I opened the door.<\/p>\n
Jessica stood in the hallway holding a bottle of red wine beneath one arm and a small gift bag in her other hand.<\/p>\n
She was tall, polished without looking overdressed, and visibly uncertain.<\/p>\n
That last detail caught me off guard.<\/p>\n
For days I had imagined a woman arriving with Liam\u2019s confidence\u2014someone who knew exactly what her presence meant and enjoyed it.<\/p>\n
Instead, Jessica smiled cautiously.<\/p>\n
\u201cHi. You must be Chloe.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am.\u201d<\/p>\n
She offered me the bottle.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is for you both. Congratulations on the place.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stepped aside.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome in.\u201d<\/p>\n
She had barely crossed the threshold when Liam appeared.<\/p>\n
\u201cJessica!\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice was brighter than it had been all afternoon.<\/p>\n
He moved past me and hugged her.<\/p>\n
It was not scandalous. Nobody gasped. His hands stayed where they should.<\/p>\n
But the embrace lasted a fraction too long, and when he stepped back, his face held an excitement I had not seen when David arrived, or Ben, or Marcus, or any of the people supposedly gathered to celebrate our home.<\/p>\n
Several conversations faded.<\/p>\n
Jessica noticed.<\/p>\n
Her shoulders became slightly rigid.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s good to see you,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThanks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liam laughed, suddenly boyish. \u201cI thought you might cancel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI said I\u2019d come.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know. Still.\u201d<\/p>\n
I took the wine from her.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan I get you something?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWater would be great.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbsolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n
As I crossed toward the kitchen, Sarah appeared beside me.<\/p>\n
She waited until I opened the refrigerator.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are absolutely not fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
I filled a glass from the filtered pitcher.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m actually calmer than I expected.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah looked toward the living room.<\/p>\n
Liam was already showing Jessica around.<\/p>\n
Not introducing her to people.<\/p>\n
Showing her the apartment.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look finished,\u201d Sarah whispered.<\/p>\n
I handed her the pitcher.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s because I am.\u201d<\/p>\n
When I returned with Jessica\u2019s water, Liam was pointing toward the hallway.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bedroom\u2019s back there,\u201d he told her. \u201cBalcony\u2019s through the living room. Sunset is ridiculous from here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica accepted the glass from me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis place is beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liam grinned.<\/p>\n
\u201cI finally got the kitchen I always wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
I.<\/p>\n
Not we.<\/p>\n
He did not notice.<\/p>\n
A few other people did.<\/p>\n
David glanced at his wife. She raised one eyebrow.<\/p>\n
Jessica took a drink of water.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really is nice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt finally feels like home,\u201d Liam said.<\/p>\n
Home.<\/p>\n
I let the word pass without comment.<\/p>\n
The previous night, I had removed the last photograph of my grandmother from the bedroom.<\/p>\n
The apartment looked occupied by both of us.<\/p>\n
Emotionally, I had already left.<\/p>\n
The first hour passed more easily than anyone expected.<\/p>\n
I greeted guests, refreshed drinks, replaced empty serving plates, and laughed when Marcus told a story about accidentally locking himself on his own balcony.<\/p>\n
I did not hover around Liam.<\/p>\n
I did not watch Jessica openly.<\/p>\n
I did not need to.<\/p>\n
Liam kept making himself visible.<\/p>\n
Every few minutes he checked me.<\/p>\n
The first time, I pretended not to notice.<\/p>\n
The second, I smiled.<\/p>\n
The third, I raised my glass slightly.<\/p>\n
Each time, he looked more puzzled.<\/p>\n
Eventually he followed me into the kitchen.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have to admit something.\u201d<\/p>\n
I arranged crackers on a wooden board.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n
He laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m impressed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy the crackers?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re actually handling this well.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was genuine approval in his voice, the way someone might praise a child for behaving in a restaurant.<\/p>\n
I placed another cracker on the board.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou asked me to be mature.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, but I thought there might be some tension.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
He hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, because of the history.\u201d<\/p>\n
Interesting.<\/p>\n
For days, he had insisted the history meant nothing.<\/p>\n
Now it apparently meant enough that my failure to react impressed him.<\/p>\n
I smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo tension from me.\u201d<\/p>\n
He leaned against the counter.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is what I wanted. Everybody being adults.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you got what you wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n
He touched my shoulder affectionately.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew you\u2019d come around.\u201d<\/p>\n
When he walked away, Sarah appeared from the pantry doorway.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to need you to explain what you\u2019re doing before I have an aneurysm.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m hosting.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChloe.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked through the opening into the living room.<\/p>\n
Liam had returned to Jessica.<\/p>\n
They stood beside the balcony doors.<\/p>\n
He leaned close while speaking. She leaned back slightly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not doing anything,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what worries me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI spent too long explaining Liam to people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he interrupted me, I explained he was excited. If he embarrassed me, I said he was joking. If he dismissed me, I said he was stressed.\u201d<\/p>\n
I adjusted the cheese on the board.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m done providing subtitles.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah followed my gaze.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you\u2019re just letting him\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBe himself.\u201d<\/p>\n
She became quiet.<\/p>\n
Across the room, Liam laughed loudly.<\/p>\n
Then he reached toward Jessica\u2019s shoulder and brushed away something that might not have existed.<\/p>\n
Jessica\u2019s expression changed.<\/p>\n
Only slightly.<\/p>\n
But enough.<\/p>\n
She took half a step sideways.<\/p>\n
David saw it.<\/p>\n
His wife saw it.<\/p>\n
Ben saw it.<\/p>\n
Sarah whispered, \u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
The strange thing was that Jessica did not appear flattered.<\/p>\n
She looked uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
That complicated the version of events I had constructed in my head.<\/p>\n
Maybe she had not come to reclaim Liam.<\/p>\n
Maybe she did not even know she had been placed in the middle of something.<\/p>\n
I watched more carefully.<\/p>\n
When Liam moved closer, Jessica created space.<\/p>\n
When he referenced an old memory, she smiled politely rather than encouraging him.<\/p>\n
When he touched her elbow while laughing, she glanced down at his hand.<\/p>\n
Liam noticed none of it.<\/p>\n
Or chose not to.<\/p>\n
The more attention he received, the more careless he became.<\/p>\n
I carried the food into the living room.<\/p>\n
\u201cFresh supplies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Several people thanked me.<\/p>\n
Jessica reached for a cracker.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is really good.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSarah made the dip.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI chopped things,\u201d Sarah corrected. \u201cChloe has been doing everything since yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liam waved a hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe likes this stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do?\u201d<\/p>\n
He froze for half a second.<\/p>\n
Then he laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know what I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did.<\/p>\n
So did Sarah.<\/p>\n
The party continued.<\/p>\n
Something had changed, though.<\/p>\n
People were no longer watching me for jealousy.<\/p>\n
They were watching Liam.<\/p>\n
He did not realize it.<\/p>\n
That was perhaps the most revealing part.<\/p>\n
He had expected my behavior to be the evening\u2019s potential embarrassment, so it never occurred to him that anyone might be judging his.<\/p>\n
Ben eventually wandered toward us with a drink in his hand.<\/p>\n
He was Liam\u2019s cousin and had the dangerous social habit of saying whatever everyone else was carefully avoiding.<\/p>\n
He looked from Liam to Jessica.<\/p>\n
Then to me.<\/p>\n
Then back again.<\/p>\n
A grin appeared.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, Liam.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ben raised his glass toward Jessica.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got a question.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jessica gave an uncertain laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds ominous.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt probably is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ben pointed lightly between them.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow exactly are you supposed to introduce somebody like Jessica at your housewarming?\u201d<\/p>\n
David lowered his beer.<\/p>\n
Sarah became very still beside me.<\/p>\n
I watched Liam.<\/p>\n
This was the moment when a sensible person would say, She\u2019s an old friend.<\/p>\n
That was all he needed to say.<\/p>\n
Instead, Liam smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, Jessica?\u201d<\/p>\n
He stepped beside her.<\/p>\n
Then, with the casual confidence of someone convinced the entire room admired him, he draped an arm across her shoulders.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got way too much history to worry about labels.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went silent.<\/p>\n
Not gradually.<\/p>\n
Instantly.<\/p>\n
Jessica looked at his arm.<\/p>\n
Then at him.<\/p>\n
She reached up, removed it from her shoulders, and stepped away.<\/p>\n
For the first time since she arrived, the uncertainty in her expression became something sharper.<\/p>\n
Confusion.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat exactly is that supposed to mean?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
Liam\u2019s smile remained in place.<\/p>\n
But suddenly, nobody else was smiling with him.<\/p>\n
I opened the door. Jessica stood in the hallway holding a bottle of red wine beneath one arm and a small gift bag in her other hand. She was tall, … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31211,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31214","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=31214"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31214\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31249,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31214\/revisions\/31249"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/31211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=31214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=31214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=31214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}