The kitchen buzzes with greetings, laughter, and familiar voices rising over the clatter of dishes. Rosa’s fingers trace Mason's cheek gently, as if it were fragile.
“My boy, how do you feel?” Her voice is quiet, careful.
“Better, Rosy. Much better,” he replies with a soft smile. Rosa gives a satisfied nod and turns back to her cooking, but her hand lingers just a moment longer on his arm.
Conversation swirls around the kitchen table, drifting from work to future plans, then to Ivy’s new haircut.
“It looks beautiful, darling,” Charles comments, admiringly. Ivy smiles, pushing a strand back self-consciously.
“Thanks. Alex convinced me to go through with it.”
A cheer goes up around the room, but Charles’s gaze lingers on me, one eyebrow lifted in a way that says he’s not entirely sure about my influence.
The talk shifts to Mason, and he gives a quick update on the police investigation, his face falling only briefly. “They’re still looking for those guys,” he says with a sigh, “but no luck yet.”
“If I find them first,” I mutter under my breath, “the police won’t have to worry.”
“That’s terrible, Mason, just terrible,” Rosa says, squeezing his hand with genuine sympathy.
Mason shrugs with a half-smile, “It’s alright. I did my part. Now, I’m more careful.”
Ivy and Tyler both beam at him, proud of how he’s handling it. Charles and Rosa nod approvingly, sharing a brief glance that speaks volumes.
They’re the rare religious people who not only tolerate but fully embrace Mason for who he is. Tyler once explained to me that Charles and Rosa have always been supportive of young people like Mason, seeing kindness as more essential than judgment. They believe God alone knows a person’s heart, and a good one, like Mason’s, matters more than anything else.
Once everyone’s plates are empty, I rise to clear the table. Kin and Dex slip out the kitchen door, and as I start washing dishes, Rosa leaves the room with Tyler. It’s just Ivy, Charles, and me at the table now. I join them, catching a snippet of their conversation. But before I can hear more, the guys come back with balloons, and Rosa appears, balancing a giant cake covered in candles.
Ivy’s eyes are shining in the candlelight, teary with gratitude. She ducks her head, trying to hide from Charles snapping photos, but I catch the glimpse of a happy smile just before she looks down. She looks up, catching my eye, and for one brief moment, there’s a flash of sadness.
Ivy closes her eyes to blow out the candles, and everyone cheers as the flames vanish.
“I’m grabbing plates and spoons,” Kinwo announces.
“Fork for me, please,” Ivy calls after him.
Charles shakes his head. “Not this again.”
Ivy pouts. “Don’t look at me like that, Dad.”
“You’re not even trying, young lady.”
Tyler chuckles, and Mason looks puzzled. “What’s this about?”
Tyler nudges Ivy’s arm. “This one here has a habit of eating *everything* with a fork. The only exception is soup.”
“Huh,” Mason says, frowning. “Never really noticed.”
Rosa pulls up a chair beside Ivy, laughing. “We tried to break the habit, but either we let her use a fork, or we let her starve.”
“Food just tastes better with forks,” Ivy insists, grabbing her fork and stabbing the cake with it as if to prove her point.
YOU ARE READING
𝔼𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕘𝕣𝕖𝕖𝕟
DragosteWhen Alex Haulten moves from London to Los Angeles to live with his best friend Tyler, he meets his younger sister, Ivy, but she is nothing like what he expected. The young woman is rude, cold, and does her best to make Alex feel uncomfortable. Lit...
