If That's All There Is

6. Disconnected but merging

Jay scraped the knife on the china plate in front of him, his mother laughing away with one of Drew's jokes. The wine in his glass wasn't enough to dull the pain and boredom of the dinner party. Liana was still as uptight as ever. Everything lined up perfectly on the table, scented candles and instrumental music setting the tone of the evening. He eyed Audra, her back straight and vision stuck to the half-eaten plate as she pushed her food around.

"I always hoped that Audra would end up with one of my older boys." Sol blurted out her thoughts, mouth full of food. Her cheeks puffed out like a hamster storing food as she smiled. She'd emphasised how she would rather his older brothers be with Audra and not him.

Jay's eyes flitted to Audra's, the wine she sipped catching in her throat, causing her to cough. "Not those thugs." She laughed off the statement, the room turning awkwardly quiet. "Your boys are lovely, just not my type Sol." She backtracked, not quite sure what landmine she'd stepped on.

Drew scoffed, a crooked smile stretching his lips. "Didn't you used to have a crush on Audra?" He shovelled a mouthful of food and sat back in his chair. The arrogance dripped off him as he lounged in his spot.

"Most of the guys at school liked Audra." Just saying the words made him feel jealous of the fact. She was kind to everyone she met and carried herself in a way no one could ever forget. He was shocked that she'd come from this family.

"Well, Audra's seeing someone, just a little bump in the road. I'm sure she'll work it out." Liana cut the thick steak on her plate, her focus on trying not to damage the white dinnerware.

"Oh, you're seeing someone?" Jay couldn't help but ask, the abrupt tone in his voice giving away the annoyance in it. His mother tapped his knee beside her under the table and gave him a comforting squeeze on his arm.

"I'm not." Audra tossed the clothed napkin from her lap onto the table. "Liana." Her phone rang for the fifth time that evening. The glare she sent Liana now trained on the device in her palm.

His phone buzzed in his pocket for the twelfth time. The group chat with his friends full of banter, undoubtedly asking him if he was still alive. He held his hand to his pocket to silence the sound, his eyes wandering back to Audra across the table from him. The dim glow of her phone shone on her pale face, teeth chewing on her bottom lip. He can hear her hurried tapping from his seat, wondering who could warrant that type of reaction from her.

"Audra, just answer his call." Liana placed her wine glass down, red liquid sloshing over the rimmed edge. "Don't know why you don't apologise to him."

Her head snapped up, fingers paused mid-text, phone lighting up as the caller rung again. "Excuse me. I have to take this call." Her voice was soft-spoken and barely there, but he could hear the tremble in it. Liana shook her head, resuming her conversation with Drew and Sol.

Jay felt disconnected from the others at the table, Audra tried her best to include him in the chatter, but he could tell it was more of her way of getting out of participating in it. He wondered how long it'd been since she'd sat across from him.

"So, how's your tech club going?" Drew rested his elbow on the table and forced a fake smile.

"You mean my company? The one I built off my back without any qualifications?" Jay knew he was provoking him, but he couldn't help but bite back. "How's that masters going? I heard you had to redo a year."

The smile dropped from Drew's face, a genuine one plastering over Jay's at his sudden triumph. He watched him squirm in his seat, "it must be hard all that research." He thought it was best to soften the blow.