burnt cream" or "Trinity cream", it is a dessert that consists of a rich custard base topped with a layer of hardened caramelized sugar.