Chapter 106 – Café
They started chatting, talking about their day, when the waiter came to take their order. As usual, the girls checked him not so discretely, something that he seemed to be used to. Everyone ordered some sweets and drinks according to preferences and the waiter left for the next table after taking notes of what they wanted. After that, they talked about topics that teenagers were interested in. The discussion soon naturally got divided into two groups, consisting of the girls talking with Nathan and the girls talking with Benjamin. Noemi, being quite the assertive and chatty girl, took most of Nathan's attention away, not allowing Julian to be easily integrated into that side of the conversation. Noticing this, Benjamin tried to incorporate him into his side instead, something that he looked to be grateful for since he was usually quieter when there were many people around, especially girls.
It took a while but the waiter finally came with their order and they began enjoying the food and drinks. Benjamin had ordered a strawberry tart and thought it was pretty good after taking a bite, wondering if he would be able to make something like this himself. That was when Selene voiced.
"Ben, your tart looks good. C-can I try a bite too?"
She looked like she had gathered all her courage to ask this, watching him anxiously while waiting for his answer. He obviously understood her goal but didn't mind and replied with a smile.
"Sure. But you have to let me try yours too."
"Of course!"
She beamed at his answer and immediately pushed her plate in his direction while using her spoon to take a very small piece of his tart. Of course, the other girls reacted quickly, making use of the opportunity.
"I want to trade a piece too!"
"Me too!"
The two other girls around him claimed their will to participate in the exchange and the last two girls began to ogle Nathan's plate since he was the closest to them. In the end, they all began to share their food, making the girls gleeful at the development. They always took a small piece of the boys' sweet but savored it lengthily, even if they had ordered the same thing.
Time passed quickly as they ate, chatted, and had fun in a good mood. They talked about their foods, judged the café, or exchanged opinions about things happening in school. Soon enough, it was time to go home and they separated to go their way. Ten minutes later, he reached his house. opening the front door and entering. As soon as he did, he heard his mother's voice calling.
"Olivia?"
He looked toward the living room and saw most of his family members sitting together around the table. His mother looked in his direction and when she realized it was him, she had a disappointed expression on her face. This surprised him a lot since it was the first time he saw anything close to a negative reaction when she looked at him. He wondered if he had done anything wrong recently and began remembering his past acts. He soon gave up after realizing that it would probably be faster to count the respectable things he did instead. Anxious, he headed toward the living room and saw that they all had serious expressions. Fearing the worst, he asked.
"W-what's wrong?"
It was Nova who answered him.
"Mom is panicking because Olivia is not home yet."
Hearing that reply. he couldn't help feeling relieved. However, he soon took a hold of himself; it was correct to say that the situation was unusual. He noticed that his mother looked very worried indeed. She was unconsciously stamping one foot on the ground from time to time, showing her impatience. Her face seemed extremely nervous and she had her phone in her hands, checking it every ten seconds or so. Benjamin prudently questioned.
"She might have something to do and will come home a bit late?"
Grace nodded and expressed.
"That's what we said too."
But their mother answered them with distress in her voice.
"No! She almost never comes home late and likes being in the house the most. Even if she has something to do outside, she will always tell me beforehand. Not only is she late, but she also is not answering her phone at all and all my messages are unread. Something happened to her, I am sure!"
She stopped for a second before continuing.
"Huh, my baby, where are you? Why are you not answering?"
Nova sighed.
"What baby? She is a junior high senior."
"Shut up! Dammit, I can't take it anymore! Grace, Nova, you two come with me and we will go out to search for her."
It was rare to see their loving and doting mother speak so roughly to her precious children but this was proof of how anxious she was. After her husband's accident, she always became extremely nervous whenever she thought something could have happened to her kids.
Of course, her declaration didn't please Grace and Nova, who complained about it.
"Seriously..."
"Sigh..."
Still, they stood up and went to the door. Benjamin noticed that even though they complained, they also appeared to be a bit tense too. He wondered if they were also worried about Olivia or if it was just their mother's anxiety that got transmitted to them. Benjamin used the opportunity to say.
"I will help search for her too."
"You stay here!"
Their perfectly synchronized shouts proved that there was at least one thing they all agreed on. Benjamin sadly went to sit next to his grandmother and Chloe, who had stayed silent all the while. They also looked quite anxious and his grandmother immediately started to caress his hair, both to comfort him and to calm herself down. Chloe took his hand and gripped it hard while looking at the three women preparing themselves to go out.
They put on their shoes and were soon ready to head out. At this time, the front door opened from the outside.