~ Zoey ~

"See you tomorrow, nerd..."

Asher pouted, slamming the door with a thud upon hearing the word, 'Nerd'. It seemed to bug him so much, and I loved teasing him a LOT.

A week rolled by since the whole escape room incident, and everything returned back to the new normal. Asher and I had grown close; I started seeing him differently—the caring nerdy friend every girl needs.

And as for Ethan, I hadn't set eyes on him ever since detention, but I couldn't figure out why...at least, not yet.

I halted upon arriving in front of my house, basking under the silver rays of moonlight with my eyes glued to my phone. I beamed a smile upon reading the message from Asher:

"Being a nerd is way cooler than you can imagine"

'Keep telling yourself that', I murmured.

My eyes shot wide open when I swung the glass door and stepped into the living room, where soft lighting highlighted the elegant furniture and the stillness of the space.

Frozen in place, my gaze scanned the whole place in awe of what I had just seen, until I caught a glimpse of my dad treading down the flight of stairs.

Clad in a deep blue tux, his long black hair tied in a ponytail, he beamed a warm smile that accentuated his polished appearance as he reached the bottom step.

"Hey, monkey...what's up?"

I glanced at the elegantly set dinning table once more, before averting my gaze towards him.

With corked brows, I asked, "Did you do this?"

"Yeah, and with a little help from someone special..."

That was when my eyes caught a glimpse of this "special person." I frowned at the sight of "Marilyn Monroe," adorned in a body-hugging red sequined dress.

Her blonde hair was styled into a bold side-braid, and her eyes glimmered with seductive intent as she caught sight of my dad, standing beside the glass dining table.

I heaved a deep sigh when she shot me a smile, her glossy red lipstick popping.

"Hi"

I scoffed at the soft sound of her voice, rolling my eyes in way she would notice.

"And why all this?"

I stood there, shooting a cold hard stare at my dad while anticipating a reasonable response from him. But that's when I heard the most disgusting excuse ever;

"Well, I though it'd be a good idea to know each other well"

He approached me, peering deep into my eyes with vivid sincerity, as though he wanted to ask for a favor. I exhaled, crossing my arms when he placed his palms upon my shoulders with a gentle touch.

"Please monkey, I need this from you...consider it an apology for how bad of a father I've been to you these past few months"

His eyes glinted in anticipation of my response. Truly, I was starving and considering the fact that we haven't had a family dinner ever since we lost mum, I had to give him a break.

A gentle smile lingered on my face as I spoke, "Okay"

His face gleamed with joy as he let go of me, assuming an upright position like the king of a prestigious kingdom.

"Thank you, My fair lady..."

He spoke in an attempted british accent that made him sound ridiculous, causing me to chuckle.

"You may get dressed and meet us at the table"

"Dressed?"

I frowned, not angrily, but with a hint of surprise.

"Uh huh, read the room", he said with a smirk.

Without any further hesitation, I charged upstairs and darted into my room to take a quick shower.
It felt nice to see him beam a sincere smile at me again, especially after being so hard on him for what he did the last time.

Maybe the dinner was a good thing after all, seeing how much time and effort he invested into it, even though 'Marilyn Monroe' lent him a helping hand.

*********************

It took more than half an hour to freshen up and get dressed. Given the nature of the 'event', I chose a blue sleeveless dress, simple yet elegant, and wore my hair in a neat french braid.

I smacked my lips while glancing at my reflection in the gold-crested mirror, after smearing a soft pink lipstick.

"That should do it"

"Dinner's getting cold!"

Dad's voice echoed from behind my door, prompting me to grab my phone before scurrying out the door. I glided down the stairs, adjusting a few stray curls of hair from my face as I made it to the dinning table.

Dad and Lilian's faces lit up with wide grins when they caught sight of me.

"Wow, you look stunning", Lilian said.

Hesitantly beaming at her, I responded, "I know, right?"

I couldn't help but admire the fact that my dad put in a lot of effort to make everything look perfect.

The table was set with a quiet elegance, just like mum would like it, with each silverware glinting softly against the fine china. Three glasses sat on the table in front of us, ready to be filled. Linen napkins, neatly folded, rested beside our dishes, completing the perfect arrangement.

The air was saturated with the steak's aroma of garlic butter, mixing with the scent of roasted potatoes and sautéed spinach.

I opposite Lilian, watching my dad take the first bite of his steak, a hum of satisfaction escaping him.

"Perfect," he said, cutting into it again.

Lilian followed, taking a bite of her steak.

"This is amazing," she said, glancing at me.

I smiled faintly and averted my gaze from her, taking a bite of the roasted potatoes, their crisp edges softening in my mouth, paired perfectly with the spinach.

"I have to admit," I said quietly, "this is actually pretty good."

Soon enough, the room fell quiet, the clinking of silverware the only sound as we focused on our food.

I couldn't help but steal gazes at my dad and Lilian. Everything about her seemed to irritate me—her smile, her voice, and more especially, the fact that she was in our house.

My dad sheepishly stared at her, causing me to scoff in utter disgust, but not until Lilian broke the silence.

"I hope you don't mind me being here, Zoe"

What a question! I rolled my eyes, shooting a stare at her before forcing a smile;

"It's fine"

Dad exhaled, beaming at me even though he knew what my true answer would've been.

"So, um...Zoe, Lilian here is a medical doctor, and I thought it might be nice for you two to get to know each other a little better"

"A medical doctor? Guess we're in good hands then", I spat with a false grin.

Dad brushed it off, shooting a smile at Lilian as he spoke, "And, Zoe's in her final high school year...she's aspiring to become a medical doctor as well"

I sighed, rolling my eyes when Lilian's gaze crossed mine. Another awkward moment of silence erupted between us when Dad served us the main dish.

I obviously wasn't enjoying the dinner anymore, owing to the fact that my dad had diverted his attention to Lilian after our brief introduction.

Then suddenly, he got up and exited the table, dashing out through the kitchen door.

I frowned, attempting to follow him before he swung back indoors as though nothing happened.

He had a twisted look on his face, one I couldn't decipher yet, but it was enough to make me pause mid-bite, witnessing as he took out a small red box from his pocket.

'Is that what I think it is?'