That is on them

Anthony was a bit confused at Rebecca's reaction to his inquiry about her brother's plans for dinner. Although he could tell that she was upset, he couldn't quite understand why. But he didn't want it to affect the rest of their day and most certainly not their planned evening. He was looking much too forward to eating the meal made by Rebecca to want to ruin it over a single question. Instead of prying and potentially making things worse by still not understanding, he decided to try and lift the mood back up. He smiled broadly and poked her cheek with a single mischievous finger.

When Rebecca turned around and looked at him with a confused stare he chuckled and said, "I see. Well, eighteen or not, if I was him, I would never pick eating with someone else over eating dinner with you. If given the choice, I would eat every meal with you every day for as long as you would allow me to. So, a thought like him having other plans didn't occur to me."

While Rebecca was looking at him wide eyed over what Anthony was able to say without blinking or blushing, he decided to shoot another arrow at the already barely managing heart of Rebecca. With a pensive look and ending his words with a chuckle he said, "But then again, I guess if I was him then that would create some other problems for me." It took Rebecca a second to realize the underlying meaning to Anthony's words, she started to blush and returned her gaze back to her steaming cup of tea that she was holding onto for dear life. While his first words could still be interpreted as him seeing her as a little sister, this sentence brought her back to that twilight zone of hope. The place where things could go either way.

Meanwhile Anthony had begun staring at the ceiling as he was thinking of an alternative solution, where he could have the perks of being her brother but not the limitations that came with it. While Rebecca's heart was still in a frenzy, Anthony said, "Well how about this. Instead of me trying to envision what life would be like if I had been in your brother's place, let me try to take some of the privilege he seems to be able to do without. If in the future, there are other situations where he is unable or unwilling to spend time with you or share a meal with you, let me take his place. Anytime, anyplace, all you need to do is give me a call." With another chuckle he added, "I'll even settle for a message or a clear hint."

Rebecca looked at him in silence for a moment. She was trying to see if he was being serious, trying to take his words in. But no matter how long she stared, Anthony did not avert his gaze. He kept looking back with a kind and patient smile without saying a word. His head resting on his arm, while his arm was leaning on the back of the couch as he was sitting sideways, looking, waiting.

After a few seconds, after she hadn't been able to detect a single trace of doubt in Anthony's eyes, Rebecca responded to his proposition with a simple head nod before turning her face back. Anthony did not give her a hard time over agreeing like this and took the approval in the same way he had taken everything else Rebecca had told him. With a smile and a deep level of understanding. He nodded as well and said, "Good, that's a deal then." He wanted to continue the conversation when his phone began to ring. They both immediately glanced down at the screen of his phone and simultaneously said, "Boss" when they saw Noah's name on the display. Meaning that the time for the call they had been waiting for, had come.

Noah of course called Anthony to find out what he had managed to discover and what he had done since they last spoke. Anthony quickly picked up the phone and after some greetings back and forth, he then communicated what he had found out and told Noah that he had sent everything to Joe. Noah nodded and said, "Good. I would have indeed done the same. You have done well. There have been plenty of victims from all of this already, I don't want to add any more. Olivia's parents aren't saints, certainly not, but I don't want to drag them down as well just because I have problems with their daughter. If the authorities decide to look into her parents' business after they find out about what their daughter has been up to or by anything that gets discussed during her case, then that is on them, not us."