Chapter 969: Hasty Departure
Dinner was shaping up to be a mostly quiet affair. Not in a somber way though; the mood in the room was far from feeling like anything grim or dour.
It was just… well, quiet.
But was that really so surprising after what just happened? What we just saw? The survival of Asteria. The defeat of Terestra. All in no small part due to the heroic sacrifice of the great hero Leonardo.
Sure, it might just be a video game. Some happily-ever-after end devised by some overworked scenario writer hopped up on like a gallon of caffeine. And really, I'd have no problem writing it all off as just that. The problem was Dad… the look on his face, the offness in his demeanor…
He was making it really difficult to brush the entire thing aside.
For any other reason, I'd embrace this quiet. Just the four of us, enjoying the juicy servings of a meatloaf that was seriously to die for. Peacefully. Uneventfully. With the occasional request of passing the salt or pepper just to spice things up a bit. In terms of ideal scenarios, this was as good as it gets.
A damn shame it couldn't be properly indulged.
Yet at the same time, Neither Amanda nor I felt keen about bringing up the elephant in the room. I'd have expected Mom to pounce on the opportunity to pry at his deep innermost thoughts any moment now, but then the minutes stretched on with our plates only getting emptier and emptier, and the peace persisted on… for better or for worse.
It was only after we'd all cleared our dishes that Dad finally did something different from his usual chewing-and-contemplating routine. He gave his wristwatch a quick glance, and I already knew what he was about to say long before he even rose from his seat.
"It's getting late," He took my plate first, then Mom's. Amanda looked a little bewildered when he reached for hers. "Thanks for dinner."
A noise died away in the back of Amanda's throat as he piled them in a stack and whisked them off into the kitchen sink. Much too late to bedazzle my folks with her absolutely impeccable dish-washing skills.
"You're… you're going already?" She asked, somehow looking both relieved at the news and uncertain about the notion at the same. "Is that it? That's… that's all?"
"We're only here for dinner, Amanda," Mom informed her. "Whatever else could we be here for?"
Five minutes later after another brief round of thanks, Amanda and I were bidding them goodnight and goodbye as they stood outside the empty corridor of her apartment.
"Sticking around?" Mom asked, narrowing her eyes at me. "But of course, can't forget the dessert after the main course."
"No," I shut her down at once before she could start.
"No?" She smiled. "So why not leave now? Hmm?"
"Don't 'Hmm' like you know what's up," I said. "I'm going home too. I'm only staying for a while longer."
"A while's all one ever needs, isn't that right?" She continued assuming, smirking, winking at Amanda who'd blanked out from the total awkwardness. "Though I'm sure you'd much rather take your time with it, wouldn't you? I do."
"Ah…" Amanda croaked. "...good to know."
Fortunately, Dad came stepping forward before Mom could corrupt things any further, stretching his hand out into a handshake. "It was nice meeting you, Amanda."
"Uh, yes, thanks," Amanda hastily said, snapping out of her stupor and letting her hand be swallowed whole into his fist. "It was nice getting to know you too, Leo—er, I mean—Michael—Sir! Yes. Um… hope to see you again soon."
"Yes. That'd be nice."
They broke apart, and I saw Dad's gaze catch the small glimmer of silver wrapped around her finger. He shifted his brows at the sight, tilting his head slightly as if he were about to say something, but he said nothing. Just nodded, throwing me one final look before turning down toward the elevator.
"Have a good night, you two," Mom waved at us, promptly trailing after his lengthy strides. "A very, very good night, alright?"
I shut the door before she could let another innuendo slip through. It was amazing how quickly the atmosphere in the apartment shifted the moment they left. Like an evil spirit's presence had been exorcised from our mortal realm, letting back in all the sunshine, daisies, and happily-ever-afters to flourish and prosper once more.
"It's… that really was it," Amanda muttered incredulously; a huge burden lifted off her shoulder as she sank into the nearest sofa. "It's actually over."
"Well, yeah, it's just dinner," I said. "What else were you expecting?"
"More!" Amanda sank her face into her palms, vigorously rubbing her tired eyes. "Like… they didn't interrogate me? Where's all the teasing? all the embarrassing questions? I had so many answers prepared—I rehearsed them all out in advance, and they didn't even ask me a thing."
"Disappointed?"
"No. Actually, no, I don't know, not sure…" She looked back up, her teeth gnawing down at her bottom lip, squirming around with uncertainty. "Do you think I might have… kinda messed up back there?"
The fact that I instantly knew what she was referring to, what was bugging her to this extent… no, obviously, she didn't mess up. At the same time, I don't think dinner would have turned out the way it did if it wasn't for what we did.
"I know he said he wanted to see it," Amanda continued to second-guess. "But was it really alright to let him see it? Asteria… like, I know it's just a game, but… that ending… it feels like I kinda struck a nerve, maybe?"
"Hey, he asked," I simply said, plopping myself down right next to her. "A position like that—come on, were you really gonna say no?"
"Still…" Amanda didn't waste any time making herself comfortable, wriggling over and nestling up close against my shoulder. "...your Dad's gonna be okay, right? I didn't stir up any long-dormant regrets in him by showing him all that, did I?"
Truth be told, I wasn't so sure myself about that one. Dad has always taken everything thrown at him in stride. Stick a knife to his neck, and I highly doubt he'd even bat an eye. But he wasn't shown a knife, was he? It was something else… something entirely different from ordinary mundane things like that. Stands to reason that he'd react a little differently in turn.
"He'll be just fine. Dad doesn't do bitter mopings," I reassured her.
"You sure?"
"Nah, 'course not. I'm just his son," I said. "What would I know, right?"
"Funny," she scoffed at me, snuggling in deeper. "But, fine, I trust you. I'll just keep crossing my fingers… keep hoping I didn't just possibly send your dad spiraling into some kind of crisis. Next dinner-outing might get pretty awkward otherwise. Actually—scratch that. Next dinner is gonna be awkward regardless."
"With that attitude, it's almost a guarantee," I said. "You survived tonight, Amanda. You should be emboldened. At this point, what can't you do?"
"A lot," she professed, sighing the sigh of a million billion woes. "For example, I still can't think of a single thing to get you for your birthday. Imagine if your mom asked me about back there—bullet dodged."
"You'll figure it out. I have faith," I told her. "And hey, if you really can't think of anything to give… I wouldn't mind having some dessert. Just saying."
Amanda shook her head, wearing a look that was a mix between abash and amusement. "Except that would be cheating. Not to mention, pretty freaking narcissistic."
"Is it?"
"Yeah, it is," she said with a snort. "Like, I'm supposed to be your gift? Me as myself? Like you're lucky to have me or something? Lucky to be with me? Seriously, who the hell do I think I am implying something like that?"
"I don't think that's supposed to be the intended message."
"Well, I don't like it," Amanda said, huffing with finality. "I want to give you something that actually matters."
"You matter."
"Stop," she shushed me with a finger. "You know what I mean."
I conceded, limply raising both arms. "Fine. It's your gift, your surprise. I'll just wait and keep looking forward to it."
"Just give me time…." Amanda said, falling back against me, the tension she carried throughout the night leaving her body. "A bit of time and mark my words, it's gonna trump whatever the other girls had decided on getting you."
"It's not a competition."
"I don't know how you can still believe that, seriously," she said, chuckling a little at my expense. "On the outside, sure… we're all grown, mature ladies here; all understandable, and sweet, and empathetic. But on the inside… I mean no one wants to admit it… but we can be petty, contentious… like, you really think all those hijinks in harem shows are just there for comedic fluff?"
"Aren't they?" I asked.
"Maybe a little exaggerated, but there's a reason they're there, you know? All those hopelessly infatuated damsels pulling each other's hair out for some braindead stud that's too blind to see more than two feet in front of him…."
"Am I the braindead stud in this example?"
"Just think about it for a moment," She continued on. "Do you really think there's a woman out there in the world who's perfectly satisfied with settling for second best?"
As requested, I did think about it for a moment. But since, y'know, A: I'm not a woman and B: I don't speak on behalf of women, I thought it best to simply keep my mouth shut and not risk looking like some sexist dunce.
"Just wait, you'll see what I mean," Amanda said with so much certainty it felt almost prophetic. "Everyone's gonna give you their gifts, and in the moment, we'll enjoy your reaction, smile with you… but in private, as much as we pretend we don't… we're gonna be thinking about how perfect our gifts are compared to each other."
"How do you manage to turn something as innocent as a birthday into an intense battle of minds?" I asked, utterly flabbergasted.
"We're competitive. Some more than others. It's just how we are by nature." Amanda said with a shrug, her body clinging to mine in a tender wholesome embrace, while continuing to spout in cold, calculative cunningness. "Women are still only human, you know?"