Chapter 33 Dinner II
NANCY'S POV
We stared at each other for a long while after that.
A greeting stuck in my throat, but I never got it out. Instead, I turned around and walked back in without a look back at him.
It was his house; I didn't need to usher him in.
Diana and Nathan were already engrossed in a conversation by the time I returned to the dining area.
Well, Diana was doing most of the talking while Nathan smiled, listening to her.
She looked up, and I signalled her to help me out in the kitchen.
Reluctantly, she got up and followed after me.
Dinner was soon served, and we all took our seats, Mr. Landon included. Diana didn't even spare her Dad a single glance and planted herself right next to Nathan.
That, however, proved to be bad for me. Since Diana was already seated next to Nathan, the only empty seat left was next to Mr. Landon.
I stilled, staring at the empty space for about a quarter of a minute in hesitation.
Begrudgingly, I moved myself and sat in it, keeping my gaze on Nathan and Diana while trying to ignore his presence next to me.
"So," Diana let go of her fork after a few bites of her food, propping her chin on her arm while her elbow rested on the table. "Where have you been all this time?"
I paused as well, letting my fork rest on my face, and I lifted my gaze to Nathan as well…I was curious to know the answer to that, too.
Nathan gestured vaguely, "You know, I've been around."
"That answers nothing," Diana pouted unsatisfactorily.
Nathan smiled, but it felt quite forced, "I can't say more than that."
"Why?" I blurted out before I could stop myself.
Nathan was acting strangely. To me, it was an easy question, but he couldn't even provide the answer to it.
It made me even more curious about his whereabouts during the time he disappeared.
How had he survived here in Florida? As far as I knew, we didn't have any relatives living here, and Nathan himself only had a couple of friends, and none of them lived in Florida.
"I see you're trying to be mysterious," Diana narrowed her eyes playfully.
To me, I didn't think he was trying to be mysterious; I felt he was being intentionally private.
Where exactly had he been that he couldn't say? What had he been up to all this time?
There were a lot of questions I wanted to ask him, but one glance around the room deterred me.
Nathan was even less likely to respond in a room full of people.
"Come on, don't be so private," Diana went on with insistence.
I stabbed my fork into my food, a little bit harder than I should have, and the loud clink it made had everyone turning to face me.
"Diana," I managed a tight smile, "Let him breathe."
She frowned at me, "I'm not choking him."
I refrained from pointing out the obvious and gave her another warning look.
She glared at me, then let out a puff of air, "Can't even joke around you."
Turning to Nathan, she said, "You're breathing fine, aren't you?"
Nathan chuckled while I gave her another hard stare.
I couldn't hold it for too long, and I ended up huffing too. Getting mad at her was simply impossible.
Shaking my head, I returned my gaze to my plate but couldn't help sneaking a glance at Me, Landon.
He was unusually quiet tonight.
Not like he spoke much at dinners, but he was even quieter tonight and hadn't said a word since he walked in.
As if she read my mind, Diana asked Nathan suddenly, "How did you and my Dad meet?"
"I'm talking about here in Florida," She added, as if she feared her question would confuse him.
This time, I didn't chide her for asking. I waited to see if Nathan would answer.
He let his fork drop onto his plate, then glanced at Me Landon before answering, "He helped me."
"Who? My Dad?" Diana's gaze swept to him as well, and so did mine.
"Yes," Nathan nodded. "After arriving in Florida, I was stranded, but was lucky enough to come across your Dad. He helped me out."
Diana's mouth formed a circle while my gaze returned to Mr. Landon, who kept eating as though he wasn't the one being discussed.
My mind urged me to say something, but I kept my lips sealed, refusing to act on that urge while Diana's gaze softened.
Immediately, I guessed that Mr. Landon had earned her complete forgiveness, and it was funny to think that it was all because of Nathan, who had nothing to do with what had happened prior.
What would Mr. Landon think if he knew that his daughter was forgiving him only because of that reason?
My lips curled, but I froze before my smile could fully form.
"Well, I'm glad you met my Dad, and I'm glad he helped you."
After Diana's words, Nathan glanced at me, and for some reason, I found his look compelling.
Steeling my mind, I glanced towards Mr. Landon, who still wasn't looking at any of us, and muttered awkwardly, "Thank you for helping my brother..."
I couldn't get the rest of my words out because he turned his head to look straight at me, causing me to lose my ability to speak.
Hastily, I lowered my head and kept it down until I could no longer feel his gaze on me.
The rest of dinner passed with Diana doing most of the talking and cracking jokes to interest Nathan, who laughed and made inputs at intervals.
I tried to speak too, at certain moments, and answered when the conversation revolved around me, but through it all, I couldn't keep my gaze off Mr. Landon.
If he knew I was watching him, he didn't react or return my gaze.
Not long after, dinner ended. Diana remained glued to Nathan's side like a piece of gum to a book.
"You're not leaving yet, right?" She asked when Nathan reached for his glass of water, hurrying to lift it for him.
She handed it over to him with a smile.
He smiled back at her, took a small sip, then responded, "No, not yet."
His answer pleased her because she grinned.
I stood up then, beginning to gather the plates just to occupy myself. At the same moment that I reached my hands out, Mr. Landon reached for his plate too.
Because I got to it first, his hand landed on mine, and I froze at the contact.
My eyes widened at his touch, and I hastily withdrew my hand, looking everywhere but at him.
He stared at me for a minute, then, without speaking, he handed the plate to me.
I took it quickly, then turned around, walking fast to the kitchen with the plates.
The whole way there, I felt his gaze on me, but I didn't turn around.
Nothing about tonight felt normal, and deep down, I knew this was just the beginning.