I hadn't washed my hands, and neither had Dustin., I was okay with it, but Dustin clearly felt a bit awkward.,

"A little dirt never hurt anyone,

" I said, trying to break the tension., Ernest came over, holding a pack of wet wipes., Dustin reached for them, but Ernest didn't let go. Finally, I took them from Ernest, pulling out a wipe for Dustin and then one for myself.,

"Felicia, who's this?

" Dustin asked, curious about Ernest, who had a strong presence and was clearly not in the best of moods.

"Mr. Collins, our lighting technician,

" I introduced., Ernest gave me a look that felt like a ton of bricks, pressuring me to introduce Dustin as well,

"This is... my brother, Dustin.

"

"Nice to meet you,

" Dustin said, reaching out for a hug., Ernest, however, just nodded his head, and Deborah quickly said,

"Mr. Collins is a bit of a germ freak.

", Dustin simply smiled, withdrawing his hand and turning to me,

"Let's sit and eat before it gets cold.

", Deborah licked her lips.

"Can I have one?

",

"Of course,

" Dustin replied, and even invited Ernest.

"Mr. Collins, you should try one.

",

"I'll stick to my soup,

" Ernest declined, then walked away., Deborah paused mid-bite, then turned to me,

"Felicia, is it just me, or does Mr. Collins seem like he's in a really bad mood?

", I gave her a thumbs up,

"You're spot on.

", Dustin chuckled at our conversation, then commented,

"Mr. Collins does seem a bit touchy.

",

"No, he's usually alright, a bit aloof but not hostile. Today, though, he seems like he's had a bowl of chili peppers,

" Deborah said, her mouth not stopping even with food in it., Thankfully, our ordered meal arrived, but after having dumplings and drinking some soup, I didn't have much appetite left for the ordered meal, leaving Deborah and Ernest to deal with it., Deborah was happy to join Ernest for the meal, but Ernest asked her to go ahead while he busied himself with something else., I clearly saw Deborah's disappointment at being stood up, which was honestly quite amusing.,

"You seem to be in good spirits. I was worried you'd be upset,

" Dustin's voice brought my gaze back to him.,

"Why would I be upset?

" I said, taking a bite of the dumpling and sipping some soup,

"I'm not the type to live and breathe only for love. When I love, that person is my everything. When I don't, they're nothing to me.

", Dustin nodded,

"That's the spirit I know.

",

"How are your parents doing?

" I ventured to ask., It was strange they hadn't called me again, accepting the fact that Conrad and I were over. I felt it couldn't be that simple., Dustin looked at me with a soft smile,

"Do you think they're okay?

", I paused, my dumpling halfway to my mouth, as Dustin continued,

"They still think you and Rad can't really be over. They're just giving you both some time, hoping you'll come around.

" So that was it., The dumpling in my mouth suddenly tasted bland. I swallowed.

"They're bound to be disappointed then.

",

"Maybe with time, they'll come to accept it. Don't pressure yourself,

" Dustin tried to comfort me., I didn't feel pressured, just guilty for letting them down since they raised me.,

"They see you as their daughter. They can't bear the thought of you leaving home one day,

" Dustin added softly.,

"A daughter may leave home one day, but she can always come back,

" I replied., Looking up, I met Dustin's gaze. There was a flicker of something in his eyes, a smile forming on his lips,

"But if you were to join the Wagner family, you'd be staying at home forever.

" That was an impossibility now., Search the website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.