Chapter Text
Beach Body
Prologue
The last time they went out for dinner as a family could have been swapped out for any other evening out. It probably said more about his parent's marriage than it did their divorce.
They had gone to Dorsia, which mom hated. Logan and Caroline take one car and Shiv, Kendall, and Roman in a second car tailing behind. Ordering was always such a production in front of dad, mom never knew her lines. First is drinks, Kendall orders a Coke, Shiv a Sprite, and Roman asks for a cherry coke, which they don’t have.
Dad orders a bottle of Bordeaux, Mom orders a glass of Riesling.
“Oh I’m sorry, does my wine choice not meet your standards?”
Caroline sucked the ice in her water glass. “No,” she answers pursing her lips as she sets her still water back down. “It isn’t your fault that your tastes are so pedestrian, that would be your pedestrian upbringing shining through.”
“Ah, yes, of course, I at least know that red pairs with steak.”
The waiter maintains a neutral expression as he opens the Bordeaux, offering the cork to Logan who waves it away. Caroline scoffs - he has just punctuated her point.
Logan makes a point of refusing a sample pour and having the waiter go ahead and fill the glass.
“Well, I’m impressed you managed that,” Caroline smirks, tasting the sample the waiter pours for her, nodding her approval before continuing. “You’re infallible logic fails though - I’m not having steak.”
Kendall orders a strip steak Shiv orders filet mignon, Roman orders lobster, and Dad orders porterhouse. Caroline orders the flathead perch.
Dad is waving for the bill before dessert.
“It’s so nice when we are able to spend time as a family,” Caroline sips her nearly empty third glass of wine in front of her nearly full dinner plate.
The cars, as always are waiting when they exit under the front canopy, Caroline swiftly enters the first car.
“Roman, ride home with your mother,” Logan grumbles to the second car, Kendall and Shiv slide into the car after him.
Roman’s glance moves back and forth in the rearview mirror from his father and siblings' car following behind them and his own reflection, from the blinking headlights to his brown eyes. He looks straight ahead, the car turns left.
“Where are they going?”
Caroline pulls a pack of Dunhill’s out of her handbag, lighting up without a word. Dad hated when she smoked in front of them. “If you’re going to have a tantrum can it wait until we get home?”
Dutiful son that he is he starts sulking immediately. He watches his eyes go from clear to glassy, shining with the layer of tears forming. The pale skin of his cheeks and neck erupted in red splotches. When the tears fall, his whole face crumbles, like an old pastry - ugly.
Caroline sighs, a little sad but mostly annoyed, reaching out to stroke his hair she takes a drag on her cigarette filling the car with smoke. “We’ll have our own little treat when we get home alright.”
Roman watches himself try to stop crying, his face contorting, it only makes him cry harder.
Dad, Kendall, and Shiv arrive home 20 minutes after them, with ice cream in hand. Dad and Kendall head straight for the balcony, Shiv pausing in the sitting room to gloat.
“Dad took us to Morgenstern’s,” Shiv punctuating her point with a leisurely lick. “What did you and mom have for dessert? Lemons and sugar again?” She smiles smugly as she leaves to finish her cone on the balcony in the sunshine.