Page 34 of Jalen & Colby

“Puppy!” Jalen shrieks, rushing over to the dog. I just stand still for a second, desperately trying not to let the tears fall that have gathered in my eyes. I adore dogs, but obviously I was never allowed to have one. My mother said they were disgusting and smelly.

Andreas’s own mother pipes up from behind us. “Actually, she’s more of a grandma than a puppy, but don’t tell her that.”

Andreas puts his hand on my lower back to get my attention as he smiles down at me. “Do you want to come say hello?”

“Yes, please,” I say breathlessly. We go over to the gentle giant, sitting on the carpet to stroke her. The bow is keeping her hair out of her face so she can see. “What’s her name?”

“River,” Andreas says fondly. “River Song. Mum’s always been a massive Doctor Who fan, and now we all are, so we’ve also had Sarah-Jane, Barbara, Ace, and Rose.”

“Hello, River!” Jalen coos as we all pet her. She looks between us, basking in all the attention.

“Ahh, I missed so much time with her,” Andreas says sadly.

His sister squeezes his shoulder. “You’re here now. That’s what counts.”

“We should probably let her sleep,” Andreas says as he gets to his feet. I don’t really want to move, but I want to do what’s best for River. “We can come say hello again later when things calm down,” Andreas says.

“So you met Uncle Andy in Sydney?” Esme asks from one of the sofas where everyone else has taken their seats.

Jalen drags me away from the drowsy dog onto a sofa, sandwiching me between him and Andreas. Oh,god.He’s pressed up against me, and immediately I struggle to think about anything else. I’m used to my best friend manhandling me, but Andreas is off-limits. I promised myself. But he just smiles at me and puts his arm around my back, andholy crapI really can’t think straight.

He and Jalen are telling the story about how we all met through our love of Jurassic Galaxy, which the girls both look up on their phones as apparently they’ve never heard of it. Jalen launches into his usual speech about how great it is and why, while Andreas’s parents start bringing in plates of party food and fixing people with drinks. I politely accept some kind of flavored sparkling water, whereas Jalen jumps at the offer of prosecco, and Andreas gets a beer.

I can feel both Andreas’s parents looking at us with interest, especially his mum. But I’m pretty attuned to when there’s an actual problem or simmering hostility thanks to my upbringing. I can’t say I feel that from them now. Just curiosity.

“You really should have told us you were coming,” Andreas’s dad—Yuen—gently chides as he and Tianna also sit down. People start helping themselves to food, but I’m too shy. “We could have met you at the airport.”

Andreas shakes his head. “That’s so kind of you, Dad. But it was such a last-minute decision and we wanted to surprise you.”

“You wanted to make your own mother cry, you mean,” his mum scoffs, but she hasn’t stopped smiling since we arrived. “You always did like a bit of drama. And you,” she says, looking between me and Jalen. I try not to wince as my heart picks up speed, bracing myself for what’s to come. “Thank you, both.”

Well, I really wasn’t expecting that.

“Um, you’re welcome?” I say, completely unsure.

“For what?” Jalen asks, ever the blunt one.

Andreas’s parents laugh and share a look. “For coming all this way with Andreas,” Tianna says warmly. “You must be very good friends to do that.”

I feel myself blushing, and I’m not sure what to say. Jalen comes to my rescue, as usual. “Andreas is very easy to be friends with,” he cries, patting Andreas’s head over mine and making him laugh. “He’s so kind and fun to be around. Wait until we tell you about our awesome vacation rental!”

Tianna tuts. “You could have stayed here,” she grumbles.

Andreas flicks his eyebrows at her. “But this place is literally on the beach,” he says with a grin. “With a hot tub.”

“Can we come visit?” Isla pipes up.

Esme smacks her knee, and I freeze in panic. “Don’t be rude,” Esme says to her younger sister.

Isla sticks her bottom lip out. “Mum!” she protests. She doesn’t seem to care that she’s just been struck at all. In fairness, it was only a light tap, but still my heart is racing.

Anisha rolls her eyes and sips her red wine. “Both of you, behave. Isla, it’s a holiday home, they might not want visitors. Esme, don’t hit your sister.”

They both mumble apologies but soon forget about the spat as they load their plates up with the fancy looking savory pastries that Yuen just bought in, straight from the oven. I take a few breaths and calm down.

This isn’t my family.

I’ve never been around a group of people that got on so easily before. It’s intimidating. I’m so afraid of saying the wrong thing or embarrassing myself. They’re just so rambunctious, but there doesn’t feel like there’s any tension underlying anything they say or do. My mother would have been offended ten times over already from the little jabs and people laughing at each other.

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