Enamour [boyxboy]

Chapter 34 - To New Beginnings

           

Chapter 34

To New Beginnings

•Ethan's POV•

The restaurant was all dark wood and blood-red velvet and candle centerpieces.

The place smelt gorgeous, and was definitely the fanciest restaurant I had ever been to. I was certain that the bill would end up close to the two-hundred-dollar mark, but since Mom had gained her flight attendant job, I guess we could afford it occasionally now.

We even had a reservation for three under 'Ryder', in a booth by the tinted window on the street-side.

It wasn't long until a waiter came to take our order for our entrées while placing down a complimentary baguette, jug of cold sparkling water, and an ice-bucket with a bottle of unopened champagne resting inside.

"A whole bottle?" I question Mom. She really was going all out tonight.

She gives me a slight smile, and hushes her voice just slightly. "Don't tell anyone, but I thought you could have a glass or two with me, celebrate a little."

I don't object as she pours me a glass, then pours herself one, all the while Zoe is pouting at not getting some. I chuckle a little.

"Don't you think you're a bit young?" I ask her.

She shakes her head sarcastically. "Hardly."

I offer her my glass. "How about you take a sip and see if you like it."

Zoe hesitates a moment before taking a sip, and by the scrunched-up look of disgust on her face, I was surprised she didn't spit it straight back into the glass.

Mom chuckles from her seat opposite Zoe and I as she raises her glass while I take mine off Zoe and raise it. We clink glasses.

"Cheers," Mom says. "To new beginnings."

"To new beginnings," I echo as I realise this 'celebratory dinner' was to mark the final end of our parents' divorce. It was sad, but it was for the better.

The waiter arrives then, dropping off our entrées and then taking our orders for our mains.

"I don't want you kids to think that I'm over the moon that my marriage is over," Mom says after taking a bite from her entrée. "It truly is heartbreaking, to have such a long period of my life end. But, I have you little rays of sunshine here with me, and a great job, and I truly couldn't be happier."

I try to discreetly wipe away a tear that had formed in my eye, but Mom catches me. "It's all for the better," I say, and Zoe nods along genuinely as she eats her entrée.

A few minutes of silence pass as we finish off our entrées and our mains arrive with the waiter.

The waiter asks, as he is taking our empty entrée dishes and placing down our mains at the same time, "I'll be back in ten minutes to take your dessert orders."

Mom speaks up, "actually, can we take the bill after this?"

The waiter nods enthusiastically. "Of course," he says, before taking away our dishes.

Zoe whines, "aww, but Mom, dessert is the best part."

I couldn't agree more.

"Give me a minute to explain will you," Mom says, taking a bite of her main. "I thought stopping for ice cream on the way home would be better."

I also couldn't agree more to that, and neither could Zoe, if her approving moan and nod while she takes a huge bite of her main is any indication.

"So," Mom says sincerely between bites, "how are you, after the whole Jake thing?"

Since Mom had been working on and off since the wedding weekend, we hadn't had the actual chance to talk and go over things. I had been bottling most of it up inside. But I had been yearning to talk to Mom about it. She was always the best shoulder to cry on.

I kept the tears at bay though. "I think things are over." My heart ached. I wasn't so sure at all how things were really.

"On a lighter note," Zoe says as we are all finishing off our food. "My little garden looks spectacular!" she states proudly.

"Oh," Mom exclaims excitedly. "Have you finished it? I haven't seen it since you started to plant those gorgeous pink ones."

"Not quite," Zoe says. "I still have a couple more to plant, and a few pots that'll be empty."

Mom finishes off the final bite of her meal. "Well, how about we visit some stores tomorrow to find some plants to fill those pots, and maybe we could get a few decorations while we're at it?"

Zoe can hardly contain her grin. "That sounds perfect."

- - - - -

We stop at the twenty-four-hour diner on the way home for ice cream.

"Ethan, my baby!" Tyler shouts enthusiastically as we enter the diner, despite the few people looking between us, including my mother.

I roll my eyes. "It's nice to see you, Tyler."

"You too, gorgeous." He finishes wiping up a milkshake cup and throws the tea-towel over his shoulder. "What can I get for you lovely looking people?" he asks as we reach the part of the counter that has a freezer inside it, displaying several different flavours of ice cream.

"Ice cream, please!" Zoe says excitedly.

"Only for you, cutie." He picks up a waffle cone and the ice cream scoop. "What would you like?"

Zoe 'hum's and 'ah's for a moment, juggling between two flavours, then turns to Mom and asks, "can I please have a double scoop?"

Before Mom even has the chance to reply, Tyler leans over the counter and lowers his voice. "If you pinky promise not to tell my boss, that cranky old man back there-" Tyler jerks the ice cream scoop in his boss' direction and Zoe glances at him for a moment while on her tippy-toes "- I'll give you the second scoop on the house."

Zoe grins and her pinky finger is out over the counter within a second. Tyler rests the ice cream scoop down and links his pinky finger with hers. Then he takes up the scoop again.

"So, what two flavours shall you have, Princess?" Tyler asks. Zoe blushes, and I can't help but smile at the encounter.

Who knew such a meat-head jock would be so good with children.

"Rainbow and peppermint, please!"

Tyler scoops the ice cream onto the cone and hands it over to Zoe, with a napkin wrapped around it.

"And what shall you have, my Prince?" Tyler asks, winking at me.

I roll my eyes again, but I can't suppress the smile that blooms on my face. "Just two scoops of boysenberry, please and thank you Tyler," I say. He hands over the ice cream and I leave Mom to order hers and pay as I take a seat next to Zoe in the booth.

Mom joins us a moment later and says in a hushed voice. "Who's Tyler?" From the grin on her face and glint in her eyes, it's obvious what answer she is really looking for, and it's not the one I give her.

I sigh. "He's just a friend from school."

"Just?" My Mom questions further.

"Just."

&