She shrugs. “What? We’re all family. If I don’t drag it out of you, you’ll never talk to anyone.”
“Of course I will. On my own terms, Zara!”
“Yeah, which basically means never.”
Mom shushes us. “Stop, you two.” Then turning to me, she says gently, “Romilly, tell us about the man you’ve been seeing.”
I take a bite of food to buy me some time before answering. My whole family knows what happened with Cole, so I’m sure this is a big deal to them. After all, I’ve made it clear I want nothing to do with relationships anymore practically every time I see them.
I finally muster up a sentence for them. “I’m not technically seeing him. Zara is exaggerating.”
Zara gasps. “No, I’m not. They kissed. She told me.”
I cross my arms. “Kissing doesn’t mean dating.”
“It should, for you,” says Dad. A protectiveness enters his tone. “I don’t want random young men thinking they can go around kissing you without commitment.”
I sigh. It’s pointless to tell them it’s not Bash who’s avoiding a commitment, but me. In my family’s eyes, I can do no wrong. So to keep them from hating Bash before they even meet him—if they even meet him—I tell them exactly what they need to hear. “Okay, fine. We are dating. His name is Sebastian, and he comes from a respectable family. He even goes to Harvest Valley church, and he’s a friend of Logan’s.”
My dad seems to relax at that admission. “Logan? Oh, alright then.”
“He sounds wonderful.” Mom beams.
Aidan returns to his video game, all interest in my personal life vanishing now that the promise of drama has disappeared.
And Zara? Well, I choose to ignore her for the remainder of the meal. It’s not until I’m outside, about to get in my car at the end of the night that she captures my hand and forces me to face her.
“I told you I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine, Zara.”
“No, it’s not. You’re mad and I can tell, and I feel really bad.”
I sigh. “Would it be so hard to ask me before announcing something like that next time?”
“Believe me, I realize that now. Please forgive me.” She hangs her head dramatically. “I wish there was an undo button for life.”
My irritation fades, and I can’t help but laugh. “Of course I forgive you.”
“Thank you.”
“And I know just how you’re going to make it up to me.” She frowns at me in confusion, but I get in my car and say, “I’ll text you the details tonight,” before shutting the door and driving home.
I sigh as I hang up my phone the next day. My fingers linger on the cool, smooth surface of the screen as I drop it onto my coffee table in the living room. Finally, I’ve finished rescheduling the last of my pet parents. It’s taken all week to get a hold of everyone and find a spot for them. The effort feels like lifting a heavy weight off my chest, but the guilt remains, prickling at the edges of my resolve. My throat tightens as I think of the disappointed tones I’ve heard all morning.
It’s taken a lot of guts on my part.
I’m not used to letting them down, and I’ve never been driven to before. But the way Bash looked at me when he asked me to come to his fight—it’s almost like he’d already accepted I’d say no. The memory of his expression, guarded but tinged with hope, stirs something tender in me. And I can’t deny he’s really saved my tail with the salon these past few months, so I owe him.
At least, that’s what I tell myself.
It’s not because you want to go, Romilly, it’s because you should. It’s the right thing to do.
I tell myself the lie on repeat, because it’s the only thing keeping me from backing out.
Next, I call Hadley. She answers almost immediately, her voice warm and familiar on the other end.
“Hey, Rom.”
