“You sure you don’t want to stay?” Meg asked, only half-joking. The prospect of navigating this new dynamic without his calming presence felt daunting.
“Unless you need me to...?” Luke looked between them, reading the room.
“No, go,” Tyler said. “We’re good. We’ll manage.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.” Tyler attempted a smile. “Thanks for everything today. The airport, the Shack... all of it.”
“Of course.” Luke kissed Meg’s cheek. “Call me later?”
“Definitely.”
“Text if you need anything. Even if it’s just referee services.”
“Hopefully it won’t come to that,” Meg said.
“Found cookies!” Stella announced from the kitchen. “Oh wait, they’re healthy. Never mind.”
Luke’s mouth twitched. “Good luck.”
“Thanks,” Tyler said dryly. “We’ll need it.”
After Luke left, the house felt smaller somehow. Just the three of them now, trying to figure out how to exist in the same space.
“Found tea,” Stella called. “Fancy tea. Who drinks elderflower anything?”
“That’s mine,” Meg admitted.
“Of course it is.” A pause. “There’s literally nothing edible in here. What do you people eat?”
“We’ll go shopping tomorrow,” Tyler promised, raising his voice toward the kitchen. “Make a list of what you want.”
“A list?”
“Yeah, things you like to eat.”
Silence from the kitchen. Then, “Whatever. I’m not picky.”
Tyler looked at Meg helplessly. “She just complained about everything in my kitchen.”
“Teenage logic,” Meg said. “Come on, let’s get the rooms sorted.”
They found Stella sitting at the kitchen table, scrolling through her phone with one hand while eating rice crackers with the other.
“These are stale,” she announced without looking up.
“They’re supposed to be crispy,” Meg said.
“There’s a difference between crispy and stale.” But she took another one.
“Ready to see your room?” Tyler asked awkwardly.
Stella shrugged, pocketing her phone. “Sure.”
They walked down the short hallway, Tyler leading the way to the spare room. Meg tried not to think about how she’d spent the morning preparing it for someone else entirely.
“This is it,” Tyler said, opening the door.
