Since I got to the restaurant first, I ended up being surprised when my mom walked in with my dad. My mom looked excited to see my reaction whereas my dad just looked happy to see me. I wasn't expecting him but he must have left work to come see me. A sense of guilt and anxiety began to settle in.
"Bri!" My mom came and hugged me around my shoulders before she sat down next to my dad. "You need to visit more often."
An awkward laugh left me. "I was working a lot but I should have more time now."
My dad was looking at me intently. "What are those things on your eyes?"
My mom rolled her eyes. "They're eyelash extensions. I've talked to you about them when Cordelia got them done."
The mention of my sister made me tense up slightly. We used to be close since our parents worked so much but then she went off to university. Cordelia was the perfect daughter. Smart, beautiful and had her whole life already figured out by the time she was my age. Now she's twenty six with a house, husband and two cute kids.
My mom turned to me with a big smile. "Speaking of Cordie, I invited her and the family to join us. I'm not sure when they'll be here though."
"That's fine. Oh, um, I meant if they aren't here right away." I explained as the anxiety began to show through.
Cordelia and I hadn't truly talked in a long time. During family dinners, she tended to keep herself busy with her kids and when she tried to talk to me, I gave vague answers before her kids or her husband would pull her attention away.
Before Quinn was my sister. Cordelia was there for me when my parents were busy with work then when my sister moved out to go to school, Quinn seemed to take her place on being my support system. Needless to say, the fact that she was coming when I was simply down to visit was awkward.
A server approached with a smile to get our order for drinks. Mom chose a dry white wine while dad went with a whiskey sour. Being at a proper sit down restaurant meant that I had to order something. I wasn't much of a wine fan and so I went with the usual.
"I'll have a cosmo please." I informed with a polite smile. The server smiled and dismissed themselves, leaving us to return to our conversation.
My mom leaned back in her chair with a smile. "Looks like you've gotten some good tips since you're more dressed up than usual. " My mom teased with a smile. Although she did have a point.
Since Quinn had done the packing, I was sporting an outfit with much more effort than I would normally put in for a day of travelling. The outfit consisted of jeans and a cream coloured blouse. I suppose the gold accessories and the Antigona were obvious signs that my style had gone through a recent upgrade. Usually when I went to my parent's house, I wore simple and more relaxed outfits like a lounge set.
"Oh, ha ha. Quinn and I started investing more into our wardrobe." I admitted vaguely.
My mom smiled at the mention of my best friend. "The gold looks so good on you. I should get some pieces like that."
I gave her a slight nod and a smile. "It'd look good on you."
The server returned with the drinks a few moments later when a family walked in. My gaze went to them to see two children, a boy about three years old and a baby in a car seat. The car seat was held by a handsome man with dark features while the wife next to him was a happy brunette who held the boy's hand as they followed the host.
My mom set her glass down so she could go pick up the little boy and place a kiss on his chubby cheek. "My sweet boy, River!"
"Gramma! Mommy said I get choco milk!" My nephew smiled while telling my mom the news.
Once River spoke, my mom's eyes widened as if it was the best news she had ever heard. "No way?!"
River nodded enthusiastically to confirm it. "Yep!"
"What a lucky boy! Want to sit by grandma or grandpa?" She asked as my sister and her husband situated on the side of the table opposite to me.
"Gramma!" River answered excitedly.
My mom and my nephew sat down and the server got the additional drink order. The baby was asleep. Usually when I saw her, she was sleeping. Juniper was a cute baby and she was very quiet, even when she need to feed or a change.
"How's it going, Brielle?" Sam smiled as he sat next to my sister, his arm resting across the back of her chair while he rocked the baby's carseat as it sat on the floor between him and my dad.
Sam was a good husband. He was very involved with the kids, had a good career and was just an overall good guy. The perfect person for my sister to have married. He was a laid back guy who got along perfectly with my dad who shared his interest in sports and beer.
"Good, you?" I gave him a small smile as he and my sister began to update us about their perfect life. Their most recent thing was that they had gone on a trip to take the kids to Disney. The last time I saw them, they had purchased a travel trailer and the time before that they were doing some major renovations in the house.
All in all, it was the same thing that always happened. They bragged about how perfect their life was and my mom and dad could talk to them for days about. Meanwhile, I always sat there as a bimbo waitress and kept my drinks topped up. That day was no different.
The conversation continued after our order was taken and I soon excused myself from the table. My hands took hold of my purse as I went to the washroom. Stopping in front of the mirror, I took out my phone to text Quinn.
Any tips for not being awkward lol
A reply came quickly, as expected of Quinn. Relax!!!!! Love ya!
Ew but okay lol was my reply back to her. A noticed someone come in and I looked up into the mirror to see my sister walking in. She noticed me and gave me a smile.
"Hey!" Her eyes went down to the Antigona that sat in the crook of my elbow. "Wow! A Givenchy bag? Did you get a rich partner or something?" She laughed thinking that what she had said was only a joke.
When I didn't say anything but laugh awkwardly, she realized and looked surprised in the reflection.
"No way! Good for you!" She chuckled before checking her reflection. Cordelia was always incredibly pretty and could pull off any look. "What are they like?"
If I was to answer her question, I would have to describe Layla even though now we were broken up. So the truth came out before I could stop it. "Oh, uh, we broke up."
Cordelia's face fell. "Oh, sorry. That's too bad. You'll find someone else, maybe richer." She smiled as I chuckled quietly.
"Hm." I hummed with doubt before I left the bathroom.
Dinner seemed to go by a bit better after that or maybe I had started drinking enough cosmopolitans that I was simply too tipsy to care. We all said good bye before my parents and I exited to the parking lot together. When we approached my car, I had forgotten that they were expecting my old one.
"What?! This is your car?!" My mom asked with shock.
"Yeah." I said with an awkward chuckle.
My dad was looking it over while nodding. "An Audi, nice."
"We should've had you pick us up in style!" My mom joked as she had a few glasses of wine with dinner.
We were talking at my car and laughing before a familiar black sedan pulled into the parking lot. Before the car could even stop completely, someone got out from the back. They ran a hand through their short blonde hair as she quickly approached me.
My whole body froze as I recognized who it was. My feet began to move on their own, taking me to meet her part way. As soon as we were close enough, she outstretched her arms and pulled me to her chest tightly.
She held me to her as my arms wrapped around her torso. Faintly, I could hear my parents questioning me but my body suddenly felt light with relief. My eyes watered as her face buried into my hair.
"Brielle, my princess." Layla spoke into my hair, her voice muffling slightly. "I'm sorry about all this."
Cliffhanger! dun dun duuhhhh
idk if you can tell, but I really wanted to prolong their reunion but could only get this far lol
As per usual, your support means so much to me and ily all!!! 😭😭💕💕💕