I stand at the end of my parents driveway, my feet stubbornly rooted to the ground as though sheer denial could shield me from whatever nightmare awaits inside. My heart is thudding harder than I’d like to admit, and I can already feel the tension creeping up my shoulders. Lukas, apparently determined to be my personal cheerleader today, loops an arm around my shoulders.
“Come on. We can handle this.” He says with that infuriating calmness of his, his tone reassuring. I groan, shooting him a side eye before reaching up to grab his arm and unloop it from my shoulder.
“Remember what I said about not just grabbing me?” I grumble. My words come out sharper than intended, but the stress of the situation has me on edge. Lukas, to his credit, doesn’t seem offended. He shrugs agreeably, his expression as unbothered as ever.
“No problem. But…” He says with a sly smile.
“You do know you can’t act so completely repulsed by me when we’re in there, right? We’re pretending to be a couple, remember?” He reminds me, looking far too happy about the whole situation. I sigh heavily.
“Yeah, I know.” I mutter reluctantly, allowing his arm to settle back in place. But seriously, how do happy couples even act? I’m pretty sure my parents weren’t exactly a shining example of a functional relationship. The thought makes me feel slightly ill. I can handle a bit of awkward flirting at lunch to prove a point and to play wingman for Eli, but this is a whole other level. Couples are supposed to look natural, like they’re comfortable together. Lukas, apparently tuned into the chaos in my head, squeezes my shoulder lightly.
“Relax, we’ve been spending time together comfortably for days now.” He says, his tone light. “And if anything is awkward. We’ll just say it’s a new thing. Act like we’ve been on a few dates. You have been on a date before, right?” He teases, his smirk widening. I roll my eyes but I’m fighting the urge to smile.
“Of course I have.” I reply, maybe a little too quickly. A few dates is about all I’ve had though, and if I’m honest, my track record is more tragic than romantic. First, there was the guy who openly hit on the waitress during dinner. Then there was ‘Mr. Gym Bro,’ who spent the entire evening flexing, figuratively and literally, about his bench press record like it was supposed to impress me. Why would I even care? Is that something many women care about? Then there was that guy who seemed really nice at first, I even went on a second date with him, and by the end of the second date he was trying to pick out names for our future children and asking me how I felt about being a stay at home mother. He came on waaaay too strong. I’m ashamed to admit that I completely ghosted him. I had an awful feeling that if I tried to let him down easy he was going to freak out on me or something, so I just kind of blocked him on everything and never called again. It probably wasn’t very nice of me but the dude was freaking me out. After that, I pretty much swore off dating altogether. It’s just too much effort.
Lukas laughs softly, his eyes glinting with amusement.
“Damn, Clare, you’re like one bad relationship away from adopting thirty cats. Or should I say another twenty nine of them?” He quips. I scoff, offended.
“Hey, that’s not fair! None of those disasters were my fault.” I argue, crossing my arms over my chest. He grins like he’s somehow tricked me into admitting something even though I obviously know none of those dates was MY fault.
“Exactly. Which is why you’ll do fine. Just treat me like a good friend and, you know, feel free to not keep your hands to yourself.” The teasing tone in his voice is impossible to miss. I glare at him, and he quickly backtracks, holding up his hands in mock surrender.
“Okay, okay, but seriously. If something’s wrong or you need to get out of there, just let me know. I’ll fake an emergency at work or something. You can blame me for everything.” His tone softens as he makes the promise, and for a brief moment, I feel a flicker of gratitude and then I picture Lukas faking a phone call and declaring that we absolutely HAVE to get back to the office. I laugh despite myself, the tension easing just slightly as he reaches out and knocks on the front door. Wait! When did we even get up the driveway? Somehow, Lukas managed to distract me from my spiraling thoughts. I let out a small sigh. Well, maybe this won’t be so bad after all. Maybe.
My mother answers the door, a wide smile plastered across her face. Before I can say anything, she yanks me out of Lukas’s arm and pulls me into one of her suffocating hugs, the kind that borders on a wrestling move
“Clare, honey! It’s so good to see you.” She says, her voice just slightly louder than necessary, as though she’s performing for an audience. Then, with no warning, she grabs me by the shoulders and spins me around like I’m a mannequin on display, positioning me next to her so that I’m facing Lukas, who’s still standing awkwardly just outside the door.
“And this must be your friend! Introduce us!” She gushes with an exaggerated enthusiasm that immediately puts me on edge. Lukas steps forward, his smile as polished and charming as ever, and offers his hand.
“My name is Lukas. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He says smoothly, holding his hand out expectantly. But instead of shaking it, my mother ignores him entirely, pushing me toward him with enough force that I stumble slightly. Lukas catches me effortlessly, his arm wrapping around my waist like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
“Go on then, invite your friend in.” My mother chirps.
“This is your family home, dear. No need to act like a stranger.” She says it like I come by every other day and should be totally comfortable here. Then she waves us toward the entrance as if her awkward dodge of Lukas’s handshake never happened.
*She HAS to know who you are.* I think to Lukas silently.
*That was the most obvious attempt to avoid a handshake EVER.* I conclude. Lukas taps his fingers lightly against my hip in response, a subtle acknowledgment that he agrees. Suppressing a sigh, I lead Lukas inside, giving him a brief tour of the house. The decor hasn’t changed much since I moved out, lots of wood and stone decor, like my mother is trying to give all natural vibes except for the electricity, plumbing and the fact that all the decor was one hundred percent store bought. We eventually end up in the dining room, where my father, aunt, uncle, and brother Julian are already seated. Julian is the only one I’m not completely dreading talking to. He and I were never particularly close growing up, more like polite roommates sharing a space than siblings, but we never disliked each other.
“Clare?” Julian blinks in surprise, his expression caught somewhere between pleased and confused. Either no one told him I was invited, or he just didn’t expect me to actually show up.
“Hey, Julian.” I say awkwardly, offering him a small smile.
“Uh, this is my friend Lukas.” I gesture toward Lukas, who still has an arm draped loosely around my waist. Julian’s eyes flick down to the gesture, and one eyebrow raises slightly, though he says nothing about it. Instead, he stands and extends a hand toward Lukas.
“Nice to meet you.” He says politely. If there is something suspicious going on here, I doubt Julian is in on it, he’s not the scheming type. He’s always been fairly straightforward. Lukas hesitates, his eyes scanning Julian’s face for a moment before nodding.
“Excuse me.” He says, his tone calm and composed.
“But I’m actually a mind reader. It would be rude of me to shake your hand without warning you that I’d also be nosing through your thoughts.” He explains. Well, at least he’s polite enough not to nose around in my brother’s head, although I didn’t expect him to announce it to the room, I suppose if the others all know who he is, there isn’t much point in hiding it. Julian’s eyebrows shoot up so fast they practically disappear into his hairline. For a split second, I think he might actually laugh, but he quickly recovers, nodding slowly. “
Really? Well, thanks for the heads up. If you don’t mind, I’ll pass on the handshake, but it’s nice to meet you either way.” He says warmly, his voice tinged with genuine curiosity.
While Lukas assures my brother that he isn’t offended, I glance around the room, noticing that no one else seems particularly shocked by Lukas’s admission. My aunt Daisy tries to feign surprise, but the over the top expression she plasters on her face fools no one. Uncle Lance, meanwhile, just looks tired, though in his defense, he always looks tired. Living with aunt Daisy would do that to anyone.
“Really so nice to meet you, Lukas.” Daisy interrupts suddenly, her voice dripping with false warmth. I know it’s false because that woman never speaks warmly to anyone.
“Please, take a seat. We’ve been looking forward to this meal.” She continues. I suppress a groan as Lukas guides me to a chair and pulls it out for me before sitting down himself. Let the mind games begin.