Page 26 of Falling for my Family's Rival

“You should join us, Abby,” I say. “If you have time.”

Abby glances over her shoulder. “I can ask,” she says. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely,” I say.

“Well, okay then,” Abby says, her eyes lighting up with her huge grin. “I’ll go ask!”

Kaylee and Addie come into the little room as Abby walks out. “Hey, I invited Abby to join us,” I say. “Is that okay?”

“Of course,” Addie says. “Abby is a natural at everything book-related! Why didn’t we think to invite her before now?”

Violet arrives next, with apologies about us not being able to meet at her house. We assure her that it’s fine. Jackie and Ella come last. They all have the same reaction to Abby joining us. By the time Abby comes back after getting the okay from her boss to take a break and join us, everyone is thrilled to welcome her into the fold. We all settle into chairs around the room, and pull out our copies of Romeo and Juliet.

“So what are everyone’s initial thoughts?” Addie asks. She often takes the lead on things like this. “I know most of us read this in high school, but was it different for any of you now? Thoughts?”

“I actually like it better than I did in high school,” Kaylee says. “I never paid much attention during class, and it never made any sense to me.”

“And what’s different now?” Addie prompts.

“I’m a grown up,” Kaylee says, laughing. “No, but seriously. I think that since I was deciding to read it for myself this go-around, I paid more attention and noticed a lot more.”

“I agree,” Jackie chimes in. “I find myself enjoying it so much more this time around.”

“I have to be honest,” Violet says. “I’m not sure how much I’m enjoying it. I just don’t love Shakespeare.”

“I used to hate Shakespeare,” Abby says. “But then I tried it again and read it really slowly, and I loved it so much more.”

“I feel like Romeo and Juliet feels really removed from everyday life for most people,” I say. I pause because I don’t know what to say next. I’ve been so engrossed in work, Luca, and the family feud, that I haven’t updated the girls on Luca, and I’m not sure if I should divulge anymore quite yet, with Abby here and all.

Luckily, Ella jumps in. “I don’t know how I feel about it yet,” she says. “I think I’m going to need to finish it before I make any judgment calls.”

“Okay, great start,” Addie says. “Let’s dive into the first question. Do you think Romeo and Juliet’s love is real, or just infatuation?”

“Honestly, I don’t mean to be a cynic,” Violet says. “But isn’t Juliet supposed to be, like, fourteen? How can that be real love?”

“I don’t know,” Kaylee counters. “I think that a fourteen-year-old can feel true love. Especially since, back then, girls were expected to get married around that age.”

“I think the real question becomes, do we actually believe that Romeo and Juliet fell in love-at-first-sight and not just lust at first sight,” Abby says.

“How many of us believe in true love-at-first-sight?” I ask.

Everyone looks at each other, like they’re waiting for someone else to raise their hand first. Finally, I raise my hand. Kaylee and Jackie raise their hands, too. Abby makes a so-so gesture. Everyone else shakes their heads. I’m kind of surprised. We’ve been reading romance novels for so long, that I just thought ‘love at first sight’ was a trope we all bought into. But then again, did I buy into it before I met Luca? I’m not so sure now.

“How deep can love-at-first-sight really be?” Ella asks. “I mean, if you know nothing about the other person, except what they look like, how can you say that you’re actually in love?” Her gaze flickers to me, and she slightly jumps, “I mean, I’m sure it is possible in some situations…” She shrugs and smiles apologetically at me. I know she’s waiting for me to take the lead, with Abby here. I appreciate her thoughtfulness.

“I think it’s more of a soul connection than anything else,” Jackie says. I want to cheer for her because, yes, that’s what I felt the first time I locked eyes with Luca.

“Maybe everyone just has different experiences with how they fall in love,” Violet says. I can tell she doesn’t agree with the love-at-first-sight trope, but she wants to smooth everything over.

“Let’s move on to the next question,” Addie says. “How do you feel the family dynamics influence Romeo and Juliet?”

“I think it’s really easy to assume that Romeo and Juliet are going against their families wishes for them,” I say. “But it’s got to be a struggle. I’m sure they both felt immense loyalty to their families.”

“I found it really interesting how they both seemed to want to confide in someone important in their lives,” Ella says. “Like it’s clear that they both have a need for that family approval, but they know they won’t get it.”

“Right, like Juliet’s nurse is a substitute for her family,” Kaylee says.

“I like that idea,” Abby agrees.

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