“To be honest, I thought you’d come in here and be a completely rude weirdo who didn’t know how good you had it, being with my sister. I hate you slightly less now,” Faith informed him.
Dom huffed a laugh, reaching up to tug on the front of his hair to steady himself.
At this rate, he was going to trigger a receding hairline if he didn’t stop it.
“I think I was supposed to meet you the other day,” said Dom, trying to keep up with the constant battery of conversation.
Faith’s forehead crinkled as she focused on him. “Me?”
“Pottery,” I told her, clearing it up.
Her eyes widened.
“Oh gosh! That’s right. Wait.” She turned her attention to me, leaving him completely. “He came with you?”
I nodded.
“Did you two end up there? Alone together … oh my gods, I’m sorry,” gasped Faith, pressing her lips together with a smile that said just about the exact opposite. In fact, if there was ever a time Faith looked pretty damn pleased with herself, this would be it. “This keeps getting better.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Dom repeated.
Again, Faith smiled. “Sure. Maybe, someday, you’ll actually think so.”
“Dom is going to be leaving once we figure out how to get more than five feet apart,” I said, speaking up, as if to remind myself.
Still, Faith didn’t look convinced, smiling, which normally wouldn’t worry me like it did now.
When the door creaked open, the sound of heavy footsteps was the only thing that prepared us for Lu. Standing in the archway to the living room, she dropped all her stuff from her never-ending tote bag onto the floor. The hat where she had turned her tassel from one side to the other today also hit against the ground in a loud clang.
I didn’t know what I had expected, but I had to stop myself from saying anything as Lu shook her head, exhausted and tight with annoyance. Everyone else seemed to get the same memo, waiting.
“Are you ready?” Lu raised her hands, as if she needed to quiet the already-silent crowd she had at her disposal. “If not, get ready. Prepare yourselves.”
“Oh dear,” murmured Faith.
“His parents.” Lu took a deep breath.
All of us remained on the edge of their seats—in my case, very literally. I tried not to notice how Dom reached out to cup my hip in case I tipped over.
“They brought his ex-girlfriend.”
“No, they did not,” I shouted.
“They did.”
Celeste blinked wide eyes. “How did they even do that? What did Ryan say?”
Lu pointed at her. “Oh, Ryan was just as pissed as I was. He might’ve been worse because, well, have you ever seen Ryan angry?”
No one answered.
I couldn’t say I had.
“Exactly,” Lu clarified. “For a second, when he froze and his face turned all red, I thought he was possessed. All throughout dinner, he was like that. His parents claimed they had brought her as company for Ryan’s sister. His sixteen-year-old sister, who didn’t even speak a word, let alone look up from her phone, where she was reading smut under the table the entire time.” Lu took a deep breath. She let her things sit on the floor, stepping over top of them and into the living space.
Essie hesitated before she spoke up. “You didn’t tell on his sister, did you?”
“You really think that of me?” Lu put a hand on her chest. “You should call her sometime.”
