Theo nods. “Fair feedback.”
Someone suggests pizza. Lucy cheers like it’s Christmas. Phones come out. Toppings are debated.
“I want cheese,” Lucy says firmly.
“Just cheese?” Ivy asks.
“And maybe more cheese,” Lucy adds, thinking this through carefully.
They order far too much. Obviously.
When the boxes arrive, Lucy is put in charge of handing out napkins, a role she takes extremely seriously. She sits cross-legged on the floor, pizza slice almost as big as her face, chatting happily about a toy she didn’t get butmightget next time.
It’s noisy. Messy. Warm.
At some point, Ivy pauses and looks between Christa and me.
“You two,” she says.
We both look up. “What?” I say, just as Christa says, “What?”
Miranda smiles. “Nothing.”
Jasper squints. “That was very much something.”
Lucy looks at us, head tilted. “You’re sitting close.”
Christa glances down. Our shoulders are touching.
“There aren’t many seats,” she says reasonably.
Lucy nods, satisfied. “Okay.” Then she leans over and steals a crust from Jasper’s plate.
“Hey!” he protests.
“I asked with my eyes,” she says solemnly.
Everyone laughs.
Music goes on. Lucy dances in a way that involves a lot of spinning and absolutely no rhythm. Miranda claps along. Ivy steals someone else’s slice and pretends she didn’t.
And Christa and I almost appear as though we are just another couple in the room. No one says anything outright, but no one misses it either.
The way we pass things to each other without thinking. The way we share looks when Lucy tells an especially dramatic story. The way this feels less like a group hanging out and more like a family dinner that assembled itself by accident.
For once, I don’t pick it apart.
I just sit there, pizza in hand, laughter bouncing off the walls, Christa’s knee resting lightly against mine.
Deep down this is starting to feel a little bit like it is… more.
25
Comfortable vs Dependable
Christa
The utility cupboard isnot big enough for two adults, one washing machine, and a developing sense of domestic intimacy.
