Home is hell - Irlandais & Sweetnothings

The call had come more or less out of the blue, and Richard was more than a little relieved when he saw that his old friend was only calling to ask a small favour. Honestly it was a little surprising that the call had come at all, he was fairly certain that after not having worked with his friend Morgan in four years that he’d been forgotten by now. The two had been fast friends while working together, even with the age gap between them. That friendship has soured a little when Richard had left the firm and taken a far higher paying job, but right now he figured that he owed Morgan a little something by way of an apology. “You just want me to check on her? Sure, yeah I can do that” he’d agreed quite easily. After all, who knew when he’d next need something himself, and this was certainly an easy favour to cash in.

So that Friday after work Richard found himself in a part of town that he’d not seen as his own days as a student earning minimum wage in burger king, sticking out like a sore thumb due to the suit he was wearing. As he eyed a man who seemed to be staring at him for a little too long the thought occurred that it perhaps might have been best to change out of his work clothes before coming down, the thought was dismissed before too long though. At almost exactly six feet tall, with broad shoulders and a solid if not overly muscled build Richard was quietly confident that most street toughs would see him as more effort than he was worth. They would probably be more interested in young woman out on their own.

Of course that train of thought reminded him of why he was here in the first place, Morgan’s daughter. He’d already forgotten her name and couldn’t quite remember how old she would be. Last time they had met would probably have been back when she was in her early teens, somehow his mind seemed unable to put the clock on fast forward and add a few years to what he remembered though. He found the address easily enough, but was a little confused by the boxes outside the door, had she only just moved in? With a dismissive shrug only for his own benefit Richard reached out and rapped his knuckles on the door twice, waiting for any hint of movement inside.

Life had been so bad for Eva. Her parents were always arguing over the smallest things. "You forgot to put the dishes away. You didn't pick up Eva from school. You don't do anything around the house." It was so bad for Eva, it was affecting her grades and how she acted. She started to get more grumpier towards her friends. The friends she had of course. Two weeks ago, she had convinced her mother and father into getting her her own apartment until everything was sorted out. She just needed them to buy the apartment, and she would do the rest on her own. Of course she never thought how much the rent was. When the first payment came around, she couldn't afford it, and she was swiftly kicked out of her apartment by the landlord.

Eva's father had informed her that one of his friends were going to be checking up on her. She didn't have the guts to tell her parents that she was kicked out of her apartment. She wanted to be independent and by herself. She didn't want another shoulder to cry on. Much to her dismay, she said it was fine, and she would be seeing him after school and work. The landlord had given her a week to completely move out. She had packed everything in boxes except for her bed and other essentials. Eva was not a small girl. She was proud of her 5'6 figure she had for a 17 year old. She was athletic at school, on the Varsity Girl's soccer team. She had stunning red hair and bright blue eyes that accentuated her pale skin.

Although Eva didn't choose an apartment in the best part of the city, she was glad she had it as long as she did. She stood in the kitchen, packing everything up. She had lost her job that day, and she was a total mess. She spent most of her time after school crying. She didn't know why she had gotten fired. To top it off, today was the last day to pack everything up and move. She was still crying when she hard two knocks on the door. "C-coming." She stuttered through her tears. She opened the door to see Richard, a man she had not seen in years. She wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her hoodie and sniffed. "I guess you're here to check up on me. I'm fine." She said sarcastically. Eva's put off didn't help as she burst into tears in front of him.

As the door opened Richard found himself confronted by red tinged eyes that had clearly been crying, but what caught and dragged his attention away was the shock of bright orange hair cascading down her shoulders. It wasn’t a colour that he saw often, but somehow it seemed to suit her younger appearance perfectly. At the girl’s little outburst of sarcasm he raised one eyebrow, followed shortly by his shoulders slumping in resignation as the kid burst into tears. Why did have life always have to be so hard? This was just supposed to be a two minute call to check she was still alive then leave. “Shrewd old bastard” Richard thought silently to himself, referring to Morgan. “He probably knew something was wrong and that’s why he sent me”. Trying to adopt what he thought was a more sympathetic visage he took a small step closer to Eva, whose name he had remembered after seeing her face again. “Eva, you can’t expect me to believe that can you?”

A small twinge of guilt passed through him then, his first thought had not been about why the girl was crying, but more to do with the fact that it was somehow his problem to deal with. It was easy enough to guess with all the boxes lying around, either she was moving in and hated the place or had just been evicted. Right now Jacob would have bet the entire contents of his wallet on the latter. With a gesture towards the still open door Richard suggested “How about we head inside and talk about it? You’d be surprised how much telling someone else can make you feel better”. The offer may have been a little clumsy, but the thought behind it was sincere, he did want the girl to stop crying even if it was just so that he could leave.

Eva didn't expect Richard to understand. Her father had told her everything about him. She didn't know what else to do. She was practically homeless. She couldn't go back home. It was still hell for her with the constant arguing. She doubted her "friends" would let her stay with them. And she lived in the bad part of the city. Living on the streets here wouldn't be wise for Eva. She wished she had thought about everything. She lost her job as a waitress at the fancy restaurant, and she lost the apartment she thought she could live in until college. Reality had to be so harsh. Eva gazed up at Richard when he took a baby step forward. She felt her self esteem drop when he spoke. She glared up at him. If she had the guts, she would kick him in the crotch and lock him out. That's what she should do, but she decided against it. He was only here to check on her, no doubt tell her father what mess she's in.

"How can you say that? You think I'm faking it?" Eva snapped. She wiped her eyes with the sleeves of her hoodie. It was two sizes too big for her anyway. She crossed her arms underneath her chest and stared down at her feet covered in Keds. She needed to tell him why she was like this. 'I lost the only job I had, today's the last day to move out of the apartment, and I can't go back home because it's a living hell.' She rehearsed in her head. Her bright orange hair moved with the wind. Eva looked up at him slowly, a little timid. "I-I guess. I doubt you'd actually help anyway." She muttered. She turned around and moved out of the doorway. Once he was inside, Eva closed the door behind him and sat on a box. "Where can I start? I lost my job today, I'm being evicted and today I have to get everything out, and I don't want to go back to my dad. Him and mom are constantly fighting over the tiniest things." Eva complained. She pulled her knees to her chest, propping her head on the knees.

Did he think she was faking it? Well with tears streaming down her cheeks and her eyes a little bloodshot from the salt in her wet gaze what the hell was he supposed to think? Richard decided against voicing that particular opinion though and waited for her to either agree to his suggestion or send him away. A part of him hoped that she would just slam the door in his face and let him be on his way, but when Eva proclaimed that she doubted he would be of any help and stepped inside he was a little glad.

If there was one thing that Richard hated beyond all measure it was when people made negative assumptions about him, especially when they were correct. With the childish attitude the girl was showing him Richard was rather disinclined to help her, but the Achilles heel won out and a larger part of him was intent on proving her wrong. As Eva sat on a box and curled up her legs while recounting events Richard swept on eye over the interior of the place. It was a complete rat’s nest. The girl should consider herself lucky that the rent hadn’t come and she was leaving. Pulling up a box-chair of his own he sat down a little in front of her and listened.

When she finished Richard found himself a little taken aback, oddly able to actually empathise with the girl. “Y’know, for what it’s worth I understand what you mean. My parents broke up when I was fifteen and I got thrown right in the middle of it”. There was a brief pause as he considered how best to solve the situation, it would be easy to just pull out his chequebook and give her a month or two of rent, but that seemed like the coward’s way out. So, a job? That worked better, but it wouldn’t solve the current crisis she was having about not having anywhere to live. With a soft sigh Richard knew he had an easy answer, but Eva might not like the sound of it. “If you want… you could come stay at my place for a while, until you get yourself back on your feet or you work out what you want to do next”.

Eva had always known Richard to be a nice guy. There were some attributes that turned people off. She had learned to ignore them and to enjoy those attributes for she had known him for a long time. She was glad her dad picked someone who she trusted. As she told him, she watched his eyes move around her apartment. It was filthy. she did her best to clean it when she moved in, but the tenants who lived here before her left it in such a terrible mess. She kept some things packed up since she was sure things were unsanitary. She wiped her eyes of the remaining tears that pricked her eyes. She didn't want him to see her as a weak girl. She faced her fear and realized she might have to go back home and live with the devils of her parents.

The Russian sighed heavily after she finished. She closed her eyes. She doubted Richard had ever experienced what she had to go through now. Her parents were most likely to get a divorce. Where would she go? She liked her father more than her mother, and she was going to college in two years. She sat up more with her eyes open when he spoke. Eva didn't know he had to go through the same thing. It made her feel better they had something in common. It was sort of awkward after the revelation. She started to think how she could fix the problem. Eva knew Richard was wealthy. Maybe he'd give her some money for her to pay off the rent. She didn't see him pulling out his checkbook to write anything. 'Then how are we going to fix this?' She thought. Her eyes widened slightly at the offer. "O-of course. I would like to live with you until everything is better." She said soon after he spoke of it. This way she'd get to know him better, so that was a plus for her.

With a smile that he hoped wasn’t as shaky looking as it felt Richard said “well that settles it then, you can stay with me for a while”. All the time though his mind was replaying the words that Eva herself had used: ‘until everything is better’. Just how long was she planning on sticking around for? He tried not the let the concern that he might have just picked up a stray for life show on his face, which would be like admitting that he wasn’t willing to go through with what he had unwittingly offered.

Well the girl didn’t seem quite so irritating after she had stopped with the sarcasm and the tears dried up, it might actually be nice to come back to a home with someone in it after work for a change. Deciding that it might be nice to get out of this little hovel sooner rather than later Andrew pushed a little in hopes of speeding the situation along a bit. “I have my car just around the corner, so if you want we can actually start loading your stuff up and taking it over? It’s a fairly big place, so there will be plenty of room for it all”. That was actually a little of an understatement. Since he'd left the job working with his friend Morgan the paycheck andrew brought home had more or less had another two zeroes added to the end of it per year. As a result he now lived on the outskirts of the city far away from the troubles of urban life in a house he'd designed himself. It would be interesting to see Eva's reaction when she saw it for the first time.

Eva couldn't gauge how much time she was planning on staying with him. She knew with a little persuasion, she could get a few extra days with Richard if need be. "Great." She said with a hint of excitement. She figured he would get annoyed with her excitement. She doubted he felt as excited as her. She could get very excited some times. She could see he was a little hesitant. She definitely did not want him to go back on his offer. 'I hope he isn't a big douche like everyone says.' She thought. She smiled softly at him and nodded her head slightly to assure herself.

It would be nice for a change to not hear fighting the minute Eva walked home. She could relax, and hang out with Richard. School was over for her for two months. She wondered what his house looked now. She wondered if he had a mansion. The ideas that popped in her head gave her hope. She looked at him and listened. "Is it like a mansion? Does your car have enough room for this stuff? I'm sure I don't need the bed. I have a lot of stuff." She started talking. She quickly shut up though so he wouldn't get annoyed with her. She rose from the box she sat on and grabbed the smaller boxes that contained light supplies. "I guess we can get the heavier stuff later." She commented. Eva vaguely remembered her father telling her that the new job Richard left for paid a lot more money. She wondered how much he made now. She shrugged to herself and opened the door. She walked down the steps carefully, and she looked around the sidewalk to see where he could've parked his car. "Left or right?" She asked aloud.

With a soft chuckle Richard conceded that it was only natural that a little of his reputation for being wealthy preceded him, had that been part of what had attracted Eva towards staying with him in the first place? "it's not quite a mansion, though I suppose it isn't too far off it." Taking his phone out of his pocket Richard started to scroll through the pictures until he found what he was looking for. "It was supposed to be a company owned residence for high end clients from out of town, but after I designed it myself and saw the construction through it seemed a shame to have it empty most of the time. In the end I bought it back from the company after a few months and now I live there myself". Turning the phone so Eva could see it Richard waited for the reaction. The picture on the screen showed the exterior of a large modern structure with a big outdoor pool, clearly far larger than one one man needed for himself. The picture didn't show it, but the house as well as being wide extented back a long way, making it far larger that first assumed.


Richard left the building without a box in his own hands, he'd remembered seeing an empty parking space in front of the building and figured that he may as well bring the car around so that they didn't have to carry everything so far. "Just to the right here, but I'll park up close" he explained, before going off to bring it around. A short while later he appeared around the corner again, driving his dark blue bentley continental convertible and parking it in the free space. "Theres the back seats which are empty, as well as the trunk so we should be able to get it all in" he announced with a smile, glad that they wouldn't have to make a return stip back to this little slice of hell.

It did take a while, but between them they did manage to fit everything inside the car. A quick glance at his watch told Richard that it was already half six in the evening, by the time they drove back to his home and got everything inside then he'd be even hungrier than he was now. Deciding that it couldn't hurt to stop somewhere on the way he asked "How d'you feel about stopping off for something to eat before we get there? My treat, I'll let you pick the place though."

Eva couldn't wait to find out what his house looked like. She tried to picture it. It's a big mansion that has gold like the celebrities. Two pools inside and outside. 10+ rooms in it. She smiled and looked at Richard. She watched him take his phone out and scroll through his pictures. She was sure he was finding a picture of his house to show her. "So, it's like a mix of both." She commented. She listened to him explain how he got the mansion/house. It was interesting that it was owned by his company, and he bought it from them for himself. She took the phone from him to examine the picture. She gasped and laughed gently. "This is so cool! I can't want to see it." She said giddily. She smiled and handed his phone back to him. It looked so cool. The pool could fit probably more than 20 people. Eva couldn't wait to take a swim in it. She remembered she had packed one of her good bathing suits in her boxes. She wanted to show Richard what she looked like in it.

Eva was a little disappointed he didn't grab a box to set outside. The boxes were going to get heavier. She set the ones she carried on the ground. She figured he would bring the car around so they didn't have to walk a far distance to his car. "Okay." She turned and ran up the steps at in the apartment building. She grabbed more boxes and walked back down carefully. She placed them beside the ones she brought down. She noticed his car was parked in the space near the front. He was pretty wealthy to have such an expensive car. "I'm pretty sure we can fit these." She said. She opened the back seat doors and began placing the boxes in a row and stacking them on the ground and on the top.

It didn't take forever to get all the boxes into the car. Eva left the mattress on the front lawn since it wouldn't fit in the convertible. She didn't need it if he had that many rooms in his house. She got in the car, enjoying the breeze against her face. It made her bright orange hair flair in the wind. She rubbed her stomach as it growled. She looked at him and thought where to eat. "The nice pizza parlor downtown." She suggested.

When Eva didn’t suggest some fancy or expensive place to eat Richard was quite relieved, he might be considered rich and upper class now but that hadn’t always been the case. He’d grown up in much the same background as Eva had, so even now he found the five star restaurants that his clients often suggested to be oppressive places. He’d much rather spend his time eating somewhere that he wouldn’t get a dirty look just for having a conversation in anything more than a whisper, and seeing as he was going to be living with the girl for god knows how long it might be a good idea to get to know her better.

“Sounds good to me” he agreed with a pleasant smile, stepping towards his car and opening the passenger door for Eva before going round to his own side. Once they were both inside Richard turned to face the girl “You’ll have to give me directions I’m afraid, I can’t quite remember where it is” he lied. The car ride was probably likely to be a little tense and it might ease Eva up a bit just to talk without really saying anything, like giving directions. It was a trick he’d learned from his business meetings, making people feel more at ease around him was almost second nature. Hopefully by the time they arrived she would be confident around him and they would be able to have a real conversation over dinner.

Eva always hated the fancier restaurants. Partially because her parents rarely could afford the food there. Mainly because every time she was able to go, she'd get looks. Apparently she didn't fit the standard people who would come. She didn't like wearing expensive clothing for one night. She had chosen a more moderate place. It was a place where she could feel who she was without being oppressed for it. Plus, it was a place where she could talk to Richard comfortably. Eva was certain he wanted to know what was going on in her life, as she wanted to talk about it.

Eva saw the pleased looked out his face. That smile. She remembered it years ago. It always made her blush. Even now, it made her cheeks burn. She got into the car after Richard opened the door for her. She got in and buckled up. She turned to look at him when he told her he forgot the directions. "Sure. It's not that far from here." She said. She remembered the directions she'd take to get there. "You just need to get out of the neighborhood, turn right, and I'll tell you from there." She explained. She reached into her hand bag and pulled out her sunglasses. She placed them over her eyes and laughed softly. "I love sitting in your car. The breeze is amazing!" She squealed, leaning her head back against the head rest.

The blush in Eva’s cheeks didn’t go unnoticed, it had been years since he had last seen it but the memory was coaxed back to life as if the heat in her cheeks was lighting a flame all over again. It had always made Richard wonder if she had a little crush on him, though by now he’d have assumed that would have died out. At the time she’d been far too young for him to even consider having any interest in, but it had always been a cute to see her blush and smile the way she did. Now though? Out of the corner of his eye he let his gaze roam slowly down to top half of her body, no longer that of an undeveloped teenager to be certain. It was rather flattering still, but now Richard couldn’t just tell himself that there was no interest on his part, she was a very attractive young woman and it would be a lie to say it had escaped his notice.

When Eva said she loved sitting in his car the smile only widened into a grin, it was true that even in the slow winding streets of this neighbourhood there was a good breeze going, but that was nothing. “I took it to Germany last month for a business meeting” he told her “on the autobahns without speed limits. It was up to a hundred and eighty with the roof down before I had to slow down for cars in front”. Suddenly remember that he was talking to a sixteen year old girl who probably had better things to talk about Richard changed tact and went with a subject closer to home that she might enjoy. “You’re seventeen right? If you have your permit you can take it for a spin sometime”.

Following the rest of her instructions they made it to the place Eva had mentioned, and after parking Richard stepped out and circled round to her side of the car, offering his hand as she got out. Trying to see if he could get another blush out of the girl Richard asked “Did you bring your purse? I’m all for gender equality so I believe on splitting the bill on first dates”.

Eva could remember a lot when she was younger. She could clearly remember her daydreams she had. Most of them were about Richard. She often dreamed about marrying him. More times than she liked, they were about letting him have his way with her. The little crush she thought she had on her father's old business partner was bigger than Richard thought. While she never got to see him again, the crush had died away a little. Now she got a chance to see him and be able to live with him again, it was definitely sprouting once more. Eva could only hope he didn't notice her blush. It would've been embarrassing for him to see her blush. The redness was never easy to hide against her pale skin. She could feel his eyes on her. Eva glanced up at Richard and gave an apologetic smile.

Eva touched the side of his car. It was amazing. She would do anything to stay in the car. It was perfect. She pulled her legs up to her chest and listened to him explain to her about being in Germany. 'He got to go to Europe? He has to take me to Germany or France. I should ask him.' She thought. "You have to take me with you next time. Doesn't matter where in Europe. I always wanted to go to France or Germany." She giggled. She realized she sounded like a little girl and shook it off. "Yeah. I have a permit. I've never been able to use it since my parents and I could never afford a car. I would love to take the car out for a drive, though." She smiled, happy he was getting comfortable with her already.

The teenager explained to him the instructions the rest of the ride. It was like Richard knew where it was since he wasn't hesitating or second guessing her, but she figured it must've been a way for her to talk. She was about to get out of the car on her own when Richard walked up with his hand out. Once again, Eva found her cheeks burning. "Y-yeah. I-I have it right here." She stammered as she got out of the car. She couldn't believe he made her feel this way. She felt like she was twelve all over again.

When Eva said that he should take her with him next time Richard didn’t really answer, but just smiled to show he liked the sound of the idea. There was in fact a trip planned for him to go to Paris in a few weeks time, so far it was just going to be a two or three day journey on his own, maybe a little company would be nice and he could extend it into an actual holiday. For now he didn’t mention it however, he hadn’t seen Eva in four years yet in spite of that he’d already offered to let her live with him for a while and take his car for a drive. It might just look like he was throwing her expensive toys to play with rather than actually try to help her with the situation she was in. “If we’re still getting on well in a week I’ll ask her” he thought to himself as he took her hand and closed the car door, not wanting to do too much too soon.

Perhaps Richard should have been a little more careful than leading her on like that. Calling what they were doing a date seemed to have the desired effect and give the blush he wanted, but he never considered that it might encourage her to be a little more forward with him in turn. At that point he did think about it though, he had asked her to come with him to dinner and for a girl of her age that might seem as if he was indeed asking her for a date. Noticing the little stutter he smiled again and tried to clarify “Relax, I was kidding, you don’t need it”. The two of them walked into the place and were shown to a small table for two, facing directly across as if in fact designed for two people on a date wanting to look at each other. Just what exactly had Richard started?

Eva wondered if he had any pictures of his trips. She would do anything to see them. She wondered if he had any business meetings in the near future. Eva drifted into her own little world. Her crush played a little role in her daydream. She imagined them in Paris. Richard was treating her to everything. If she wanted something, he would get it for her. It was romantic. She blushed softly and shook her head from her day dream. She cleared her throat and looked over at him. She was praying hard that she could make it through for at least a week before she'd ask him if he had any business meetings and if he wanted to take her to one of them. She figured she'd have to at least give him some reasons as to why she'd be good company. She took his hand lightly before squeezing it slightly. It was so much bigger than her hand.

To Eva, it felt like a date with Richard. He was showing his romantic side a little. Taking her hand and causing her to blush. The teenager wondered if anyone else would think they were on a date. Their age difference was quite noticeable. She looked at Richard as he smiled after she stuttered. "O-oh." She said nonchalant. 'Why do I have to be so gullible?' She thought. She shook the thought away. He was only joking with her. She followed him inside the restaurant where they were seated at a table. She noticed it was exactly meant for a couple on a date. She nervously pulled on her lip with her fingers. What did he think of her? She didn't exactly know since her first impression were a bunch of tears and sarcasm.

Richard did have to admit that his first thoughts about Eva hadn’t been favourable, but now that he had seen a more pleasant side of her he thought they were getting on well. Maybe she acted a little childish at times and was a little too quick to believe things she heard, but that only appealed to him further. Maybe it was the part of Richard that still saw himself as a younger man that felt this way, or perhaps it just made a refreshing change from the middle aged men in suits his job forced on him as company. With a smile he thanked the man who had shown them to their seats and took the proffered menus, once again being left alone with Eva.

Now sitting together without anything that needed doing Richard found himself idly flipping through the menu even though he knew what he wanted. Eva had mentioned wanting to talk through some of her problems with him, so for now Richard waited to see if she was comfortable with doing so now. In the wait his eyes flicked to the list of wines, a particular Cabernet Sauvignon catching his eye. He was about to ask if Eva wanted to share a bottle when he remembered that she was still only seventeen, no restaurant would be willing to serve alcohol to her and it would be rude to drink when she couldn’t. It was difficult to remember at times that she was still a minor, living on her own and having a job had somehow made Richard think of her as more adult. His eyes came up to see if she was finished with the menu herself, and if she did indeed want to talk about heavier matters or keep things light. Richard did in fact have his own motives for wanting to hear about her parents, but it seemed to be something best left unmentioned.

Eva's mind kept drifting back to the first impression she made. She regretted bursting into tears. That made her seem more childish than anything. She wanted to know what Richard thought of her so far. If he thought she was just another rebel, she would be crushed. She worked hard not to become one. It was harder with her parents on the verge of getting divorced. Then again, everyone thought they were. It was the smaller things that bugged her. She wanted to hang with her mom or dad, but it could never happen in the past few months. They argued who should spend time with their only daughter. She was sure there would be even more arguing over who would get custody of her. Eva focused back on the matter at hand, this "date" with Richard.

Eva slowly turned the pages one by one. She made sure she didn't miss anything. It had been forever since she was last here. Everything looked good from the pictures and the descriptions. Plus, it gave her a distraction from thinking about what to say to Richard about her parents. She was kind of hoping he would ask about them first. Her eyes wondered over the various food choices. She decided to get a Caesar Salad with a personal pepperoni pizza. She smiled to herself and glanced at the drinks. 'Four more years and I'll be able to drink.' She thought, referring to the wines. She went the sweet tea instead. She closed the menu and set it aside. Eva looked up at Richard. Was he expecting her to say something? It was awkward enough already. She let some of her orange hair fall in front of her eyes. "Do you want to hear about my problems?" She asked softly. She prayed she wasn't being too forward.

Richard himself was more of a heavy eater; he was by no means a small man, being both six feet tall as well as broad shouldered. A salad and a small pizza wouldn’t keep him feeling sated for long. It shouldn’t be mistaken to think he was overweight though, the fact that he spent an hour every night in his private home’s gym room saw to that. For him it was more for stress relief than to stay in shape, but he’d be lying if he claimed that he didn’t like what it did to his body. As such he had decided on a Pizza arrabbiata.

It didn’t seem to take Eva long to work out that he was waiting for her to speak, though Richard had the grace to act as if he hadn’t just been poised and ready to pounce on the subject. “Sure, if you think it’ll help to talk about it then I’m always willing to lend an ear” he announced with a slight nod of his and a reassuring smile. After he’d noticed the effect that something as simple as the smiles he gave her affected Eva, Richard was unlikely to just let something like that go to waste. What he really wanted to know was if Eva knew where her parents were on the brink of divorce right now, even though their relationship had been strained for years. Still, he was not a completely petty or selfish man, so he truly did hope that letting her air some of the problems that seemed to hound her might help the girl out. After all – a problem shared is a problem halved.

Normally Eva would eat more than this, but the recent dilemmas she was facing didn't help her appetite. The small pizza and salad would be enough for he. She didn't know about Richard though. She figured he probably wouldn't eat much since he was so fit. She wondered if he had a gym back at his house. She'd have to look around his house when they were done. She watched to see where he would close the menu on. The pizza section. She smiled and leaned back in her chair.

Eva ran a hand through her hair nervously. It was a nervous tic. She did it when she was anxious though. She bit her lip and glanced up at her friend. She sighed when he seemed to be interested in talking with her. She tapped her fingers on the table as she thought about what to say. She was distracted with the food. "Well, first, about my parents. Everything was all fine and dandy up until I hit my teenage years. Then they started fighting over little things: not doing the dishes, not cleaning the house, who gets the groceries. Everything. It was messing up my grades because I could never do my homework while they fought. My relationships with my friends were terrible. I was pretty depressed. Now, it's even worse than before. I really think the next step is a divorce." Eva said all at once. She hoped it wouldn't be too much for him to handle.

Richard listened as Eva launched into her little speech about her parents, he could almost have filled in the blanks for her after the first sentence since it was so similar to his own parents situation. He could see how nervous she was though, and something stuck in his head about the exact wording that the girl had used. ‘until I hit my teenage years’. It was almost universal that the kids of divorced parents wondered if they were something to do with the cause, Richard himself had been having thoughts along those lines himself until at one drunken Christmas meal the real reason had come out. Unless he had somehow assured the attraction of his mother exclusively towards other woman then his own conscience was free and clear. But for Eva?

Reaching across the small table Richard took her hand in his in a gesture that he hoped wasn’t too familiar. His grip was loose so if Eva wanted to she could easily pull it back, away from him. “ I know it might seem like you had something to do with it Eva, but believe me I’ve heard a hundred stories like this and lived through one myself. You becoming a teenager had nothing to do with this, it was a problem between your mother and father and nothing you caused”. He gave her hand a soft squeeze for reassurance as he finished speaking, at the same time feeling a little relieved. At least Eva didn’t seem to know what the last argument that seemed to be driving her parent’s to divorce was about.

Eva figured it would be familiar to him. She remembered him saying how his parents divorced also when he was her age. She didn't know why her parent's were arguing, but she did know they were getting a divorce. She was eavesdropping on one of their conversations. The truth had hurt more than she expected it to. She always imagined her parents being together till the day they die. She wished she would've known the real reason why they were divorcing, but every time she asked why they were arguing, they brushed her off to the side like she wasn't even there. Somewhere in her mind, she felt like she was the reason why they were divorcing.

The teenager was surprised when Richard took her small hand. She blushed softly, but she hid it pretty well. Eva realized he was giving her an option to pull away. Instead, she wrapped her hand around his. She listened to him speak about what she said. She looked down at the table and sighed. Would he really know the reason why her parents were divorcing? "Do you know why they're divorcing, then? If it's not me, it has to be something else." She spoke softly. She tapped her fingers on the table and pulled her hand away. She looked up at him in a comforting way, yet with a curious look. She needed to know everything, and he seemed like he knew something.

It was Richard’s turn to act uncomfortable when Eva asked if he had any idea why her parents were divorcing, he was a man didn’t like to lie outright but that didn’t stop him from only telling part of the truth. For his part he tried to pass off his discomfort by addressing a very personal issue for Eva, hoping that it would cover his tracks. “I’ve not spoken to your father in two years since we parted ways, and that was just for a quick business call. He just called me out of the blue a few days ago and asked me to check on you, the only thing he mentioned was that they were going through a pretty intense argument. It’s not really the kind of thing he wanted to say to someone he’s not seen in so long I guess, it’s kind of a personal matter”. It was hard not to congratulate himself on that speech, not a single word of it was a lie but still it hadn’t let anything that he actually did know slip. Things were going well with Eva and Richard didn’t want to sour that by admitting too much personal knowledge right now.

Still, that might just push Eva back to thinking that this was still her fault, something that was neither true nor did anyone any favours. “If they’re anything like my parents it might be because they married young, right out of college. The person whose finger they slipped the ring onto might not be the same person at exists today eighteen years down the line”. That was the excuse Richard had been told as a teenager, the whole ‘your mother is a lesbian now’ speech had only come later. Perhaps he had picked up the talent of misleading people without liking to lie from his parents.

Eva could only think up a few things: it was her fault, her father was cheating, her mother was cheating, money issues and the like. She bit her lip lightly and looked at Richard. He seemed disturbed. Perhaps she must've asked a sensitive thing at the wrong time. She huffed and looked at her lap where a napkin sat. She perked up when he began speaking. She frowned, hearing it all before. It was normal for her father to do something like for her. She was his only child as she had four older brothers. She gave Richard a look that told him she wasn't convinced. "Richard, stop beating around the bush. I'm not ten anymore. I can handle truths. Trust me. I've handled a lot already. I want to know why, and it's obvious you do. Can you just tell me? I don't want it to be my fault anymore." She frowned and laid her head in her hands on the table. Right now, her feelings were conflicted. Of course Eva still had the crush on Richard, but he was making it hard for her to trust him.

It was hard for Eva right now. It was becoming clearer that the marriage was going to end between her mother and father. She never wanted it to end. She always pictured this fantasy since she was young her parents would stay together and grow old together, dying by each other's sides. "If so, what could be the problem, Richard? Who could be different now than 27 years ago?" Eva quickly brought her sleeves up and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry. You probably don't want to see me get emotional about this. It's dumb, anyway." She looked away from him, although she was sneaking glances at him.

It took Richard rather by surprise that Eva managed to call him out like that, actually more so that she had to nerve to do so rather than actually noticing anything wrong. Admitting that he had held back now though would only make things worse. So he reiterated, making a small addition “I told you the truth, your father only told me that they were going through a particularly rough argument, though the way he spoke made it sound like he thought it was your mother’s fault. There’s no surprise there though, nobody likes to admit that they have blame in something. I just didn’t want to say that in case it made you think poorly of your mother, since I don’t actually know for certain that it was her that did anything wrong – if either of them did.”. Richard let out a slow sigh through his nose, and raised his eyebrows for a second as if to say ‘there, now you know, does that make you any happier?’

It was perhaps the wrong move though as he then noticed Eva wiping her eyes on a sleeve. Trying to redeem himself a little Richard pulled out a small unused black handkerchief and placed it on the table in front of Eva. “You’ll get makeup on your top, better to use that”. Only then did he start trying to address the second part of Eva’s questions. “Twenty seven years is a long time, they married right after college if I remember rightly. You can’t expect them to be the exact same people as they were at that age. Anyway this is mostly just speculation, the best way to actually find out might be to ask one of your parents, or both, so that you get both sides of the story”.

((It’s gone past midnight here, so Merry Christmas!))