ＣＯＣＯＮＵＴＳ

[VideoStar95]

Haha oh, that's very true.

Awh! That's so stinky. Haha, most gorgeous, nice guys are gay. D:

Eh..too long to explain. Haha it's just cool, I hope it comes out up there soon! The guy starring in it is GORGEOUS.

 

"How about you pick it out for me?" Elaina suggested, taking a large step back from the rack, allowing for him to step forward. "Since you know so much more about fashion than I do." Her tone was mocking yet obviously playful - she loved his fashion intiution and wouldn 't exchange it for anything.

 

Audrina almost scoffed at his obliviousness; she thought it was rather cute - his unknowingly gorgeous state. "Probably because you're the most attractive man she's ever seen." She offered bluntly with a smile, sipping the rescently brought white wine.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

Yeah, especially because we were going to go to a really nice Christmas fair tomorrow. But it's in the snowiest part of the county so..

I know, right? It's so annoying. But it's still fun to talk to him because he's all into fashion and music and art. If he was straight he'd be too good to be true xD

Ah, okay. Do you know the guy's name?

 

"Oh, wow, that's a huge responsibility," Christien said, "Do you dare trust me with such a decision?" He went over to her clothes rail and searched through it, also trying to remember colours and such that she'd already worn. He always thought that blondes look good in blue, so he picked out a dress that was a deep, gorgeous and royal blue, with a slight scattering of black sequins around the top, and it would fit her figure perfectly. He held it against her to see what he thought. "I like this one on you, but you're welcome to change it."

 

Caden nearly coughed up a bit of his wine as she'd commented while he'd been mid-sip. He chuckled quietly and coughed politely into his napkin. Mostly, he was surprised by her completely blunt execution of her opinion, but also amused by the actual words-- him, extremely attractive? He was flattered, but not entirely sure whether it was true. "Well, I don't know about that.." he said, somewhat shyly, in fact.

 

 

 

[VideoStar95]

Oh, I wish it snowed on Christmas here. I mean, most of my family is in New York, and it snows there; but we went there for Christmas last year. Lol

Haha! Aww, well they're good as best friends. xD

Garrett...SOMETHING. I'll look later.

 

"Oh, no, Christien, I love it!" Elaina excitedly snatched it out of his hands and danced towards the bathroom to change; not to have privacy - as obviously Christien had seen her bare a lot, at the moment, she was merely entangled in a sheet - but merelyfor the mirror. She kept the door open after locating her underwear. "Oh, Christien, it's perfect!" She exclaimed after placing it on; the dress hugged her body in a classy way, accentuating her features, yet not over-exposing them. She hoped his parents would like it as much as she did.

 

Audrina was startled when he'd coughed yet was comforted after he managed to not choke. He seemed to have blushed a tad, but it might have just been the dim lighting of the restaurant playing tricks on her eyes. Oh, he really was oblivious, which made her grin even more. "Well, she certainly seems to think so." Next time the waitress arrived, Audrina would discreetly point her staring out to Caden.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

I've never seen snow in December until this year, honestly. It's crazy. It never used to snow at all.

Christmas in New York. Ohhh man <3 That would be amazing.

Yeah, they are. They're adorable.

Haha, it's okay, I can look at some point.

 

Christien was busy changing into his suit when he heard her exclamation from the bathroom. He continued to put on his tie as he walked to go and have a look. He smiled widely and said, "You look stunning, mon petit chou. It really is perfect for you." It looked even better on than he'd imagined it would, so he was pleased with himself for picking a good one.

 

"Well.. That's lovely for her, then, I suppose.. Unfortunately for her, though, she isn't the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, so I can't return it," Caden said, taking a sip instead from the small glass of water at the side of the table to clear his throat a little bit. He honestly had been oblivious to her staring, but he did think the idea amusing.

 

 

 

 

[VideoStar95]

Really? Oh I love snow..from afar..inside a building...if that building's warm.

I wish I had seen it in the city, because the part my family lives in is BORING.

I have a gay best friend.

 

 

"Oh, thank you. Props to you for picking out something so stunning." Elaina grinned at him before returning her attention to her reflection, smoothing down her matted, crazy tumble-weed of hair. "Look what you did!" She teased him, pointing to her sex-messed hair. "Rediculous." She giggled and combed her fingers through it, somehow making herself look acceptable.

 

"Oh? And who is the most beautiful girl you've ever seen?" Audrina asked, honestly curious; not in the least thinking that he was obliged to say her or anything. The waitress came back before Caden could probably even process her question. Once again, the waitress turned her wide eyes from Audrina to Caden for a few long seconds before she asked if she could bring more wine. "Yes please, ma'am." The waitress nodded, looked at Audrina then stared at Caden for a few extra moments before leaving. Audrina broke into giggles; "Did you not see that?"

 

[KERFUFFLE]

Hahaha. I love being out in it, so long as I've got all the right kit on. Like, today, I didn't get cold at all

Oh, I see. So, just New York, and not NYC.

My other gay friend has gone to Uni. I miss him <3

 

"Well, what can I say? I'm a master of fashion," Christien said with a chuckle, finding a pair of shoes to go with the gorgeous dark, dark black designer suit that he was wearing from his choice of clothes while she sorted out her hair. He had to laugh at the dishevelled mess her blonde air was tangled in-- even his wasn't exactly presentable, either. "Sorry about that. But what your hair is going to look like after I make love to you is one of the last things on my mind during sex." He sorted his own out, which was much easier than it was for her to do the same, smoothed out this suit, shirt and tie and sat down once he was happy with the way he looked.

 

"Oh.. I couldn't possibly tell you, really. I can only tell you that she is very beautiful, indeed," Caden said to her just as the waitress turned up. He had his reasons for that, specifically why he couldn't tell her, of all people. Then the waitress appeared and he casually observed her actions and noticed that Audrina was definitely right, she stared at him an awful lot. He chuckled when she left the table, and also couldn't help but notice that she had asked them if they wanted drinks many more than the average waiter or waitress should, clearly it was just so she could come to their table and stare at him some more. She came back with some more wine, and their plates of food-- which looked and smelled fantastic--,as well, said that she hoped they enjoyed the food, stared at him some more, and then scurried off again. "Okay, so I think you're right," he laughed softly.

 

Well, I'm off, then! 'Night <3

 

[VideoStar95]

Oh I love being all bundled up in the cold! And sleeping when it's freezing.

Nah ): I WILL GO ONE DAY.

Aww! I would be so sad if mine went away. Even though he's mean sometimes. Haha

 

Elaina laughed after eventually dulling down the frizz and smoothing out any tangles she could find. "Very true." She commented in response to what he'd said about his mind during they're love-making sessions. She definately was not thinking about afterwards appearances either. Or noise control - that was eminent. "Alright, babe, are you ready?" She outstreatched her hand, offering it for him to take when he was ready. Surprisingly, she did look quite presentable and beautiful - less than normal of course - but, anything was good after the craziness she'd just endured; even if it was good craziness. Man, she couldn't express how much she adored Christien. Honestly, she didn't quite think he'd ever really know her feelings for her. Thinking back to the island, she was so unsure of her feelings - passing them off as simple lonliness. But, now, she could see; she'd always loved Christien - from the moment he'd pulled her injured body fromt the wreckage. Maybe the plane crash was meant to happen, to bring Christien and Elaina together; it'd been on her mind lately for some odd reason. "I love you." She struggled to voice everything that was crossing her mind, so she settled on the words she told him constantly, just hoping he'd know she really, really meant it.

 

"Oh, my, we're going to have to come here again some day and request her service; simply out of the amusement. Poor soul probably thinks she doesn't have a chance." Audrina surveyed the food after the waitress had sheepishly left, noting that it looked very delicious - more so than she would have expected. She glanced up at him and sipped her wine, afterwards commenting on what he'd first said; "Aww, why not? I'm just curious." No, Audrina definately did not think that beauty mattered completely and hoped Caden realized that she simply was curious.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

That is always amazing, actually. Like, right now I'm all warm in bed because it's throwing it down with snow again. I'm a bit tired of it since I'd quite like to go out somewhere.. But, ahh well

Me too! I will. Actually, I'd quite like to live there once day.

Haha. I'm very upset that he's gone away. But he's doing really well so I'm proud of him =D

Good luck today if you have any more exams!

 

"Yep, I'm ready," Christien replied with a gentle smile, taking her hand but just allowing a moment to admire her. Because, although she thought she only looked nice, just nice, he thought she did look very beautiful indeed, even though he always did think so. The moment between them then was one of those where they were just looking at each other in the most adoring way, and no words were really needed, or could be said. And when she told him she loved him, there was a weight behind it that usually wasn't there, and it was moments like these where his breath caught and his heart skipped a beat, because he knew that he was the luckiest man in the whole world, and the he loved her more than anything, probably even more than he himself could fathom. "I love you, too," he said, and gave her a brief, but loving and tender kiss on the lips. He knew he had from the moment she'd opened her eyes after he'd rescued her; once he'd known that she was okay, he cared too much for her for his life to ever be the same again after that.

 

Caden chuckled, but couldn't help feel a little bit sorry for the poor girl, who was well and truly flustered by this point, and becoming increasingly agitated with every time that she saw him. He took another sip of his wine before he answered her question. "I'm not quite sure what you'd think if I told you who it is at this moment in time," he said to her. "Because it's actually someone I know that you will know. Maybe some other time."

 

 

 

[VideoStar95]

TWO MORE HALF DAYS OF SCHOOL AND I'M FREEEEEEEEEE (for two weeks)

Right?! Same! Or at least shop there for like, a week.

Aww, that's nice! I'd be selfish and be like "get your a*s BACK HERE. I miss you."

Four more exams to go. Wish me luck!

 

Elaina honestly could not string the right words together in her mind to even barely bridge how much Christien meant to her - how much his love meant; so she simply smiled at him, a smile that portrayed clearly how much she cared, and allowed him to escort her down the elevator into a cab. Inside, she pulled her legs to the side, then against her chest, leaning into Christien's side until she aquired a comfortable position. Her cheek was resting slightly in the crook of his neck and his warm body heated her naturally cold one. Touching Christien wasn't purely about the sexual sense of it all for Elaina, she liked the feel of him near her; his presence made her happy alone.

 

Audrina's eyebrows involuntarily narrowed at his mention at her potential future recognition of whoever he said. "Oh, alright then." She gave up and dug into her Chicken Parm., falling in love with it immediatly after the first bite grazed her taste-buds. She figured he was speaking of some sort of celebrity or musician; as guys tended to have irrational fantasies about one day marrying some sexy celeb. She found it all rediculous really - but she definately had her fair share of male celeb. fantasies in her day. "This is magnificant!"

 

[KERFUFFLE]

Great. I typed it all out and now the site is playing up and logging me out, so I have to write it all again. Wonderful.

Sounds good to me. It's so nice to be on holiday <3

I'd love to spend a really decent amount of time there, it'd be amazing.

Yes! Good luck, indeed

 

Christien wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her closely to him, resting the side of his head against the top of hers ever so slightly, sighing softly, but contentedly. His parents had picked the restaurant, which was nearer to where they lived, and across the city from where Elaina and Christien were staying at the hotel. And so there was perfect time to reflect on the undeniable, undying adoration that he felt for Elaina. He could never hope to express it to her, for there were no words strong enough to describe it, nor did he know the full depths of it for himself, and he hoped that she just knew how much he was in love with her. He hoped his parents, particularly his father, could see that when they met her. Christien's mother was just worried about him being hurt again, and he knew that she was just looking out for him. But his father was extremely judgemental; and he had just loved Florentine, ironically, which just went to show how bad his judgement truly was. But instead of being supportive when she cheated on Christien, he blamed him for it, and said that he obviously wasn't doing enough to make her feel loved and want to stay faithful to him. This was an argument which had very much scarred their relationship. And what was worse was that sometimes, he sometimes made Christien believe him and feel that maybe he wasn't good enough for anyone that mattered.

 

Audrina was almost like an open book to Caden at that moment. And he looked amused as he told her, "Really, it's not anything like what you're thinking. I'm not into that kind of thing." Of course, there were many attractive celebrity females out there and, also being a man, he was sometimes inclined to think of girls like that as hot and sexy. But really, somehow, he preferred beautiful girls-- and he believed that hot and beautiful really were entirely different things for a lot of the time. Honestly, he was quit surprised she hadn't guessed it from everything he'd told her. He would tell her who it was at some point, when he knew her better and when he knew that she might react to it positively-- well, she might right then, but he didn't know. He then tried some of his food, and he had to agree with her. "It is fantastic. I'm impressed by your restraint, though. I mean, out of everything on the menu, and with me picking deep fried Japanese food, you go for a Chicken Parm. Salad," he chuckled.

 

 

[VideoStar95]

Oh that sucks! BAD Tamatalk. ):

MY BREAK STARTED TODAY! Lol, no more school for two and a half weeks! Hazah.

I definately failed my AP BIO exam today - that was the hardest test I've ever taken in my life.

Meh, I can't do this font anymore for today because I'm sitting on my bed and have to lean forward, squinting to read it. xD

It's so small...

Elaina's bright eyes settled on Christien's thoughtful, yet slightly uneased expression when she happened to glance up at him. "Are you alright? What are you thinking about?" She asked softly, returning her gaze to the back of the Cab Driver's chair; her cheek returning to rest comfortably on his shoulder. She hoped that their decreasing distance to his parents weren't allowing bad, unsettling memories to re-surface; yet, she had an inkling it really was. Christien's past with Florentine was obviously a rough one,-as hers had been with her previous, cheating ex-and Elaina always felt as though she was trespassing whenever she spoke about it. As a couple, it was healthy and necessary to discuss romance history, yet, Elaina still tread across the subject lightly.

"Oh." Audrina pursed her lips, looking at him sideways after he'd clarified; half being surprised that he'd known what she was thinking. Was her face that readable? Or just to Caden? She mentally shrugged and returned to basically attacking her Chicken Parm; planning on backwardsly eating her salad after she'd finished her meal. "Chicken Parm is one of the greatest creations in the entire world." She stated matter-of-factly, grinning like a child with her favorite toy. "I'm so addicted to it, if you couldn't tell. Ever since a shoot in Georgia. It's like heaven, but in food form."

 

[KERFUFFLE]

I know! D:

Nice! It's great to be on break, isn't it?

Aw, I'm sure you did fine! Don't put yourself down!

I know what you mean, it is really hard to read.

Christien blinked for a moment, and then said, apparently having been so deep in thought that coming out of them was difficult and he was a bit disorientated for a moment, "Oh, right, sorry. I guess I was just thinking about.. Well, and argument I had with my Dad a little while ago, over Florentine." He sighed softly and paused before reluctantly continued, "He told me that she cheated on me because I didn't do enough for her, and so it was right for her not to want me, and I didn't deserve her. And sometimes I believed him, because I just didn't know why else she would have done it."

Caden smiled and continued with his Japanese dishes, thoroughly enjoying himself. "Oh, one of the greatest, is it? Maybe so, but I'm still impressed. It's so healthy," he chuckled, taking another sip of his wine. He asked her, "Is it.. Difficult.. You know, that side of being a model? The pressure of having to stay thin and everything?"

 

[VideoStar95]

It's so nice. Now I don't have to get up at five a.m.

No..seriously..I guessed on like 75/80 questions.

Sigh.

Haha, it's so pretty though!

The corners of Elaina's lips tugged down in a frown while listening to Christien's thoughts, unhappily realizing that what she had suspected was true. "You know it's not because you didn't do enough, babe." She replied softly; her voice even lower then it had been asking. She hated what Florentine had done to him even though technically it had brought them together. She hated that he still thought of her. "Your dad probably just didn't know how to handle it. Dad's are bad at stuff like that." She wasn't exactly lying, but it wasn't exactly the truth either. Elaina had an awful gut feeling that his Dad truly did believe such things - although they obviously were rediculous.

Audrina's grin faltered for a quick moment aftr his question but then she quickly recovered it. "Uh, yes - really quite difficult..actually." Her fork scraped obnoxiously on her plate while she sub-consciously fiddled her fingers. The noise eventually caught her attention and she swiftly stopped. "A lot of my close friends are, or were, anorexic and once it got so bad that one was confined to the hospital for two weeks. The main pressure is from the agency, of course. They'll fire you like that if you gain five pounds - unless you're one of the most favored of the agency, and it takes a while to get to that place." She took another slow bite of her Chicken Parm and washed it down with wine, the subject having cought her off guard.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

Ah, yeah. Lie ins <3

Oh, I see. Was it a real exam?

It does look nice, I have to agree. It just is a tad small. And I also tend to forget to put the font in first time.

Christien sighed softly for a moment, before he told her, "You mustn't think that I think about her all the time.. Or what could have been.. I know I did everything I could, and I also know I didn't love her. And I was hurt by what happened, but we were never meant to be, and I never wish for a second that we hadn't broken up. What happened brought me to you. The problem is exactly this. I've met you, the most perfect, beautiful girl in the world, and somehow I sometimes still believe what my father said.. And now I just worry that I'll never be enough for you.. That I don't deserve you. That's what I worry about." No, he didn't think of Florentine. He just thought of what his father had said of his relationship with Florentine, and he was afraid of not being enough for Elaina one day. Because he knew that he could never deal with losing her.

Caden said, "I'm sorry for asking that.. I just.. You know, I always wondered. But I should have known better, seeing as it is as hard as I thought it would be." He took another sip of his wine and said, "We don't have to talk about this ay longer."

 

[VideoStar95]

Not the, like, final final exam that'll give me college credit, just the cumulative final samester exam. Like I can remember nonsense from August!

Haha, we'll just enjoy regular font for a while

Elaina allowed a small smile to play on her lips before kissing his cheek. "I know, Christien, that you don't think about her all the time - what could have been. It just unsettles me about the leftover hurt you sometimes have; which is absolutely normal. Just, I hate that someone hurt you. And I always will hate whenever anyone hurts you. Your father shouldn't have said that." She twisted a piece of his hair in her fingers. "I love you, Christien. And I don't like anyone hurting someone I love."

"No, no," Audrina smiled at him to show him the topic was perfectly alright, "No, Caden, it's perfectly alright. It just cought me off guard is all. She's better now and that's all that matters."

 

[KERFUFFLE]

Ah, I see. Kinda like our mocks, then.

We shall. Regular font is fine. Not as pretty, but okay.

"I know. It's more what he said.. That brings all the hurt back. Because it justifies her reasons, even though they aren't the reasons she did them for, and so it still hurts me, because it came out of my own father's mouth. But I hope he can see how perfect you are, and how much I love you, so that he'll come to accept what I want again, and who I am. I think it was just the final straw for him. He argued with me about my choice to study English and my love for music. He just believes in traditional values, you see.. That money is everything," Christien said. He then kissed her forehead, and murmured, "But I'd rather have no money, and live in a cardboard box down by the Seine than be without you."

"Well, that's good. But I know it's a difficult thing.. Horrific, really. I just wondered how you deal with that pressure," Caden said, eating some more of his food. "Because there is that pressure in Music, too. You know, to look good and be beautiful and slim. And you just wonder if it's worth all of that just to hit the big time."

 

[VideoStar95]

Haha, yep. For a second, I read that as "Kinda like our monks." And I was like "What do Budist Priests have to do with anything?"

Haha, well, let's font experiment!

 

Elaina was all very serious and caring until he mentioned the cardboard box; then, she couldn't help but let a giggle errupt from her mouth. "I hope I can woo the pants of him too. And, honestly, Christien, I definately would want you to pick losing me over God awful living conditions!" She lurched forward a tad and had to shove her hand against the Cabby's front seat when he abruptly slowed the car down. "Désolé, mademoiselle." The Cabby apologized - or at least, Elaina assumed he did. "Nous sommes arrivés à votre destination." Even with Elaina's little French training, she still could detect that "arrivés" meant arrive and that the building to their right was where Elaina would finally meet Christien's parents. Suddenly, she paniced before exiting the cab, "What do I call them? Are there...specific French titles? Oh gosh." A nervous pit settled in her stomach and twisted her pretty feautres into an uneasy half-scowl.

 

"I often wonder that a lot. There's always the perks, of course; but do they really out-weigh all of the bad? I guess we won't find out until the end." Audrina was happy she could speak on such a serious subject with Caden - and that he actually listened and spoke out of experience. She hadn't had a conversation like this in ages; especially with a man.

 

[KERFUFFLE]

You never know. They could have everything to do with it!

I made it a little bigger, if it helps?

 

"Well, I wouldn't. My life wouldn't be worth living if you weren't a part of it anymore," Christien murmured, pressing his lips to her forehead again, affectionately. "You would meet me, show me great kindness despite my position, and I would fall so in love with you that I would get a job and earn money however I could just to support you. It could happen. After how we really met, I think anything would be," Christien said, with s light chuckle after his last comment. The way they had met was surreal, unbelievable, and though it didn't seem like it at the time, hopelessly romantic. The cab then pulled up outside the house where Christien had grown up in, and where he still technically lived, though his University course often pulled him away from France altogether, and Christien saw the nervousness take over Elaina. He paid the Cabbie, and then gently took her hand and got out of the car with her. They stayed on the pavement for a moment while he comforted her. "Hey, calm down, everything will be fine," he told her softly, squeezing her hand assuringly. "My mother is just Madame, and my father is Monsieur. Eventually they will tell you that you can call them their Christian names, when they know you well enough. So, you say hello to my mother first, and you give her four kisses on the cheek- so, like you normally would, only you repeat it. And for my father, just two, like normal. And that's all you have to remember." He led her to the front door, rung the bell, and found that they were answered quickly and enthusiastically by his mother, who practically cried out when she saw her son there, after so long of not seeing him, and at one point thinking she had lost him in a plane crash. "Christien!" she exclaimed, and they kissed cheeks before hugging each other very tightly, while she rambled about how glad she was to see him, and he just whispered words of comfort to her. His mother wiped her eyes, and let them inside, and there Christien introduced her to Elaina. He spoke in English, for Elaina's sake. "Mama [for this was the French colloquial term for Mom], this is my girlfriend, Elaina," he said, gesturing proudly to the girl beside him, and his mother stepped forward to take part in the greetings. "It is so wonderful to finally meet you!" she said, "We 'ave 'eard so much about you from Christien." Her French accent was much broader than Christien's, due to her lesser knowledge of the English language, but still comprehendible. Christien was wondering why his father hadn't come through yet to see them, since he'd caught a glance of him at the top of the stairs.

 

"I suppose not. You're right. But that is a scary thought; that you don't know if it's been worth it until it's all over," Caden said, taking a thoughtful sip of his wine as he mulled it over. "But really I think it all depends on how you take it. An optimist and a pessimist go through exactly the same life experience. The pessimist would think it wasn't worth it, that their life was wasted because although there were great things, the bad things outweighed it. But the optimist would take everything with a pinch of salt, realise that overall they got what they set out for, that the moments that they enjoyed should easily cancel out the ones they didn't. And that's why you should always try and shut out the bad things, and just be happy with what you have got, not what you haven't, I suppose. So, for me, the pressures of being in music-- making enough money, looking good etcetera--, don't take away from that feeling you get when the crowd says your name, cheers for you, sings your lyrics. That's what it's all about at the end of the day."

 

[VideoStar95]

Haha, my apologies! Monks are cool.

We could make it a BIT bigger. xD I'm so blind.

 

Elaina was a bit overwhelmed by Christien's mother's enthusiasm but somehow managed to maintain her composure and did exactly what Christien had instructed. "It's so very nice to meet you, Madame!" She exclaimed with a hopefully friendly, warm smile before doing the greeting - the four kisses, which she still found was odd but was not going to complain. She found Christien's mother's accent absolutely lovely and she proceeded to tell her so, not being able to help herself as she liked it so much. Elaina was also wondering where Christien's father was but told herself to focus on his mother after what she'd heard about Christien and his former issues. God, she hoped his mom liked her. She hoped she looked pretty enough tonight. She hoped the nervousness didn't show on her face. And she certainly hoped she didn't say anything stupid.

 

Audrina grinned the whole way through him talking, because everything he was saying was absolutely, one-hundred percent true. "I'm really glad you feel that way; it's exactly how I feel. Except for me it's the people in complete awe over the picture, the way the picture simply makes life look better and more beautiful than most people see it. It's not just about the parties and the popularity, you know? I can't explain it, but that's not why I do it; I just love it. And although those pressures are always there, you're right, they don't take away the magnificant parts of it all."

 

[KERFUFFLE]

They are, in their orange robes the colour of Guantanamo Bay Prisoner suits xD

Haha, someone needs glasses!

You see, zooming on my Macbook is so easy I could read it even if it was much smaller Yay for Macs!

 

"Well, thank you," Christien's mother said, in reply to Elaina's complimenting her accent, "But really my English is not as good as Christien's ."

"Yes, but that's because I have been learning it for a very long time, and I am studying at University, your English is very good," Christien assured her with a smile.

It was then that Christien's father descended the staircase, who looked decidedly neutral in expression considering it was the first time he'd seen his son in months, particularly considering they'd thought he had died not so long ago. He figured he was still being sceptical. It was clear that Christien got his good looks from his mother, for his father, he saw, was not ageing well, and had put on weight, and there was no real resemblance between father and son. Sometimes Christien joked with friends that the reason his father was so bitter was because he was someone else's child, they looked so dissimilar. The fact that Christien smiled a lot added to that, of course. Christien was the first to move, his smile genuine-- yes, he was nervous, but he was happy to see him after everything--, and gave his father a hug, which was returned, though not with quite such enthusiasm. "It's good to see you, Christien," he murmured, "We were worried about you."

"I know, but I'm okay now, and I'm happy to see you both again. Now, over here, there's someone I want you to meet." Christien led his father down the hall to where his mother and Elaina were still talking. "Papa, this is Elaina, my girlfriend," he said, "And Elaina, this is my father."

 

"Well, I'm glad you feel that way, too. And that we're both optimists," Caden said, finishing off his food and then resolving to getting another glass of wine. "I think I would be quite comfortable in your frequent company. With a lot of girls I know, especially pretty girls, there's no substance. They just agree to everything you say with one word, or maybe two if the indulge in saying 'yeah, totally' instead of just yes. It's nice to be able to have a conversation with someone.. A proper one, you know?"