Chapter 20
Koen~
The second that Rya came walking back to our table, I knew that something was wrong.
Since I was obsessed with her, I’d become a professional at being able to read her, and the spark in her eyes from earlier was gone now, and it was killing me not to ask her what was going on.
However, I knew enough to know that she wouldn’t appreciate such a question in front of my parents.
See, the thing about Rya was that she valued her privacy greatly, and even though most people did, Rya was more guarded than anything else, and after getting to know her for the past couple of weeks, it was hard to blame her.
When we hadn’t been busy wrapped up in each other, she’d been telling me about her childhood, and she hadn’t sugarcoated her struggles.
Her mother leaving her had really done a number on her and her father, but whenever she’d spoken about her father, it’d been with nothing but love and respect, so it could have been worse.
At any rate, in a bid to keep the world’s cruelty at bay, Rya kept to herself, and as much as I’d hated to hear her speak about her hookups, the more that we’d gotten to know each other, the more that I’d understood why she’d chosen the men that she’d had.
Granted, those days were over for her now, but I wasn’t stupid enough to believe that two weeks of dating me had magically cured her of all those childhood taunts.
It was going to take a long time for Rya to see herself the way that I did, but luckily for me, I had all the time in the world to prove my love.
Just then, Kelly and another server returned with our meals, and I wasn’t surprised that we hadn’t had to wait long. Not only were lunch dishes uncomplicated, but the place wasn’t busy, so my parents really were the most important members in the restaurant section of the club right now.
“Okay, we have a turkey on rye with a vegetable mix for Mr. Wilder,” Kelly announced, guiding the other server. “A grilled chicken salad with the house dressing for Mrs. Wilder, a BLT and fries for Koen, and two chicken wraps for their guest.”
As the other server set Rya’s plate in front of her, I opened my mouth to correct them, but Rya beat me to it. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t order this. I ordered a bacon burger with no fries.”
“Oh, yes...of course,” Kelly quickly rushed out. “However, you asked for it well-done, and that would have held up all the other plates. So, figuring that you wouldn’t want to be rude and keep everyone waiting for their meals, I changed your order to something more accommodating.”
The entire table was silent as Kelly just smiled at us all, but the other server had enough sense to read the situation. “However, we can get that bacon burger for you out as soon as possible if you prefer,” she quickly added.
“Don’t be silly, Mina,” Kelly chuckled. “I’m sure everything is just fine.”
My hands balled into fists underneath the table, and I couldn’t remember a time when I’d been this pissed off over a luncheon.
Not only had Kelly ignored us until my parents had gotten here, but she’d actually had the nerve to change Rya’s order under the guise of convenience.
Plus, we weren’t stupid. If the burger was going to take longer than the other meals, then the cook would have just started on that order first. It wasn’t rocket science, and I could feel myself getting incredibly angry.
“Yes, except that Rya didn’t order the chicken wraps,” my mother said, the bite in her voice obvious to everyone. “And if her burger was going to be that much of an issue, why didn’t you remark on that when you took our orders?”
Kelly’s eyes widened as she finally realized that she had fucked up, and it was lucky for her that my parents weren’t your typical country club crowd, or else they’d have her fired before the end of her shift like most of the pampered members here.
“It’s fine,” Rya lied. “I’m sure that the chicken wraps are delicious.”
“Uhm...I could-”
“That will be all,” my father said, clearly dismissing them. “However, in the future, please deliver the meals that we order.”
“Yes, of course,” Kelly muttered before her and the other server hurried back to the kitchens.
Nevertheless, I was still pissed.
Beyond pissed.
Then, in a rare show of public intimacy, my father said, “Baby, we are not going to let all of this food go to waste. I know that you want to leave, and if it’s important to you, then we can box up the food to go.
However, we’re not walking out and leaving all of this food on the table just to make a point. ”
To her credit, Rya said, “It’s really fine. Honest.”
My mother looked over at her, and because I knew my mother well, I could tell that she was desperately trying not to cause a scene. “Rya, it’s not fine,” she said. “However, there are worse things than getting someone’s order wrong, so we’ll forget about it and have a lovely lunch together.”
“But...?”
“Mr. Wilder and I will be making some things clear before we leave here today,” she finished, and all I could do was smile at how fiercely protective she was when it came to her family.
Not being able to help myself, I uncurled my fingers, then reached over to place my hand on Rya’s thigh. “We can trade,” I offered. “My meal has bacon.”
Rya looked over at me, and while I doubted that my parents would get Kelly fired, it’d be worth it to me now that Rya no longer had a sparkle in her eyes.
Even though she’d been nervous when we’d first gotten here, she had relaxed a bit after realizing that my parents weren’t assholes, and we’d all been having a good time.
However, now we were all uncomfortable, and for what?
Because Kelly was jealous? Because she felt as if Rya didn’t belong?
Since Kelly and I had always been casual acquaintances at best, I honestly had no idea.
Plus, as a server, Kelly wasn’t a member here, so it couldn’t be a social class thing, could it?
At any rate, I was pissed, my mother was pissed, my father was trying to keep the peace, and Rya was embarrassed, and I really, really, really wanted to fucking say something.
I wanted to cause a scene and make it clear to everyone within hearing distance that they couldn’t treat my girlfriend like that.
So...
“I’ll be right back, baby.”
Rya immediately grabbed my hand that was resting on her thigh. “Koen, don’t. It’s fine, I promise.”
“No, it’s not,” I argued. “And it’s not okay that you think it’s fine, Rya.”
Then, as clear as day, not caring that my parents could hear us, she said, “I’m not going to be the reason that your life starts to unravel, Koen.
We’re either strong enough to ignore people like her, or else we’re never going to be able to leave the house, and is that really the kind of relationship you want to have? ”
“You can’t ask me not to defend you, Rya,” I told her honestly. “You can’t ask that of me.”
Her face softened as she said, “And you’re free to defend me any time you want, but only when it’s warranted, and her being...her being an idiot doesn’t warrant it.”
“Baby...”
“It’s fine, Koen,” she repeated. “I promise it is.”
“How about we eat our food, and then we can just remember never to come here again?” my father suggested.
Rya immediately looked over at him. “That’s not necessary, Mr. Wilder.”
“Ashford,” he corrected. “And I think it is.”
I could feel Rya begin to withdrawal, and I couldn’t let that happen. So, against my better judgement, I gave in. “I think we should eat. Thankfully, none of it is hot food.”
“Despite what happened, the chicken wraps really do look good,” Rya remarked, doing her best to set things right. “I mean, they’re no tacos, but then what is, right?”
Everyone smiled, then we went about eating our food in silence, but that only lasted a small while. My father being my father had picked up the conversation again, this time, discussing work because it was the safest topic. Since it was a family business, it wasn’t a hardship to talk shop.
However, once that subject had been exhausted, my mother decided to chime in. “You know, it just occurred to me that Rya might like to see the rose lake.”
“The rose lake?” Rya echoed. “What’s a rose lake?”
“It’s an optical illusion that our monthly dues pay for,” my dad drawled out.
Mom just laughed. “It is not.”
“What is it?” Rya asked, and I felt better seeing her smile again.
“Let’s finish our lunch, and then I’ll be happy to show you,” my mother said. “Hopefully, it’ll make up for the horrible service.”
“I’m game,” Rya easily agreed, grinning over at me. “You don’t mind, do you?”
“Even if I did, I know better than to tell my mother no,” I teased.
“That’s Rule #1 in our house,” my father added, and he wasn’t necessarily joking.