Is it Awkward for You?

~ ZARA ~

When they told me that Emory, Lizbeth, and I were having dinner alone with David, at first I was hugely relieved. After all, no witnesses, no dignitaries, no responsibilities… just David. Right?

But I sat at the end of the long dining table, David to my left, Emory directly across from me, and Lizbeth next to her.

David looked like he hadn't slept in a couple of days, and that was worrying me. But I couldn't ask, because that was going to look like I was just trying to be intimate with him in front of the others.

Lizbeth kept smiling too brightly and bringing up random conversation starters, her eyes growing a hair more desperate with every chat that fizzled out after two or three brief exchanges.

And Emory was just pale and quiet. She barely looked at David, and when she caught my eyes, it was always to let her gaze drop again immediately.