Supper with the Kings

Jeremy was impressed by the King's way of doing family supper. It was supposed to be a simple family gathering but the setup of the dining table was extravagant with a menu and drinks offered at the door while one of the helpers moved around them with a tray of drinks imitating that of a fancy restaurant or a gala dinner. The dress code complemented the set-up perfectly, his lunch suit would have fit in perfectly with the family dinner. He scanned around the room, from the people talking who were in their semi-formal outfits to the helpers who were all dressed in black and white. He couldn't help but compare the evening to Friday afternoon, 'The lunch was more relaxed and cozy, but the supper is a completely different atmosphere, it feels more like a networking event than a family dinner, especially the soft piano music playing in the background'.

However, the atmosphere got intense when John walked in, but he had no interest in socializing and useless 'chattery'. He simply waltzed straight to his old room, "I need to wrap up some business, please call me when the actual supper begins." He said directing his attention to the helper who was serving drinks to everyone.

Linda had been enjoying a glass of wine with her aunt by the pool, while Sharon was with Lilly in the kitchen preparing the dessert, unlike Linda, Sharon enjoyed being in the kitchen so Lilly didn't have to ask twice, in fact, she didn't have to ask at all. At the same time, Jeremy was enjoying his chat with Joseph in the living room, that was until Freddy joined them before he could even ask him about last Friday. The two groups were separated by a window, and the string lights in the pool area gave a very intimate yet festive feel to the patio, Jeremy would occasionally steal glances at Linda who seemed to have been having a pleasant chat with her aunt with her face dressed in a soft smile. Her hair was swiftly tied up in a bun elegantly revealing her slim neck, and Jeremy remembered how her knee-length green bodycon dress emphasized her slim waist and curves perfectly. Just watching her lips move, made Jeremy blush and the corners of his mouth slightly curved up, but he would occasionally snap himself out of it 'What am I doing right now?!! It was just one night and it was for the mission, snap out of it! Don't fall for her charm'. However, no matter how hard he tried, he always found himself gazing at her and longing to be where she was.

Meanwhile, Josie squeezed her niece's hand, "Honey, how have you been? Have you been getting all the gifts I told Jeremy to give you?", 

"Oh aunt, you need to trust Freddy a little bit more, he might be gullible, but he is actually a trustworthy person, very useful too... ", she said flashing a smile to her aunt

"That's good. And work? How is everything? And mother told me about your fiancé...Jeremy, How-?". Just then Jeremy joined them, "I heard my name...", he said sitting close to Linda and gently placing his hand on her thigh which caught her off-guard and made her heart race, however, Jeremy had his focus on Josie.

Linda couldn't take the electric rush that came with his touch, it brought back memories from the previous night, and she found her body burning up with desire, she had to get out of there before it became too apparent, "I need to go help granny and Sharon. Aunt, this is the husband, continue chatting with him". She rushed inside the house leaving Jeremy with a slight frown, yet still satisfied that he had that effect on her, he saw Linda flinch when he touched her, and her ears turned red, 'how cute', he thought. 

However, Josie had a different point of view, "Is she okay? What is this about a husband?", Josie asked out of concern for her niece who suddenly had a red face "Wait, did something happen between the two of you? I thought this was a contract wedding...and you are just a fiance, did you-"

Jeremy instantly refused to put a stop to any further speculations from Josie, "No ma'am! Never, Uhm, wait, how did you know that this was a contract marriage?", he asked upon realizing that the fake relationship was not a secret to the family so he had no reason to touch Linda, however, he quickly found a loophole 'but my deal with John is, I need to make sure that he sees I am playing my part, that includes occasional teasing her. That will make her fall for me faster.

Satisfied with himself, Jeremy snapped back to listen to Josie continue with her story, "You see that boy there", she said pointing at Freddy, "He is my son, and for some reason, he treats me like his best friend, I honestly worry about his social life," she sighed taking a sip from her wine.

Listening to Josie talk about Freddy in such a teasingly affectionate way, Jeremy couldn't help but wonder if his relationship with his aunt could have turned out differently if his father had not gone back for him. His thoughts were accompanied by a sad sigh, and his upbeat mood was suddenly overshadowed by a feeling of loss, regret, and longing. He waved at the helper expecting a stronger drink, but the lady brought Apple juice instead, "Sorry Sir, but Mr. King asked me to give you this should you ask for a drink."

Josie burst into laughter at the sight in front of her, "What did you do? Did you embarrass yourself? The only time dad regulates anyone's drink is if they embarrassed themselves,"

Jeremy couldn't believe that his actions from Friday were even haunting him at supper, 'This family doesn't forget', he covered his shy face "No No..No ma'am, it's not like that, I just-", Josie's piercing laughter discouraged him from making any excuses, he sighed and gave up on his explanation. Jeremy raised a glass to Joseph who was staring at him from inside the house, and in response, Joseph winked at him.