AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When it came time for dinner, my nerves had all but dissipated and I felt like I was truly a part of Dylan’s family. It was shocking how good both of us were at pretending to be a couple. Every now and then when we felt his mother was watching us, we would lovingly stare into each other’s eyes and pretend to whisper sweet nothings to each other. Just random words, but she couldn’t have known that.
“Tax season,” he whispered in my ear.
“Mortgages,” I whispered back, giggling like a blushing schoolgirl.
“Balance sheets.”
When his mother wasn’t looking, we would burst out in laughter. I had to admit it, hanging out with him was really shaping up to be more fun than I had expected it to be. The chemistry between us felt natural and flowed easily.
“You must tell me the story of how the two of you met,” his mother said to me at the dinner table.
She had prepared a large spread of pasta, meats, and several other dishes that made it look like she was feeding an entire army of people. I gave Dylan a look as I dug into my meal. He smiled at me, and I knew that was a sign that I had liberty to really go crazy with our original story.
Of course, I couldn’t tell her the truth.I met your son at a bar, and we slept together before I discovered that he’s actually my boss.
“We met at an art museum,” I told her confidently. “I was looking at one of my favorite pieces when Dylan noticed me.”
“I went up to her and told her that modern art is stupid,” Dylan smirked, making his own little contribution to my fable.
“And I told him it’s completely subjective. We ended up talking to each other all night,” I said.
His mother looked like she was nearly on the verge of tears. “That is so beautiful,” she said, wiping her eyes gently.
Suddenly, the peaceful atmosphere was interrupted as a man approached our table and took a seat. Even though he was a few seats down from me, the stench of alcohol on him was pungent and I could tell that he was extremely drunk by the way he clumsily took his seat.
“Was anyone going to tell me that we were having dinner tonight as a family?” he said and then narrowed his eyes at Dylan.
“I didn’t know you were home,” Dylan’s mother said.
An uncomfortable silence settled over the table and next to me, I could see that Dylan had stiffened up entirely.
“Have you been drinking again, Dad?” Dylan spat as his jaw tensed up.
“Oh, ye—yeah,” his father slurred in response. “Why don’t we crack one together?”
He pulled out a small flask of alcohol from his pocket and began to pour the clear liquid into the glass in front of him. Once he was finished, he slid the glass over to Dylan.
“Drink up, son,” he said. “Here’s to you finally deciding to show your face at home.”
“I’ve had enough,” Dylan stood up. He cast one last disgusted look in his dad’s direction and then simply exited the dining room without even once looking back.
“Hey, come back,” his father shouted after him. “Aren’t you going to share a drink with your old man?”
I looked stiffly between the two of them, unsure of what to do. His mother mouthed an awkward apology to me, and I decided to excuse myself from the table and follow Dylan. I found him sitting at the edge of his bed, focusing on a random spot on the carpet in front of him.
“Hey,” I said softly as I took a seat next to him. “Are you okay?”
He shrugged. “I guess dinner’s over.”
He sounded so disappointed. Almost like a child who’d been hurt. I put a comforting arm around his shoulder.
“I’m sorry, it was going really well until your dad showed up,” I said.
I had never seen Dylan upset like this and I was overcome with a sudden urge to protect him.
“You don’t have to pretend anymore,” he said, finally looking at me. “My mom isn’t listening in on our conversation.”
“I’m not pretending,” I told him earnestly. “I just don’t want to see you so upset.”
