Moving Objects

Chapter 6

The dinner with my parents was a lot more pleasant than I thought it would be and we left all talk about my abilities off the table. This was a bonding experience and I enjoyed every moment of it. It was nice to see the kinder side of my mom and I could see just how much my parents loved each other as they looked at each other across the table. I sat next to Abe in the booth and was surprised when he insisted on sitting on the outer seat. I had protested but one look from him shut me up.

"I will be right back," Mom said as she set her napkin down on the table and slid out, heading towards the washroom.

I watched Mom weave between people when Abe's voice startled me. Not just because he broke the comfortable silence but because of the nature of his question.

"So, you want to tell your old man why you were really late?"

I turned to him and cleared my throat. "What do you mean?" I asked nonchalantly. Abe raised his brows before his eyes dipped down to my neck. I furrowed my brows and reached up out of curiosity only to remember the nips Dimitri had made there. I didn't feel any bumps but that didn't mean anything. With his Moroi eyesight, who knew what exactly he could see?

I opened my mouth to make an excuse but he quickly put his hand up. "As your father, I don't want to know specifics, but please tell me that was not made by a Moroi. I really don't want to put the fear of God into some kid for taking advantage of you."

A laugh bubbled up in my throat as I shook my head. "No, no. Definitely not!" He let out a small sigh of relief before nodding his head. "So...a boyfriend? Girlfriend?"

I sighed lightly and played with the napkin in my lap. "I don't really know what to call it. It's new, so I'd really appreciate it if you didn't say anything to Mom. If that's not too much to ask? I know we just met," I said, biting my lip while avoiding his eyes. This was really not a conversation I wanted to be having.

"My lips are sealed," he said as he picked up his glass. I smiled at him in appreciation before smoothing my napkin out again. I could feel his gaze on me intently and I looked back at him.

"Belikov is your mentor, yes?" Abe asked as he set his glass down. I pressed my lips into a thin line and nodded my head.

"Yeah. He volunteered to mentor me when he brought me and Lissa back to St. Vlad's. It was that or they shipped me off to commune," I said, eyeballing his leftover dessert. Abe nodded his head slowly before his eyes followed my gaze. He smiled widely before pushing it towards me. I said a quiet thank you and dug into it. I had never had tiramisu before but it was delicious.

"I met him a very long time ago, but you didn't know that," he said as I looked up at him. "I noticed that. You gave him a look. Want to explain that?"

I shrugged and played with the fork. "When I called Mom to tell her I read your letter, Dimitri was there. I called from his phone. He was looking at the picture of you and I and seemed a little tense about it. By the way, your assistant is a real bitch," I said.

Abe raised his brows at me and laughed boomingly. The people at the tables beside us turned to look but Abe paid no attention to them. I was the main focus of his attention.

"How so?"

"I called five times before I actually spoke to you. Every time I called, she said that you were busy or not available. As soon as I said my name she would go into a speech about how you were a busy man and couldn't be bothered by little girls. The last time I called, I snapped at her."

Abe frowned and rested his arm along the back of the booth. "I explicitly said that if anyone called by the name of Hathaway that I was to be interrupted, regardless of what it was. I wish I had known. She never mentioned you called either."