Now the girls were just taking the piss. Phil was wondering why Sadie was helping increase his torment tonight. Almost as if she knew what she were saying. Kiara’s tits had grown at least one cup size since he’d first had his hands all over them, and Sadie’s drawing attention to them now was not making his situation any easier. Christ, how perfect they’d looked as they’d jolted in time with his cock ramming in and out of her in that hotel bed that night, just two short weeks ago. Maybe an impromptu visit to the bathroom might be opportune at this moment. He thought about it some more, clearing his throat and hurriedly sipping the sickly wine. He then averted his eyes and desperately tried to intercept the topic of conversation.
“I tell you,” he said quickly, his eyes pointed upwards. “They might think themselves posh in here, and yet you can see, even from the design of this ceiling, that these walls are very cheaply built. Take it from me.”
Sadie looked reproachfully at him and then rolled her eyes, together with an audible scoffing. “Have you brought us ladies out just to talk about building! If you have, I’m going right home now!”
Chance would be a fine thing, to be left alone with Kiara, Phil thought, but just laughed along with Sadie and hoped that both of those conversations were now suitably extinct.
“Lobster fettuccini al carbonara,” said the waiter, now adopting a faux bit of Italian as he presented the first of three plates.
They dutifully pointed out whose was whose, and after he’d left them in peace, Phil lifted his glass. “Well, cheers.” They clinked, and all then began setting about eating.
Phil chewed thoughtfully, feeling a little uneasy about what was to come pretty soon. He savoured each bite much more than normal, away in his own little world for several moments. How dare the girl flaunt herself like that in front of him. He had to give her points for confidence, and craftiness. She has at least learned something from him after all. He peered over at her as she tried her best to wrestle with her own dish. Well, she’d decided to wind him up with the pricy food, so now she could bloody well enjoy it.
It looked in fact as if all topics of conversation were now used up and the trio ate on in silence. Kiara certainly seemed to be getting into her stride with her private celebrations, since as soon as her glass was empty she was looking expectantly at the two adults and reaching for the bottle again.
“Sure,” Phil said, taking the lead. “Just one more glass then.” He reached over to pick up his serviette and unfolded it, wiping his mouth with one half of it, then dumping it down and continuing to eat.
He was breathing heavily, feeling the seconds tick by, getting him ever closer to his announcement. Eventually, he couldn’t take the tension in his muscles anymore, and he rested his cutlery down on his plate, leaning back in his chair.
“So umm,” he began hesitantly. “I guess you’re both actually wondering why I decided to spring this little jaunt on you this evening.” In fact only one of them was, but that wasn’t important right now. “It isn’t because I’d, won any money from gambling, or just because I wanted us to have a nice time out. I mean I do want that anyway, but that’s not the point. I did bring you out here to say something. Something really quite important.”
At the beginning of his speech, Sadie had continued to eat through it, but now, as his voice seemed to get rather solemn, she stopped and looked up, her grip tightening a little around her knife and fork. “Phil? What is it?” As a natural worrier, the worst cases were already flitting through her mind. This was it, he had cancer and they were all going to have to struggle through it and battle it with him. Kiara meanwhile tried her best to stay poker-faced, showing nothing of what she was feeling inside.
“I could’ve just done this at home really but… I don’t know. You two are pretty much my family now and, so I wanted you both to be here.”
“Phil?” said Sadie, getting more in a flap with every new word. “Please, what is all this about?”
“Well Sadie, it’s you I really need to ask about this.” He turned his eyes to her and reached quickly into his pocket. “It’s only a temporary one but…” In one swift motion, he had pushed his chair back and had tipped off of it, forward down onto his knees. It was so fast that Kiara wondered if he’d toppled by accident. The next few seconds suddenly gave her that inexorable feeling of sickness and horror in the pit of her stomach. Her limbs felt heavy, and an icy feeling of dread started creeping over her skin as she watched on.
“I love you Sadie Madement, more than any other woman I’ve ever known. I want to be with you forever, to wake up every day with you in my arms, to grow old with you and make you happy for the rest of our days. I want to be your family. I want to… be your husband.” By now he was genuflecting awkwardly up at her, as her expression changed from that of anxious, to purely joyful. She quickly emptied her hands and sat back, blinking hard down at her boyfriend of three years, giving the loveliest and most heartfelt speech she’d ever heard. Her heavy chin fell downwards as she reached out to look at the ring he was presenting her with. “Always” it said on it, a circle of diamonds glinting under the bright restaurant lighting. The blue sapphire stood out even more strongly than on the day it had when Phil had torn it from Kiara’s neck in his van. “Will you marry me?” His body tensed up slightly as he looked up at 1)Sadie, seeing her starting to melt at his words. For a moment, everything hung precariously in the balance: His future with them in his house, his continued enjoyment of Kiara’s young innocent body. It all depended on her answer.
Kiara looked on, in abject horror with every second that passed. Suddenly her cutlery felt like ton weights and her hands dropped till the silverware fell onto the tablecloth. Her shoulders began involuntarily shaking and she was short of breath. She grabbed blindly for her serviette and covered her mouth in case she might be sick then and there. “No,” she said quietly, even as the couple looked at each other, her mum’s eyes glimmering. He did have that ring after all. Her own precious gift she’d got from her boyfriend, the one thing she had left from him. With her wide hateful eyes, she’d recognised it at once. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t how it was meant to go. He’d promised. He’d fucking promised her that he would leave. Her eyes stung like they had acid in them, as her tears fought their way to the surface. She gulped hard, her arms feeling as dense as lead by now. She could only watch helplessly as her mum also began to sniffle from her tears of happiness, with Phil sliding the ring down her finger. Her lips were moving but Kiara’s hearing was totally failing her. This could not have been his plan. He was meant to be leaving! He was meant to be going out of their lives altogether! Not trying to get her mum down the aisle so he could ruin the whole rest of her life. “No,” she said again, but it only came out as a whisper, all strength gone.