Vanessa stared at the man. He stared back, until it seemed they were in a staring contest, neither willing to be the one who broke first. The silence stretched long enough that both Vanessa and Tristan felt the atmosphere change slowly from argument to something else.
Finally, it was Vanessa, who looked away and muttered,"What family meeting?"
"Our family meeting?"
Vanessa opened her mouth and then closed it, before asking incredulously," You want me to meet your mothers?"
"No. I want you to meet my grandfather." Even as Tristan said it, he was already regretting it, already wondering if something had come loose in his head somewhere between the beach and this conversation. Hadn't he decided, quite firmly, before ever setting foot in Anran, that his grandfather was the one person he needed to stay furthest away from? He'd even done so much planning!
