They all ate their meal in silence without a plan of uttering a word.
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The usual clinking of forks on plates was muted as every single one of them wasn’t certain if taking in the food and munching it was the right choice.
Brian loudly dropped his fork on his plate, startling everyone before he let out a frustrated breath and massaged his moustache. Everyone’s eyes were on him as if expecting what was going to happen next.
“No one’s gonna say it?”
Ava, his girlfriend, tried to massage his hand that was lying on his thigh under the table and with a feigned smile she whispered amidst gritted teeth. “What’s wrong, babe?”
Brian jerked his hand away and the rest looked at him, still expecting him to spit the words out.
“The food tastes like trash! Goddammit! How are y’all trying to eat this and stay quiet like it's some full-course meal? Ewww!” He angrily blurted out, tossing the food aside. “Babe, you shouldn’t be eating this!” he said, looking over at Ava who had her face flushed.
Evelyn, Harper, Susan, William, Robert and Donald looked at him with utmost shock and the initial silence hit them once again while Brian looked all around, lost.
“What?” Brian asked, looking at his friends and back at his girlfriend.
For context, Brian and Ava have been very good friends since Sophomore year and along the line, their friend group extended more which now included Evelyn, Harper, Susan, William, Robert and Donald. The new addition to the friend group helped Brian realize that he didn't just like or want Ava as a friend, he cared for her and looked out for her more than that. So, they started dating and now it has been three years of peaceful and loving cohabitation.
However, Ava called out the friend group for dinner to celebrate her three-year anniversary with Brian as a surprise after she went to a restaurant with Evelyn that afternoon. She got back quickly with the help of the girls to prepare something for her boyfriend and now his unfiltered comment about the food shatters her heart.
Ava stood up angrily from the table. Brian looked up at her face out of confusion, trying to hold her wrist to hold her back and get to know what was wrong. But then, he could see the tears well up in her eyes.
Brian stood up and cupped Ava’s cheeks in his palm. “What’s wrong, baby?” he looked concerned as though Ava had not tried to calm him earlier.
Everyone looked at each other’s faces and walked quietly to the living room. Brian looked perplexed and scoffed, shrugging his shoulders. “What’s going on, guys?”
“Did I say anything wrong? That food was totally crappy!”
“Don’t make things worse, Brian!” William cautioned with scorn.
That seems to have brought his reasoning together as he slowly turned his head to look at Ava who was blinking her tears back.
Ava let out a deep sigh before turning to walk to the room.
“Hey, Hey, Hey…” Brian hurried after her, holding her wrist but Ava jerked his grip off.
“Go get something better to eat since you’re Gordon Ramsay!” Ava blurted out angrily as she ran outside, trying to stifle her cry.
Brian stood confused, frustrated and lost. He let out a frustrated breath, rubbing his temple. He wanted to run after her to catch up on what he had no idea about but he knew that would be the worst idea.
He turned back around, only to be greeted with stern stares from his friends. He breathed out and rested his hands on his waist before he spoke.
“What did I do wrong?” he asked in a defeated tone.
“You did everything possible wrong!” Evelyn spoke angrily.
“She’s saying, you are what’s called wrong itself!!” Susan added angrily before the three girls walked angrily out of the living room after Ava.
“What?!” Brian exclaimed with a shocked expression.
“You still have no idea what today is?” Donald asked, resting his hand on Brian’s shoulder.
Brian looks lost in thought as he tries to search his head for what today really was. “Friday?”
“Oh, man. You’re hopeless,” William shook his head before walking out of the living room as well.
“Let me be the nice one,” Robert started. “Today is your three-year anniversary and the meal you so much condemned was made by your girlfriend in celebration of your anniversary. Apparently, she put in so much effort and rushed things within a short period and that’s the probable reason for it tasting…well, a little bad!”
“What?” Brian breathed out, hitting his head. “Why must you be so dumb?!!”
“I believe things aren’t beyond amendment. Now, go after her!” Donald encouraged and immediately, we went after her.
He saw her weeping in her friend's embrace and as he approached, her friends eyed him but left them to be alone.
“Ava… I’m…I have no words,”
“Is there any love in your heart for me?”
“Oh, my sweet Ava. Don’t be like that.”
“But is there?”
“Every part of me dwells on the love I have for you.”
“But why would you be so mean to my effort for you…for us,”
Brian moved closer to her and pulled her closer to his chest. “I’m so sorry, baby. I’m really sorry,” he apologized.
Her heart yearns for only him therefore he needs little to no apology to gain her back and not even a meal could come between them.
This is my submission to the Inleo prompt suggestion for the month of April. The topic is "Recipe, Family Dishes, Dinning out". You can join here. This is the calendar
