PARADISE | Caught In The Fire

When Birthdays aren't happy ( Part two)

Caiden passed through the chairs to land next to Thomas and besides Isabelle. The silence was still floating in space. Katherine was looking at Paradise who was looking at her father.  Oliver and Sarah were just staring at their plates and Sarah smiled at Isaac whose eyes landed on the stares of Paradise. Aiden was whipping his little's sister mouth and Rosè was already used to the usual awkwardness of the family and the strange presence of Caiden, but she preferred to focus on that rather than looking at Aiden . Isabelle sensed the awkwardness as she caught it and asked everyone to start eating before the food gets cold.

" We would like to thank you all for the night, and Happy birthday to the most beautiful and amazing young lady Paradise. I hope that you have nothing but luck and happiness in your life darling" Sarah said trying to warm the setting. 

Paradise smiled warmly " Thank you, it means a lot"

" It is a blessing having all of the family here, we don't get to gather every day like this, once your kids grow up and starts to have their own lives you start to miss them every single day" Isabelle said with her usual rested smile.

" You all literally live in the same house" Rosé said under her breath

David was eating his food silently not engaging in the conversation like Isabelle wished. She eyed him waiting for him to speak like usual but he sat in his place unbothered with the world around him. 

" Family is the most important thing in your life, no one will protect you or love you like your family does. So one day when you go out and have a family of your own you should keep that in your mind." Isabelle looked between Isaac and Paradise.

" And sorry for the delay, Caiden was stuck in the traffic on his way" Isabelle, amd Caiden remained silent as he twisted his fork left and right. acting as if he wasn't paying attention when in reality he was paying attention to all of the playing and acting that everyone was doing and while Paradise was imagining shoving the cake into Isabelle's throat Caiden was fantasizing about turning this table over everyone's head.  

The air was stiff while everyone was waiting for Caiden to reply.

He was about to stand, and leave the dinner,  but his eyes fell on Paradise and he was able to read the disappointment and the hidden frustrations in her green eyes that looked excatly like his. He always knew that she looked at him in such way and even though she never said it he knew that she must at least for once in her life wished that he was different, or a different person. Maybe she wished for Thomas or for Oliver to be her father . He wanted to leave the table, to not speak with anyone and to just disappear.

Paradise was never able to understand why is he so broken over the fact that her mother left them...

Lily left them and went on to have her own life . 

Caiden left them but he wasn't gone. 

Always close but never reachable.

" How are your parents Rosé?" Caiden asked softly " I've seen Emily's show last week, it was great"

" They are doing great. Mum would be pleased to hear this, she worked really hard on the designs"

" Jonathan is living in Dubai now, right? " Thomas stated.

" Yes, Dad has been living there for the past three years "

" Have you ever though of  moving with him" Katherine asked surprising Rosé who looked uncomfortable at the question. Her eyes avoided the gaze of Aiden.Rosè waited for couple of seconds, she wanted to leave, to disappear, to never be talked with or looked at.

" Not really, no" Rosè said hesitant and Thomas changed the conversation talking with Oliver about his teaching experience in Japan, and the culture there.