A Family Dinner (Friday, afternoon)

[Sharise]

[Omg. lmao Poor Teddy. XD How old are the girls now?]

Teddy didn't even have time to think about what Tin's expression meant when screams wafted down the stairs. Blue eyes went wide with shock as a herd of girls surrounded the boy.

"Uhm..." Teddy stammered, obviously amused. He remembered the triplets well. "Hugs?" The word fell out of his mouth before he could think it through. Who wanted hugs for a gift?

[Cres]

[[hehehe yeah - the screaming triplets. They're in that age. 6-7 years old, if my memory serves me correctly.]]

Sweetheart, who had stopped to the doorway, a little breathless, smiled. The girls all choired "eeee" and all jumped Teddy together, hugging him from all sides and giving him kisses.

"Girls, girls," their father reprimanded them. "Not so much screaming."

"Yeah, you'll scare him away," Sweetheart added as she walked to the sofa, her face alight with laughter.

[Sharise]

[[Aww, so cute. lol Especially sense Teddy loves kids.]]

Teddy started laughing as the girls jumped him. They had gotten so big since the last time he saw them. They looked just like Sweetheart.

Using much skill and maneuvering, Teddy managed to sneak a peek at Sweetheart. He threw a wink her way and smiled.

[Cres]

[[awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww *draws little hearts in the air* *lol*]]

Sweetheart beamed as Teddy handled the triplets so well, and she replied his smile and wink with a happy smile. She loved children tremendously, and none so much as her little sisters.

"Why don't you ever come round Teddy? Sweetheart always talks about you," said Sugar, the one with the same curly hair as Sweetheart, her eyes very wide as she made her way into Teddy's lap, wrapping her hands around him. Peaches and Sprinkles settled for the second place half on his knees and half on the sofa.

"Yeah, she's painted you too," Peaches said with a knowing voice. "I saw it, I saw it!"

"Peaches!" Sweetheart gasped, her face suddenly all as pink red as her hair.

Tin raised an eyebrow, and Sweetheart's blush deepened.

[Sharise]

"I'm sorry." Teddy pouted. "I promise to come around more often. Okay?" He smiled through the playful pout.

He couldn't help but to laugh as Peaches gave away one of Sweetheart's secrets. "Really?" He smiled, and blushed a little as well. "I'll have to see that one day." He looked at Sweetheart again, still slightly flushed.

[Cres]

Sweetheart felt so flustered she could hardly speak. She looked at her father, who actually looked amused right now, and then back to Teddy, and finally managed to give just the slightest of laughs. She didn't quite know what to think of what he had said. She didn't remember when she had last seen him blush. She hoped he wouldn't get freaked out, and felt she needed to explain, but didn't know how.

"I can show it to you after dinner... if you really truly want... but it's not really... I mean, I drew it last summer, when I was..."

But the critical sentence was broken by Mrs Rosacci's voice from the kitchen.

"Dinnertime!" she called out, and they could all see her go through the hallway from the kitchen to the dining room, carrying a nice-smelling roast, smiling widely to Teddy and the triplets on her way. "Sweetheart, I need you in the kitchen," she called out as she vanished into the dining room.

Sweetheart, feeling rather relieved over not having to continue her fumbling explanation though on the other hand a little sad that they had been interrupted, turned round at once and hurried to help her mother set the foods on the table.

Tin got up and dusted his pants off.

"Now, girls, time to go eat," he told the triplets.

"Only if Teddy takes us on his back!" Peaches announced, hanging onto Teddy's sleeve. "We want a ride! We want a ride!"

Soon enough, the two other girls joined in on the chorus, demanding Teddy to give them a ride on his back.

[Sharise]

Teddy smiled at Sweetheart, knowing how she must have felt. He actually felt honored that she had drawn him, or painted him, or whatever it was that she did.

As the triplets demanded a ride to the dinning room, he laughed. "As you wish, ladies." With that, he got down on all fours. He had no problem making an ass of himself, he just hoped that Mr. Rosacci wouldn't mind either.

[Cres]

The triplets screamed with enthusiasm as Teddy got down and let them climb up. They fought for a while for who got to sit first, but finally it was Peaches. It always seemed to be Peaches or Sugar.

Mr Rosacci had to laugh a little. Well, it seemed like this boy at least had no problem with children. Which was always a good thing. Then he grew a bit more serious again. But was he qualified? Did he have a job? Or did he plan on a good career? Well, he would certainly keep his eyes on the boy now, it was obvious to him that Sweetheart liked him.

Tin couldn't understand why the girl didn't like any of the young men he had introduced to her over time.

Sweetheart, who was carrying the salad bowl from kitchen to the dining room, glanced into the living room on her way past, and laughed when she saw what Teddy was doing.

"Oh, Teddy, you shouldn't let them boss you around!" she told him before vanishing into the dining room. "They get their way here enough as it is."

"What?" Mrs Rosacci asked and peaked her head out from the dining room. Her eyes went wide when she saw what the triplets were doing. She let out a long string of something in Italian - which sounded a lot like cursing - and hurried into the living room. "Get down, you little beasts, that's no way to treat our guest, now, off with you, into the dining room, and quickly, or there'll be no ice cream! Rapido!"

The girls pouted, but knew better than to argue with their mother. They got down from Teddy's back and ran to the dining room. Mrs Rosacci took Teddy's arm and pulled him up.

"Really, Sweetheart's right," she said as she started - apparently unconsciously - dusting him off from various places, and even correcting his hair a little. "You shouldn't let them walk all over you. It's enough that Tinny does that, don't you, dear, oh, don't look like that, you know what I mean. You just bought them those new toys just last week just because they were insisting. You know they're not going to get everything in life for free, they should learn that well in advance. Are you all right now, Teddy? They didn't break anything, did they? My, don't you look all big and handsome, you're taller than me now! Tinny dear, doesn't he look handsome? Oh, Sweetheart, will you get the spaghetti, I'll bring the sauce. You two men get to the table, and Tinny, no funny business with the seating now, let the young couple sit together."

And she was off again toward the kitchen, having left Teddy with a completely different hair arrangement than a moment before.

Sweetheart was giggling as she followed her mother into the kitchen.

[Sharise]

Once again, Teddy found himself unable to get a word in inch wise and Mrs. Rosacci went about fussing over him and everything that was going on. He smiled warmly as the woman spoke and toyed with his hair. He had no idea what he looked like in the end, but he knew it was not the way he looked upon arrival.

Turning to Tin, he was unsure of what to say. So he simply settled for a smile and a nod of the head to signify that he'd fallow the man into the dining room.

[Cres]

Mr Rosacci smiled with mild amusement and walked to the dining room with Teddy. He showed the boy a place at the table next to his own seat on one of the long ends, while he himself took his usual place at the end of the table. The triplets had already taken their seats side by side opposite side to Teddy. The table was huge, and every seat had been set with fine tableware. After the triplets, Tin and Teddy had taken their seats, there was still five places left empty.

Mrs Rosacci and Sweetheart ran back and forth between kitchen and dining room, until the entire meal was set - it consisted of huge amounts of food that felt like it might have fed fifteen people.

After all the things were in place, Sweetheart took a seat next to Teddy, and Mrs Rosacci sat at the opposite side of her husband at the other end of the table.

"Now," Mr Rosacci said, then seemed to realise that something was missing and frowned, looking at his wife. "Where's Dan? Wasn't he coming? I'm sure I told him to come."

Mrs Rosacci seemed slightly nervous.

"I don't know," she said, then looked at her daughter. "Have you heard from him, dear?"

Sweetheart, who knew well her brother's resentment toward these family dinners, shook her head quietly.

"No," she replied. "I haven't seen him whole day. I think he was going somewhere with Chip."

Mr Rosacci seemed very annoyed, very annoyed indeed. But he didn't say anything, instead he straightened his back and scowled around.

"Well, I guess we had best start the dinner without him before it gets cold. You," he looked at Teddy, "would you mind saying grace?"

"But Tin, he's a guest," Mrs Rosacci said reproachfully.

Tin shrugged.

"That is why I thought he might have the honour," he said. "Especially now that Dan isn't here."

[Sharise]

Teddy smiled at Sweetheart as she sat beside him. But the smile slowly faded when Dan's name was brought up. He secretly hoped that the man wouldn't show. Things were already awkward enough.

Or so he thought.

Tin's request made Teddy flinch, but only mentally. This situation could have gotten really bad... but thankfully his father had forced him how to say grace. That was probably the only good thing his father ever did.

Forcing back memories of his father, Teddy nodded. "Yes, Sir." He clasped his hands in front of him, making sure not to rest his elbows on the table, and closed his eyes. He then proceeded to recite a rather impressive grace. Though not too over the top. "Amen." With that being said, the boy opened his eyes and unclasped his hands. He hoped that was okay.

[Cres]

Sweetheart at first watched in surprise as Teddy recited familiar words, blinking just a little to his very humble way of doing it, then she herself bowed her head as well. Secretly she smiled and glanced up to his father, who seemed rather impressed with Teddy's performance. Which made Sweetheart a little resentful toward his father - because it meant he must have deliberately chosen Teddy to test him. She didn't say anything, though. She knew her father would only get horribly mad at him.

"Good. Thank you, Teddy," Tin said after Teddy was done, and cleared his throat. "Now, let's eat before it gets cold."

"Yes, let's," Mrs Rosacci said and looked at Teddy while all the family members started to get food on their plates. "Now, Teddy, tell me a little bit about yourself. You have grown so much, I hardly recognised you!"

[Sharise]

Teddy smiled slightly and looked at Sweetheart out of the corner of his eye. So far things were going well.

He was about to scoop some food onto his plate when Mrs. Rosacci turned her attention to him. Setting his plate back down, he looked at her and smiled. "Thank you." He was at a loss of words. What should he tell them? Or better yet, what did they want to know?

[Cres]

There was an awkward silence, as the entire family waited. All their eyes were fixed on Teddy, and Sweetheart got nervous for the boy, realising suddenly that it might not have been such a smart idea after all to bring him there. She tried desperately to think of something she might continue the conversation with, or maybe direct it someplace else.

When Mrs Rosacci realised that Teddy wasn't saying anything, she smiled and turned to one of her unanswered questions: "So tell me about this place you share with Ace, where exactly is it?"

[Sharise]

"Oh." Teddy was thankful that Mrs. Rosacci had asked another question. The silence was beginning to get to him. "I don't live with Ace." He shook his head. "Actually, we barely talk anymore... I guess it has to do with growing up." He shrugged and continued. "I live with my friend, Bp.. well.. Baby. We've been best friends since she moved here."

He knew how bad that must have sounded, but he didn't let it show. In fact, he refused to show any signs of anxiety at all.