lolita | bellerín

the dinner

"he doesn't mind
i have a flat, broke-down life
in fact he says he thinks
it's what he might like about me
he admires me,
the way I roll
like a rolling stone."
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Salome found herself standing with her arms crossed and a cute pout engraved in her features as Hector declared that Robert and Anna had invited the couple out to dinner, which didn't sit right with her. "Hector, I've told you a million times," She began. "I don't like him."

"Salome, he's married. To a world-class karate champion, at that. Do you really think he'd try to make any sort of move on you? And risk getting his ass kicked by his wife? " Hector ran a hand through his hair as he stared at his reflection, altering anything he felt needed it.

Salome frowned more. "I didn't say anything about him trying to make a move on me, hector. I said I don't have a good feeling about him."

"Well it's been a month, Salome, and you still can't provide me with reasoning as to why that is." Hector responded, as Salome grabbed a dress; she knew she couldn't argue with him. "Unless there's something you're keeping from me." He added, glancing warily at her.

Salome just shook her head to herself, her frown never leaving her features. Hector was right; they'd been in Munich for a month, and while Robert just seemed suspicious to Salome, he hadn't actually tried anything with her.

But she trusted her intuition, and nothing but that. An hour later, she found herself silently listening along to the conversation going on between Hector, Anna, and Robert; though still, she could barely understand a word of German, so she didn't know what they were saying.

"So, Salome, how are you liking Munich so far?" Robert finally inquired, with the decency to speak slow English to her. Still, having been in a daze, she blinked.

"Excuse me?"

Hector muttered. "He asked how you're liking Germany."

"Oh," She spoke, forcing a polite smile onto her red lips. "I like it better than London."

And, as though she'd cracked the funniest joke on the planet, Anna and Robert burst into laughter. Salome glanced at Hector, who was just as confused as her. She cleared her throat a little as Robert calmed down, only to ask her another question. "What did you do in London?"

Salome responded immediately. "I was a student."

"Oh, will you be continuing that here?"

"No." Salome shook her head. "Now I'm just going to focus on the baby. Once it comes, anyways." Robert's blue eyes gleamed and he smiled more, and before he continued to interrogate her, Salome spoke to him. "What about you two? Do you guys want any kids?"

"Oh, of course." Robert smirked a little. "But we're both athletes, so it's much harder, you know? We're constantly traveling, and whatnot. And Anna would have to take a huge break from her career."

Salome rose an eyebrow. "Oh," Was all she could say. "That makes sense."

"Yeah. Remind me, again...how old are you?"

Salome froze. What should she say? Eighteen? Still, that was cutting it close. Twenty was more reasonable, but—

"Robert, where are your manners?" Anna nudged him, then offered an apologetic smile towards Salome. "Excuse my husband."

Salome let out a breath of relief that she didn't even know she was holding in. "It's fine."

Still, she was expected to shrug off Robert's blunt question and just mention her age anyways—because it was supposed to be no big deal—but she didn't. So a brief, awkward silence fell over the four (three, technically) adults, until they were finally served their food, and they sought refuge from the silence by then discussing their meals.

After they finished eating, Hector had to take a phone call outside, while Anna went to go to the restroom. This left Robert and Salome alone, causing yet another silence to briefly fall between the two. Robert was quick to break it. "You're very beautiful, Salome. I think you can tell that I think that already, though."

Salome glanced up and blew her hair out of her eyes before speaking, emotionless. "Thank you."

"But you look so scared," He added, biting his lip. "And it's worried me ever since I saw you."

Salome glanced around. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, you're good at deception. But I can see through it. You look around twenty, but my guess is that you can't be older than seventeen—" Salome's face grew panicked, causing Robert to hold up a calming hand. "—Don't worry, Salome, it's not like I'm going to call the police. I'm just worried, that's all."

Salome was back to pouting. "About what?"

"Is this really what you want? He's not forcing you into anything, is he?"

Salome opened her mouth, then closed it. No one had ever asked her that. Not even her mother. But Salome had an answer. "He's all I have."

Robert looked confused, even pitiful. Salome placed her hands on her swelling stomach to keep herself from growing dizzy as he spoke. "I don't want to sound creepy, Salome, but I've been watching you for the past month. I'm worried for you."

Salome's lips parted. So, she supposed, she was wrong about Robert. And, in some ways, so was Hector. "Why are you just now talking to me about this?" She inquired, blinking. And what did he hope to get out of it?

"Because," Robert sighed, pausing as the check was brought to their table. Then, he turned back to Salome and spoke as though it was the simplest thing ever. "I think you could really use a friend."

Salome would've responded, but she saw Anna leaving the bathroom (looking very refreshed—clearly, she'd touched up her makeup—which was nothing unusual) and Hector entering the restaurant, looking frustrated with however his phone call had gone. So, she stayed quiet, and didn't speak with Robert the rest of the night; at least she didn't plan on it. But, if there was anyone who knew it best, it was Salome; for things didn't always quite go as planned.