Chapter 12:Another Dinner at Pelliandric’s
"You're late!" his mother yelled as soon as they stepped into the house. Allison who startled, still not used with all the shouting traits running through the veins of every Pelliandric's family, clutched onto Ryker's shirt, staring wearily at the outrageous lady in front of him as Ryker just looked at his mother without any emotion flashed on his face. He didn't like it when people raised their voices. It was like the time when his parents were angry with him, they would raise their voice to him and it always end up with they beating the life out of him. It was not like he didn't used to it but every time someone raised their voices, it would scare him no matter what.
"Allison got a little sick. That's why we're late." Ryker said, pulling Allison closer to him. His mother faced turned soft as he looked at the frightened Allison who was feeling guilty for being the cause for the delay that he didn't do purposely but because his stomach chose a wrong time to turn upset again and made him threw up all day long, stopping only when Ryker gave him a ginger ale to reduce his nausea.
"Oh, sweetheart, I'm sorry. I don't know and I'm not angry with you. Are you okay now?" Ryker's mother asked and Allison nodded slowly even though he was still a bit pale.
"Yeah, mom. Where's father?" Ryker asked, bringing Allison with him walking towards the couch in the living room.
"Kitchen. He said he wants to cook something for Ally." Illana, Ryker's mother said, moving towards Allison as she touched her palms on Allison's forehead.
"Mom, he's not coming down with a fever." Ryker said, pushing his mother's hand away from Allison.
"I just want to check his temperature." his mother said, sitting beside Allison."Do you want anything to eat, honey? Hungry?" she asked.
"No, I'm fine, Mrs. Pelliandric." Allison said timidly, as usual, with his soft shy voice, lowering his head when he spoke.
"Oh! Don't be so formal with me. Just call me Mom." she said, pulling Allison into a tight hug.
"O-okay, m-mom." Allison said, blushing slightly.
"Enough, mom. Don't force him." Ryker said, pulling Allison back, wrapping his one of his arm around Allison's small body.
"Don't be so stingy. I want to hug my son in-law once in a while after a week both of you having a honeymoon at Maldives." Ryker's mother said, trying to pull Allison back into a hug when Ryker's hand stopped her.
"Which is your plan?" Ryker countered.
"Don't be so witty with me, young man." his mother said, slapping him at the back of his head which accidently earned a couple of giggles leaving Allison's lips. "I'm gonna call your sister and Rachel. Stay here." she continued, leaving the living room with only the giggling Allison and Ryker that was sulking for receiving a twat at the back of his head that he absolutely deserved, plus, be laughed at.
"Stop laughing." Ryker whined even though he'd rather died than admitting that he was actually, absolutely whining.
"C-can't...too-funny" Allison said in between his small laughs, face red from the laughing.
"I said stop it or else...." Ryker warned, a malicious thought came across his head.
"Or else?" Allison asked, wiping the tears at the corner of his eyes.
"Or else......." Ryker started, "I'll do this!" He grabbed Allison by his neck, nuzzling his nose on Allison's neck, knowing it was the most ticklish part of Allison's body.
Allison's laughs began to come out harder as Ryker began to tingled his fingers all around Allison's chest and armpits, making the smaller man cried out in laughter, pushing Ryker away.
"S-stop..Hahaha." Allison said, trying to catch Ryker's hands to force him to stop. "Ryker...hahahah..stop." he said in between laughs.
Ryker didn't stop tickling Allison until Allison's face started to become red with all the laughs.
"I will not stop." he said, smirking.
"You guys are so sweet." a voice was heard and immediately both of them stopped tickling and laughing altogether, turning their eyes to look at the owner at the voice.
"Yep. Sweet like a candy." it was Sara and Rachel, both standing in front of them with Ryker's mother and father lurking from behind the wall, smiling at both of them.
Immediately, the situation turned awkward, making both Ryker and Allison blushed like crazy, as red as a ripe strawberry. Ryker released Allison from his arms, looking away from him as Allison did the same, looking away with the same intensity of embarrassment felt by both of them.
"Awwww...come on. Don't be so shy." Rachel said, snickering mischievously as she saw Ryker was glaring daggers at her. "So scared." she mouthed, tried to annoy Ryker more.
"Yeah. The sweet little pumpkin." Sara added, smirking.
Ryker growled at her, ready to start another attack towards her. Glancing at Rachel, Allison frowned at the tall dark browned hair woman that was looking at him with a small smile curved on her lips. He never saw the high school's bad girl looking woman with the dark piercing eyes before and it made him wary of her presence. She looked like a type of person who would make him scared just by glaring at him, same as, easy to say, everyone that he ever met because he was so socially awkward, he get scared easily, technically, towards everyone.
"We never met before, right?" Rachel smiled, walking towards Allison, "I'm Rachel, that pumpkin's cousin." she said, sticking out her hand for Allison to shake.
"I'm not a pumpkin." Ryker hissed.
"Yeah, right." Sara said.
"You-" Ryker started but cut off immediately when he heard his mother came into the living room.
"Alright, alright. Everyone's here so let's eat." Ryker's mother said, clapping her hands once to call for everyone attentions including stopping the incoming fight altogether.
Sara pulled Allison with her, walking towards the kitchen with Ryker following behind them, growling all the time since Sara couldn't keep her hands from touching Allison everywhere earning another smart remark from Rachel who noticed the jealousy emitting from Ryker even though it was just his sister. Ryker who didn't notice his own subconscious actions, just glared at her like he used to do when she said something that really hit the nail but he was too stubborn to accept them.
As soon as they reached the dining room, Ryker immediately pulled Allison away from Sara that managed to earn another knowing eye contact between Sara and Rachel who smirked like an evil twin from different mothers they were, already planning from the start to make Ryker admitting his obvious jealousy and possessiveness towards Allison which Ryker himself didn't realize.
They took their own seat with Richard Pelliandric taking his seat at the chair beside his wife followed by Sara and Rachel, and then Ryker and Allison all around the round dining table. Proudly, Richard showed the thing he'd been preparing which was, if anyone saw anything like that, they would never know how to describe or named the....thing.
"What is that?" Ryker asked, giving an incredulous look at his father.
"I don't know. I just follow the recipe." his father said, smiling innocently at him."Would you want a taste, Ally? I cooked this for you." he said, turning his eyes to Allison.
"Umm..maybe I can-" Allison started, smiling nervously.
"No!" Ryker cut him off, making all of the eyes bore down to him.
"He can't. He has an upset stomach. That will make him feel sick again." Ryker said, immediately covering for Allison.
"Okay, then." his father said, earning a sigh of relief from Ryker. "But all of you have to finish this." he finished, giving the 'eat it or you'll see your punishment' smile which didn't include Illana and Allison in his threatening smile, making Sara, Rachel and Ryker paled in fear.
Allison gave an apologetic smile to Ryker, making Ryker glanced at him and then at the dishes cooked by his father that couldn't be described as a normal food, grimacing as he remembered his father threat to finish it all. Realizing the disgust on Ryker's face, Allison nudged Ryker's hand slowly and moved towards Ryker who tried really hard to find a way out from eating the thing. Ryker looked down at him, one eyebrows lifted in confusion.
"Sorry." Allison whispered, looking at Ryker with the big blue eyes he had. It always made Ryker wonder what so interesting with the blue eyes. It was not Allison was the only one that had blue eyes, many people had but Allison's seemed to affect him the most. Whenever Allison flashed the sparkling big baby blue eyes to him, his heart would always waver, melting in every way it could melt.
"There's no problem!" Ryker exclaimed suddenly, taking a spoonful of the weird looking food made by his father and forced it into his mouth. "See? No problem." He said, managing a smile at Allison who just stared at Ryker, trying hard to figure out the face Ryker was making with the creepy smile on his face.
Ryker glanced at Sara and saw her and Rachel grimacing in disgust. He forced the chewed food down his throat, hoping his taste buds were still alive.
"Delicious." Ryker said, smiling and with that Allison stopped staring at him and continue to eat. As soon as Allison's eyes were not looking at him, he quickly grabbed the water in front of him, chugging it down like his life depended on it.
"So delicious, huh?" Rachel whispered, lifting an eyebrow at him.
"Shut up." Ryker said, glaring at the snickering Rachel and Sara.
After that, they continued the dinner like usual with all of them asking about Ryker and Allison's honeymoon which made them blushed for a few seconds, remembering their passionate nights together and then Ryker told them about their meeting with Tay and Kristina, the two carefree stewardess that they met the second day as they arrived there. Allison showed them the bracelets that they bought for him before he walked out of the plane three days ago, switching their shifts with their friends, only to accompany, more like disturbing both of them according to Ryker, along their flight. They exchanged their numbers with Ryker since Allison forgot to tell Ryker that he didn't have any mobile phone because he broke his only mobile phone that he had when he was tidying up the house a month before their vacation so for Kristina and Tay, they gave everything, including their Skype, email addresses, every contact information that they could give to Ryker to get in touch, mostly with Allison, with them.
Sara was really excited when Allison told her about the crystal-clear sea and the clean beach and the sunset and everything he liked about Maldives. He didn't notice that Ryker was staring at him all the time he was story-telling, smiling softly at seeing Allison talking more than yes and no he always answered to people or if not that, stammering every time people asked him questions. But, this time, both Rachel and Sara was attacking him with questions and he answered all of them excitedly without stammering with a genuine smile curved on his lips.
It was a calm peaceful night for Pelliandric's family and the first time for Allison not to feel awkward with the Pelliandric’s after the second dinner he had there.
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