14 DINNER [1]

Finally, Ryan's car stopped at the Smith's mansion. A frown was still stuck on his face as he parked his car properly, trying to keep a straight face.

"You have no idea how you look right now," Jason said as he unbuckled his seat belt.

"Until you apologize, I won't change this face," Ryan said, not relaxing his face one bit.

"Okay, fine. I apologize for simply telling you the truth." Jason stated.

"That's it, get out of my car." Ryan hissed at him, furiously.

"Thanks for the ride." Jason got off the car, obviously catching a lot of fun in annoying Ryan.

"Why do I even bother getting a decent apology from this jerk of an ass?" Ryan questioned himself as he got out of the car.

"Hey, man. Wait up, I got something to ask you." Ryan said as he approached Jason, with his usual look.

"Mm… sure." Jason permitted.

"What's going to happen after her parents finally accept your fake relationship, I mean, will you move into this large house or what?" Ryan asked, completely lost, about the next phase of the whole thing.

"I have no idea," Jason answered, honestly.

"You have no idea?" Ryan asked with a questioning look on his face.

"Yes, I have to go now. See you later." Jason said as he went ahead.

"Sure," Ryan replied shortly, and then he got back into the car.

Since the guards were already informed that a special visitor which is Jason will be coming tonight, they let him in without further delay.

"Your guest has arrived." A guard came in to announce Jason's arrival.

"That's wonderful," Evelyn said with a bright smile on her face.

The trio got up from their sitting position and went to welcome Jason into their home properly. Jason walked in with the best possible look he could make on his face and a bottle of wine in his hand. He wasn't wearing anything too expensive or too cheap, in fact, he made looking casual look good.

"Good evening, Mr. Smith." Jason extended his hand to Henry for a handshake.

[Flashback from earlier that day]

Olivia had a tough time choosing what to wear for the awaiting dinner. Even if she had like hundreds of dresses to decide from, she still couldn't find what to wear. After a long while of selecting and not being able to make a choice, she decided to go for a little shopping and maybe take Chloe along to make it easier to decide. She gave Chloe a call immediately, she returned all the dresses to her closet.

"Vee, you know I have a lot to do here at the bakery," Chloe said over the phone.

"I know, I know. . . But please, I really need your help." Olivia pleaded.

"Come on, you have like thousands of dresses, can't you just pick one," Chloe stated the obvious.

"I also said the same thing, but I can't find the perfect one. Please, help your bestie out here. I promise not to disturb you ever again." Olivia sealed it up with a promise she was obviously not going to keep.

"Ahh, fine. But don't waste my time. . . Okay." Chloe sighed before speaking.

"Sure, I'll be at the bakery in no time. Bye." She said, and then she ended the call.

Olivia quickly got dressed and left her room. On her way out, Evelyn stopped her.

"Where are you rushing to?" Evelyn asked as she approached her.

"I want to go for a quick shopping, I can't find what to wear for tonight," Olivia answered, pushing her hair to the back with her hands.

"You have countless clothes in your closet you haven't even tried on," Evelyn said, surprised by what Olivia just said.

"Yes, I know. It has never been this difficult to choose a dress but since I can't today, I have to go shopping, and I'm taking Chloe along with, so she can help." She explained.

"Or could it be that you want to look really pretty for Jason tonight?" Evelyn teased.

Olivia's eyes widened at her mother's comment, she didn't think about it that way. Could it be that she was doing this just so she can impress Jason? She asked herself, inwardly. 'No, no, no… that can't be it.' She tried to convince herself.

"Mom, what are you saying? No, that's not it, I simply cannot find what to wear." She said to Evelyn, convincing her that it was not the reason.

"It's okay to want to look pretty for him, I understand. Now, go. . . I would rather not keep you waiting." Evelyn said as she caressed Olivia's hair with her hand.

"Oh, mom. The things you say." Olivia placed a light kiss on Evelyn's cheek and then dashed out of the mansion.

Olivia went ahead to pick up Chloe from the bakery, Chloe was never a fan of motorbikes but as time went on, she got a bit used to riding with Olivia on her bike. They got the mail after a short ride and went in for business, looking for the perfect dinner gown.

"Vee, what do you think of this one?" Chloe asked as she brought out a blue gown.

"Nah, too bright," Olivia said as she scanned the dress.

"What of this one?" Chloe asked again, holding a silver dress.

"Too flashy." Olivia rejected, checking other gowns.

"Ahh…. Vee, we have been on this for a while now. And you are not helping by being so choosy." Chloe scolded.

"Don't worry, I have a feeling we are getting to the right one. So, stop complaining already." Olivia continued checking out other dresses.

Finally, Olivia found the dress she was looking for, she wasn't a fan of dresses like this, but she found herself liking it. They got the dress packed neatly for her after paying for it, and she and Chloe were set to leave the mail.

On their way out of the mail, they stumbled on Ryan. Since she had heard Jason mention the name, Ryan before, she knew it must be his name

"Ryan, what a surprise, what are you doing here?" Olivia asked, looking surprised to see him.

"For some business purpose, good afternoon." Ryan greeted, totally ignoring Chloe.

"Oh, I'm so glad I stumbled into you, can we talk for a moment?" Olivia asked.

"Sure." He said, not even sparing Chloe a look.

"Chloe, please give a minute. . . Okay." Olivia said as excused herself.

"Sure, but don't waste my time because of this. . ." She reserved her remaining comment and then walked away.

"This what, why don't you say it to my face?" Ryan finally paid a little attention to her.

"Stop, don't pay any attention to her behavior, she acts like that when she likes someone," Olivia said, grinning from ear to ear.

"You mean she likes me?" Ryan's eyes popped at Olivia's remark.

"I don't know for sure. Anyway, I need your help with something" Olivia said, sounding serious.

"What's that?" Ryan asked.

"I'm sure you are aware that my parents invited Jason for dinner tonight, I don't want anything to go wrong this time, so I want you to give him a small lesson on how to go about the whole dinner thing. Can you help with that small favor?" It's not like Olivia didn't trust Jason, but just to be safe, she required someone to give Jason little tips and Ryan is the perfect man for the job.

"That's no problem, leave it to me. I know how to handle it." Ryan said, reassuringly.

"Thank you, I knew I could count on you," Olivia said, giving him a light hug.

"Oh my, Olivia Smith just gave me a hug. I just knew today was my lucky day." Ryan said inwardly, secretly smiling.

"It's no problem at all." He hugged her back.

"And tell your friend that if she continues at this rate, she will end up being single for life," Ryan added, and then both of them laughed quietly.

Olivia greeted him goodbye and went to join Chloe not too far away.

… . .

"You want to lecture me on how to attend a dinner?" Jason said as he raised a brow at Ryan.

"No, not a lecture. I just want to give you little tips on how to go about it, since it's not just any dinner." Ryan replied.

"Go on," Jason said as he made himself comfortable on the couch.

"Okay, the first thing and most important thing is to dress well. Your first impression matters." Ryan stated his first tip.

"But they have seen me before, so, what first impression are you talking about?" Jason asked.

"You know that didn't go well, so, take this as your first time meeting them." Ryan countered Jason's words.

"Secondly, take a gift along, wine will do," Ryan added.

"Mmm …" Jason makes a short sound.

"After that, you can greet them with a simple handshake, not too tight." He continued.

"Another important tip, be affectionate with her, I mean Olivia. But don't overdo it." Ryan gave another tip.

"And finally, be positive, polite, and thank them after dinner is over." He stated his last tip.

"Is that all?" Jason asked.

"Yes, now get up, let's go get a bottle of wine," Ryan answered, and then he stood up.

[Flashback ends]

Jason decided to follow what Ryan said by extending his hand for a handshake, he did the same with Mrs. Smith and they greeted him back and welcomed him in.