Charlie turns to me, her eyes dancing with barely suppressed laughter. "You were deliberately targeting him."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," I say, gathering the scattered cards. "I was simply playing the statistical probabilities of the UNO algorithm."
"Bullshit," she laughs, nudging my shoulder with hers. "You were totally being my knight in shining armor."
"Well, maybe I didn't like the way he was talking to you and Emily."
Emily makes a sound like a squeaky toy being stepped on. "This is too cute. I'm getting cavities just watching you two."
"Shut up, Em," Charlie says without heat, her eyes still on mine.
"Nope, I'm out. I know when I'm third-wheeling." Emily stands, gathering her empty mug. "Night you two." She calls from over her shoulder, rounding the corner.
As she leaves, Charlie and I are left alone at the table, the abandoned UNO cards scattered between us.
"Thank you," she says quietly. "For having our backs."
"Always," I reply. "Guys like that... they drive me crazy. Everything's a competition, everyone's beneath them."
She nods, absently shuffling the cards. "He wasn't always that way. Or maybe he was and I just didn't see it." She pauses. "It's weird. Six months ago, I was devastated when he left. Now I can't imagine why I was ever with him."
Something warm unfurls in my chest. "People change. Or maybe we just see them more clearly from a distance."
"Maybe." She deals two small piles of cards. "Want to play War? Just the two of us?"
"Prepare to lose, Shortcake," I warn her with a grin.
"In your dreams, Montgomery."
We play in comfortable silence for a while, the only sounds are the slap of cards on wood and the occasional groan or cheer when one of us wins a battle. It's simple, almost childlike, but there's something intimate about it. Just the two of us, knee to knee under the table, occasionally catching each other's gaze over our cards.
"You know," I say after winning a particularly heated war, "I can't actually remember the last time I played cards like this."
"Really?" She looks up, surprise softening her features. "Not even with Tyler?"
I shake my head. "My family wasn't big on game nights. And then when I was competing, everything was so focused on training, nutrition, sponsors." I gather the cards I've won, shuffling them back into my deck. "This is nice. Normal."
"Normal," she echoes, her voice gentle. "I guess I take that for granted sometimes."
"Don't," I tell her. "It's special, having people who want to play silly games with you, who care enough to get competitive or protective."
Something shifts in her expression again. Her fingers brush mine as she lays down her next card.
"You know, for someone who's supposed to be pretending, you're pretty convincing," she says softly.
I meet her gaze steadily. "Who says I'm pretending?"
The air between us changes, charged with possibility. Charlie's eyes drop to my mouth, then back up. I lean forward, just slightly, and she doesn't pull away this time.
This is it.
"Charlotte! Sebastian!" Margaret's voice breaks the moment as she appears in the doorway. "There you are. We're setting up for a movie in the den. Richard's making his famous hot chocolate!"
Charlie blinks, drawing back. "We'll be right there, Mom."
Margaret beams at us. "You two are so cute together. I'm so glad you found each other." She disappears back down the hallway.
Charlie's cheeks redden. "Sorry about that."
