Mindful Beauty

15) His Relationship

Almost as soon as he arrived at his parents', he could smell Selena's perfume. He was tempted to turn right back around and make up an excuse as to why he couldn't attend to dinner this time, but he didn't want to disappoint Ella.

"Damien." His dad, Romano, saw him first. "Glad you could make it, son. Your mom really wanted you to come."

"I could tell." Damien grumbled, walking with his dad from the bar to the kitchen where his mom was pulling something out of the oven and Selena was stationed at the breakfast bar.

"Damien!" His mom's expression brightened up, and Damien, momentarily felt bad for having neglected returning his mom's calls or messages. "I knew that emailing you through your work would get your attention."

Damien nodded. "What is it you need me so badly for?"

"Can parents not see their children? I guess we should consider you as much of a chore as you consider us." Damien's mom genuinely felt hurt. She missed her son, her real son. The one that was kind and open; the one that wasn't so closed off.

"That's not what I meant, Mom." Damien huffed, running a hand down his face.

"Have dinner with us, then." His mom almost pleaded, and Damien nodded, defeated. He did love his parents, it was just somewhat difficult to relate to them these years.

"What's been going on with you? You've been ignoring even my messages these days." Selena approached Damien, nudging him with her shoulder as they both walked to the dining table.

"Nothing. I've just been a bit busy." Damien sat down after pulling a chair for Selena respectfully.

"You look good, though." Selena noted. He did seem better than the last time she had seen him. His skin was a bit tanner and he seemed as though he had bulked a bit more in muscle. "Have you been going to the gym more?"

That was how the mindless conversations began, and Damien was beginning to enjoy himself when his mother brought up the topic of dating.

"Didn't you guys make a promise to marry each other at the age of thirty-five if you were both single?" Celeste, Damien's mom, brought up, eager to hear Damien's response.

Damien tensed. He simply shrugged and took a sip of water. Selena had more a response, though.

"We did. We might as well start planning the wedding." Selena joked, and Celeste was quick to agree.

"Just think of all of the dresses you can try on! Oh, the venue!" Celeste gushed, and Romano sighed, jabbing his wife gently, a habit of theirs these days when Celeste got too excited about planning a future that wasn't hers.

"Just let them decide, honey." Romano eased the idea onto his wife, noticing Damien's mood dropping back to a neutral state rather than the pleasant expression he had been wearing for a while.

"They did." Celeste agreed.

"Years ago, Mother. Things change."

"Feelings don't have to." Selena bravely added, hoping that Damien would agree.

"I... I'm seeing someone." Damien declared, sending his mother a definitive stare first before looking at Selena with an apology in his eyes. She was still someone who used to be his best friend. He didn't want to hurt her.

"You are?" Selena uttered in disbelief, searching his eyes with frantic jitteriness.

Damien nodded. "So please... refrain from having those ideas." Damien left the girls in shock, especially his own mother because while she had seen how Damien had behaved around Ella, she didn't think it would really develop into an actual relationship.