Chapter twenty-four | What she said

"Princess?" I heard a deep male voice call out. "Lea?"

I jumped away from Cynthia as she did the same. Her eyes were wide with realization, and she rushed out of the kitchen.

I turned the stove off, taking my sweet time before following her outside.

Stopping away from the duo, I silently observed Cynthia hugging her father.

Donovan Crimson returned his daughter's embrace with equal enthusiasm.

I averted my eyes when he petted her hair lovingly, kissing the top of her hair. Somehow, I felt like I was intruding on something personal. 

As he pulled back from Cynthia, his eyes moved towards me. With awkwardness rushing through my veins, I gave a weird smile as a blush colored my cheeks.

Cynthia turned towards me as she noticed her father's diverted attention. "This is Eli, dad. He is my friend. He is joining us for dinner."

"Hello, Mr. Crimson," I said as I extended my hand towards him.

Giving me a slight smile, he nodded and shook my hand. "Hello, Elias. The Rodriguez boy, I know." He aimed the last part towards Cynthia as he gave her a genuine smile.

Mr. Crimson looked down at me with deep brown eyes, analyzing me silently. I fidgeted on my feet as I tried to maintain calm under his intense scrutiny.

Cynthia cleared her throat, removing our attention from the apparent tightness in the room's atmosphere.

"It is good to meet Cynthia's friend, other than Andrea," he offered as he moved inside the living room.

"It is nice to meet you too," I murmured as I averted my eyes and followed them inside.

My flight instinct wanted me to go MIA, but I held myself back for Cynthia's sake.

Cynthia turned and gave me a sheepish smile, making me roll my eyes.

"Do you want anything, Dad?" Cynthia asked as Mr. Crimson settled on the couch.

"A glass of water, please," he said as he smiled at her adoringly.

As Cynthia made her way towards the kitchen, she squeezed my shoulder as I leaned against the door frame. "You will survive," she whispered as she moved away.

"Take a seat," Mr. Crimson said as he invited me to sit next to him. "I don't bite."

His attempt at a joke did nothing to dissipate my nervousness.

Heaving a heavy sigh, I nodded and took a seat next to him. Turning towards me, he scrutinized my every expression and move.

"So you are Cynthia's friend?" he asked, slowly as if questioning a toddler. His tone lacked intimidation, but his words displayed curiosity and doubt.

I nodded vigorously at his question. Clearing my throat, I finally met his dark brown eyes. "Yes, we started hanging out last month."

How much time does it take to bring a glass of water? My mind screamed.

He gave me an impassive look, pinning me under his gaze. His hair was the same shade as Cynthia's but had flecks of gray along with his temples. He was slowly balding as his hairline receded, and wrinkles made creases on his face.

He had this tired look in his eyes that made his brown eyes seem darker.

Before he could say anything, Cynthia popped up with a glass of water in a tray. "The dinner is ready. Why don't you freshen up, and then we eat it together?"

He gulped the water and then nodded. Giving me a polite smile, he dragged his luggage bag with him towards a room on the ground floor.

Cynthia smirked as I breathed a sigh of relief. "Elias Rodriguez is alive!" she mocked with a child-like expression, making me scowl in her direction.

"I thought he was going to open the ground and bury me alive. Did you see the way he emphasized the word friend?" I exclaimed as I stood up and followed her into the kitchen.

"My dad will never bury a friend of mine. He is a complete sweetheart," she said as she wildly gestured around. "Now come on, help me set the table up."

She placed the plates in my hand before I could protest. Giving me a small playful glare with her narrowed eyes, she pointed towards the dining room.

I huffed and grumbled about her ordering me around under my breath. Placing the plates on the table, I turned around just in time to see her entering with dishes.

"So what did you guys talk about?" Cynthia asked as she straightened the table runner. Her curiosity was dripping through her words.

I chuckled dryly and shook my head. "Thankfully, not much," I said as I fixed my eyes on her face. "I am 100% percent sure that he doesn't think we are just friends."

Cynthia chuckled and swatted my chest playfully. "What do you think he assumes you to be?"

"Some secret boyfriend or fuck buddy or something," I offered nonchalantly.

"Oh yeah, a tutor fuck buddy," Cynthia added as she chuckled, making me laugh with her. "You fuck chem-"

Her words and our chuckles stopped short as we heard a throat clear behind us. Seeing her dad right behind us, giving a bored stare, Cynthia choked on her laughter. I patted her back lightly as she sipped water between her coughing fit.

"Easy," I murmured as I tried to bury my amusement behind my words. I failed to judge by the death glare she sent my way at my words.

"Are you fine, Cynthia?" Mr. Crimson asked, concerned as she finally calmed down.

She nodded and smoothed her hair down. Her face had a flushed look with red painted on her cheeks. "I am fine, Dad." Her voice was a bit breathy with a lack of air.

We settled on the table as I took a seat next to Cynthia, away from Mr. Crimson.

Mr. Crimson gave a grin as he saw what was in the dinner.

"Where is Lea? Haven't you told her I am here?" he asked as he glanced at the empty seat next to him.

Cynthia and I shared a brief look. She gave him a guilty expression and smiled sadly.

"She is out for a college part." Cynthia's words were a meek whisper. Mr. Crimson stiffened as the sad and tired look turned heavier in his eyes.

Trying to cheer up the sudden bleak mood, he turned his eyes towards Cynthia.

"Means more food for us," he joked, making Cynthia chuckle dryly.

The faint noise of cutlery followed as we served food on our plates. There was sudden tension in the air, and none of us seemed to know how to deal with it.

"So, Elias. How did you and Cynthia start to interact after so many years of ignoring each other?" Mr. Crimson asked as he looked up from his plate. "I thought she hated you after you broke her toy when you guys met as kids."

"Dad!" Cynthia chastised as male chuckles rose from the table. She had a pout on her face as she gave both of us a look.

"We never ignored each other, just kept our distance," I clarified as he attentively listened to me speak. "We-e became friends when I started to tutor her in Organic Chemistry."

At my response, he turned his head towards Cynthia. "You are failing in Organic Chemistry, Cynthia?"

Her eyes grew wide, and she vigorously shook her head. "No, just slipping below average," she offered the white lie. Her cheeks displayed the red flag of her deceit, but he didn't question further.

Silence ensued momentarily as all three of us enjoyed the dish.

"So... did you get me what I asked for?" Cynthia had a coy look on her face as she gave him her innocent face.

She fluttered her puppy dog eyes towards him, making him smile adoringly.

"I got those chocolates, you asked for, but I am thinking about giving them to Elias. You are after all failing a subject," he said in mock anger. Turning his eyes towards me with amusement and mischief shining, he directed the next question. "Will you like some Swiss chocolates, Elias?"

"Sure," I replied as laughter bubbled through my body.

Both of us chuckled as Cynthia huffed in anger. "Both of you are fucking teaming against me!" she bemoaned in exasperation. "It is not fair!"

"Is she always this childish in school too?" Mr. Crimson mocked more as Cynthia crossed her arms.

"With me, more or less the same."

She kicked my feet under the table at my response, earning a glare and kick in return from me.

The laughter died down, and once again, the scrapping of cutlery on the ceramic plates filled the room. This time the silence was less tense as we filled our mouth with delicious food.

"So, which college are you applying for Elias?" Mr. Crimson said after he sipped his water.

"I am not sure, Mr. Crimson. But I might try my luck with some Ivy league in the early application form. Personally, I feel like I might get admitted to UCB."

He nodded and pointed towards Cynthia. "What are you planning to do, princess?"

His nickname for her made me snicker. "Princess," I muttered under my breath, gaining a pinch on my arm. She gave me a swift glare and turned her attention towards her dad.

"I am not sure, Dad, but I might apply for some colleges nearby," she answered and turned her head towards her plate.

Her dad didn't respond, just nodded. He once again turned towards me and pinned me under his gaze. This time it was harsh and analyzing.

"It is good to see that Cynthia is finally making more friends. So, thank you." His eyes were anything but thankful as he gave me a polite smile.

I gave an awkward smile as Cynthia avoided my gaze. Clearing my throat, I once again focused on my plate and enjoyed the food served.

The rest of the dinner was void of any conversations. Mr. Crimson seemed like an easy-going man but a bit protective of his daughter. In short, a normal father.

He excused himself from the room and wished us a good night, quoting his exhaustion as a reason.

"I will help you with the dishes," I offered and grabbed a soapy sponge.

She didn't reply, just gave me a slight space to work.

She drifted far away with her thoughts. Her eyes were glazed as her hands worked on autopilot. Every now and then, she would pause and heave a heavy sigh.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked, feeling concerned as her eyes turned glassy.

Coming out of the stupor, she shook her head vigorously and turned towards me. "I am fine. Why?"

I gave her a long look, trying to study every expression on her face. It was clear she was avoiding the topic and didn't want to discuss it.

I pushed my nagging curious and concerned side at the back of my mind and averted my eyes. "Nothing," I whispered.

I dried my hands with paper towels as she did the same. The silence between us was tight with emotions, unlike the previous situations.

Once again, she got lost in her thoughts as her eyes stopped on the huge family photograph.

"Do you know," she said, startling me completely. ''Why even after the divorce, dad kept the family photograph framed in the hall?" She paused as she gathered her thoughts. I shook my head no, even if I knew she was asking it rhetorically.

"He likes to torture himself with the image," she whispered with a faraway look. "Do you know that my parents divorced because of me?"

My breath hitched as the intensity of self-loathing and sadness her words held shocked me to the core.

"Cynthia, that can't be the case." My words were weak, but she shook her head and wiped away her tears.

"That's the truth, Eli."

With that, she turned away from me and rushed up to her room. Something in me called out and wished that I followed her, but I smothered the urge and gave her the space she needed.