Langour ・❥・Joost Klein・❥・

17.

'Um, yeah. I like Crazy Frog.'

Fenne bit her lip as she looked between her father and her boyfriend. The older man had let Joost's hand go from the handshake. As he looked back and forth between the tattoo and Joost's face, Fabian Meer lips were tight and his brow was low.

'Hm,' the noise from Fenne's father wasn't pleasant, nor was it disapproving. Regardless of its tone, it put Joost on edge.

He glasped his hands behind his back to take the subject out of the conversation. The dark brown eyes of the man in front of him made Joost want to shrink away in discomfort. Joost really wanted a cigarette now, or perhaps sitting in the corner for a while would do the trick. He hadn't even had the time to look around the entrance way of the house, which was tiled with a glossy finish and painted a light grey. The first impression with Fenne's father was, at the very least, not horrible, but Joost wasn't any less anxious for the night to come.

'I have tattoos, too, Dad,' Fenne reminded and her father glanced to the small paintings and designs on her arms. She had a point, but to him, they were no Crazy Frog.

'Dad, I wanted you to meet Joost before my graduation. It's in February next year,' Fenne said in another attempt to draw his attention. She put on her sweetest smile, knowing it never failed to make her father do the same.

'Yes, I remember. And your degree is... what again?'

'Bachelor of Media, Dad. I've told you that before.'

'Right, right. Bachelor of Media.'

Joost was relieved when Fabian's stare switched to his daughter, but it meant nothing when he saw Fenne's face. Fabian's emphasis on Fenne's degree was obvious and not in a good way. He said it like he had just been told that Fenne wanted to be a princess when she grew up; only she wasn't four years old.

With the crumble still in her hands, Fenne frowned while her father looked to Joost with raised eyebrows. He looked like he was seeing if Joost had the same sentiment as him.

Out of nerves and politeness, Joost gave a close-lipped smile but dropped it once Fabian looked away. Joost didn't like how Fenne's eyelids dropped over her eyes and their green faded to a pale moss.

'Well, your mother's almost done. She'll want to see your crumble before we sit down,' Fabian said and turned away to head for the kitchen. With his back turned, Joost shuffled closer to Fenne and put a hand on her shoulder.

'You okay?' he asked, bending down to peer through her fallen hair.

'Yeah,' she sighed. 'It's going to be a long night.'

---

The dining room was large with a light wooden table that had six chairs in its centre. Fenne's mother and father sat on either end, while Fenne and Joost sat on the same side. A dish of excess ravioli sat in the middle along with some plates of garlic bread and vegetables.

Everyone had a glass of red wine, which made Joost raise an eyebrow. Fenne avoided his eye when her father placed the alcohol in front of them and she dreaded the conversation they would be having later.

'So, Fenne said that you knew each other at school?' Anna Meer started and Joost looked up from his meal.

'Yeah, but we didn't really talk much. We were in different friend groups, but we had a few run-ins that I can remember,' Joost said and made sure to look at Fenne's father a few times.

'Were you two in the same year?' Fabian asked, and Joost nodded. 'I don't remember you at the graduation. What's your last name, again?'

'Klein...'