The Man I Met on Holiday

Chapter 04 - Lunch

The air weighed in a way I didn’t expect. As much as I already knew that Theo was an orphan, I didn’t expect him to treat the matter so lightly. If I were already eating, I would probably have choked. Helga didn’t seem to mind the comment. Considering that she should have raised Theo, she probably expected this kind of attitude from him.

Theo realized the situation he had put us in, as it took him a few seconds to apologize. "For me, it’s so natural to talk about it, Elena. It was so long ago. I’m sorry," he said. It sounded sincere but still weird. Did he know that in the documents he gave me was the will of his parents and that I therefore already knew of their death? What if it was all a mistake?

"You don’t have to apologize. It’s none of my business," I said, seeking to be neutral. I didn’t want my annoyance to become more apparent than it already was. "Anyway, it really is a pleasure, Helga," I said, smiling at her as I turned away from Theo, who was still perfectly comfortable.

"Make yourself comfortable, Elena. It’s for the house," she told me, smiling. She was very kind; I could feel it. Maybe my month-long stay wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Which didn’t mean that I’d take advantage of people’s goodwill. Not at all.

"Theo said he would pay", I spoke, almost immediately, trying to get rid of that responsibility. Helga shouldn’t do that. I wouldn’t let him. Theo said he would pay, so he should keep his word.

Theo gave me an innocent smile, and then Helga smiled even more at me. "Oh my dear, Theo doesn’t pay," she said. "To him, it’s always a courtesy. So today, you won’t pay either. Don’t bother with that. In any case, as soon as you decide what you want, call someone," she said, before leaving and returning to the counter where she was previously.

I faced Theo, who seemed to enjoy the whole situation. "Aren’t you ashamed?" I asked, even though I knew he probably wouldn’t answer.

"I work too hard; I don’t have time to feel that," Theo said, so I didn’t know how to put it back. All I could do was sigh, indignant. Deep down, I had found him audacious, in a good way.

After looking at the menu for a few minutes, we opted for the dish of the day. Theo seemed not to be looking at the menu. As I read, I could see him staring at me for several seconds. I thought about asking what he was so interested in, but I decided to leave it for lunch; after all, it’s not like we have a lot of business. We had just met. And it would most likely be the only time during my entire stay that we would spend so much time together.

"I hope they enjoy it," Helga said as she served us a delicious stew filled with meat. The smell was so good I couldn’t wait to finally taste it. For a moment, I even thought about ignoring Theo’s company and just indulging in the dish, but he didn’t seem willing to leave me alone.

"Are you wanting to ask me something, Elena?" he wanted to know, while taking a tablespoon of soup to his mouth. He was the one staring at me so much; I should be asking him that question. "He’s been staring at me for a while," he said. As if it were true.

"To know that I’m staring at you, you’d have to be doing it first, don’t you think?" I threw the question back to him, hoping to win the argument. I didn’t expect it to really work.

"You caught me in that," he said, as he stopped eating for a sip of water. "Anyway, do you want to talk about something?" he wanted to know. Now he seemed really interested. Should I take advantage of the gap to talk about his parents? Or would it be intrusive on my part if I brought it up?

"I don’t think anything specific. You’re kind of just an innkeeper, aren’t you?" I asked rhetorically. I was hoping he would point out sights or something, but he took me seriously. It was not a serious negative, but rather in the sense that I would talk seriously from there. I could already feel that the atmosphere had changed. Whether that was good or not, I still didn’t know.

"It wasn’t exactly my life plan, but life kind of forced it to be," he confessed. It sounded like a comment from a repentant person. I kept quiet, hoping he’d say something else. "Normally, the inn would go to the eldest son," he said, before pausing for another sip of water.

"So you’re the eldest?" I asked, though his intonation indicated it was just the opposite. I had not yet seen the expression of frustration on his face until that moment.

"Actually, I’m the youngest. The problem is that the oldest left a long time ago. When my parents died, all he said was that he wouldn’t come back and that I was old enough to take over the family business. Apart from the fact that I have always been here, unlike him", Theo told him. That past had him.

"So you’re in his place simply because he didn’t want to?" she wanted to confirm. Theo looked at me as if he didn’t know what to say or think about it.

"We never got along. We have an eight-year difference. The issue with all of this is that when it happened, I was only sixteen", Theo confessed. In that moment, I stopped and stared at him, not knowing what to say. It was tragic.

Luckily for me, Helga appeared at our table. "Oh, Theo. Don’t scare the girl by saying such sad things. It’s not good for you either," she said.

So, I opened my mouth without thinking. "Alright, I just went through a divorce. I’m also facing battles."

That’s when Theo looked at me, amazed. I had completely forgotten that he hadn’t said anything about it until that moment.

Shit.