Page 42 of Bi-Partisan

Song: Darlin’ – The Beach Boys

When Adrian initially invited me to his birthday not-party, I wasn’t nervous. But now, as I’m stepping off the elevator on his floor, flowers in hand with my best friend at my side, the reality that I’m about to meet every important person in Adrian’s life for the first time hits me all at once.

The last time I met a significant other’s parents was my college girlfriend, and it went well, but I don’t know. This feels different. It feels… big. Maybe it’s because I know he has never truly dated anyone and, therefore, has never introduced anyone to his parents. It could also be the added pressure of making our fake relationship convincingly appear real. Or maybe it’s just the fact that everything seems to make me fucking anxious nowadays, even with me attempting some of the self-care and anxiety-management tricks he told me since he talked me down on the night of the primaries.

“You okay?” Mina asks, her brow furrowed when she notices my sudden anxiety has stopped me in my tracks.

God, I’m glad Adrian—or I guess Sophie—suggested I bring her.

“What if they don’t like me?” I ask, and I hate how small my voice sounds.

“Who? Adrian’s friends? His parents?”

I nod.

“Okay, well, first, they’re going to like you. Parents love you,” she says, matter-of-fact. “Mine wanted to adopt you after they first met you, remember? But also, why does it matter if they do or don’t? Other than your general desire to be liked by everyone.”

And in theory, it shouldn’t matter. Except that it does. It really does.

When I don’t answer, she gives me an appraising look, then her eyes widen. “Wait, you like him—like, like him-like him.”

“The number of ‘likes’ in that sentence really have me questioning why you’re in charge of writing my speeches,” I deadpan.

“Shut up,” she says as she lightly smacks my arm with the back of her hand. “But seriously, do you actually have feelings for him?”

I shrug nonchalantly, but she knows me well enough to see straight through it.

“I knew it!” she squeals. “I knew this would happen. The second I saw you two at lunch, I knew it was only a matter of time before y’all were no longer faking it.”

“Okay, hold on. Don’t get ahead of yourself. We’re still faking it. He made it clear when we talked about boundaries that he doesn’t do relationships. So just because I went and developed a tiny, likely one-sided crush on him, doesn’t mean it’s going anywhere,” I say firmly. Although, whether that’s supposed to convince her or me, I don’t know.

“Well, he might have said he doesn’t do relationships, but I know what I saw, and trust me, it’s not one-sided,” she says before looping her arm through mine. “Now come on. Being late won’t make a good first impression on his mom and dad.”

When we get to the door, she lets go of my arm, and I take a quick deep breath before raising my free hand to knock.

The door swings open within seconds, revealing the same redhead that was dancing with Adrian That Night. I hadn’t gotten the best look at her then because of the lighting in the club, although, even if it had been broad daylight, I probably wouldn’t have paid much attention to her. Not that she’s not attractive because she is. She’s short, a little shorter than Mina, even, so maybe around 5’3”, with round brown eyes and faint freckles dusted across the bridge of her nose. Actually, she has an almost girl-next-door quality about her, right down to the flower print sundress and oversized cardigan she’s wearing. In other words, she’s almost exactly my type. But That Night I only had eyes for Adrian. Still do, apparently, given the slight pang of disappointment that hits me when I realize he’s nowhere to be seen.

It quickly dissipates, though, when Sophie offers me the biggest smile.

“Hi! You must be Jamie and Mina. I’m Sophie, Adrian’s coworker at the clinic. It’s so good to meet you.” She bounces on the balls of her socked feet for a moment before going in for a hug, but then immediately stops and pulls back. “Sorry, I’m a hugger, especially after I’ve had wine. Are you a hugger?”

And now the nervousness that was coursing through me fades as well as I smile back. I think Adrian might be right. Sophie has an almost magical ability to put people at ease. “I am,” I say, bending slightly to accommodate our height difference for a one-armed hug so I don’t crush the flowers in my hand.

After a few seconds, she pulls back and turns to Mina, who already has her arms held out to prepare for a hug.

“You were the one with the spell from primary night, right?” Mina says as they part.

“That’s me,” Sophie says brightly. “I don’t know if I’d call it a full spell. I haven’t quite worked my way up to that yet. I mostly just stick to crystals and candles.”

“Well, either way, it worked. Which is good because I did not have the mental energy to do any sort of witchyness that night other than sneaking a crystal into Jamie’s pocket.” She nudges me slightly. “So thanks for that.”

“Of course! Adrian is fussing in the kitchen even though it’s his birthday party, and he should be relaxing.” She shouts the last bit over her shoulder toward the kitchen, and there’s a laugh from behind her in the living room. “But he should be out in a minute, so come in and meet Casey.”

She steps aside, and we enter, stopping briefly to toe off our shoes. A man with brown hair and glasses—Casey, I’m guessing—stands from the couch and walks over to greet us. He’s a few inches shorter than me, with a slightly scruffy beard. Cute, in a kind of nerdy way.

“Hey, it’s nice to meet you,” he says, sticking out his hand.

I take his hand and shake briefly. “You too.”

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