Chapter Fourteen
1042 Words
LIZ'S POV
Amma wanted to have dinner with Oscar after school and she thought it would be great if we all had dinner together. She was so set on having me meet and have a conversation with him which she hoped would help me understand just how much she was right for wanting to date him. How totally different he was from the arrogant guys from the basketball club.
She was thrilled that he had asked her for dinner and had also accepted for me to join too. There were many things I wanted to do and going for dinner with a pair who would probably be needing all the time alone together was not one of those things, and although I tried to explain that to Amma, she didn't want to hear any of my 'excuses', as she called it.
I got a call from her because I had left school earlier to pick up groceries. "I am heading home now, Liz. I want to wear something very sexy for dinner and I expect you to look just as hot. That will make you even more noticeable. And please, keep your nerdy glasses at home, everyone already thinks you are a nerdy bookworm and that pricks my heart."
She was imploring me to look a certain way for a dinner that was entirely not my business.
"I still think wanting me to join you both is the worst thing you have ever asked of me. You two are trying to get to know each other and it is totally unwise for a third party to start showing up in your meetings, don't you think?" I asked her.
She scoffed. Loudly. "You don't know what you are saying. Just make sure you don't come out wearing those nerdy glasses tonight, okay?"
"Are you sure you want me to come?"
I asked her again, hoping desperately that she would change her mind and say something like, Maybe you should not come since you are so against the idea!
But it only ended as an imagination because she did not say such words. She was laughing when she ended the call. There was no talking my way out. There was a point she was trying to prove and I was going to have to humor her. She was my friend and that was the least thing I could do for her. I did not entirely like that she was going to date Oscar like she had said countless times, but she was much of an adult as I was and there was no one who could love her better than she did herself. She knew what was good for her and she would have only that. I was certain.
Dinner was at a fancy restaurant somewhere in town. Amma was too excited that she could hardly hold herself from being touchy and overly smiley. I did not want her to appear a fool half the time so I waltzed into the realm she was in with her.
"You ladies look absolutely stunning, you make a great pair as friends." Was the first compliment Oscar paid us when he first saw us alight from Amma's car that we had come in.
He was complementing us but his eyes were on my face and it made me uncomfortable. But I smiled and held Amma's hand and pretended that it was the best compliment someone had ever paid us as a pair. Maybe it was.
We sat for dinner and there was a bit of iciness in the air, I was occasionally lifting my head to Oscar's eyes feasting on my face even when his mouth was speaking with and to Amma. I was beginning to have every reason to say that having me tag along with them was a totally bad plan but the night was not even over yet and I could not start concluding on things because a gentleman was looking at me a little too much, leaving me fidgety.
I took an excuse to use the lavatory and left them alone for a while. My face was hot and my heart was thumping fiercely and the break was what I needed. The air conditioners were working in perfect conditions but I was beginning to feel warm. I did not know which to do, if I was to go back, take an excuse and flee their company under the pretext of feeling a bit feverish, or to hang on and endure the night, seeing how it would end for all of us.
I didn't want anything to ruin Amma's night.
She had not noticed anything awkward, she was happy having dinner with a friend and a romantic interest, and I would absolutely hate to play the Witch who showed up with a wet blanket. She would hate that and it might mar our friendship. Another thing that I would absolutely hate.
When I went back to join them, they were almost done having dinner and I did not want to continue with mine, glad I had eaten a good portion before taking the much needed break.
There was a leer in Oscar's eyes as he continued to watch me. He was holding Amma's hand because she was sitting next to him, but his eyes were smiling at me, teasing me. It made me taut inside. I blinked. Maybe I was just imagining things. Maybe he was just looking at me and I was misinterpreting it. Maybe there was a problem with my vision because I had ditched my glasses at home!
The thought in itself made me shudder. I hoped it was so. That I was seeing things that were not true just because I was not wearing my glasses.
Later when he saw us off, I told Amma that I did not think she should be with Oscar.
"It is an opinion, I Just think he does not adore you enough."
I said. She shook her head adamantly.
"With time, we will grow to adore each other more. He would never have asked me out in the first place if he did not think I was good enough."
I sighed. She had missed my point and that was the end of the conversation.
- Writer
