“You kept a notebook under your mattress,” she corrected.
“That was private.”
“You left it open on the desk.”
Mac took a slow sip, the corner of his mouth lifting.
“Should’ve burned the evidence.”
“Too late,” Jasmine said. “I still remember the one about the subway.”
Melvin groaned softly and covered his eyes for a second while Rachel laughed outright.
“I need to hear this.”
“No,” Melvin said firmly.
“Absolutely yes.”
Jasmine leaned back in her chair with the quiet satisfaction of someone holding leverage. “He rhymed ‘steel’ with ‘feelings’ four times.”
Mac laughed then, the sound coming easier than he expected.
The conversation shifted naturally after that, moving through small stories and half remembered moments. Mac found himself watching the three of them as much as talking. It had been a long time since he’d sat in a room that felt this ordinary.
By the time dessert arrived, the evening felt easy in a way Mac hadn’t expected. When Rachel and Jasmine stepped away for a few minutes, the table felt briefly larger without them.
Melvin looked at him across the space between the glasses and plates.
“You okay?”
Mac nodded.
“Actually? Yeah.”
“Me too,” Melvin said.
Mac studied him for a moment before speaking. “I like your sister.”
Melvin smiled faintly. “Yeah?”
“She hasn’t scared you off yet?”
“Not yet.”
“Give her time.” Mac shook his head slightly.
“She cares about you,” Melvin said.
Mac didn’t answer right away, but his expression softened in quiet agreement.
They sat in the quiet that followed. He realized after a moment that the tightness he’d carried with him since Iraq had eased in a way he hadn’t expected. Across the table Melvin leaned back slightly in his chair, one hand resting near his glass, watching Mac with quiet attentiveness. Mac found himself holding that gaze a moment longer than he intended before letting it go.
Outside the windows the city moved in its endless rhythm, but inside the restaurant time seemed to move differently. He didn’t try to put that into words. Melvin gave a small nod that told Mac he understood anyway.
After a few minutes Rachel and Jasmine returned, bringing the energy of the room back with them as naturally as if they had never left.
Dinner stretched on a while longer after that.
