By the ti they reached the house, the sun had already disappeared.
Warm light spilled from the windows while music drifted faintly from inside sowhere.
Phil was in the driveway unsuccessfully trying to tie sothing onto the roof of his car.
Nobody looked surprised.
"What exactly am I looking at?" Gael asked carefully.
Phil looked up imdiately.
"Engineering."
Claire's voice ca from the garage instantly afterward.
"It's not engineering."
"It's advanced rope strategy!"
Alex walked past them without slowing down.
"Statistically, this ends in property damage."
"Supportive family," Phil muttered.
Haley grabbed Gael's wrist imdiately.
"Co inside before Dad discovers pulleys."
Honestly, reasonable survival instinct.
The kitchen slled like takeout and coffee when they walked in.
Claire stood near the counter sorting through papers while Luke attempted to microwave sothing that looked deeply illegal.
"No," Claire said without turning around.
Luke sighed dramatically.
"You don't even know what I'm making."
"I know enough."
Gael laughed quietly while Haley stole food directly from one of the containers on the counter.
Again.
At this point she treated ownership more like a suggestion.
"You're back early," Claire said while glancing up briefly.
Then her eyes landed on Haley.
"You look grumpy."
"I had plans."
"You've been ho for fourteen seconds."
"I'm expressive."
Claire rolled her eyes before looking toward Gael.
"Sorry in advance if Luke burns sothing tonight."
"That feels less hypothetical than it should."
Luke pointed dramatically from the microwave.
"I'm innovating."
"No," Alex answered while walking upstairs. "You're committing cris against electricity."
The evening settled gradually after that.
Phil eventually abandoned whatever roof experint he'd started.
Luke got banned from touching the microwave unsupervised.
And Claire disappeared upstairs to finish getting ready for the charity event.
Gael ended up in the living room with Haley while so random reality show played quietly in the background.
Haley rested against his side beneath a blanket looking mildly irritated at existence itself.
"You know what's unfair?" she muttered. "My parents have social lives."
"That feels healthy, actually."
"For them maybe."
Gael smirked faintly while brushing his thumb slowly along her knee beneath the blanket.
Haley relaxed slightly against him imdiately.
Then Claire walked downstairs.
And for a second, Gael forgot what he was about to say.
Not because she was dressed extravagantly.
That was the problem.
She looked simple.
Dark jeans.
Black blouse.
Hair down instead of tied back.
Relaxed.
And sohow that made her look younger than usual.
Interesting.
Potentially dangerous observation.
Abort imdiately.
"You're staring," Haley murmured quietly beside him.
Gael blinked once.
"That sounded accusatory."
"It sounded accurate."
Claire looked between both of them suspiciously.
"…What?"
"Nothing," Haley answered imdiately, now looking way too entertained.
Phil wandered into the room a second later adjusting his jacket.
"Oh good, you're here." He pointed at Gael. "Tell Claire I look distinguished."
Gael glanced toward him.
"You look like you sell expensive boats."
Phil looked genuinely pleased.
"I do look mariti."
"That was not a complint," Claire muttered.
Honestly, watching them together was still one of the clearest reminders that marriages could survive almost anything.
Even Phil.
"You behave," Claire said while grabbing her purse from the counter.
Luke looked offended imdiately.
"That sounds targeted."
"It was."
Then Claire paused briefly near the couch.
"You staying here tonight?" she asked Gael casually.
Simple question.
Still, Haley imdiately looked up.
Interesting.
"Probably," Gael answered carefully.
Claire nodded once.
"Okay. There's food in the fridge if Luke eats everything."
"I heard that!" Luke yelled from the kitchen.
"That's because it was ant for you!"
Then she and Phil finally headed out the door still arguing about directions.
The house beca noticeably quieter afterward.
Luke disappeared upstairs with snacks.
Alex stayed locked in her room doing howork.
And suddenly the living room felt strangely calm.
Haley shifted slightly against him.
"You know what that was?"
"What?"
"My mom asking if you're staying like it's normal now."
Gael leaned back into the couch slightly.
"That's a weird thing to analyze."
User Comments
0 comments from readers