Elijah drove up a white cobble stone driveway that led to an exceptionally upscale house. It was a light beige and accented by stones a few shades darker than the house color. The front lawn was bright green with just a few shrubs laid in front of the entrance.
Elijah parked his Jeep Cherokee on the driveway in front of the house. He walked to the passenger side door and held my hand.
"Geez, you guys are rich."
"My dad is, not me," he corrected, humbly.
"Have you seen your apartment?" I questioned. "You're rich."
He gave me a side eye glance and proceeded to walk to the large dark brown doors. He took his keys out to unlock the enormous doors. As it opened, a large opening space was revealed. The majority of the house was all white and grey, with the furniture being a dark color. There were two grand staircases that led to the upper level of the house.
I nearly jumped back when I saw an older man standing by the railing of the stairs. I was distracted by the design of the house that I didn't notice Elijah's dad was staring at the two of us.
"Elijah," the man spoke sternly. "And the mysterious beauty," he added with more of a playful tone.
"Morena," I replied, shyly.
He walked down the stairs with such confidence and pose. Elijah did mention his dad was a lawyer so its apparent he's had years of practicing his stance.
"Felix tells me that Elijah has been enamored by a young lady. Though, no one seems to know who it was, until today."
His voice was deep and raspy, almost like Eljjah's but with more age to it. He was slightly tan with a salt and pepper colored hair. He wore a silver dress shirt with a black blazer thrown on top. I can see where Elijah got his sense of style and color from, though I wasnt going to complain.
"Nicholas Christensen," he introduced, offering his hand.
I took it, and I was taken aback by how warm his had felt. It didn't seem like there was much going on, emotionally speaking, yet he was inviting.
"Morena Noël," I responded.
"Latin first name, French surname. Where are your parents from?" Nicholas asked.
"My mom is Ecuadorian, my dad is French."
"Beautiful mix," he complimented. "We are just white," he laughed. "Some Italian, some Scandinavian, possibly British. We don't know."
"Whatever it is, it works," I responded, looking up at Elijah who had a smirk on his face.
"I looked like him when I was younger so if it follows, he might look like me at 55."
"I won't mind at all."
Nicholas tilted his head to the side and chuckled. "What a charmer you have, Elijah."
Elijah wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close. "She's something special."
Nicholas clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "Food arrived about 10 minutes ago, I'm sure it's still warm. We can sit down, eat, and talk more."
Elijah and Nicholas walked ahead of me, I attempted to follow closely behind them but I was in too much awe. The house was what I imagined myself having once I was married and settled down. It was completely different from what those in DC grew up with since mostly everyone lived in townhomes or apartments. Well, everyone in my part of city did anyways.
The table had been set already. There were two plates on one side of the table and another plate directly across. We sat in our assumed seats and Elijah began serving us.
"So, what happened, Elijah?" Nicholas asked. "There was some concern in your voice when you called."
"Someone broke into my apartment. Well, I don't know whether to say broke in, more so, walked in since they knew the security pin to enter the apartment."
Nicholas raised an eyebrow up in question. "Interesting."
"Morena was also in the apartment. I was across the street getting some food for dinner when I received her SOS text."
Nicholas looked at me worried eyes. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, I'm fine. I don't think they saw me, but I saw them."
"I have the footage if you want to look at it later tonight," Elijah asked.
"We can do that."
It was silent for five to ten minutes, so I took advantage and ate as much as I could before someone else spoke. Though, no words were exchanged and I was nearly done with my plate. Nicholas ate his food, as if it was a chore and Elijah finished around the time that I did and his eyes wondered around the dining room. Is this how it was everyday after his mother died?
"So, Elijah told me you are a lawyer. How is that going?" I never knew how to start a conversation so I usually started it by asking about a person's work or their major, depending on their age.
"It's a tiring job, especially when you take on as many cases I do. Though, Felix and Elijah have been great help to my law firm and have actually helped with the burden."
The corner of my lip turned up, thinking it was admirable to see a father and son work together. "So I'm sure you two see eachother often?"
"Not everyday. You think I would, but he is usually busy with his cases and I with my cases."
I nodded, not knowing how else to continue the conversation.
"Tell me more about you, Morena," Nicholas asked.
I shifted in my seat and recited my usual bio. "I'm a freshman at George Washington university. I'm majoring in biological science, but might end up changing it."
Nicholas crackled a loud laugh, one that came from his stomach. "Although that is interesting, it doesnt describe who you are, Morena. What are your interests? Disinterested in? What is your favorite color?"
I stared at him blankly with my head tilted to the side. I wasn't one to be into hobbies or do much, I was always just around. I didn't feel like there was much purpose for me. I was born, I grew up and will continue to and then I will die. There just wasn't much to it, or to me but how could I just admit that all to a man I hardly know?
Elijah rubbed my back as he noticed that I was struggling to come up with an answer. "Maybe we should call it night, dad. We all had a long day."
"Very well," Nicholas sighed. "Perhaps we can talk more for breakfast."
I turned to Elijah and kissed his cheek. "I know you two have things to talk about, I'm just going to go upstairs."
"Are you sure?"
I nodded. "Where's your room?"
"Up the stairs, make a right and go all the way down. My room is at the end of the hall. I'll be up in an hour."
I walked towards the front of the house, which was actually quite a walk, to get my backpack and headed upstairs but stopped midway up when I heard Nicholas speak.
"I'm not sure what my opinion is on your girlfriend."
"An opinion that I wouldn't want to hear anyways," Elijah responded in annoyance. I've never heard Elijah sound so young and childlike. Maybe all children speak to their parents in that same tone, regardless of how mature they may seem to others.
"Elijah, there's no need to get defensive. It's just an observation. She seemed interested in others, but once the spotlight was on her, she became quiet."
"Dad, she's had long day."
Nicholas groaned and I could hear the clattering of dishes. "I don't get the impression that you know her too well either. How did you meet someone seven years younger than you?"
"Online. It's a common practice for my generation to seek relationships through the internet."
"Yes, my son, who has never had a social media account meets someone online. I certainly believe that," Nicholas responded sarcastically.
Elijah didn't respond. All I heard was cabinets being opened and the microwave being pressed on.
"Regardless of what I say, Elijah, you know yourself more than anybody else. If you believe she's good for you, then I'll respect that. Though, are you good for her?"
More silence. If I were able to see him I'd be able to tell if he was thinking or if he was defeated.
"We are good for eachother," he responded with certainty.
"As long as you know your answer and are happy with it. Now, show me the footage."
I continued walking upstairs with my head hung low. I didn't know what to think about the conversation I had with Nicholas and the conversation Elijah had with his dad. It was a lot to process, and honestly, I really wished I could just be in my bed.