Chapter Forty: Dinner, Part II

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Luke:

We wait about twenty minutes after the game for Ophelia to meet us at the front entrance of the recreation centre. Despite the strange ball of nervous anticipation crowding my gut, the sight of her walking towards us, freshly-showered but still faintly flushed with exercise, puts a smile on my face, makes my heart skip a beat and my blood pound a bit faster.

She's wearing her same outfit from this morning, that short light-pink dress with black leggings that hug the curves of her legs, making her look so soft and feminine and sexy and... I pull my eyes away so her family doesn't catch me staring.

Their team lost 3 to 1 and I can tell she's disappointed. Despite being generally really sweet and friendly, she's also one of the most competitive people I know. Next to Aunt Mel, maybe.

"Good game, sweetheart," Aunt Melanie greets, an encouraging smile warming her face. Darcy gives Fee's arm a playful, supportive bump and Uncle Gavin presses a kiss to the top of her head, musses her hair a little.

Her full pink lips round into a pout, and she gives them a tired smile and a shrug. "I didn't score, but, I think we played okay."

A wicked smile curves up the edge of Darcy's mouth and I press my eyes shut, already knowing. He quips quietly, "Well, apparently you scored plenty last night, so..."

Fee and I both blush and her parents pretend not to have heard him. Uncle Gavin clears his throat uncomfortably before saying, "You guys good with burgers for dinner? Rocket's?"

Rocket's is a really popular local diner near our neighbourhood that makes super good burgers, hand-cut fries, shakes. Haven't been there in a while, actually. We all mumble our agreement.

Ophelia floats over to me and I put a gentle hand on the small of her back, give her temple a kiss, slip her gym back off her shoulder and hoist it onto mine. "Good game, Feelz."

She flashes me a hint of that bright smile of hers and murmurs, "Thanks."

"Follow behind us, Luke?" Aunt Mel gives me a soft smile, trying for normalcy, I guess.

"Sure."

Ophelia's fingers lace with mine and she says, "I'll go with Luke? So he doesn't have to drive all by himself?"

Darcy smirks, his blue eyes glimmering. "I'll come too. It's been a while since the three of us hung out, huh?"

I roll my eyes and Feelz lets out a sigh. Darcy is going to give us so much shit tonight, I already know.

"Drive safe," Uncle Gavin advises dryly.

"He knows all about being safe. Right, Luke?" Darcy assures, voice loaded with mischief, nudging me with his elbow as he walks past.

Would it be wrong to punch my girlfriend's brother in the face in front of her parents?

"Darcy," Aunt Mel warns, looking entirely unimpressed.

He winks at her, suppressing a smile as he runs a hand through his thick golden-brown hair. She gives his arm a thwack and he laughs and then we split up as we walk through the parking lot.

As soon as we're piled into the car, I start the engine and blast the radio in the hopes of avoiding more of Darcy's unwelcome observations.

I glance into the rear-view mirror and find Ophelia's arms crossed petulantly over her chest, staring daggers at the back of her brother's seat, mortification lingering at the edges of her very pretty, very irritated face.

For some reason, her little tantrum makes me want to kiss the fuck out of her.

Maybe later.

"Do you have to be such a butt-hole?" she accuses, leaning forward to give the side of his head a smack.

Darcy chuckles, unfazed. "I thought you're all grown up now, Ophelia? The adult term is actually 'asshole'."

She tilts towards him to deliver another slap to the side of his head and he just raises his arm up and ducks protectively, laughing.

"He's just jealous that he isn't getting any," I explain, giving her a wink through the mirror as I break at a stop sign. "Sienna's still dating that guy from school... What's his name again? Karl? Kyle?"

Darcy rolls his eyes and his expression sours. "Nah, it's a really stupid, dorky name. Clive or something."

That makes Ophelia giggle. "You're named after a character from a classic romance novel, Darcy. That's pretty stupid and dorky too, isn't it?"

Now it's our turn to laugh at his expense. Aw, poor guy is still pining, I can tell.

Can't say I have all that much sympathy right now, though.

It's a Sunday night and the restaurant is packed and buzzing. We have to wait a little while before we end up squeezing into a brightly-coloured, cozy booth. Aunt Mel and Uncle Gavin sit on one side while the rest of us squash together on the other, Ophelia sandwiched between Darcy and I.

We take a look down at the worn plastic menus. They have like, seven burger choices, six shakes, poutine, fries, and onion rings, and that's it, but they're always so ridiculously busy. Ophelia's stomach grumbles audibly and she blushes and we all laugh.

"Haven't been to this place in a while," I comment, resisting the urge to swing my arm over Ophelia's shoulders. I'm trying for... minimal contact tonight, so her parents don't have any excuses to crucify me.

"I thought Uncle Dylan loves this place," Fee replies, leaning into me a little. Mm. Her body is warm and her arm is soft and I have to make a conscious effort to fight back the memories of last night, of this morning, of us naked and wrapped around each other. She smells like a mix of soap and sweat and it's lowkey driving me insane.

I shrug and try my best to push the inappropriate images out of my mind.  "Mum's firm took on a couple really big cases a few months ago. She's been super busy. We haven't been eating out very often."

Darcy coughs.

Fuck. I want to bang my head against the table because I know exactly what he's thinking. I glance over to him and he's chewing back a dirty smirk. I don't think even he's terrible enough to say it aloud, in front of his parents no less, but he proves me wrong by deadpanning, "Really?" His voice is low and soft and laden with dark humour. "I thought I heard you've been eating out more frequently lately, Luke."

Ophelia buries her face against my arm and I shut my eyes, my face on fire.

"Darcy Stone," Aunt Mel begins slowly, measuredly, like she's trying not to blow a fuse. "One more crass joke and you better hope Dylan is willing to adopt you because, so help me God..."

I don't dare peer across the table to see the look on Uncle Gavin's face.

"Hey, you guys. How's everyone doing tonight?" A cheerful older lady dressed in a 90s diner uniform interrupts the heavy silence and thankfully the tension slips away as we give her our orders.

When she's gone, Uncle Gavin clears his throat and gruffy advises, "Too much take-out isn't good for your health anyways."

"Oh my gosh, Dad," Ophelia squeaks, one of her arms curling around one of mine as if to protect herself from this conversation.

Aunt Mel looks like she's trying not to smile despite how inappropriate this entire situation is.

"Oh, come on, Dad," Darcy jests slowly, pure trouble etched across his face, "I know you definitely don't believe that..."

To my surprise, Ophelia bites under her breath, "Darcy's just bitter because..." A haughty breath, "He hasn't had any take-out in forever..."

And that's how I ended up sitting through a euphemistic conversation about oral sex over dinner with Ophelia's family.

Darcy replies, cheeky but barely audible, "Just haven't found any decent restaurants lately."

I can't take it anymore. I collapse my forehead against the table, my face redder than I think it's ever been in my life.

"I guess there's a reason we don't go out for dinner as a family very much anymore these days," Aunt Melanie eventually muses wryly.

"Because Darcy's a moron?" Ophelia grumbles bitterly.

"Precisely," Uncle Gavin agrees, shaking his head. Except I think he's actually suppressing a smile in spite of everything.

Darcy shrugs nonchalantly, his lips quirking into a devilish half-smile. "Family dinners are the best..." Aunt Mel narrows her eyes skeptically at him, waiting for the other shoe to drop. He breezily continues, "In fact... Grandma Erika told me a couple funny stories. About family dinners."

Uncle Gavin groans, and I swear he looks a little... sheepish. "She didn't."

Darcy bites his lip for a second to suppress a lazy smirk. "Never knew you were so bad, Dad."

"What happened?" Fee asks, her face lighting up with curiosity.

Aunt Mel looks like she wishes the ground could swallow her.

"Not really an appropriate story for the dinn..." She cuts herself off, wincing, apparently, at the irony. "When... did Grandma Erika decide to share this story with you, Darcy?"

"Went out for a drink with her the other day," he explains. Apparently, getting drunk with his grandmother is how Darcy learns all the family secrets.

"How bad can it be?" Ophelia questions, chewing on her bottom lip. I can see how intrigued she is from the light sparkling in her dark eyes.

Again, we're saved by the waitress as she delivers plates of monstrous, greasy burgers loaded with cheese and veggies and about a dozen different toppings. Then milkshakes and a couple platters of steaming fries for the table.

For a second, as we finish making sure everyone gets the right plate, I think Fee's parents think they're off the hook, but after a bit Darcy just continues, "Apparently, the first time Dad took Mom to meet his parents..." His voice drops to a low, confiding whisper, "Dad f―"

"Nope," Aunt Mel cuts off. "Not telling this story right now. Save it for another time when I've been drinking, okay?"

"Oh, come on, Mom," Ophelia eggs.

Darcy leans into her, covers his mouth and whispers something in her ear. Her eyes go so wide I think they're about to pop out of her skull. "Oh my God, Dad," she giggles, covering her mouth with her hand, scandalized. "You dirty hypocrite."

Uncle Gavin gives her a wry, tired, look of defeat and a dry smile. "In my defense..."

"I can't even," Ophelia gushes, shaking her head amazedly.

Okay, now I need to know.

But I don't wanna ask because I'm sure I'll just get even higher on their shit list. But thankfully, Ophelia presses close to me and shields the movement of her lips with her hand and breathes gleefully into my ear, "He fingered her at the dinner table in front of his parents..."

My eyebrows shoot up to the roof and I can't help it when a short, rough, surprised laugh spills from my mouth. Uncle Gavin. Dude.

Uncle Gavin's eyebrows knit together sternly, though I can tell his mood has lightened and that now he's chuckling at himself, too. "Don't get any ideas, Luke."

"Never, sir."

Since apparently everyone's sex life has been the topic of discussion, we eat our burgers in, ironically, less awkward, lighter silence.

That is, until Aunt Melanie seems to remember something, and her face lights up as she looks at Ophelia. "Oh! Oh my goodness, I almost forgot." She wipes her mouth with a napkin and smiles brightly at Fee, "Aunt Vic has a friend who's an actress with a local professional theatre company..."

I vaguely remember Mum mentioning something about that, now that Aunt Mel has brought it up.

"Apparently, they're going to put on a huge production of 'Hamlet' at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in May. She gave Aunt Vic free tickets, and she thought you'd like to go."

I swear tonight could not get any weirder.

I look over at Ophelia and I can tell she's willing her flush not to deepen as she chews back a big bite of her burger, swiping a napkin over her mouth to wipe away the mayo and ketchup that dots her lips after. "I... love Hamlet," she eventually replies, trying to keep a straight face.

I can't help it when my mouth tilts into a lopsided, knowing grin. One of Fee's small hands comes to rest surreptitiously of my lap, and she gives my thigh a quick squeeze. I reach for her hand, twine our fingers together.

Aunt Mel arches an eyebrow, confused. "Am I missing something?"

Ophelia pops a couple french fries into her mouth, chews and swallows before replying, "Uh. Inside joke."

Thankfully, Aunt Mel leaves it at that.

***

A/N:

If it weren't for the fact that Darcy looks like a young version of Gavin I'd accuse Mel of infidelity.

XOXO Ami

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