"I SHOULD'VE KNOWN that it was you, what do you want?" every single word that left my mouth laced with pure irritation, settling down at the corner of the small American based-Italian restaurant was the second-to-last person I would like to see today; she was formally the last person, but Dean has found a way to occupy that position; at least for a while. I take a seat at the table and stare directly into her deep amber eyes that glare right back at me.
"Your late."
"I didn't know you were counting the minutes," I said after picking up the menu and flipping through it.
"I wasn't. That was until you decided not to show up after thirty minutes of waiting," he pats the heels of his shoe on the ground repeatedly in an impatient manner.
"Sad, isn't. Are you ready to order, because I'm famished?" I drop the menu onto the table and raise my hand to call over the passing waiter.
"You called, sir?" the waiter comes over with his notepad and pen in hand. "Yes, I did. I would like one margherita pizza, and on the side can I have the crispy pancetta sandwich?"
"Yes, you can, sir," the waiter jotted down my order before speaking again. "And for the pizza, would it be for the both of you or just you?"
"Just me."
"Small or medium?"
"Small," looking over at my host he asked, "and for you madam, what would you like?"
"I would like the fettuccine alfredo with shrimp and cheesy garlic bread on the side," she said after glancing at the menu for a few seconds and dropping it down.
"Okay. And for drinks, what would you two kind gentlemen like?"
"I'll have a soda and he'll have an Oreo milkshake," she speaks up before me and answers for the both of us.
After the waiter left to go get our food, I spoke up, "I didn't ask you to speak for me. I am perfectly capable of ordering my own drink."
"But you didn't complain about what I got for you, did you?"
I sighed, "No, I didn't."
"Why did you call me here?" I asked after a beat of silence.
"Hmm?"
"Why did you call me here?" I repeated.
"Why the rush? We have all night to talk," he leaned forward on the table, beating his left hand on it like a drum, while smirking maliciously. "Knox," he continued, "you and I, we go way back. We have history. I knew you before that fool of a Dean proclaimed you as his first friend—sorry 'best friend'," she raised her hand to air quote on the best friend part.
"I know things about you; secrets, some might call it. That will ruin you and your family. . ." she pauses when the waiter comes in to deliver our drinks, "forever," she continued after taking a sip of her soda.
"I don't believe you," I uttered warily. "You don't believe me?" he chuckled, pulling out a brown folder out of a briefcase I didn't know he had, he handed it to me, and I accepted it.
"Inside that folder contains all the disgusting things your father has been doing during his trips to London. All those times he said that he went to go visit family or for business, seems to be only for one purpose and one purpose only," he smiled sinisterly, "and spoiler, it wasn't for work," he whispered.
"You're lying. You're fricking lying!" in my hand was evidence of my father going out on dates with women that weren't my mother. Women, that I myself, have been introduced to on one occasion or the other. Some, I've never seen before. Some, I've known my whole life.
"How can I be lying when all the evidence is in your hands?" a different waiter came by to deliver our food, but by this time I've lost my appetite. "But don't worry," she pauses to take a bite out of her pasta and a sip out of her drink, "these photographs are all from the recent trip he took plus, the one he's currently on with your mother. Nothing from the past, but I'm sure if this is the number of pictures, we got from two trips I wonder how many I could get from ten of them. Probably a gazillion," she snickered.
"Are you blackmailing me?"
"Blackmailing you?" he snorted, "Knox don't kid yourself! I'm just giving you valuable information I thought you should know. Afterall, who wouldn't want to know that their father ruined their entire family. I know I will."
"Then why don't you go find that out then, huh? It wouldn't be hard apparently," I said stuffing all the incriminating evidence back into the folder and tossing it at him.
"You can keep it if you want. I made copies," she pushes the folder back to me before crossing her arms on her chest.
"I don't know why you called me here. If it's to tell me that my family's falling apart thank you for the enlightenment, but if not, you better tell me now or else I'm leaving."
"I guess I've stalled long enough," he sighed, "It's about Dean. I need you to do something for me about him."
"Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah," he smiled.
"What makes you think I'll go behind Dean's back and help you? We're not really on good terms, are we?"
"No, we're not. But you see, Dean doesn't have that same loyalty to you the way you do him," he says in-between bites of his bread.
"Says who?"
"Says me of course," he wipes his mouth with a napkin. "C'mon Knox, don't tell me you're that blind. You saw Dean at the movies. He was all over her."
"He wasn't watching where he was going, and he bumped into her. His body was covered with some liquid—how do you even know this? You weren't even there."
"It's really funny how before you chose to act all ignorant and haughty towards him now, you're defending his name? You're a strange breed my friend," he says choosing to ignore my question. "Dean isn't your friend, never has and never will. He doesn't have your best interest at heart. And if you don't believe me, watch this."
Bringing out his phone, he hands it to me with a video displayed on the screen. Pressing the play button, I'm dismayed by what I saw, and it's very much evident on my face. It was a video of Dean, Axel, and Juliette—taken from a distance—in the parking lot of the cinema. It looked like they were in some kind of conversation; they were all laughing and smiling about something, but I couldn't make it out as to what.
A few seconds later in the video, I could feel my anger rising more than ever, here was the guy that not only confronted me, not only punched me in the face, but also embarrassed me in front of the masses, laughing and smiling with the girl that started this whole drama. I felt a new level of anger that I could not explain. It vexed me so much that I felt my veins popping out of my head.
Smiling through the pain, I hand her back her phone and force myself to choke down a slice of my pizza since I was going to pay for it anyways, and it'd be a waste not to.
There was no conversation for a while after that. We both just ate our food in silence, as we listened to the soft classical music playing from the live band in the center of the restaurant. The air, in my opinion, was as thin as it could get. I felt choked, and all I wanted to do was leave, but before I could voice my opinion, he spoke up before me.
"As much as I'd love to stay here and continue this little conversation of ours, I have somewhere I need to be," he drops his cutlery on his plate before wiping his hands with a napkin. "Think about it okay? I know this is a lot to digest, so I'll give you a week to make up your mind. From this week to next week Saturday, I expect to hear back from you. If not, don't hold me accountable for what I do next," he says referring to the folder sitting lifelessly on the table.
Getting up from her seat, she walks past me towards the exit of the restaurant, but instead of leaving, she returns back to our table and speaks. "If I were you, I'll put some ice on that cut of yours before it gets swollen. It has been irking me all night and I won't sleep well tonight knowing you're walking around with an opened wound on your lip."
When he finally left, I felt the air around me clear up; like something was strangling me and I could barely breathe until he was no longer there. Calling over the same waiter that took our orders, I asked for him to put my food in a takeaway bag and bring it to me when he's done.
When my food was brought over; I payed the bill, tipped the waiter, and took my food and drink outside and into the car before driving off.
Arriving home, I go straight to my room and drop the takeout on my desk before dumping myself on my bed.
I just have to think about this for a while before I retaliate. I try to sleep it off, but it doesn't work, my mind is in turmoil, and I don't know what to do.
I have a week at least; it doesn't have to be now. I can think of anything else now, but not this. All I need now is to sleep. To rest my brain and start afresh.
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hope you guys liked this chapter.
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kisses.