Page 96 of Maybe You

Then, silence.

And more staring.

Fuck’s sake.

I know I’ve never really had a friend over, but do we have to make such a big deal out of it? And on the same note, do we have to stare at Sutton like it’s somehow suspicious that he’s here?

I take a deep breath and paste a wide smile on my face. Somebody has to act normal here.

“What are we having?” I ask.

Remy seems to gather himself first.

“Spaghetti and meatballs,” he says. “Sit down, sit down. It’ll only be a few more minutes.”

We go and wash our hands, and a little while later, we’re all sitting around the table by the window.

“Food,” Theo moans, reaching for the bowl of spaghetti. “I’m starving.”

Jordan rushes to grab the bowl first.

“Hey!” Theo protests.

“If you go first, the rest of us will only have scraps left,” I say.

“Slander,” Theo says, but he sits back and waits patiently until the bowl makes its way back to him.

For a little while, the only sounds are people passing around bowls and plates before we all settle into our seats. I was worried the awkwardness would continue, but mostly, it’s dinner as usual, with everybody talking about their day with some teasing and mild jabs added to the mix.

Sutton seems happy just listening, and he relaxes slowly as the evening wears on.

We’re almost done with food when Jordan sets his sights on Sutton.

“So, Sutton,” he says with the worst attempt at casualness I’ve ever witnessed. “How do you know Wren?”

Sutton takes a slow sip of water and places the glass back down with measured movements.

“We met at the pool.”

Jordan nods. “You work there, too?”

“No,” Sutton says.

“He just breaks in every now and then.” I start gathering up the plates.

“Technically only once,” Sutton says, and he gets up too, to help with the cleanup.

“Is that the official story?” I ask.

“If you never saw it happen, did it even happen?”

I press my hand to my chest and give an exaggerated sigh. “Wow. You’re so deep.”

He looks up from where he’s putting the glasses on the counter and grins at me, and when I turn back toward the table, I find Remy and Jordan eyeing me with varying degrees of something that looks suspiciously like caution.

I’m really not sure why.

“So, Sutton,” Jordan says. “Tell us about yourself.”

---