For a moment, neither of us moved. The air felt heavier than before, like the quiet itself was charged with something unspoken.
I nodded, my throat tightening unexpectedly. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight,” she echoed, quieter than before. Her eyes lingered on mine just a second longer than necessary, enough to make my stomach twist in ways I couldn’t name.
As I turned the corner, all I could feel was this strange, stubborn warmth blooming in my chest, the kind that didn’t come from milk or midnight cookies, but from her.
And I wasn’t sure what to do with it.
CHAPTER 9
ALEXANDRA
The morning air had been cool against my skin as I pushed through the last stretch of my 10km run, my shoes crunching over the familiar gravel lining. The sky had still been a deep bluish grey, just before sunrise, and the city beyond was still half-asleep. It had been quiet enough for my thoughts to get loud.
Mostly about last night.
I never thought I’d spend the night teaching Olivia Smythe how to line up a clean corner pocket on the guesthouse pool table. She was surprisingly terrible at it at first, which somehow made her less intimidating. A little less picture-perfect. Her grip was wrong. Her aim was a mess. But she listened. She tried. And then she grinned when she made her first shot like it meant something.
After my morning run, I came home still drenched in sweat. I wiped the sweat off my neck with the hem of my sando as I walked down the living room.
Through the wide glass doors, I caught sight of movement in the backyard.
Mom and Olivia were out there, seated at the long outdoor table near the pool, plates were half-filled, coffee mugs in hand. Olivia laughed at something my mom had just said, her shoulders loose and relaxed.
They both looked up when they spotted me by the door. Mom gave a quick wave.
“Come join us!” she called.
I hesitated for a second, then slid the door open and stepped out.
Olivia offered me a polite smile as I approached, and I returned it with a nod. She looked at ease, leaning back with her coffee. I slid into the seat beside my mom, still catching my breath.
“Now that you’re here, fully awake and standing upright, you should know Ms. Olivia Smythe is our guest speaker for the junior graduation,” Mom said, eyes twinkling.
I froze for a beat, pretending to be shocked. “Oh? Really?” I glanced at Olivia, forcing a wide-eyed expression. “I… I had no idea.”
Mom arched an eyebrow, a knowing smile tugging at her lips. “Oh? And when did you figure that out?”
I coughed, shoving a hand through my hair. “Uh… just now, apparently. Right this second.”
Mom’s lips curved into that infuriating knowing smile. The sparkle in her eyes said it all: she knew exactly what was going through my head, and she waslovingit.
“Honey, you’re sweating all over the furniture, go change,” Mom said lightly, dabbing her napkin at the side of her cup like she was wiping away an imaginary stain.
I reached for the glass of water she always had waiting, offering a casual shrug. “Just needed to cool down first,” I said, brushing off Mom’s knowing smile like it didn’t bother me in the slightest.
“You and your dad, always the same. Honestly, both of you are like a pair of Labradors that have been in the river.Straight through the door, straight onto the good furniture.”
I smirked, taking a slow sip. “At least we’re consistent. You can’t buy that kind of reliability.”
She rolled her eyes, but her smile gave her away. “One day, I’ll make you both sit on towels like civilized people.”
She looked over at Olivia, who was just watching our exchange. “Sorry, Olivia, it’s always like this living with sporty people. You should see the laundry piles. Even Archer’s the same, he comes in from training and acts like furniture is just part of the cool-down routine.”
Olivia grinned at that, leaning forward on her elbows. “It’s not a bad system. You just... collapse where you land. Efficient.”
Mom chuckled. “Efficient for them, maybe. For me, it’s chasing after sweat patches before they set. Honestly, sometimes I think I should just cover the whole living room in gym towels.”
