Aryan laughs heartily. “You could not have timed that better.”
Sienna gets up quickly, trying to look casual and failing slightly. I follow her and give her a look that says ‘i’m going to deal with you later.’
The girl standing there is composed but i feel like I’ve stepped into a time machine and gone back to high school. The leather jacket, the tired beaten look on her face. She is the spitting image of Adaline at that age.
“Hi. I’m Annie.”
“Come in,” Sienna says, clearly trying to act confident.
I step forward. “Juliette.”
She shakes my hand firmly but i can feel how clammy they are which makes me relived a little. She’s nervous and that means she cares, either that or she’s hiding something.
“Adaline,” my wife adds beside me, with a bright smile. She’s always been the easy going parent out of the two of us.
“Nice to meet you,” Annie says, flashing her smile.
Eventually we all disperse to the dining room and i set an extra place for Annie, who sits next to sienna. Conversation flows almost immediately. Kai asks how they met and apparently it was at school. Victoria asks what she studies. Aryan watches quietly. Zayn smiles warmly, easing the tension without making it obvious.
“What are you into?” Kai asks.
“Music,” Annie says. “I want to be a musician.”
“Like properly?” Aryan asks, with a smile. He loves a good unconditional dream.
“Yes.”
She was quite sure of herself, certain in a way that further reminded me of Adaline at that age. Dinner stretches like it always does. Laughter overlapping. Stories resurfacing. Victoria teasing Sienna about something from childhood. Sienna protesting loudly.
Annie doesn’t try to compete with the noise. She fits into it carefully. I watch her carefully when Kai makes an offhand joke about private school fees. Sienna laughs automatically. Annie smiles, but it’s smaller. She doesn’t seem impressed by this house but rather uncomfortable by it.
Sienna’s knee brushes Annie’s under the table and neither of them moves away. Later, I notice their hands linked just out of sight beneath the edge of the table. I almost rip this girls head off, i tend to have an overprotective streak. I refrain from doing so because they’re clearly happy and also i don’t want to risk jail time.
ADALINE
I don’t interrupt the flow of the evening, Juliettes constant interrogations do that enough. Annie listens more than she speaks. When she answers, she’s precise. There’s something self-contained about her, it reminds me of something but i can’t put my finger on it.
At one point, Aryan leans back and says, “So musician, huh? That’s brave.”
Annie nods. “I don’t want to do something safe.”
Zayn smiles at that. “Good answer.”
“What about your parents?” I ask her smiling. “What do they do?”
She hesitates briefly. “Just my mum. She’s a cleaner.” She doesn’t seem embarrassed and i’m glad she doesn’t, my heart softens because i know what it’s like to be surrounded by people wealthier than you, to always feel somewhat out of place. I can see it in the way she moves, the ways she exists.
“We would love to meet her.” I respond with a smile and she reciprocates. She must be relieved that i didn’t make a big deal about her family situation or pry more, Sienna seems grateful too because she mouths ‘thank you.’ To me. We raised her to treat everyone with respect, well except billionaires that is.
Later, when the conversation shifts and Kai and Victoria drift into an argument about something trivial in the living room, I gesture for Juliette to help me clear plates. It’s an excuse.
In the kitchen, the noise dulls slightly. We almost look huddled up, discussing the play.
“She’s serious,” Juliette says quietly, drying a plate that doesn’t need drying.
“Yes,” I say like we are solving a crime. “She’s quiet too.”
“I’m scared.” Juliette says. “What if she hurts her?”
