“It’s her biggest fan,” Warren said, laughing. “Don’t forget, Megan: we’re responsible for those we’ve tamed.”
“Wise words, indeed. I’ll go see if dinner is ready,” she said, getting up from the couch.
“Don’t get up, Megan; I'll go hurry Finella along. I’m already hungry,” Glenn said, quickly standing up and heading to the kitchen.
At that moment, the phone rang. Warren excused himself and walked over to the grand staircase to answer it. Meanwhile, Craig turned to Megan and, seizing the opportunity to be alone with her, asked, “Are you avoiding me?”
“Of course not!”
“I've asked you out twice, and you turned me down.”
“I'm sorry, it was just bad timing,” Megan said, at a loss for how to properly respond to his question without hurting his feelings.
“So, you're saying there's still a chance? I just need to pick the right time?” he asked hopefully.
As they were sitting close, Craig tenderly brushed a strand of hair from her face, much like Derek often did. He leaned in closely, intending to kiss her. Megan quickly leaned her head back to avoid the kiss.
“Craig, I'm sorry, we're not alone… I'm just not ready…” she began to explain hurriedly, unsure of how to defuse this awkward situation.
“Sorry. I understand. I won't rush you,” he replied.
Glenn returned to the room, not noticing the tension that had lingered between Megan and Craig. Her appearance helped to ease the atmosphere.
Over dinner, both the girl and the young man tried to avoid eye contact. They were both upset by the uncomfortable situation that had occurred in the room, but tried their best to act naturally, as if nothing had happened. Without waiting for dessert, Craig excused himself by saying he had promised a friend to help with something, said goodbye to everyone and swiftly left.
“Meg, is everything all right? It seemed to me that Craig was upset about something,” Warren asked with concern.
“I don't know. I didn't notice. Maybe he has some personal problems; who knows! I'm going to my room; I want to have an early night tonight, you don’t mind?”
"Good night."
After saying goodbye to her relatives, Megan walked up to her room. She was tormented by a sense of guilt towards Craig, for possibly leading him on and giving false hope. She imagined how rejected he must now be feeling. Reason told her that it wasn't her fault. But to feel and to understand are two different things, and at that moment, they were battling inside her. The girl wanted to be alone as soon as possible to think over the day’s events: the call from her mother, preparations for Edinburgh, Craig…
Entering her room, she was greatly surprised to find Derek there. He sat in the chair by the window, legs crossed, arms folded over his chest. He was once again wearing his trousers and shirt, all in black.
“Derek!? You scared me! I didn't expect to see you so early.”
“Who were you expecting to see here? Craig?” he remarked, unable to contain his sarcasm.
“Did you see him? He joined us for dinner tonight.”
“Yes, I saw him; he just left, we passed each other a couple of meters apart. Why did he come?” Derek inquired.
“I told you before, he's Warren's friend, and he just came over for a friendly dinner.”
“I see. I think he's very interested in you.”
“What gives you that idea?”
“I don't know… male intuition.”
Megan had never seen Derek so agitated and tense, as if something was tormenting him inside. She decided to change the subject to find out what was really happening with him.
