Page 56 of Star-crossed Betas

“Um. No. Actually, it’s a family friend of Phoenix’s.”

“It is?” Fee asks, sounding surprised. I just nod. “You got the recipe from Claire?”

“Yep. It’s no big deal,” I reply, nudging a piece of garlic bread on my plate with the prongs of my fork.

“When?”

“A few days ago.” His face scrunches up in confusion, but he doesn’t say anything else. Something about his total apathetic response to the fact I had to speak to his fucking horrible mother to get hold of Claire for this recipe makes me see red.

I’m sick of the empty coffee pots.

I’m sick of separate laundry.

I’m sick of all of this.

When I reach over to get more lasagne, I 'accidentally' drop some in his lap.

“Ooops.”

“Shit, that’s hot,” he says. I should feel bad. But I don’t.

“Sorry, they’re your favourite jeans too. That must be super annoyin'.”

“It’s fine. They’ll wash,” he says through gritted teeth.

“It’s understandable if you’re annoyed; I’d be annoyed if it were me.”

“Wouldn’t take much,” he mutters. Before I can offer a snarky reply, Niamh kicks me under the table.

“Will, oh my god. Tell them about the potato patient,” Niamh blurts out. Will looks from her to me, unsure.

“Oh, erm, yes. Funny story. I’m working in A&E at the moment, and we had a patient come in with a potato in his rectum. Claimed he’d been gardening naked, and somehow, it had got stuck up there. We couldn’t get it out, so he had to go to surgery. The next day I asked how it had gone. The surgeonwas like,‘I don’t think he did that gardening somehow.’I was like, obviously, but why not? He goes,'Because the potato we removed was completely peeled.'”

Niamh snorts a fake laugh, having heard the story before. Fee offers a tight smile. I would ordinarily find the story hilarious, but not right now. Nothing feels very funny right now.

“Wow. Tough crowd. That story has really been killing it lately,” Will mumbles. “Maybe I didn't tell it right?”

“Sorry… I got distracted,” I reply.

Once the world's most awkward dinner comes to a close, I walk Niamh and Will out to their car while Fee cleans up.

“I say this with love, but do not ever make me sit through a dinner like that again. Jesus. I almost stabbed myself with a fork because a night in the hospital would have been less painful than that,’ Niamh says, pointing in the direction of the house with her thumb.

“Same here. And I literally just came from there,” Will agrees.

“What are you going to do to fix this? You can’t live like this forever,” Niamh says, and I groan.

“I know.” I dig my fingertips into my eye socket. “I’ve tried all sorts. I might have to do something drastic. Like a romantic gesture. How disgustin'.” Niamh just pats me on the back.

“Let’s not arrange another dinner like this until you’ve tried that. I do love you, just not that much.” I snicker and press a kiss to her temple. I give Will a hug, and they both get into his car and drive off.

Before I head back inside, I tilt my head up to the sky. It's a rare, totally clear night, and the longer I look, the more stars appear. I take a few steadying deep breaths, rallying to return to my house of silent hostility.

Twenty-two

June 2022

Connor Kelly

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