Chapter 2- The Dinner Date

Mike came back the following day and we all returned to our normal routine. Julie didn't even mention going over to Gren's. Lowy took that as a sign she didn't think of it as anything important until the day after mike left for another work trip.

Julie and lowy were in the kitchen. She was reading an instruction manual on how to replace hinge on the bathrooms door. It had broken this morning, leaving the door hanging ajar. She stood at the counter, glancing between her phone and the supplies sprayed out before her.

Knock!! knock!!

Someone knocked at the front door but lowy was too busy on playing his playstation to get up and answer it.

After a few seconds, he heard his mom sigh.

"Guess I'll get it."

She leaves the kitchen to go open the door. Lowy was so immersed in the game, it takes him a few seconds to process the Excited voices at the front of the house. Setting down the Ps4, he looked up from his seat at the table as Julie leads Gren into the kitchen, a covered tray in his hands.

"This is really great, thank you," Julie was saying.

"Of course, I had to return the gesture." Gren said with a weird smile.

Lowy scrambled to move his console as Gren thunks the tray down in front of him

"What's all this?" he blurted out, peering at it.

"Gren's brought us a sample of cured meat from his mother's shop," mom answers.

"I didn't know what kind of meats you liked, so I brought an assortment," he told her as he sorted out the platter.

"That's ok, I like all kinds of meat" Julie face grew bright as she peeked at Gren's bulky frame.

"Good to know," he said with a smirk and leans back against the door with his arms crossed.

' God, he's getting so much irritating. I swear to god i will fucking rip all that pretty face of yours ' lowy was getting annoyed by Julie and Gren's growing closeness.

Julie starts to unwrap the tray, looking over the assortment of meats and cheeses. There were all sorts of meat that one can't find in some normal store. She gulped a mouthfull of saliva before selecting a large slice of salami to take a bite out of.

"Mmmm," she nods her head in approval. "That's pretty good. It's sliced thick, just the way I like it." She tells him as she licked her finger in an extremely seductive manner.

"Thick is the only way to enjoy it," he says, winking.

Lowy once again gave him an eye. His veins were bulging of his forehead but the meat also got some of his attention. He hasn't eaten some good food since Mike left. Their income wasn't anything to be brag about, that was one of the reason why he wanted Julie to marry Mike. First of all he had good money and second his daughter was hot.

It bothered him that Gren keeps flirting with her, especially knowing how much he got around in high school. He had a reputation as a pumching bag in whole school. Even the junior kids used to extort money of him. He didn't even had any girlfriend either.

Gren frowned his brow, as he looked at the bathroom door and clutter of supplies.

"What happened there?" He moves across to better examine the busted door.

"Ugh, the hinge broke when i opened the door a little to hard " Julie says in annoyance.

"I've been reading manuals trying to teach myself how to replace it but I haven't quite figured it out yet."

"Your fiancé can't fix it?" Gren asked as he take a look on it.

"No, he is out of town again." Julie's said as she bit her lips.

' As if this pussy didn't know that ' lowy murmured.

"But," she continues, "even if he were here, he still wouldn't be able to. He's not exactly the handiest person."

"Psh," he dismisses in derision. "I can fix this for you, easy."

"No no, I couldn't let you do that." Julie wanted him to stop but Gren already started working on it.

"Nah, I got you. I'll have this shit done in 15 minutes, tops."

Sure enough, he had the hinge replaced and the door firmly fastened in no time at all.

"That's incredible," she says in admiration. She moves the door back and forth, testing the new hinge.

"It's no big deal," he says, casually. "You ever need anything else done, just let me know. I can fix pretty much anything." Gren pumped his chest as he talked

"Really?"

"Uh-huh, I helped my mom repair everything in our house growing up. After the death of my father only I was the one who could do household work like that."

"Awww, what a good son you are." Julie praised him as she gave a light thump on his muscular shoulders.

"I try." He shrugs with a smile of false modesty.

" It must have been hard growing up without father right ? "

" It really was, my mother was affected for a whole year. It was me who persuaded her into dating again, to which she refused "

He bobs his head up and down, a sad puppy dog look on his face.

Julie places her hand on his in sympathy. "That must have been so hard for you."

' Oh Jesus ' lowy just couldn't take it anymore.

"It really was, we were really a good family "

Gren's phoniness and mom's naivety angers lowy. Without thinking, he blurted out,

" Wasn't he an alcohol addict and a dumbest gambler who committed suicide just because he couldn't afford it anymore. "

Both of them paused, processing what he had just said before julie's head turns toward him, a look of horror on her face.

"Son," she chastises. "How could you say something like that?"

"That's just what I'd heard," he sheepishly respond.

"So that makes it okay? Besides, you have no idea if that's even true."

"No, it is," Gren interrupts. "He used to gamble and drink in his last days because of all the money he lost during his last investments. That's partly why I moved in with him, so he didn't lose his family too"

"That's such a wonderful thing to do, being there for your dad like that."

She moves her hand to his shoulder. "You're a good man," she tells him with sincerity.

They smile at each other, holding eye contact that starts to make me uncomfortable before they both break away.

Lowy wanted to just fucking go have it with him but he controlled himself.

"Well," julie says with a small laugh. "Would you like to stay for lunch?"

She gestures toward the tray on the table. "I could make us all sandwiches?"

"I'd love that," he replies before taking a seat and making a grin smile toward lowy.

Lowy shuddered as he joined the table.

------------

Something changed between Gren and Julie that day. He had seen them chatting across the fence often and he'd be over sometimes when he got home from work. Of course, none of this went on when Mike was home. Gren was always conveniently absent when he wasn't away on a work trip.

Lowy walked into the kitchen one morning to find his mom giggling into her phone, a photo of Gren's shirtless smirking face taking up the entire screen.

"Did you add him on Snapchat?" He ask incredulously.

"He thought that if I ever needed him to fix anything else, I could just message him instead of having to go all the way over there to ask."

Which apparently occurred quite a lot. It seemed like everything that had cracked, broken, or just stopped working in our house was suddenly being attended to by Gren. Not just small jobs like the door hinge either. He came home one afternoon and he was on his back under the kitchen sink, replacing an old pipe.

Julie stood against the counter next to him while he worked. She was looking down, making light conversation, but he noticed her eyes kept shifting to the right for a few seconds before shifting back.

following her gaze and he saw that Stanley's shirt had ridden up, revealing a dark happy trail that ended at a large bulge in his mesh shorts.

Lowy brain stormed as he fled into his room. Their growing closeness and her obvious attraction to him was giving him quite a headache. He didn't know what to do and Mike wasn't helping the situation by being out of town so much.

He went to his bedside and opened his drawer there was a small pocket knife about the size of fist inside it. He picked it up and clanked it open.

Looking at the sharp edge he murmured

' If it comes to it I will fucking kill him if I had to '

his face grew soft as he remembered how they used to keep harassing him at high school. Bullying him gave him the greatest pleasure he could get. Not keeping his weapon exposed he quickly packed it back and went out for his job.

The other night, he'd finally asked how everything kept getting fixed around the house. Even his old playstation which he bought during high-school was repaired nicely.

"Oh, that nice boy from next door has been helping out a bit," Julie answered nonchalantly, completely downplaying the situation.

Lowy frowned. Gren was not nice and he certainly wasn't a boy.

"Hm, it's good of you to give the kid a job," Mike replied, not even looking up from his laptop.

He left on another trip a day later and was supposed to return tonight. But something must have happened because he had to stay over a couple of extra days. Lowy heard him and mom arguing about it on the phone this morning.

"But you promised you'd be back for the meeting with the wedding planner!" Julie said in an angry voice.

He had crouched at the top of the stairs, eavesdropping as she paced the living room below.

"How are we supposed to even set a date if you're never here to help me make a decision?"

Her angry voice echoed throughout the living room.

"You know what, fine. I'll just cancel the fucking meeting then!"

I heard a soft thump as she presumably chucked her phone at the couch.

She was still angry when he left for work a bit later. But when lowy came home that evening, she seemed to be in a better mood.

They were eating dinner at the table and she held her phone in one hand while she ate with the other. She would periodically smile and he knew she was snapping Stanley.

His grip on the fork tightened. She was always laughing or smiling when she snapchatted him, which seemed to be everyday now.

"Talking to Gren again?" He asked her.

"Yeah, he's hysterical," she answers with a smile, her eyes never leaving the screen.

Shaking his head, lowy returned to his dinner.

"Oh by the way, I invited him over for dinner tomorrow." Julie said as she continued chatting on her phone.

He stared at her in disbelief.

"Why?"

"Just as a thank you for all the help he's given us around here. He's really fixed a lot. Besides, I bought the roast to make for Mike, but since he isn't going to be here, I thought I shouldn't let it go to waste."

Standing up, lowy took his plate and dump the contents into the trash, no longer hungry. Rinsing it in the sink, he watched the hot water slowly wash away bits of food.

' Is she actually going to cook a whole meal for that Pshyco. Does she actually like him that much? '

He turned his head and looked at her. From his angle by the sink, he could see her phone screen. She just finishes sending a snap when she receives a new one. Excitedly, she opens it, and a video of Gren doing pull ups in his garage begins to play. He's shirtless and the camera is close enough to catch the sweat that coats his skin. Julie watches in rapt attention, biting her lip as the sweaty, muscular 20 year-old grips the bar and swiftly raises himself up in repeating motions.

Dropping the plate with a clatter, he slam the water off and stalk out of the room. His eyes giving out a completely evil look.

------------

The next night, julie moves around the kitchen attending to the meal as it cooks. Today his mother has changed his appearance to some degree. He watched her from the seat at the table; the black sundress she's wearing, while casual, has a slit that comes up mid thigh, and it's low cut enough to show a substantial amount of her ample cleavage. Her long blonde hair has been swept up in a loose bun, exposing her smooth and bare nape while carefully applied make-up accents the features of her naturally beautiful face.

Sounds of lids clanking and glass clinking fill the room. Lowy sit, sullen and dour, at one end of the table, wishing this night wasn't happening. He didn't even want to think about his mom's outfit; what it looks like or why she chose to dress that way. He put his hand in his pocket and felt the cold pocket knife. All he wanted was for Gren to not show up and to never come by again.

As if somehow summoning him, there was a knock at the back door. Julie crosses the kitchen, her sandals making scuffling noises on the linoleum floor. She opens the door wide, allowing their dinner guest to stride through.

In a change from his cliche douchebag attire of slides, tank tops, and mesh shorts, Gren was wearing a white button down shirt, black jeans, and a pair of dark combat boots. Lowy loathe to admit it, but the bastard looks good. The shirt is tight against his body, showing all the muscle underneath. He's clean shaven and the sharp scent of cologne wafts over.

He greets mom with a kiss on the cheek before presenting her with a bouquet of flowers. "These are for you," he offers.

Julie practically lights up as she takes them from him, closing her eyes and inhaling. "They're beautiful. Thank you, Gren."

"Just something beautiful for someone beautiful." He hugs her lightly, his hands feeling her backless dress.

Lowy scoff scowls at him.

"Sup man?"

"Hey " Gren mumbled.

"Oh, I almost forgot," he says, turning back to her. "I brought some wine too."

He holds up a dark bottle. "Figured it was the least I could do, since you're making me dinner and all."

Lowy grind his teeth at his declaration that she's making dinner just for him. It's not only for you shithead.

"That sounds perfect." She smiles at him and walks over with an opener.

He watched her fill two glasses before asking for one myself. If I have to sit through dinner with him, I should at least be afforded a drink.

Julie hesitates, and I could tell she wants to say no, but she glances at Gren, who shrugs slightly, and she relents.

"Ok, but just one glass."

She hands him a drink before her and Gren clink their glasses in a silent toast.

"Dinner should be ready soon," she says after taking a sip. "We're just waiting on the roast."

"That's cool, I'm down to just chill for a bit with some good company." He winks and they both sit down, Gren sat opposite him in Mike's usual spot at the head of the table, and hus mom to his left.

Lowy drinks his wine as they talk and sip at theirs. The conversation flows easily between them, their mouths pulled back in big smiles as they playfully banter back and forth.

Julie gets up to fetch the roast when the timer goes off and Gren takes a long look at her voluptuous ass behind as she pulls it from the oven. He notices lowy watching him and offers his signature smirk before winking. Veins bulged out of his forehead as he took another gulp of wine. It isn't often that he drink and feel the alcohol settling in his empty stomach, making his head swim. He had drank a good amount of alcohol before but this was still after a long while.

"I hope I cooked it at the right temperature for you," julie says, bringing the roast over to Gren.

She leans forward and begins carving it up, revealing the medium cooked center. "That's perfect, I love when it's pink." He shoots her a sly grin.

Julie carefully slices up the roast, her breasts jiggling around her hot black dress, a few inches from Gren's face as he glances at them from the corner of his eye.

She finishes making his plate and looks him in the face as her hand grips his bicep.

"I really hope you enjoy it," she tells him with sincerity, her thumb rubbing his arm.

"I'd enjoy whatever you gave me." He smiles back at her, a playful look in his eyes.

Julie made herself a plate and is just about to sit when she suddenly remembers lowy further down at the other end of the table.

"Oh, I'm sorry sweetheart, I almost forgot you down there."

He wanted to curse his old mom but held back, he was very hungry "

Saying nothing as she spoons food onto his plate, he frown at the roast. He don't particularly care for meat that isn't cooked completely through, no matter how many people say it's better that way. Pushing his plate forward a bit, lowy took another sip of the mellow yet good drink.

Julie and Gren talked and laughed as they enjoy their meal together, while he picked at some potatoes. He tried several times to give some witty and vulgar comment on Gren but didn't succeeded in his attempts of provoking or after politely responding, the conversation reverts back to being just between them and lowy eventually give up. They polish off the bottle of wine as they eat, becoming more intimate and flirty as the alcohol sets in. By the end of the meal, they're both leaning close over the table, small smiles on each of their faces as they chat quietly. Julie's dress was a little lose than earlier.

Even though I'd only had the one glass, the wine seeped through my nearly empty stomach, leaving me with a strong buzz that closely borders on drunkenness. His Mom's and Gren's behavior coupled with the alcohol causes a wave of nausea to hit me. Sitting back, he placed his forehead on the edge of the table and close his eyes, taking several deep breaths. After about a minute, the nausea passes and his eyes flutter open.

Slight movement at the other end caught his attention as he shift a bit to get a better look. The lower halves of mom and Stanley are angled toward one another in their seats. Mom's right leg is crossed over her left, the slit in her dress exposing her bare thigh, which Gren's fingertips gently graze in a sensual manner. Both of them were smiling as they looked at each other's eyes.

Lowy heart beats rapidly in his chest, the alcohol fueling a rage that begins burning deep inside him.

' How dare he fucking touch her like that? It's one thing to flirt with her, but this is crossing the line. '

Lowy was about to sit up when Gren's large hand suddenly clasps her thigh, and he slowly starts stroking the length of it, Julie gave a soft chuckle at that.

Lowy bolted upward, out of his chair and yelled at him.

"Can you just FUCK OFF already,"

Startled, his mom and Gren stare at him before she opens her mouth to speak.

" Son, I don't understand where this is coming from or why you're acting like this but it's very rude."

"Oh come on you bitch ,"

Lowy continued loudly.

"His behavior has been atrocious since the day he has moved her and he has even buttered you up so badly !"

Her voice rises as an angry look crosses her face. "The only person with atrocious behavior is you, young man. You treat Gren with such derision, I - "

"It's ok, Julie," Gren interrupts. He stold up from his seat and addresses him

"Why don't we step outside and have a conversation, Lowy. Man to man." His body language showed as though he wanted to have a talk but his eyes gave a completely different look.

Lowy glared at him before stomping out the back door, Gren on his back. Walking a few feet into the yard, he spin while holding a pocket knife pointed toward Gren, ready to stab when a strong punch came at his stomach.

The force knocks the wind out of him, causing his eyes to bulge as his mouth falls open in a silent scream. Stumbling back, lowy turn and brace himself against the side of the house.

A hand clamps around the back of his neck, squeezing tightly as Gren bends down next to him, his lips just inches from lowy's ear.

"Listen to me, you fucking bastard," he whispers while taking his pocket knife away.

"I've had enough of your bitch ass making snide comments and disrespecting me. You seem to think that this is high school again huh, let me tell you something. If you try something like that again, or do anything to interrupt me and your mom, I'll do a lot worse to you than just a sucker punch to the gut."

He hear the back door open and Julie's voice as she calls to them "Everything ok out here?"

"All good," Gren responds, turning his head toward her.

"I think he drank a little too much wine. Just needs a bit of fresh air."

"Ok, I'll be inside if either of you need me." The door shuts and Gren leans in toward lowy again, still gripping his neck tightly with his strong arms.

"Now, you're gonna stay out here for a bit, just to make sure your stomach has settled, while your mom and I have some alone time." His grip around the back of his neck tightens.

"And if you ever mention to her what really happened out here, or somehow imply anything, I'll fucking kill you. Got it?

It's not high school anymore remember that "

There was a clear warning in his calm voice.

Without waiting for a response, he releases his grip on the neck and strolls back inside, the door slamming shut behind him. Lowy lean against the side of the house and slowly slump to the ground, veins bulging out of his forehead while silent tears rolls down his cheeks. The interaction with Gren sobered him up, and he cried while he felt the pain in his stomach.

" Haughh da fucck did he get so strong "

He murmured in the darkness.

Minutes go by, the summer air filled with crickets noises came after a while, he felt like he have calmed down enough to head back in.

As he enter the kitchen, he spot his mom and Gren sitting close together on the couch in the living room, a second bottle of wine open and half empty on the coffee table. They both turn, looking at him as he stand in the doorway. One of Gren's arms was draped across the back of the couch behind Julie, embracing her soft waist and Lowy can just see the top of his hand moving as he caresses her inner thigh with the other.

"Are you feeling better, sweety?" Lowy can hear the concern in her voice, causing mixed emotion to well up in his chest. He wanted to confess everything that has happened or curse his mom for ever bringing this monster in their house bringing. But a quick glance at the serious expression on Gren's face made his heart jump and he silently nod.

"Maybe you should help your mom out and clear the table, since she worked so hard making dinner tonight." His voice carries a distinct, commanding tone and he doesn't stopped caressing her slender thigh as he stares at me, a cold, stern look in his eyes.

"You-you're right," Lowy meekly force out, his hands reaching to grab the plates and silverware.

"Thank you, sweetheart." Julie returns to her conversation with Gren.

Their low voices carry over to him as he wash dishes in silence, unable to discern their exact words over the running faucet. Occasionally, he hear Julie giggle as Gren presumably says, or does, something to elicit her girlish laughter. Both of them eventually get up, coming back into the kitchen.

"I'm just going to walk Gren out to say goodnight."

She didn't waited for his replay as she went through the backdoor. Her black dress was Rumpled at her chest and the red lipstick on her thin lips was smudged to much extent.

Through the window, Lowy can see them walk partially down the driveway before coming to a stop. They speak for a few minutes, standing close together. It almost looks like they're going to kiss but Julie initiates a hug which Gren accepts. Their embrace was long, and he could see his hands move down to her lower back and grabbed her ass, as he grips her tightly, he continued massaging and squeezing them slowly. Eventually, they pull apart, and Gren disappears into the dark, as Julie continues to look off in his direction after he's gone.

Based on their behavior at dinner, Lowy fully expected his mom and Gren to grow even closer, and it seemed like it was going that way for the first couple of days afterward. He felt like hell as he tried hard not to make any quick decision.

They continued snapchatting each other frequently and he caught them flirting in the backyard one afternoon after Gren had finished his workout. He was showing off his gains and she reached over the fence to feel his bicep before pulling back in a fit of giggles as a deep blush settled over her cheeks.

Lowy sighed as he realised it has became a daily routine for them to act like that.