Reiner - Wedding Date

Reiner looked up to see his parents already seated at their regular places at the dining table. Rachael greeted them happily and both of them smiled to welcome her. She really does feel like a part of the family, just like the old days. Perhaps nothing here had changed at all and the one who had changed was him. Suddenly, he felt quite out of place in his own home.

“You haven’t visited us for a while. I really miss you; you know?” Queen said before smiling her pretty smile at Rachael.

“Sorry about that. I was away on a trip with some friends and so I just got back,” Rachael replied.

“I see. Well, why don’t we eat first before we chat. I’m sure that you’re already hungry,” Queen suggested as she gestured with her hand to the bunch of dishes prepared and laid out on the dining table.

“Thank you…” Rachael replied.

Reiner watched the whole conversation unfold without feeling any sense of engagement. As far as he was aware, he wasn’t needed here, and he couldn’t wait for this dinner to be over and done with. He glanced over at his father’s stern face and knew that he had something to say but was just waiting for the right moment to voice it. He also knew that it wasn’t anything good.

Queen and Rachael chatting like girls usually would. Talking about random things and giggling as if they were in their own little world while he stuffed tasteless food into his mouth. His father looked stern as he also ate his food silently. Reiner wondered what his old man was thinking.

“How is your mother doing?” Queen asked.

Reiner sat up a little straighter in his seat at the mention of Rachael’s mother. Rachel’s father was his father’s good friend when he was still alive, and Rachael’s mother was also around a lot when Reiner was younger. He respected her quite a bit for how well she ran her household and managed her husband’s various affairs. She was a very strong woman until she suffered from an illness a couple of years ago. At least, that was what his mother had told him.

“She’s well enough these days. Thanks to the foreign doctors that King helped to fly in,” Rachael replied before nodding towards King.

“Well, we’re always happy to help out,” Queen replied.

The conversation steered in a random direction again and Reiner’s attention started shifting elsewhere.

He looked out the dining room’s window to the garden outside. It was already dark by that time and Reiner wondered where Natalia was. Is she working at the bar right around now? How is she going to get back home? She has Queen’s car with her, right?

“Knight. Knight?”

Rachael’s sweet voice calling his name and the sensation of someone tugging on his arm softly brought him back to the reality in front of him. His father stared sternly at him, and he was at a loss as to what had just happened.

“Sorry. You were saying?” Reiner asked as he struggled to focus.

His father narrowed his blue eyes at him, and he knew that the part he dreaded most about today’s dinner had arrived.

“About the date for your wedding, have you two decided?” King asked in a serious tone.

Reiner’s face immediately turned into an emotionless mask. He had anticipated that King would ask something along these lines. Actually, that was probably King’s only reason for attending this dinner with them. He wasn’t a man who liked to socialize and no matter how much he adored Rachael as his best friend’s only daughter, he wouldn’t want to sit through a session of girl talk over dinner like this.

“Honey…the two has just reunited, I’m sure there’s no need to rush…” Queen jumped in with her honey-coated voice before laughing softly.

“I didn’t ask for your opinion,” King stated sternly as he flashed a look of warning to his wife.

Queen bit her lower lip as she glanced nervously in her son’s direction.

“Mother’s right. I think that it might be too soon to discuss the date of our wedding. I’ve just returned and so has Rachael,” Reiner quickly agreed with her mother.

“I don’t mind. I mean, we’ve known each other since we were kids. I’ve known Knight since forever so…I don’t mind proceeding right away,” Rachael said brightly before turning to smile up at Reiner.

“I see. I’ve always thought that you were a very reasonable girl, Rachael,” King offered her his compliment.

“Of course. I actually don’t want to put this off anymore…” Rachael replied a little shyly.

“Knight?” King called his son, prompting for his response.

“I’ll discuss this with Rachael, and I’ll let you know,” Reiner said flatly.

Queen stared at her son from across the table before sucking in a breath and closing her eyes before letting it out in a long but silent sigh. Reiner didn’t miss the look of stress and disappointment on his mother’s face. It seemed like everyone wanted different things from him and he was reaching the point where he didn’t know what to do anymore.

He turned to stare into Rachael’s smiling face as she continued beaming her smile at him. She has a beautiful smile, he thought, before wondering how much longer she would be able to smile like that.

There was another smile that he longed to see, and it wasn’t the one shining brightly in front of his face right now.

Now that King had what he wanted, the conversation conveniently shifted away to something random again. King quickly excused himself and Reiner wished with all his heart that he could do the same.

Instead, he was stuck there until the two women have had enough of their catching up. Rachael got along famously well with most people and so did Queen which meant that those two got along super well with each other.

“I should go now. I’m sure King has somethings that he wishes to discuss with me. You two, enjoy your dinner,” Queen said as she excused herself.

--To be continued…