His grandma stood in front of him, a plate in her hand. Seth hadn’t realised she’d asked a question.
“Sorry grandma, could you repeat that?”
She pursed her lips, but her eyes twinkled in amusement.
“Where is your mind at, boy? What are you thinking about?”
She picked up a skewer, and poked Seth’s hand with the end of it, “Is it a girl?”
Heat blossomed on Seth’s cheeks, before he could form a cohesive response. It wasn’t uncommon for his relatives to ask him if he’s got a girlfriend yet, especially now in his 20s, and having never had a partner.
Usually, he’d shrug and say that he was simply having fun. Going with the flow. But now -
His lips opened and closed, clapping idiotically like a fish.
“I - uh -” he stuttered on his words, before swallowing.
That’s when his grandma’s head lurched backward in laughter.
“Oh, you look just like your grandfather when he was trying to ask me out on a date,” she declared, “Seth, whoever she is, she must be your keeper.”
Again, he tried to form words, but got caught between denying it and asking her what she meant. Instead, he settled with incoherent gibberish.
He sat at a table with his Dad and uncle, with his Mum sitting across from him. His Uncle began to ask him all about how university was going, and Seth happily told him about the capstone project, and of the idea he was developing.
He still needed to sharpen his presentation for when developers come in, to assist with marking and potentialprogression, but the fact he was on the right path, and passionate about an idea, was all so exciting.
They must’ve sensed his energy, because Seth’s Uncle, along with his own parents, began to smile so widely.
“You must be so proud of him, Robert,” his Uncle exclaimed, clapping Seth’s Dad on the back.
“Always, obviously,” his Dad responded.
Always, and yet, he rarely expressed it.
As Seth ate, sinking from the conversation, the three of them began to reminisce, as his relatives often did when they got together.
“So, your anniversary is coming up, isn’t it?” Uncle Chris mentioned. Seth observed his parents’ expressions as they nodded, a smile enlightening their faces.
“Well, actually, we’re starting to lose track of which anniversary we’re celebrating,” his dad interjected, and his Mum’s laughter did nothing to ease the pang in Seth’s chest.
They did this alot - allude to what happened between them, the separation, the other partners, to then falling back together. It was all a big joke to them now, yet Seth was always the one who wasn’t laughing.
Still, the three of them continued on. So, to block out the noise, he did what he does best. Distract.
Picking up his phone, he opened Instagram and was immediately met with the brightly lit circle around Nina’s profile picture at the top of his screen, indicating that she’s currently posting on her story highlights. He started to flick through them. There, her smile simmered through.
Smiling at the lunch table, where Veronica and Celine treated her. Grinning at the arcade, where there was a video of Nina as she ruthlessly played a zombie shooting game.
Seeing her happy made him happy. He felt content, knowing that the truth of Carlos’ feelings didn’t affect her as much.
As the laughter of his parents filled the lunch table, Seth imagined he was with Nina instead.
On Sunday morning, while doing the groceries, Seth decided he wanted to do something for Nina.
Something nice. Something as a friend.
A best friend, even.
