Robert waited patiently in the driver's seat of his car. Across the parking lot he could see Gavi in conversation with Pedri over by his green Mini Cooper. Robert wondered how much Pedri knew about their situation. They were best friends after all, he couldn't imagine Gavi not spilling the details to him. After a few minutes, instead of getting inside Pedri's car like he usually did, Gavi walked over to Robert's car and plunked down in the passenger seat. He looked somewhat sullen as he buckled the seatbelt and then turned his focus to his phone as Robert pulled out of the parking lot.
"Hello to you too," Robert said, not without a little annoyance.
"Hi," Gavi mumbled.
He was still surly. Robert supposed it was expected after their last interaction. He wasn't sure what it was but something about the teenager intimidated him a bit. First, Robert sent the dinner invite over the phone and now, instead of talking face to face, he decided to do it while looking straight onto the road. He cleared his throat. "Gavi, I want to apologize over my reaction to you. I shouldn't have been so defensive. I know it can't have been easy for you."
Gavi continued looking down at his phone and said nothing.
Robert glanced over to make sure he didn't have his AirPods in and didn't hear him. "Gavi?" he asked.
"I heard you," Gavi said, not looking up.
"So... do you forgive me?" Robert asked, hoping he didn't sound needy.
Gavi shrugged. "I don't know. I'll see how the night goes."
Robert gripped the steering wheel a little harder. He had to remind himself that he was dealing with a teenager. "Fine then. My wife is making her signature pierogi. They'll be sure to win you over."
"Huh?" Gavi asked, confusion clouding his face as he finally glanced over at him. "What's that?"
"Oh, you've never had pierogi? You'll love it. It's Polish." Robert proceeded to explain how the little dumplings are typically made, recalling how his Grandma sometimes put him in the kitchen assembly line to construct enough pierogi to feed a small army back in Warsaw. He rattled off in more detail than necessary, mostly because he didn't want to drive in silence with Gavi. He wasn't sure if the kid was listening but that didn't matter.
It wasn't long before they arrived at his home. He'd never invited Gavi over so he figured he'd give him a tour of the place. Of course, the second he entered the house, his two daughters came running over to hug him. The girls had met Gavi before at matches but Robert reintroduced them, along with his wife who came over in an apron. Gavi was amiable to them, giving cheek kisses and hugs. "Ten more minutes and everything will be set on the table," Anna said apologetically. "Robert will show you around in the meantime, Gavi."
Gavi asked if she needed help with setting the table. She laughed and squeezed his arm. "Aw, that's so sweet! But you're a guest, don't be ridiculous."
"Yes, don't be ridiculous. You're making me look bad," Robert said, carrying his youngest daughter in his arms as he led Gavi around the house, starting with the drawing room in the front, the living room in the back, the dining room yet to be set up and then upstairs to the girls' playroom. He gave cursory waves to the bedrooms before taking him over to the games room which contained a full billiards table along with large screens for video games.
Gavi whistled. "Pretty nice setup you have here."
"Maybe if we have time afterward we can play a round of pool."
Before Gavi could respond, Anna called out to them. They made their way to the large dining room which was decorated beautifully. Gavi's eyes opened wide at the plethora of dishes and bowls of food laid out before them. "You made all this?" he asked.
