Tentyrian Legacy (14 page)

Ari could tell Raad was worried for her.
“I’ll still be able to visit on the weekends, you know. It’s only a
sixty-five minute train ride from New York,” Ari said.

“That’s true. But I still can’t believe you
are starting your first job,” he said like a wistful father.

“I feel so lucky to even have a job. I know
I’m just an analyst, but I can’t wait to start!”

“You’ll need to be mindful of your schedule,
though. And ensure you maintain a work-life balance. College was
one thing. But working in a city with over eight million people is
different.”

“I know, I know. I’m going to stick to my
regimen,” she assured. “Have you been practicing the
filtering?”

“Yes . . . sort of,” Ari said cautiously.
“You know how quickly I can lose my hold on it. I think I’m getting
better. I practiced a little on Rosemary earlier this week. Can you
believe she is actually jealous of Charles and me? She is one of
the most beautiful people I’ve ever met, and she has a cute
boyfriend. But I heard what she thought. She wanted Charles for
herself. I mean, Rosemary never let on. And she would never say
anything like that to me . . .” Ari’s voice started to trail off.
“But still, I haven’t been able to look at her the same.” Ari
stared out the window, face expressionless.

“It’s a dangerous gift you have, but you will
only learn to control it better the more you practice.”

“Sometimes it’s just easier to shut it all
out. You know, actually be normal for a change.”

“True. But as I’m always telling you—you are
unique. And isn’t that better than being normal?”

“The jury is still out,” she replied as they
got out of the car and walked to meet her parents and Charles.

As they entered the cozy café, Ari saw her
parents already seated at a booth with Charles. They were laughing
as they shared a joke. He looked refined, as usual, in his crisp
suit that fit him like a glove and pink bespoke button-down. He
didn’t wear a tie, but a square of a pink paisley handkerchief
poked out from his pocket. Ari loved how classically handsome and
preppy he was. Raad gave him a once-over and thought he looked like
an idiot. Charles “Dumbmore” was more like it, he thought.

“It looks like you found each other,” said
Ari, surprised.

“Well when I saw your beautiful mother, I
recognized the resemblance immediately,” Charles answered.

Ari could tell her mother already adored him.
Charles smiled and got up to take Ari’s jacket. It was good he was
seeking her parents’ approval, but did he have to be so obvious? As
she shrugged out of her Chanel tweed, she knew she was being
sensitive. Just because she disliked her parents, she reminded
herself, she shouldn’t begrudge Charles for trying.

“I must say, Arianna, this is an interesting
place you chose,” sniffed Gloria in obvious displeasure. Her bottle
of hand sanitizer was within hand’s reach.

“It’s not Le Cirque, but I promise the food
is delicious,” Ari reassured.

The no-nonsense waitress soon arrived to take
their orders: smoked salmon for Walter, fresh fruit and a fat-free
cappuccino for Gloria, the Mediterranean omelet for Raad, two
scrambled eggs and bacon for Charles, and steak (very rare) and
eggs for Ari along with hash browns, toast, orange juice, and
tea.

“Well I hope your diet improves now that you
are done with college,” said Gloria, appalled by Ari’s robust
order. Since leaving her parents’ home, Ari never held back on what
she ate. Food gave her immense pleasure, and she loved cooking it.
She felt it was a shame to put rules around so satisfying an
activity. Plus, she had enough daily rules to follow. And everyone
had a vice—hers was food. When her waist started to object, maybe
she’d tone it down. But at a size four, Ari wasn’t complaining.

“Excellent speech, Arianna,” said her father,
more to his Black-Berry than to her as he took a quick scroll
through his e-mails.

“I’m sorry I missed it, but from what you
read to me, I bet it was great,” said Charles, putting an arm
around Ari’s shoulders.

“So Charles, what is it that you do? Ari
indicated you were a bit older?” asked Raad stiffly. He obviously
wanted to grill him.

“I’m twenty-seven, sir, and I’m an investment
banker,” answered Charles.

“And what are your intentions towards Ari?”
asked Raad bluntly. That raised eyebrows from all around the
table.

“Dr. Raad, isn’t that bold? We don’t want to
give the poor boy a heart attack,” soothed Gloria.

“Yes we do,” Raad replied. “And so, what are
your intentions?” In truth, Ari wasn’t surprised. Raad saw her not
as a patient to protect but as a daughter. She simply rolled her
eyes.

“Well, we are dating for now, seriously of
course, and now that Ari is moving to the City we’ll be seeing a
lot more of each other,” Charles replied smoothly.

“And it’s not like we are moving in
together,” interjected Ari. “Well that’s good, because it would be
completely inappropriate,”

Raad said sternly.

Attempting to lighten the mood, Gloria
inquired into Charles’ family. The Dunmores were Boston based and
could trace their lineage all the way back to the Mayflower. His
family’s businesses stretched from real estate to tire
manufacturing plants that had been passed down from generation to
generation. He was good stock, in Gloria’s opinion. Charles clearly
endeared himself to her and even Walter. But the way Charles
casually draped his arm around Ari irked Raad. He didn’t care how
much money this kid had or if his family had sailed the Mayflower
to the moon. Any man meeting a woman’s family for the first time
should be nervous. He wanted to see Charles sweat bullets.

“So you said you are in investment banking,
Charles?” asked Raad, interrupting the pleasant interlude with the
Parkers. They were discussing where Charles’ family vacationed in
the Vineyard.

“Yes, sir, I am.”

“And what do you specialize in?” “Financial
institutions.”

“Have you worked on any interesting deals
recently?”

“We’re in the process of looking at acquiring
some firms in the mortgage and loan industry. I believe there are
some great opportunities in mortgage-backed securities.
Historically speaking, I think it’s a win for investors and for
us.”

“And why is that?” Raad asked.

“Home prices keep rising. And everyone wants
a piece of the American dream. The opportunities are endless,”
Charles answered easily.

“Right, except a lot of people can’t afford
that dream. So then what?” asked Raad frankly, taking a sip of his
coffee. There was an awkward silence. Ari was frowning at him. He
knew he wasn’t on his best behavior, but he just wanted to protect
Ari. And where had this guy even come from?

Just three months ago, Ari was solely focused
on finding a job, pounding the pavement in New York City for
interviews. And then she bumps into this guy at the train station
and now he has his arm around her? He was seven years her senior;
Ari wasn’t even old enough to drink alcohol, for God’s sake. Yet
everyone sat around the table acting like it was fine, while Raad
played the disgruntled old man.

“So, considering you are seven years older
than Ari, do you ever find that age difference difficult? What do
your friends think?” Raad asked, attempting but failing to lighten
his tone.

“Well, I think we all know how mature Ari is.
When I first met her, I would have never guessed she was only
twenty. To me, age is just a number. We have so much in common too.
Ari is more than a girlfriend; she is a real friend. And as for my
friends, they haven’t gotten to know her yet. But they will—and I
know they’ll love her as much as I do.”

Gloria smiled at his impassioned speech, and
Ari looked at Charles lovingly. Yep, Raad was definitely being the
disgruntled old man.

The plates were cleared, and Walter paid the
bill. Ari inhaled her meal. Her parents’ food was barely touched.
Ari said her farewell to her parents—an air kiss from her mother
and an awkward side hug from her father ensued. As they climbed
into the waiting car, her parents said they’d come visit her
apartment once she settled in. Ari, Charles, and Dr. Raad stood on
the sidewalk.

“So when do the movers come?” Raad asked.

“Around three. I’m pretty much all packed up.
Charles took the rest of the day off to help me.”

“I can help too. I know moves aren’t easy, no
matter how organized you think you are,” offered Raad.

“That’s okay. I know you need to get back to
the dogs and your work,” Ari said as she put her arm around him.
She knew he was worried, but he had to relax. In time, she truly
believed he’d grow to like Charles. She was in love with him. Raad
gave her a big bear hug.

“Be cautious, Ari. That’s all I want. And
remember—you have a gift. Use it,” he said to her.

Ari watched the closest thing she had to a
real father walk away in the same old scuffed shoes she had never
seen him without. Charles took her hand and led her to his Range
Rover to head back to campus. Raad wanted her to use her gift on
Charles. Yet she purposely didn’t. She told herself it was because
she hadn’t fully controlled her power and she didn’t want to risk
having a relapse. It was kind of like controlling a dam. Although
she had built strong walls, she could also accidentally open the
floodgates—and once open, it was incredibly difficult to get them
closed again. However, Ari knew the real reason she hadn’t read
Charles’ mind. It was because she was afraid of what she would
find.

When they arrived back at Ari’s room, it was
empty, with the exception of her boxes and the three stripped beds.
Rosemary and Jayne had already left, but the trio said their
farewells the night prior. They were also moving to New York City,
so they planned to catch up soon over drinks at the Gansevoort
Hotel. Ari hoped she wouldn’t have to use her fake ID—being so
young definitely had its disadvantages.

“Well, babe, looks like you’re all packed.
What do you want to do?” asked Charles.

“I’d say we should go for a walk outside,
except it looks like it’s about to rain,” Ari said as she touched
her fingers to the cool glass of her gabled window that looked out
onto the street packed with moving vans. It was bittersweet
leaving, but she was ready. “We could play backgammon,” she said
cheerily. “I’m pretty sure the set is at the top of one of these
boxes.” Ari started to inspect the various boxes she had
methodically labeled.

“We could do that, or we could do something
else,” Charles said mischievously as he pulled Ari into a deep
kiss. She loved the way Charles made her feel: sexy and desired.
But she hated how she always had to play the referee. He gently
guided her over to the empty bed and lay down next to her, not
stopping his kisses or his caresses.

“Charles, you know how much I love this, and
you. But I want to wait.” He let out a groan like a man
experiencing acute stomach pain.

“I know, Ari, and I respect that. You just
drive me wild. And I want to love you. Really love you . . .”

“For now, what we have is enough for me.
Plus, having sex on my roommate’s old and well-used mattress is
kinda gross,” she joked.

“Fine, you win. But you won’t win at
backgammon,” said Charles playfully.

They passed the next couple of hours playing
intently. Ari annihilated Charles. At the end of the first game, he
was annoyed. By game three, he was obviously frustrated. At game
four, Ari purposely lost. Charles looked like he’d blow a gasket
otherwise.

“Ah ha! Finally,” he said triumphantly. “I’ve
been out of practice. I haven’t played in years. It’s finally
coming back to me.”

“Wow, I didn’t even see that coming,” said
Ari. She figured his ego needed a little stroking.

“Well the truth is—I was going easy on you,”
he said.

“I’d say we should play more, but the movers
should be here any minute,” Ari replied quickly.

They were packing the game up just as Two Men
and a Truck arrived. Loading the items into the truck went by
faster than expected. Ari didn’t have much, as she was planning on
purchasing the furniture and items she needed after she got to the
apartment. Ari wanted to absorb the space first before she made any
hasty purchases. A blow-up air mattress would do just fine for
now.

Charles and Ari followed behind the moving
truck, but it was a slow-moving drive, especially in the rain.
“Thanks for helping today; I really appreciate it, Charles,” said
Ari.

“Yep, no problem, babe,” he said
dismissively. Charles turned up the music slightly, using the
control on the steering wheel with his thumb. Did he want to listen
to music instead of talking to her?

“So how do you think meeting my parents
went?” Ari asked. “Fine. I think they liked me, don’t you?”

“Yes, I think they did, they really did. Raad
will just take a little longer to warm up to you.”