The Professor

Pat 2 - Chapter-Fifty

Stella takes a few steps closer to me and awkwardly rubs my back. I've only met this girl for like three minutes and she's already trying to comfort me from that super-weird encounter with Camilla.

"If it makes you feel any better, he really hates her," Stella offers with a smile.

I blink back the tears i've had stored in my eyes. "I'm not sure I want to know why, though."

Stella takes a deep breath. "There's a lot of history there. I'll leave that up to him to tell you."

"If he even tells me."

"I'm sure he will, it'll just take time. Dean has always been like that since--" she catches herself and her voice drifts off. I look at her, suddenly intrigued, and she avoids my stare.

"Since?" I push her. She back away from me.

"Nothing. Forget I said anything."

"Since Tiller died?"

Stella is quiet and her face falls a little. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. I can see her restraint.

"Stella, I know we don't know each other, but please, tell me what happened with Tiller. Dean is so closed off to me and won't tell me a thing about him. It's so frustrating."

She opens her eyes and gives me a soft look. I know what she's going to say. "I wish I could. Believe me, you seem different than... you just seem trustworthy and all but that's not my decision to make. You have to let Dean tell you on his own terms."

I accept defeat and then nod my head. It's not fair of me to push family business out of her and she's right, I have to let Dean tell me on his own terms. Once that happens, i'll feel like he finally wants to let me in. Though I highly doubt that's going to happen in the near future.

"Now Camilla on the other hand, I can tell you what you want to know. Although you might want to hear some of it from Dean," she warns.

I look down the hall where he stormed out and then look back to Stella. "I'm not sure I want to know what that is all about."

Stella snickers. "Trust me, you do. It's quite comical. Well, not for Dean but for an outside party like myself, it is." 

I will admit, Stella has to power to make me more intrigued about her brother than I already am. She's also an easy person to talk to after a brief exchange. 

Stella looks to the full champagne glass still in my hands and asks, "Are you going to drink that? You've been carrying it around all night."

My eyes grow wide and i'm suddenly at a loss for an excuse. "Um... no. You can have it. I don't drink." I hand it out to her and she takes it, eyeing me.

"You don't drink? And you're dating my brother?" She asks in bewilderment.

I wouldn't call it dating... "Nope. Some waiter offered it to me and I didn't want to be rude and not take it." 

Stella scoffs and takes a long swig. "More champagne from me," she smiles. Stella takes my hand in hers and gets an excited look on her face. "Follow me. There's someone here you have to meet."

I'm being dragged down the stairs by Stella before I can protest and then i'm being swept into the sea of people. Stella stops in front of an older woman with stiff blonde hair and in an emerald green sequined gown with a diamond studded V neckline and shoulder sleeves. Her smile reveals teeth whiter than snow and she's conversing with another woman who's dressed as elegant as she.

Stella taps the woman on the shoulder and grabs her attention. "Mother, this is Claire. Dean's date."

I grow nervously stiff when Stella introduces the woman as her mother and the woman flashes a surprised look to Stella she tries to contain before looking back at me.