. It reflected in the way her hair was slicked back, or with the way she carried herself with an armor of steel in the business field. There was a keen kindness in her eyes I had never seen in anyone else's, all while she simultaneously spoke words of satire—and outside the professional disarray, she transformed into a different person altogether.

The reasons to adore her never lessened.

Eyes only slightly exhausted, when her lips twitched into a hearty smile, I couldn't resist falling into her arms when she extended them. Dad coughed, breaking the silence. "I have no respect in this house."

Liam laughed, before embracing him in a tight hug. Dad seemed to grin at something about him—probably his height and how taller he had gotten since he last saw him. I had missed dad a lot, too, with and all of his bustling abruptness. He was the most hard-working man I knew of, in whatever work he partook in. But if he had the option to stay home, he was nowhere but in the kitchen.

Even if his recipes were a love letter to disasters, especially the ones in which the fire alarm was destined to go off.

When we finally entered the house after the melodramatic display to the neighbours, things suddenly started to settle in my head. I recalled how my room was a complete mess I hadn't deemed to encounter for the past two months. Liam seemed to notice my apprehension, on his mouth a weary smile. My mother was a cleaning frenetic. If she saw my room before I did, I couldn't get away without a lecture.

"You're early," Liam acknowledged, eyes soft. "I thought you guys were coming on the weekends or something."

"I don't need your permission to come to my house, honey."

Should've seen that coming, my eyes taunted Liam, but before I could comment anything snarky, Dad had gone off to examine the kitchen. "I see you've been maintaining the kitchen well, Li."

Liam saluted him. "Yes, Sir."

My mother got up, walked towards the kitchen, and grabbed a glass of water. "How's school, Bella?"

"It's okay," I sung my response, eyes dwindling and shoulders shrugged. "I have a test lined up this week. Chemistry."

She smiled. "That's good, you do like chemistry. I was hoping you'd ask me for permission to go to a weekend party, but honestly Laura, you never do."

"And you are disappointed, Mom," I said, a laugh slipping past my lips. "Why do you so badly want me to get drunk?"

"It's an experience," she started, eyes shining. "Right, Liam?"

Liam rolled his eyes. "Mom, she's underage."

"Plus," I interjected, eyes falling to her in inquisition. "Which parent would ever want to be met with unforeseen circumstances of a drunk child?"

She chuckled again, hands waving in the air. "You're a baby, but I trust you to not make any mistakes—even when you're drunk out of your mind."

"What even—"

I was about to cut in to finish the conversation, but she changed the topic herself. "Anyway, Liam. How is college going? Seen anyone you like yet?"

She signaled at the texts on his phone, and he proceeded to stuff it inside his pocket. "No, Mom. I'm sorry to break it to you, but both us live boring lives. We don't have anything juicy to tell you."

"What a shame," she gulped the water in one chug, shaking her head.

"Trust me, Mom," I began with a small grin. "You would not like us how you're picturing us to be. Trust me."

"I want you two to live, Bella—and life is too short to think so much," she was now carrying her suitcase to their room. "You might not get it now, but you will get it when you're my age."

Liam snickered beside me, nudging me and whispering, "Don't mind her, she's at her live, laugh, love stage in life."

I slapped a hand to my mouth. Mom shouted right back, "I heard you, Liam!"

He continued to ignore everything happening in the room, and when she had finished assembling, she walked right back to us—and then looked at me. "At least you have a boyfriend?"

I laughed. "What is with you wanting us to be in relationships?"

"You really want to know? Because it is a long conversation. . ."

"No, we are good," Liam interrupted, face sullen and eyes rolling to the back of his head. "That's enough of my non-existent love life being discussed with my parents."

Dad gave his input in this fine conversation, which was just a question directed at Liam. "There's no grocery in here. How do you even cook?"

Liam smiled at him, and then glared at me. "I forgot this week, but Laura seems too free—so why don't you go get some fresh air and the groceries?"

I gave him a death glare in equal amounts, but didn't protest back. The idea wasn't bad, and grocery shopping was almost a calming sort of activity. I wrote down a small list of things to buy, and pulled my favorite playlist before exiting my house.

▂

It was upon reaching Everyday Goods that I realized that grocery shopping could only be fun if I weren't so indecisive—and clumsy. While grabbing cereal boxes by extending my hands a little farther, I had managed to let the remaining stacked up goods fall. On someone.

I had never apologized and disappeared quicker in my whole life.

It didn't take me long to be done, however, and maybe it was the humiliation still bold on my cheeks because quite a lot of people saw me being messy. Back home, I had left some work for the night—studying Chemistry for the upcoming test was a major one, and working out was also something I had to do. My mind fleetingly rolled to a particular conversation Evan and I had had in the English class—

And I bumped into someone slightly.

Jesus. My limbs really weren't cooperating with my mind today, and it was evident how the person I seemed to collide with was annoyed. I picked up the box of biscuits I managed to knock off their hands, and was met with a similar pair of eyes when I looked up.

"I'm sorry," I said, and then stood there in disbelief. ". . .Jayden?"

He looked up, smiled, and seemed to hold his tongue for a good second. "It's okay, Billiards Girl."

I extended the biscuits forward. "It's Laura."

His eyes struck like a dark cloud, or a sky during a thunderstorm. Either way, it was astonishing how much they were shining. "Thank you, Laura."

I gave him a polite smile, and then nodded in understanding. I was getting late, and catching up with schoolwork could only get harder if I stayed here, as awkward as it was, in front of him.

He called my name before I could leave entirely.

"Can I ask you something?"

I motioned for him to continue, and saw him struggle for a couple seconds. His eyes were on the floor, now, and his lips were pursed as if he was examining rocket science. "Will you. . .um, allow me to take you out for coffee one day?"

My eyes widened, heart setting off due to embarrassment. "I don't know you," I dragged my words, hands growing clammier every second. "At all. I'm sorry."

"I know," he grinned. "I'd like to get to know you, if you'd like."

Scarlet tinged my cheeks in a shade ten times brighter. "I, uh—" say you're not interested, I thought, but couldn't. If only someone could guide me through a conversation when I was young, it would've been amazing.

Luckily, he saw the awkwardness and spoke before the earth could open up and swallow me whole. "Oh, I'm sorry—I mean, as a friend, of course."

"I'll think about it," my voice was high-pitched, now, because my anxiety wasn't having any of this. My heart being the traitor it was, tripled in my ears. "I'm getting late."

I just wished he didn't ask for my number, or something.

Miraculously enough, he didn't. And when I peered over my shoulder, he was waving. From what I could see, he knew I was wondering how we were supposed to meet for coffee without knowing anything about each other.

"See you around, Laura."

His smile was confusing, and it seemed as though he had everything figured out. I tried not to think about it too much—to a point that it kept me awake at nights, because never for the life of me was I not scared of men.

It was like walking on thin ice.

Before I could get ever more uncomfortable, though, I prayed to the universe for it to just be my paranoia, and rushed the other way.

• • •

idc what anyone says, family banter is the peak of entertainment

this chapter was on the shorter side, but i hope you liked it! any thoughts so far? i'd love to know whatever you think. you're golden