While We Gaze - Stargazing Sequel

Chapter 3

AMANDA'S P.O.V:

I slept soundly on Saturday night and when I woke up at 7am the next morning and had a shower I felt... refreshed. I felt like it was going to be a beautiful day. I felt as if nothing was going to stop me. And I suppose that, that's a good way to look at life, so I smile to myself as I come down the stairs, showered, dressed and ready to go out.

"Good morning!" I cheerily say to dad as I walk into the kitchen.

"What's so good about it?" He says glumly, before taking a seat at the table with the paper and a cup of coffee.

"Ok....? What's wrong dad?" I ask, while I walk over to the kitchen and begin to get my breakfast.

"Well, you know that big deal that I was worrying over? And how I was on the phone call last night?" He begins to explain.

"Yes, I remember." I reply while buttering my toast and pouring myself a glass of juice.

"That phone call ended rather quickly." He says, looking up from the paper and furrowing his eyebrows.

"Why?" I've now taken a seat at the table across from dad.

"Well the company in China didn't go for it. The deal fell through. My boss is not going to be happy." He replies, a hint of sadness in his voice, but mostly annoyance.

"That sucks dad. But I'm sure it's not your fault?" I ask, trying to reassure him.

"No it's not. I know that, I'm just hoping my boss understands." He looks at me and smiles. "But don't worry about me. How've you been? How's school?" He changes the subject and I decide to along with it. Fair enough he doesn't want to talk about work.

"Good actually, really good. I made a friend on Friday. And I'm spending the weekend with him. He's taking me sight seeing!" I tell him excitedly. "That's why I'm up so early, he wants to be gone by 9:00am so we have plenty of time to spend at the places we visit." I add.

"Wow sounds fun." He says, almost absentmindedly, then I see his eyebrows furrow again and he looks straight at me. "Wait...he?!" Dad exclaims. I was waiting for that.

"Yes dad, he! And his name is Nathan, he is a very nice boy and we were out all day yesterday and we are going out today." I explain casually.

"Oh." Is all he says, then adds. "Well at least you've made a friend. You had me worried there."

"I knew it." I mutter under my breath.

"Pardon?" Dad asks.

"Oh nothing, nothing. So uh... Where's mum?" I ask.

"Upstairs in bed. She's probably tired from the unpacking." He explains. "And talking about your mother, has she met this Nathan boy?" He asks curiously, looking at me critically.

"Yes, mum made me ask him to pick me up from here yesterday so she could meet him. She even drove us to the train station." I calmly answer.

"That's good, I think I'd like to meet him this morning. And did your mother interrogate him while you were in the car? Like she has with every other boy she's met?" He jokingly asks, now smiling again, from being all serious.

"No actually she didn't." I smile back at him.

"Really!? Why?" He asks surprised.

"Because Nathan and I sat in the back seat and spoke the whole way to the train station. And whenever the conversation dulled and it looked like mum was going to say something we started a new conversation." I inform him.

"Nicely done." He smiles at me again.

"Thank you dad, thank you." I nod at him in thanks than we both burst out laughing. We sit there in silence for a few minutes, I sit and finish my breakfast, dad finishes his coffee and the paper then tells me he is going to go for a shower. "Ok dad." I say, he ruffles my hair as he walks past and I call out to him. "DAAAAAAAD!!!!!!!!" I let out a long whine, rather annoyed. I just hear him laugh as he ascends the stairs. After a moment I get up, put my glass and plate in the sink then head upstairs to fix my hair... Again.