“What about them?” Milo asks, concerned.
“I didn’t know, I mean, I kind of thought but I didn’t know they were like, together, together,” I confess in a hushed voice.
Milo looks at me with squinted eyes. “She’s a Synergist, like you.”
“I guess I knew that, but I never really thought about it. She and Gus they were… you know.” I widen my eyes, still not wanting to say it.
“They were getting busy?” Ollie asks, sounding oddly proud and scandalized at the same time?
“God no!” I shout. “But they were messing around.” Ollie takes his eyes off the road to look back at me like he needs to see if I’m telling the truth.
Milo does this whole body shake like he has thewillies. “Thank you for stopping me from going in there.” He shutters again.
“I think it’s awesome.” Ollie laughs. “Good for ole Gus, getting him some.”
“Ollie,” Milo and I scold at the same time, which makes him laugh even harder.
“Can we forget this ever happened? I never want to hear about this again.” Milo folds his arms over his chest and scoots down in his seat to sulk.
About halfway home, Iask the question that’s been on my lips since before I caught Maggie and Gus’s in the kiss. “Have you heard from the guys?” I lean my folded arms over the bench seat up front.
“No, but they’re a few hours behind us, and they knew you had to work, so they’ll probably call in a little while.” I lean back, not at all mollified by Milo’s answer.
* * *
The house looks normal, with lights glittering from a few of the windows. With Rosa and the guys home now, it’s fuller than ever. But it feels strangely empty when I kick my shoes off in the mudroom. Milo and Ollie are with me, so there’s no banter coming from the kitchen where they all usually wait for me after work.
Sadness quickly falls over me. How is itthatI’ve become so dependent on having all fourof themaround me in such a short time? Milo presses a hand against the small of my back. “Everything okay?” His eyes search mine.
I tighten my lips, pulling them up at the corners in a mock smile. “Yeah, just feels different.” I shrug, hoping that’s enough of an explanation.
He nods, his eyes closing on an extended blink. “Let’s grab something to eat. If we haven’t heard from them by the time we’re done, we can call them, sound good?” A small fissure of relief fills me. Knowing that even though they’re halfway across the country, but only a phone call away, makes me feel a little better.
The lights in the kitchen are low, the faint glow radiating above the tall cabinets creating a welcoming backdrop. Milo heads to the fridge while Ollie pulls out oneof the stools at the counter for me to sit. “Looks like some kind of pasta,” Milo announces, pulling a casserole dish from the fridge and peeling back the clear cling wrap at the corner, then putting his nose near the gap. “Chickenparm?” He looks over his shoulder at me. “There might besomeroast left from yesterday,” he offers, poking his head back into the fridge while he balances the dish on one upturned palm.
“I’m good with either.” I settle my forearms on the counter while Ollie pulls out the seat next to me.
With efficient movements, Milo lets the door snap closed and pulls down a short stack of plates from the upper cupboard, before addressing Ollie, “You want any?”
“If there’s enough, yeah,” Ollie answers, setting his phone between us. I peek over at him wondering if he’s just asanxious to hear from the others as I am.
“There’s plenty.” Milo splits the leftovers between three plates. He hands me the first dish to come from the microwave, with a knife and fork already tucked under the glistening, red noodles. I inhale the scent of fresh garlic and tomatoes before slicing through the crispy breading of thinly sliced chicken breast. I don’t bother waiting for the others to sit down with their food, it’s a courtesy we all usually uphold, but I’m too eager to make the phone call to Ares and Dante to wait.
The fresh herbs give the sauce a hearty flavorI know didn’t come from a jar. I’ll probably have a stomach ache later from how fast I’m shoveling the food into my mouth, at theveryleast I’ll have heartburn, but it’s worth it. We eat in relative silence, other than Milo asking Ollie to pass the salt.
I’ve already rinsed my dish and placed it in the dishwasher when Ollie’s phone buzzes on the counter and the screen lights up. His eyes meet mine then flicker own to the phone.
“It’s for you,” he says, pushing the phone in my direction. I reach forward, snagging it from him, and hit the green icon while putting it to my ear.
“Hello?” I’m a little breathless as I answer. Dante’s voice fills the room, sounding a little hollow. I jerk the phone from my ear and stare down at the screen.
“Hello?” he calls again. I can see his face on the phone. His dark hair is a little mussed and his amber eyes search the screen.
“Dante?”
“Hold the phone so I can see you.” Extending my arm, I notice a little box in the bottom right corner, when I angle the phone, I can see my face staring back at me. I get distracted and look at myself instead of him for a moment.
“There you are,” Ares says, pulling my attention back to the larger screen.
