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“Says the two people about to live withthreenewborns,” Charlie tells us like we’re insane. His suit jacket is thrown over his shoulder like he’s either on a Parisian stroll or about to make a quick exit. Considering we aren’t in Paris, I think I know which.
“This is a big place,” I tell him. “We might not even hear them cry all that much.”
He swings around. “They’re not guppies in a tank. They’ll be in communal spacescrying. It’s what babies do.”
Stop scaring Donnelly out of the penthouse!I want to shout at Charlie, but as I look over at Donnelly, he seems to share the same concern. That I’m about to rocket off to another place, another city, without him. He’s married to wherever his client resides, and Xander has a lot of his senior year left.
“I dunno,” Donnelly tells Charlie, “babies might come out celestial. Could be a house of three little angels.”
“Yep,” I nod. “This is heaven.”
“Your heaven is my hell,” Charlie notes, eyeing the doorway but he lingers. “Move to New York.” At first I think he’s telling Donnelly.
“Me?” I point to my heart.
Donnelly shifts uneasily.
“No, the wall behind you,” Charlie deadpans. “Yes, you, Luna. It’s honestly shocking you’re still here.”
Is it?
I haven’t wanted to close this monumental chapter on living with my brother, Sulli, and Jane. Now that they’re having kids, I get to be a cool aunt and create memories with their babies too.
“I’m taking classes at Penn,” I remind him.
“Have you been on campus since your fics leaked?” He knows the answer.
“No.”
“Drop out.”
“Or you could stay,” Donnelly interjects. “Just putting it out there.”
Charlie checks his phone, then the door. Like he needs to go. I’m more surprised he’s not bolting.
“You really think I should move to New York?” I ask Charlie.
“I think you’d be happier there, but what do I know? I’m just your cousin.” He makes it seem like that title holdszeroweight, but Charlie has meaning to my life. Even though he’s not editing any of my fics right now, I already miss picking his brain and trying to see how he views the world.
I turn to Donnelly. “What do you think?”
“I think…” He’s watching Charlie, who’s starting to watch us.Uh-oh.I forgot how perceptive Charlie can be. Donnelly continues, “You’d be happiest wherever there’s a Wawa ‘cause it’s the best place on Earth.”
Charlie pockets his phone. “Sounds more like you.”
I say, “Maybe I’m happiest wherever Donnelly is.”
Donnelly does a double-take towards me, his lips parting, but nothing escapes.
My words are supposed to becasual.A throwaway statement! Yet, I sounded defensive and my face has betrayed me. Heat burns my cheeks, especially at the intensity to which Charlie is staring into me, then into Donnelly.
Donnelly combs acasualhand through his hair. He is much better at deception than me, and typically, I think I’m pretty damn good too.
“Because Wawa,” I lie. “It’s all about Wawa.”
“Stamp.” Donnelly waves a limprock ongesture. He sees that Charlie is onto us, and he’s not so excited about that fact. Neither am I. Charlie can’t know I like Donnelly before my best friends—Charlie’s brothers—find out. It feels wrong.
Charlie splays his suit jacket on the couch. He makes no move to leave.
