It’s so uncomfortable. I smile again at Ares, and Dad clears his throat.
Oh, no. No. Nope. Do not. Please Dad, please don’t.
“So how did you meet my Eloise, Mr. Peña?”
Ares is somewhere between the guy he was with me in the car and his showman. He’s smiling, but not dazzling. He’s comfortable, but not cocky. I can’t help but wonder if this is the first time he’s met a girlfriend’s parents. Heck, I might even be his first girlfriend.
Ares puts his slice back onto the plate. I’m expecting him to correct Dad on how to say his name, but to my surprise, that’s not what he says.
“We met at the coffee shop.” It’s a version of the truth, but also not quite a lie. He stretches across the table to grab a napkin before dabbing at his mouth.
“Beer?” Dad’s expectant stare makes me uncomfortable, but Ares doesn’t seem at all fazed by it.
“No thanks.” He stands. “I’ll get myself some water if that’s okay.”
Dad grunts. Ares points at the fridge and I nod.
“Does anyone else need a drink?”
Tori raises her hand. “I’ll take one, please.”
He hands her a bottle of water and takes his seat. I’ve never seen Dad eat so quickly before. He demolishes three slices, drains his beer, and excuses himself from the table. I’d offer him some pie but, one, he’s being rude, and two, I don’t want him hanging around the table even longer than necessary.
If there’s enough pie for everyone, I’ll offer Dad a slice later. It can be my olive branch. Though I don’t feel like I did anything wrong, there’s a hefty amount of guilt pressing on my shoulders.
Ares brushes my bicep, and I jump. Tori laughs, but it’s short lived when I glare at her.
“You really came all the way out here to bring her pie?”
“Sí. I did. I missed you, Eloise.” He sweeps his fingers across my cheek sending flickers through my body, and it’s then I realize that my hair is tied up. I tie it up at home, it’s my safe space where I don’t have to worry about anyone seeing my face.
My chest tightens.
While Ares has stroked his fingers over my cheek, he’sright there.
I swallow the lump forming in my throat and squeeze my knee under the table to stop it from shaking. He’s my boyfriend and he says he doesn’t care, but I can’t automatically shut off the angst associated with my scars and my trauma because we’re dating now.
“I can leave if you’re uncomfortable with me being here.”
For a bad boy, he sure can be thoughtful. Did he expect to drive all the way out here to Keystone, find me in an empty house, and do things together? Sexy things?
A flash of Ares eating pie off my stomach comes to mind, and suddenly I want to kick Dad and Tori out in the cold and let Ares eat pie off my body. It’s not snowing, but it’s November, so it’s freakin’ cold out.
“No, it’s okay. Dad wasn’t supposed to be home tonight, so it’s a night of unexpected things. I don’t mind you being here, Ares.”
He looks down at the table. “Lo siento. I should have messaged first.” His cheeks are pinking up. He’s clearly not used to having to be considerate of someone else’s life and schedule. He wants something, he buys it. He wants to see someone, he sees them. “I’ll do better next time.”
I take his hand in mine, slipping my fingers between his, palm to palm. Tori’s taking everything in, quietly assessing. She’s chewing on another slice of pizza, sipping on her water, but as soon as Ares leaves, she’s going to be all up in my business.
Can I get her to stay over so she can be my buffer? Dad’s anger radiates through the house. He’s not going to let me go to bed until he’s told me exactly what he thinks of me seeing Ares—which I already know, and he knows I know.
But since Ares is here, Dad now also knows that I didn’t listen. The lecture is going to intensify. It’s brewing already.
“Eloise?” Tori nudges me under the table with her foot.
Both Tori and Ares are staring at me, waiting for an answer to a question I didn’t hear being asked.
“What?” Looking between the two of them, my Spidey senses tingle. They both have weird looks on their faces.
