Lauren was the first one to come down, much to Tristan's relief. As she sat down, Tristan bent over her shoulder, whispering in her ear, "Can we talk? After dinner?" He could tell she was nervous about the letter, understandably so. How would he feel pouring out his feelings on paper like that?<br/><br/>So he gave her a reassuring smile and kissed her cheek, letting his lips linger a bit, before he moved to his own chair.<br/><br/>When Lauren's parents came down, everyone began eating. If her parents noticed that the two kids were more subdued than normal, they didn't comment on it. The conversation was light and friendly, mostly about the past year and how Tristan had been doing and where he had learned to cook so well.