I won't give up

Lunch was awkward. Dashiell tagged along with us despite my warning not to do so, and that made Astrid so clumsy that she ended up throwing everything to the floor.

“I'm sorry,” she apologized for the twentieth time since we arrived. Her gaze kept on the turned-over plate on the floor as the waiter on standby rushed over to our table to clean it up.

“It's okay. I will pay for the damages,” Dashiell said, dropping a wad of cash on the table as he got up. “Let's change to the other table. It's vacant and —”

“I'm no longer hungry.” I rose from the chair and turned to Astrid, who was trying not to make herself as small as she could. “Let's go.”

“But you haven't had anything yet,” Dashiell protested, reaching out to hold my arm, only to drop his hands to the side when I shot a dark glare at him. “Can't you at least have something before you go?”

“With you here, I doubt I will have the appetite to eat.” I tugged Astrid up from the chair and led the scared woman out of the restaurant