He sits up a little, the couch squeaking as he shifts. “She didn’t want to miss seeing Nora again.”
My stomach drops. “Nora,” I repeat, flat. “As in… Nora?”
Dad points at me with the remote. “Your girlfriend Nora. Unless you two broke up. Your mom will be heartbroken if that’s the case.” Then he turns back to the TV and mutters to himself, “Chainsaw carving… now that’s a sport,” as if my emotional breakdown is merely background ambiance.
Mom exits the laundry room and strolls toward me. “Hi, sweetie.” She presses a kiss to my cheek. “Sorry for the sudden change of plans. Didn’t your dad text you?” She rests the laundry basket on the arm of the recliner. “I told him to text you when we got here.”
I glance at my dad, who is currently invested in watching a man carve a bald eagle out of a log at high speed. “I think he got distracted by the competitive chainsawing.”
Dad lifts a finger without looking away from the screen. “Look at that intricate wing detail.”
Mom hums. “Go figure. As soon as the pants come off, nothing else matters.” Then she smiles at me again. “Also, since I’m doing laundry, I grabbed yours too.”
My spine straightens. “Mom, I’m an adult. You don’t have to do my laundry.”
She shrugs. “I know. But I was doing it anyway.”
I open my mouth. Close it. And try again. “You can’t just?—”
Mom turns her attention back to me, lowering her voice as if we’re co-conspirators and not family. “Also, if you want to have your girlfriend over, we’ll stay out of your way.”
“They broke up!” Dad yells from the living room.
Mom gasps. The laundry basket nearly tumbles out of her grip. “You broke up?”
“No. We didn’t break up.”
Her shoulders sag. “Good. I really like her. The offer still stands. You won’t even know we’re here,” she continues. “We’ll be quiet. Invisible. We’ll?—”
“Nora’s not coming over.”
My mom’s expression doesn’t fall exactly, but her mouth shifts. “Oh? That’s a shame, but if you need us to leave the house for an hour, just say the word.” She winks, lifts the basket, and strolls to the basement stairs.
I hoist my bag onto my shoulder and climb the stairs to the second floor. In my office, I set it down beside the drone case and kneel. One by one, I unpack everything, placing each piece in its designated spot. When I set the goggles on their stand, I pause. My thoughts drift to Nora and the way she slid them over her head like a pro, not her second time. And afterward, her body shifted. Just a fraction. She looked… lighter. As if the world finally widened enough to give her room to breathe.
I snap the drone case shut a little harder than necessary. “Okay,” I tell the empty room. “Back to the terms of the agreement.” I stand, my palms scrubbing my face. Fake girlfriend. Favor. That’s it.
Mallow materializes at my feet, tail high and opinion immediate. He rubs against my leg, meowing as if he’s filing a formal complaint about his treat schedule—or the unacceptable lack of one.
“I’m aware you think it’s always treat time.”
He meows again, louder.
“I don’t see how this is my fault,” I say, grabbing my water bottle. “You’re the one who decided to tie your happiness to poultry-based snacks.”
He follows me out of the office and down the stairs. In the kitchen, I open the treat cupboard and toss a couple onto the floor. Mallow chases after them. I lean against the counter and take a drink. After his snack, Mallow hops onto the stool, watching me from the other side of the island with either sympathy or judgment. I go with the latter.
“You’re not helping,” I tell him.
He blinks slowly.
My phone buzzes on the counter. I freeze, heart jumping like someone just toggled a switch. My thoughts immediately go to Nora. Instead, it’s a notification from Owen.
Owen
SBL meeting moved to the week after Thanksgiving. The flu has taken over Trey’s household.
I exhale, embarrassed by my own heartbeat. “Get it together,” I mutter into my bottle of water. I take another drink and stare at my phone, willing it to light up again. It doesn’t. The problem isn’t that I hoped it was Nora. It’s that my body reacted before my brain could stop it, which is happening more and more lately.
