A Timeless Place

Chapter 50

"Missing you comes in waves. Tonight I'm drowning." - Denice Envall

 Fading in Circles  

The silence was awkward and loud. I did not know what to expect in going out tonight but it was certainly not this. We were seated in a nice fancy restaurant- Alamaros. The restaurant was filled with polite conversation at every table, corner and crevice but ours. We ate in endless silence.

"How are you enjoying your meal?" a waiter approached our muted table after some time.

"Wonderfully," dad smiled politely at the waiter. The waiter looked at the neutral facial expressions on both Laurina's and mine and nodded, clearly not believing dad's response.

"The duck was amazing," I offered kindly. The waiter nodded once more before leaving us.

I cleared my throat, looking at dad awkwardly. However, just at that moment, Laurina gave an uncertain glance at dad. Her eyes and mine met awkwardly in between and we gave each other a small smile before quickly looking away.

Laurina sighed, placing her cutlery down. Both dad and I looked at her in surprise.

I tried to open my mouth to tell her something. Perhaps to tell her that yes, she couldn't comprehend what I was feeling. And yes, this was awkward beyond measure. But yet she had no right to throw this conversation directly into my face right now. However, before anything could escape my lips, she continued.

"But I must apologise for being there at your home on Friday. I should not have been there. It was clearly a family matter and I intruded. You are an important person in Adrian's life and I do not wish to impose. We have made a mutual decision to take our relationship to your pace, whatever that pace may be."

I was flabbergasted at her direct nature. A million things flooded my mind. Thoughts about what she had said, about her 'mutual decision' with dad, thoughts about the nature and the implications of what she had said. She was so calm, so careful, so formal- the complete opposite of mom. I felt as if my mind was going to explode with all my thoughts and the only thing I could respond with was, "Thank you."

'Thank you? THANK YOU?!' was that seriously my response to what she had said?

Laurina gave me a smile before she picked up her cutlery and continued to eat, clearly content with the conversation.

"So now that's behind us," her voice was completely normal and chatty in comparison to just a few moments ago. "Tell me more about yourself, Catherine."

"There's really not much to tell," I was taken aback by how she simply just turned the conversation into a normal get-to-know you talk.

"That's not true," she exclaimed. "Your father tells me you're very smart."

"I like studying, I guess," I replied. I could barely concentrate on the conversation or the food in front of me.

"What's your favourite subject? Mine used to be literature," she continued.

"I don't really have one, to be honest," I shrugged. "I guess I just like learning."

"Oh, that's good." Her voice lowered a fraction. It felt as though she had planned the talk she just had with me very carefully. As though what she said would heal all and set a plan into motion. It was obvious she had very high hopes on tonight. And here I was destroying them. I cleared my throat, attempting to rekindle the conversation.

"So why didn't you pursue literature?"

"I see it more as a hobby rather than something I would dedicate my life to," she eagerly replied. "As it turns out, I'm better at bossing people around than writing anyway!"