Jay hosted dinner that Saturday.
Not a formal event.
Just family,
food,
wine,
and Phil sohow starting an argunt about whether outdoor televisions represented "modern civilization."
Jay already regretted inviting everyone by the second hour.
"You people exhaust ," he muttered while refilling his drink.
Haley spent most of the evening talking excitedly about internship projects while Claire listened with increasingly visible pride.
Even Alex looked invested now, occasionally correcting Haley's marketing terminology with terrifying seriousness.
And Gloria—
Gloria kept watching.
Not constantly.
Just in small monts:
when Haley laughed,
when Claire softened,
when Gael spoke.
Observing the shifting family dynamic around him carefully.
The night stretched comfortably after dinner.
Eventually, people started leaving in waves.
Mitchell and Cam first.
Then Claire dragged Luke toward the car before he could "test pool acoustics."
Alex followed reluctantly after realizing she still had SAT prep waiting at ho.
Haley stayed behind a little longer beside the pool talking with Gloria while Jay sat farther back near the patio fire heater looking increasingly exhausted.
Gael ended up beside him briefly.
Jay took a slow sip of whiskey.
"You settling into the neighborhood alright?"
"It's a nice place."
Jay glanced toward the backyard where Haley laughed loudly at sothing Gloria said. "Family likes you."
Gael looked toward Haley too.
"They're hard not to get attached to."
Jay snorted quietly.
"That's because they don't leave people alone long enough to escape."
A little later, Jay finally stood up with the slow exhaustion of soone done socializing for the night.
That left the backyard quieter afterward.
Pool lights reflecting softly across the water.
Music low.
Warm California night settling around the patio.
Haley then went to the restroom.
Which sohow left Gloria and Gael alone near the outdoor bar area while the rest of the house quieted down.
Gloria leaned lightly against the counter pouring another half glass of wine.
"You survived family dinner."
"It is an achievent."
She smiled faintly before looking out across the pool.
Without everyone else around, Gloria's energy changed slightly.
Still warm.
Still confident.
But quieter.
More direct.
"You know," she said eventually, "Jay used to stay awake later than ."
The sentence ca casually.
Still personal.
Gael leaned back against the patio railing nearby.
"That sounds specific."
"It sounds old."
She laughed softly once before swirling the wine in her glass.
"When you marry soone older, nobody talks about how strange ti becos." Her eyes stayed on the water. "One day you still feel young together. Then suddenly you realize one of you is slowing down first."
There it was.
Not unhappiness.
Not regret.
Just awareness.
And sohow that honesty felt more intimate than flirtation would've.
Gael stayed quiet.
Because the conversation mattered.
Gloria glanced sideways toward him after a mont.
"You are good at listening."
"I am good at it."
"That's rare."
The pool lights reflected softly against her skin while warm night air moved through the patio.
Then she smiled slightly.
"You know what I like about you?"
Gloria stepped a little closer beside the railing.
Not enough to cross a line.
Enough to create awareness of one.
"You don't try too hard," she said eventually. "Most young n spend entire conversations trying to impress people."
"That sounds exhausting."
"It is exhausting."
Her eyes moved over him briefly.
Lingering now.
Openly.
"But you already know who you are." She tilted her wine glass lightly. "That is very attractive."
The atmosphere shifted subtly after that.
Just undeniable.
Because for the first ti—
The flirtation between them stopped hiding behind jokes completely.
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