Page 41 of Roses, Pearls, and Hot Summer Nights
Phoenix rose, sliding his phone into his back pocket. “Oh, guys,The Poor Relationreleased. Did you see we got a new episode?”
My stomach clenched, my eyes widening so I kept my gaze down. He watched it? Did they all? Did they somehow …know?
I cleared my throat, asking casually, “You guys likePoor Relation? Youalllike it?”
Barrett grinned at me. “The Poor Relationis one of the few things we all agree about.”
I forced a smile, though my thoughts still swirled with unease. Barrett’s grin was reassuring, but the worry gnawed at me. What if they noticed my reaction? What if they knew I was the creator? Paranoia made my hands shake.
Phoenix must have sensed my tension, even if he didn’t know what caused it. He lifted an eyebrow in the way I was starting to think of as the Lent eyebrow raise. I forced myself not to jerk in reaction. “Come on, Alatheia, let’s just focus on the sushi tonight.The Poor Relationcan wait. We can all watch it together later, since I can see you are now a part of their lives.”
I ignored the last part of his statement, since I was pretty sure he was trying to be rude, and I’d already decided that sometimes I would just ignore Phoenix. “Sushi sounds perfect.” They intended to watch it in front of me later? I wondered if Icould escape, not sure if my nerves could handle reactions from viewers in real time.
As we stepped out into the cool evening air, the city lights flickered around us, casting a comforting glow as the breeze tossed my stray curls. Oddly, instead of feeling foreign and strange, the city seemed familiar, its chatter welcoming with the noise and the promise of delicious food. I shook my head, amused at myself. It wasn’t like I could fit in quitethatquickly, and I only even ventured into the city with them a few days ago.
Julian linked arms with me, the touch shockingly personal for a second until I adjusted. “Thank you for forgiving us. The next time Phoenix scares you, I promise to handle it appropriately.”
“Maybe he won’t scare me again.”One can always hope.
“Oh, I will,” Phoenix promised then laughed. “I scare everyone. It’s what I do. Come on, Barrett, are you calling a car or should I?”
Julian laughed. “You know he already has one.”
Barrett held up his phone. “If one of you three wants to start behaving like an adult, you can call it.”
“We do,” Jeremy came up next to me, kissing my cheek. “When you’re not around. But you have always been the default grown up in our little group.”
He groaned and Jeremy pressed his nose against my hair. “You smell so good.”
“You really do.” Julian whispered, from the other side, frying my ability to think. “I didn’t expect this.”
“Do I usually smell bad?” I tried to ignore the breathlessness of my own tone, focusing on the attempted joke.
Only Phoenix got it, laughing as he threw his head back. “Well done.”
The car pulled up then, so we all climbed inside, Phoenix making his way to the very back and Barrett taking the front.
My head started to swim.What is happening tonight?I rubbed at my eyes and squirmed. “Guys … this is … nuts.”
Barrett turned around to grin at me. “We know. Trust me.”
“Actually …” Phoenix laughed. “Currently I am the sanest person in this car. My friend Jo is meeting me outside, so I’ll meet you guys in there.”
Julian sighed, his expression dark. “Great. Jo. My favorite person.”
“Jo is going to want to avoid me, or else I might beat his ass.” Jeremy looked out the window and Phoenix laughed. The sound didn’t hold any amusement.
Phoenix admitted, “I fuck up all on my own. It isn’t Jo’s fault.”
Julian glanced over his shoulder, his expression stern. “He doesn’t help.”
I looked between them. “I’m missing something?” Usually, I wouldn’t mind missing out on their family dynamics, but since it involved me, I felt compelled to say more. “Listen, I have a hard time trusting people. Today probably didn’t have to get so out of hand. That’s on me. But … I still have to genuinely ask, are you all going to turn on me and then make fun of me in some public way? Because, if that is your goal, I would rather not play along.”
Despite the fact I previously asked a version of the question before, Phoenix made it all different. I didn’t know them with Phoenix added as an unknown factor.
He leaned forward, elbows rested on his knees. “Something has happened to you, Red, but that’s a good question. It really is. A fair question, even.”
“Why is it a fair question?” Julian jerked around this time to stare at his younger brother. “I have never in my life made fun of someone in a hallway. That’s not a normal thing to do, it’s a bully.”
