Nate was the last to come in.
Gil was there too, making their presence completely six.
Audrey had a wheelchair beside his seat as he was rolled in with them. That was his new form of movement even with his perfect legs.
His beautiful blond wife, Barbara, sat beside him with a light smile and her white hand which was placed on his wrist caressing it softly.
Nate made a deliberate loud sound with his chair as he pulled it back to sit.
"What happened to your hand?" A much younger blond girl, who sat immediate to the older woman, squealed as her eyes fell on his knuckles that were wrapped with a white pieces of clothing. All attention was instantly directed to his hand and Gil threw him a side knowing look.
It was his left hand and at the feel of the girl's arms already on his injured hand, he shoved her hand away, while he pulled his hand closer to himself.
Noticing the attention on him, his lips pulled up gradually as his eyes shifted to the young blonde girl, as he said in a question.
"Why don't you ask your mother?" She squinted her eyes trying to deduce what he was implying. Her eyes slowly moved to her mother who was sitting just across her.
Barbara wore a frown as she narrowed her gaze at him. But with him not minding that in the slightest, he implored.
"Shall we eat?" Not wanting to wait around any longer, he lifted the lids of one of the dishes.
Barbara's eyes darted from her husband to Nate. Observing, this unsettling setting, Audrey decided to step in.
"What do you mean, son? What does your mother has to do with your injured arm?" Mr Harrison asked calmly as he watched the unruffled young man begun to dish out his meal.
"Yes please. What does that have to do with me, sweetheart? I'd like to know," Barbara echoed in a soft tone.
Nate paused the movement of his hand in the course of putting a chunk of salad in his mouth.
But before he could make another statement another voice interrupted.
"Come on, brother. Isn't this getting too old, even for you?" He had brown thick hair, just like Audrey and his blue eyes were the lighter shades of Nate's. He was smiling through his teeth as he asked with a wince sound.
"Are you trying to accuse our mother of something here?" He added.
"That's enough, Aaron" Barbara shushed him, as she had begun to sense the rising storm that was beginning to stir in the atmosphere.
Audrey wouldn't want that.
The salad that went along with little diced beef finally went down his throat, sufficiently.
Gil was no stranger to this kind of mood nor the heavy atmosphere, instilled by little words with their deep underlining.
"I'm deeply sorry. Please pardon my friend here. I'd explain exactly what transpired," Gil cut in as he cleared his throat.
Everyone were beginning to open their dishes. Typically, Barbara loves to say grace over their food but with Nate's presence and the fact that he doesn't wait for that before he starts eating, she didn't bother.
"We were working late at the office last night," Gil paused as he took another glance at Nate who was peacefully eating his food like nothing was happening.
Audrey and Barbara were listening keenly, as he started speaking.
"We had an unfriendly encounter with this moron and he threw fist with Nate. He was in disguise but Nate seems to know who he was," Audrey arched his brows as he shifted his gaze from Gil to Nate.
"Who was he? And where were the security, when this happened…it's near impossible for you to be attacked in your own office, so how is this possible?" He inquired with a sharp tone surpassing the weak one he had been putting up.
Gil's eyes shifted to his blonde wife which looked like some sort of indication.
"Nate thinks it's Theo," he said simply.
Barbara made a sound which seemed like a small scoff with her forehead scrunched together.
"Theophilus?" She asked.
"Your ghost errand boy, Barbara. But not to worry. I didn't hit him too hard. I kind of had a bit of fun too, though. You know how much I love to hit things," the glint of mischief was back in his eyes as his hand dangled a glass of wine.
"I think you've got the wrong guy honey. Theo would never do such a thing," Barbara countered and Nate nodded in agreement.
"I think you're right, Barbara. Theo wouldn't have had the guts to do such a thing…on his own. My major concern however, is what exactly you wanted to get from my office at that time? I must say I'm quite dissapointed, you could have gotten someone else to do a better job than that p*ssy. He's not only a complete pushover but an incompetent one at that," Nate denoted.
Barbara's face was flushed. She was at a breaking point and it reflected on her white face which had turned red. She was not the only angry one. The brown head boy that sat across her had his fist clasped under the table, his knuckles were pulled together so tightly that they were turning white.
The hard glare he passed over to his half brother was churning.
"Brother Nate. I understand the fact that you've never really liked mom. But isn't this accusation unnecessary? Why would mother want to compel Theo to carry out such a pointless task, knowing that he'd be caught? And what could she possibly have wanted from your office? You just legit accused her of breaking and entering…and for what?" It was the young blonde girl. Nate's half sister that interrogated in a mellow tone.
Nate took a moment to inhale and exhale in a way that centered their already undivided attention on him.
"Andrea, darling. Since you want emphasis, I'd give you a shot. It is not news that my office was once my father's office and somewhere in there his will is being preserved. Does that answer you well enough? I hope you're only blonde and not just dumb," Aaron suddenly flared.
He was up on his feet with his eyes looking like a raging dog as he breathed hard, both of his hands bang on the dinning table and his face was directed at Nate.
"I would not watch you keep disrespecting our mother," he growled with seethed teeth. Nate eyes sparkled tauntingly with a glint of mirth as he watched Aaron. His cup of wine was still dangling between his fingers as it hovered over his face.
Unperturbed, he didn't stop eating even as his eyes continued to linger on Aaron as if he was waiting for his reaction.
Gil almost felt sorry for him but at the same time he had this urge to laugh. He chose to stay mute and watch the whole controversy.
"I'm done with this f*cking meal," Aaron stated shoving his plate aside as he made to walk out.
"Do not disrespect your father. Sit your ass down, Aaron!" his mother's voice came out strongly as she demanded.
Aaron halted his movements momentarily, his palms were still clenched. He wasn't retracting back but he wasn't moving forward either.
Audrey heaved a deep breath that sounded sad and tired. And in a pacific tone he requested,
"Please son, sit down." And that was when Aaron slowly retraced his steps and took back his space at the dinning.
"Nate," he fixed his gaze on his eldest son.
"I know I'm dying. But I'm not dead yet. Matter of fact, I don't intend dying so soon. I only asked for one peaceful family lunch. Was it so much to ask for? It shouldn't be so hard to grant, you know," he tried to pass his dissapointment on his voice. He sounded croaked at the same time but that was how he sounded like lately.
After his words, there was no other harsh statements made or accusations. The silence that ensued was almost deafening and it wasn't so comfortable. But no one chose to say another word and they all tried to pretend to enjoy their meal.
*********
Sophie was just coming out of the shower and she almost tripped as soon as she noticed the presence of someone else in her room.
"What the freaking hell, Joe!" She literally screamed.
"For a queen you have such a messy room. You know what it took me to put things in order while you try to get comfortable in that shower. And they'll say gays are the messy ones," Joe smacked his lips as if apprehending a kid. He sat on her bed with leg crossed while he held onto one of her books, he had taken from the shelf.
"You pervert!" Sophie threw a pillow at him as she squealed.
"What if I was coming out naked?" Joe made a silly face.
"There is literally nothing exciting to see now, is there?" Joe challenged.
Sophie squinted her eyes as she frantically prowled for a nightie over her closet.
"You're only saying that because you're not attracted to women," she deduced but Joe scoffed.
"And even if I were, honey, you're not my type," Sophie gasped dramatically.
"No offense. I love you, but I think I'll probably want me an extremely, steem, hot, sexy ass curvy, woman…well, like your mother," another offended gasp erupted her lungs, by then she had successively got into her night wear and was heading to the bed to join Joe.