Shattered Glass

Chapter 2: Dinner

It was about 2 weeks after the first time Peter had seen Charlotte. They'd both started hanging out more and more, slowly getting closer and closer. And today Charlotte had invited him to meet her family. He was nervous, to say the least. He walked up to the house, knocking softly on the door. Charlotte flung the door open, hugging him excitedly. His body went stiff at first but then he hugged back. "Hey."

She pulled away, bouncing on her feet full of energy. This was normal for her, though. "Come in!" She held his hand. He followed her, letting her lead him into her home. The house opened up to the living room when they walked in, with a staircase near it and a kitchen through the living room. There was a little girl sitting on the couch watching tv. A tall woman walked out of the kitchen. She looked like Charlotte, only a little skinnier. She smiled when she saw him "Hey! I'm Charlotte's mother!" She greeted him.

"Hi." He responded nervously. He smiled and gave a small wave. Her mother shook his hand, smiling. "It's so nice to finally meet you!" "You too, you've raised an amazing daughter." He wasn't sure if what he said was a compliment or not. "Well I would sure hope so," She laughed. "Dinners out on the grill, it'll be done soon, make yourself comfy! There's drinks in the fridge, and ask if you need anything!" Her mother smiled, then looked at Charlotte. "Your father will be ready soon, so don't wander off, ok?" She walked back into the kitchen. Charlotte's expression darkened slightly when her mom mentioned her dad.

Peter looked at her and noticed her expression but decided not to say anything about it. "Your mom seems nice."

"Yeah, I love my mom," She said. The little girl from the couch came over and hugged Charlotte, looking up at him with wide eyes. Peter watched for a moment, then said "well who's this?" His tone was playful. Charlotte looked down at her sister. "Say hi Eli" Her sister waved shyly. "This is my sister. I have a brother but he's avoiding me" Peter laughed. "sounds like the typical brother." He kneeled down "Hi Eli."

"Are you gonna steal my sister?" She asked abruptly. She looked like a mini Charlotte, except her eyes were brown. She was around 9 or 10 years old, and was wearing a pair of overalls. Peter smiled, "Maybe, but don't worry, I'll let you spend as much time together as you want."

"Ok..." Charlotte laughed a little at his reaction. He stood back up putting his arm around Charlotte. She leaned into him as Eli walked away. "Your family seems very nice." He said as he looked at her. She looked into his eyes, happiness glittering in her eyes. "I'm so happy you're here," She murmured. Her dad came in with some steak on a plate. The first thought Peter had was This man could kill me. Her father was a big, muscular guy who wore a white tank top and shorts. He had very long brown hair that was tied back into a ponytail and quite a bit of chin stubble. Peter's body stiffened when her dad came in.

"Hi dad" she waved at him and he put the steaks in the kitchen and came over. "Hey." His voice was flat and unamused. "Hello sir. It's nice to meet you." Peter said politely while smiling. "Nice to meet you too." He didn't sound like it was very nice, he had a hostile vibe to him. "You like steak?" He asked, watching Peter with narrowed eyes. Peter swallowed, trying to hide his fear. "Yes, I happen to love it." He said "Good" her dad stared at him for a moment, then walked away

"Your dad seems 'friendly'." Peter said to Charlotte, trying to make it sound less like a joke and more serious. Instead of laughing she just gave him an odd look, she clearly wasn't happy that her dad was here. "Hey, are you ok babe?" He asked with a hint of concern in his voice "Yeah, I'm fine, let me show you my room" she took his hand and led him upstairs. He flinched a little at her touch but let her lead the way. He still wasn't used to being touched. Luckily she noticed and let go halfway up the stairs.

Charlotte's room looked like a weird mix of a teenage girls room and a little girl. She had rock band posters on her pink walls and a princess bedspread. She had many small things on her shelves, tiny animal toys and huge squishmallows. He looked around, taking it in "It's certainly you." He said, She sat down with him on her bed, sighing a little. They sat there awkwardly for a moment, unsure what to do.

Peter wrapped his arm around her waist. She rested her head on his shoulder, blushing a little and gently resting her hands on his. He looked down and smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too"

They sat there for a while in comfortable silence, just enjoying each other's company. He rested his chin on her head, feeling safe and content. They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Peter looked up wondering who it was. "Yes?" He called out. An adolescent teenage boy's voice answered. "Dinners ready" Peter sighed, rolling his eyes a little. "Ugh, I guess we should eat" Charlotte nodded, getting up and flattening her skirt. They walked out together and took seats at the table next to each other.

The mom prayed and then they all started eating. Charlotte noticeably only ate some salad her mom made and her sister did too. Peter grabbed a piece of steak with his fork and a little salad. Charlotte's father watched him for a long moment, then spoke. "So.. Do you have a job, Peter?" He finished chewing before answering. "yes. I do Youtube and I make music."He gave Charlotte a look, then looked back at Peter. "Are you in college?" He nodded. "Yes I am."

"Good." Her father was silent for a moment. "Where did you guys meet?" Charlotte looked at him. "Dad." he looked at her, then rolled his eyes. "One of my friends introduced us." Peter quickly responded. Her father was quiet for a moment, giving Peter a chance to notice that her brother was glaring at him intensely. The rest of the dinner was awkward, Charlotte being quieter than usual and the family eating in silence. Soon it was over, and Peter was offered to stay and watch a movie. He accepted.

They watched Toy Story, only the father not watching. It was dark and Peter could feel Charlotte leaning on him. He wrapped his arm around her and she snuggled up to him, soon falling asleep. He smiled down at her gently. I love her so much...