The house stayed unusually quiet after Phil and Claire left.
Not silent.
Just calr than normal.
Luke had disappeared upstairs with enough snacks to survive a small apocalypse, and Alex was still in her room working on debate prep.
Which left Haley sprawled across the couch beside Gael beneath the blanket, absentmindedly tracing patterns against his wrist while so reality show played ignored in the background.
Haley smiled faintly to herself before shifting closer against him again.
Honestly, she'd been slightly different all evening.
Not upset.
Just… thoughtful.
"You've been staring at for like ten minutes," he said eventually.
"That's because I'm thinking."
"That sounds dangerous."
Haley laughed quietly.
Then her expression softened a little.
"You know I'm not actually jealous, right?"
That caught him off guard.
Gael looked down at her properly now.
"Jealous of what?"
"My family liking you so much."
Simple sentence.
Still, there was sothing more underneath it.
Not insecurity exactly.
Sothing subtler.
Gael leaned back slightly into the couch.
"You say that like it's a problem."
"It's not." Haley paused briefly. "It's just weird sotis."
The reality show continued playing forgotten in the background while the room settled into softer silence around them.
Haley traced lazy circles against his hand before speaking again.
"When we first started dating," she murmured, "I kind of thought you'd stay separate from all this."
"All this?"
She gestured vaguely around the house.
"My family."
Honestly?
That made sense.
Most people did stay separate from this family eventually.
They visited.
They dated Haley.
Then they left.
None of them really beca part of the rhythm of the house.
Gael had done so without fully realizing when it happened.
"I think Dad likes you more than now," Haley added.
"That is unlikely."
"He literally asked if you were free before Luke."
"Luke drilled into a pipe."
"Still counts."
Gael laughed quietly while Haley watched him for another second.
Then:
"You know what else is weird?"
"That phrase again?"
"You and Alex."
Gael kept his expression neutral carefully.
"What about us?"
"You get each other too fast."
Not an accusation.
But this one carried sharper edges underneath it.
"She argues with ," he replied carefully.
"She argues with everyone."
Fair point.
Haley shifted upright now, studying him more closely.
"You know she likes talking to you, right?"
"That sounds normal."
"It is normal." Haley paused. "I just notice things."
And there it was.
Gael suddenly understood that Haley wasn't bothered by Alex liking him.
What unsettled her slightly was how naturally it was happening.
No effort.
No awkwardness.
Just chemistry forming quietly on its own.
"You're overthinking," he said softly.
Haley looked at him for a second.
Then smiled faintly.
"I learned from the best."
Before he could answer, footsteps sounded upstairs.
A mont later Alex appeared at the top of the staircase wearing glasses and holding papers.
"I hate economics," she announced to nobody specifically.
"That feels sudden," Gael replied.
Alex walked into the living room looking tired.
"It's midnight and I've been reading the sa paragraph for twenty minutes."
"That sounds like a skill issue," Haley muttered.
Alex narrowed her eyes imdiately.
"You failed algebra twice."
"That was a rebellion."
Gael laughed quietly while Alex dropped into the armchair across from them with visible exhaustion.
Honestly, she looked more relaxed around him lately.
Less guarded.
More natural.
Like she'd stopped thinking before speaking around him.
"You know what's annoying?" Alex said while removing her glasses briefly.
"That this family keeps asking questions in that format?"
"You're weirdly calming to argue with."
The room went quiet for exactly one second.
Then Haley pointed dramatically.
"THAT."
Alex blinked once.
"…What?"
"That's exactly what I an!"
Gael covered his face with one hand.
"This conversation feels dangerous."
Alex looked between both of them in growing realization.
Then imdiately looked horrified.
"Oh my God. That's not what I ant."
Haley looked unbearably smug now.
"You literally called him calming."
"I ant friendly!"
"That sohow made it worse," Gael muttered.
Alex threw a pillow directly at both of them.
"I hate this house."
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