Amy changed into a white short Ivory lace off shoulder bodycon dress.
She put on a light makeup, and brushed her hair before heading downstairs. As soon as she approached the foot of the stairs, she heard her dad exchanging pleasantries with, Sean?
What is Sean doing here?
She walked towards the living room where the voices were coming from. As if her presence was sensed, they both turned to look at her.
"Hey" she shyly greeted Sean with a wave.
Rather than reply Amy's greeting, Sean kept gaping at her, making her aware of her looks. Henry poked Sean's side, so he would close his mouth.
"I, uh. Hi" Sean said when he regained his composure.
"Um, uh. How have you been?"
"Great" Amy smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear to hide her nervousness.
Sean's stare was making her feel awkward, and why is he stuttering? It's not like this is the first time he's seeing her.
Henry was staring from Amy to Sean, and back, mentally shaking his head at the clueless young adults. The door bell suddenly rang.
Amy quickly offered to get the door. She wanted to get away from the awkwardness. Sean was acting really weird today, and it was creeping her out. So, for now, she needed to get as far away from him as possible.
Amy opened the door and a smile slowly appeared on her face.
"Hey, sweet heart!" Paula wasted no time in hugging her daughter.
"Honey, are you sure it's just a cold?" Her mom began to check Amy's eyes, temperature and weight.
"Mom, I'm fine" Amy couldn't help but roll her eyes. Her mom was embarrassing her in Sean's presence.
"Don't you think you need to see a doctor?"
"No, mom" Amy gestured to her mom with her eyes, for her to stop. She doesn't want her dad thinking that she's actually sick.
Paula got the hint and stopped talking.
"Hi, Paula. It's been a very long time"
"Oh my goodness! Sean is that you?" Paula couldn't hide her surprise. She hasn't seen Sean in like forever.
"I guess you're the only one besides my dad who recognized me" he laughed, giving Paula a warm hug.
"I can never forget this adorable face" she replied, grabbing his cheeks.
"And you're still my number one"
"Aww!" Amy bit her lower lip to prevent herself from laughing. The scene before her was hilarious.
Her mom and Sean were gushing over each other, totally ignoring her and her dad. So, this is the reason her dad invited her mom over for dinner. He is so thoughtful.
She walked up to her dad, who immediately circled his arm around her shoulder while giving her a warm smile.
"Let's get out of here" she suggested to her dad, because she was already hungry. He nodded in agreement and they left Paula and Sean alone in the living room.
Amy began to drool at the sight of all the sea food placed on the dinning table. The chefs went all-out tonight in making dinner. Anyone who walked in here for the first time would think this was a fancy restaurant.
Henry sat at the head of the table while Amy took her own spot by his right. She rubbed her hands in anticipation, already devouring the food with her eyes.
"Easy, honey. We need to wait for the others" Henry said as he noticed his daughter's eagerness to eat.
Amy frowned after that, folding her arms and counting down the seconds when her mom and Sean would finish their conversation. While waiting, she couldn't help but notice her dad constantly staring at his watch, like he was expecting someone else. She then took her time to carefully look at the table. It was only now she noticed that the table was set for five and not four, like she had thought. So, there is one other person.
A few minutes later, Paula and Sean walked into the dinning room.
"Finally" Amy dramatically sighed.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting, sweetie" Paula apologized as she took a seat beside her daughter.
Sean took a seat across from her mom, leaving the seat by her dad's left empty.
"Henry" her mom finally acknowledged her dad.
"How have you been, Paula?"
"Good... Thanks for inviting me over"
"You know you're always welcome here... How is your little boy?" Her dad asked with a fond smile.
Amy smiled to herself, as she watched her parents get into a conversation without any awkwardness. The door bell rang, indicating that the last guest has arrived.
"Please, excuse me" her dad suddenly said, leaving the table.
"So, do you have any idea why we're here?" Paula's question was directed to Sean, since herself and Amy are clueless about what's going on.
"Not quite... But I'm glad, because it gave me a chance to see you again" Sean replied.
"Me too, darling"
Here we go again.
A minute later, Henry and his best friend, Bryan appeared in the dinning room. Amy's heart sank when she saw Bryan, as the memory of him abandoning her at the hotel returned.
Why did her dad have to invite him too?
"It's good to see you again, Paula" Bryan greeted her mom.
"Likewise, Bryan. I didn't know Sean was back"
"He took us all by surprise, but he won't be staying for long"
"He told me the same thing.. you must be proud of him"
"Absolutely"
"Guys, I'm right here" Sean said, gesturing at himself. They both laughed at him.
Amy, for the first time didn't join the conversation. She remained quiet, as her parents, Bryan and Sean talked among themselves.
Paula noticed Amy's sudden change in demeanor. She moved her head close to Amy's ear and whispered,
"Honey, are you okay?" She noticed that Amy was hesitant before she nodded.
"Did something happen?" She looked into her daughter's eyes and she could swear she saw hurt in them.
"No, mom" Amy whispered back, forcing a smile to make her reply more convincing.
Paula decided not to question Amy any further, but deep down she couldn't help but worry about her daughter. Something must've happened between them, she thought to herself, as the two avoided each other's gaze.
"Let's dig in, shall we?" Henry's voice brought Paula back to reality. They all started to eat.
Amy wasn't too excited about the meal in front of her anymore as she lost her appetite the moment Bryan walked into the dinning room. How can he act so calm after what he did? She felt like yelling at him for being so cruel and insensitive, but she couldn't, at least not in front of her parents, or Sean. In order not to seem rude, she joined in on their conversation once or twice.
Forty five minutes into dinner, Henry clinked his glass of wine with a spoon, and stood up from his seat.
"I want to thank you all for being here today. I know most of you have important things to do..." Henry paused and took a quick glance at Bryan and Paula.
"But, this won't be complete without you" he continued.
"This journey started from a beautiful friendship over three decades ago... A friendship built on sincerity, loyalty, love and above all, trust"
Bryan bent his head in guilt. He betrayed their friendship the moment he started seeing Amy, so none of the qualities Henry mentioned can be attributed to him. How will he ever make up for his betrayal?
"Against all odds, this friendship stayed strong and was even passed on to the next generation"
If only you knew the whole story, dad.
"So... To make this beautiful friendship complete, I would like to announce the engagement of my beautiful daughter, Amy, to Bryan's goal oriented son, Sean"