𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕜𝕟𝕖𝕤𝕤 𝕋𝕙𝕒𝕥 ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕦𝕞𝕖𝕤 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕃𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 ➀

30 INQUIRY

"Dad this looks fantastic!" Monica says with a giant smile as she places her napkin in her lap.

"Yes Mr. Cavalieri, this looks f-... absolutely delicious." I cough to cover my almost slip-up.

The meal really does look fucking delicious though. Mr. Cavalieri had prepared for us some homemade chicken parmigiana. Everything was apparently made from scratch, including the sauce. My mouth is watering just looking at it.

"Thank you." He cuts into his food, looking at me as he continues. "Sean, please feel free to call me Gio." He gives me that familiar grin, the one that reminds me of Monica's. I can't help but respond to him in the same manner.

"Short for Giovanni." Jenn chimes in from my left.

"Yes," he nods across the table at his youngest daughter. "Well, I hope the two of you have brought your appetites with you."

I look across the table at Monica as she puts a fork full of food in her mouth. "Monica had a snack earlier but I'm sure she's still plenty hungry."

Monica nearly chokes in front of me. I shove a pile of food in my mouth so that I don't end up laughing hysterically. She glares across the table at me as she takes a giant sip from her glass of water. I want to make a joke about how she usually has the capability to swallow properly but I keep my inappropriate mouth shut. Instead I give her a large, lopsided grin which makes her roll her eyes at me.

"So Sean, tell us a bit about yourself." Gio looks at me pointedly. 

How about I don't... "What would you like to know, sir?" I have a feeling that I'm going to fucking hate where this conversation ends up.

"I hear you're a bartender and managed to get my daughter a job at the same establishment as a cocktail waitress."

Establishment.

She's clearly not told him it's a seedy nightclub. Guess I'll just be vague, probably for the best. "Yes, my best friend owns a place in Southie. I mean, uh, South Boston." I correct myself because I have been trying to cover up my Bostonian accent the entire time I've been here. Monica doesn't really have an accent and neither does anyone in her family it seems.

"Ah yes, South Boston. That is where the two of you live correct?" He takes a bite of food.

"Yes, sir." I'm trying to be polite by saying the word sir but the word feels unnatural coming out of my mouth.

"Monica tells me that the two of you will be moving in together next week."

Oh for fuck's sake, Monica.

I shoot Monica a pointed look across the table and she nods. I had no idea she had told or was even going to tell her father we were moving in together. It was true, my lease had come to an end and we spent the nights with each other anyway. We figured why pay two rents when we could just pay one.

"Yeah, that's the plan." I don't know how else to respond to a man that now knows his daughter will be sharing a bed with me every night. She did anyway but now he knew about it. Thank god he didn't know what was going on in it.

"I see." He chews a piece of food thoroughly before he regards me again. "Well, since you're the man my daughter has chosen to start a future with I'd like to know a bit more about you."

I cough, choking on the food in my mouth. Start a future with? Yes, I suppose that's what we're doing but what does he mean by that? Where does he see this going? Where does Monica see this going? Has she told him she wants a future with me? If so, what all does that entail? Jesus Christ, how many times in one evening can someone feel like they're going to hyperventilate?