Page 57 of The Dating Coach
"I'm sorry," she said, voice thick. "I'm so fucking sorry. I thought they'd given up on surprise inspections."
"It's not your fault," I said, but my hands shook as I retrieved hidden photos. "They're your parents. You can't control them."
"I hate this," Mia said quietly, retrieving her pride flag with careful hands. "Hiding who we are. Pretending we're something we're not. When does it end?"
I wanted to promise it would get better, that someday we'd be free from parental judgment and societal expectations. Instead, I pulled her into a hug, Karen joining us until we were a pile of exhausted women clinging to each other.
My phone buzzed. Liam:Everything okay? You were supposed to come by after practice.
The simple concern in his text made my eyes burn. I typed back:Karen's parents visited. Bad scene. Need to decompress.
His response was immediate:On my way.
"You don't have to—" I started typing, but he was already sending follow-ups.
Bringing food. And Frank. He claims his presence repels judgmental parents. Something about his aura.
Despite everything, I smiled. Twenty minutes later, Liam arrived with Chinese takeout and, indeed, Frank, who immediately declared the apartment needed "cleansing from parental negativity" and started burning sage he'd produced from somewhere.
"Is that even real sage?" Karen asked, but she was fighting a smile.
"It's definitely some kind of herb," Frank said confidently. "The smoke is what matters. We're creating a barrier against judgments."
"That's not how sage works," Mia pointed out.
"That's not how any of this works," Frank agreed cheerfully. "But it's making you smile, so it's working perfectly."
Liam settled beside me on the couch, his presence grounding. When I leaned into him, he wrapped an arm around me carefully, mindful of his ribs.
"You okay?" he murmured.
"Better now," I admitted. "Today was just... a lot. Seeing Mia have to hide again. Watching Karen shrink under their disapproval. It's exhausting."
"I know," he said simply. "But you're all here. Together. That's what matters."
We ate Chinese food and let Frank's ridiculous sage ceremony lift our spirits. But underneath the laughter, I felt the familiar weight settling on my chest. The fear that happiness this perfect couldn't last, that external forces would always threaten what we'd built.
That evening, back at Liam's house while Mia helped Frank with calculus and Henry taught her card tricks, I found myself standing in Liam's doorway, watching him work on architecture sketches despite his injuries.
"You're thinking too loud," he said without looking up. "I can hear it from here."
"Just processing," I said, entering and closing the door behind me. "Today reminded me how fragile everything is. How easily people can make us feel small for being ourselves."
He set down his pencil, turning to face me fully. "Come here."
I went, settling carefully beside him on the bed. He cupped my face with gentle hands, thumbs stroking my cheekbones.
"What we have isn't fragile," he said firmly. "It's been tested by chemistry failures and family crises and my asshole father. We're still here."
"But what if—"
"No what-ifs," he interrupted. "Just this. Just us. Just choosing each other despite the people who think they know better."
His words, so achingly simple and defiantly hopeful, washed over me. I kissed him, pouring all my fears and hopes into the connection.
When we broke apart, I admitted quietly, "I'm terrified of losing this. Of something ruining it."
"Then we'll face thesomethingtogether," he said simply. "Whatever comes. Together."
