Serendipity → B.SKARSGÅRD

THRITY-TWO| pizza

     PINK is the first thing Grace is met with. Once she's able to get past that she realizes it's her father in one of her mother's robes. Grace is given no time to react, and her dad simply takes the pizza from her hands while planting a quick kiss on her cheek.

"God, I was starving, sweetheart," her father complains.

He immediately starts heading towards the dining room, Grace trailing right behind while wearing a perplexed look. Upon entering the dining room, Gigi is already seated at the table and their mother walks in with disposable plates and a six-pack of those bottled mini Pepsi's. Grace notices that they appear unfazed by Jeffrey's appearance. They simply greet her with a big smile.

"We were beginning to wonder what was taking you so long, mi amor," her mother says.

"We thought maybe you were with Billy, your boyfriend."

That came from the youngest of the Martinez family. The youngest not being Gigi but Javier.

"Hey, leave your sister alone, Javi," Jeffrey tells Javier.

Javier had come right behind Grace but she hadn't heard his footsteps. Now, Grace turns and looks behind at her annoying little brother, who she undoubtedly loves with her whole heart. His dark hair was tousled and he wore basketball shorts and a simple red t-shirt. He flashes Grace a crooked smile then proceeds to ambush her in a tight hug.

"Missed you, kid," Grace mumbles into his messy hair.

"I haven't seen you in forever, Gracie," Javier confesses. "Now I'm hearing you have a boyfriend and you've adopted like a hundred kids, or something like that."

Grace rolls her eyes and breaks apart from him but not before giving him a quick smack on his head. Gigi giggles but both their parents give Grace a silent warning. She raises an accusatory finger directed at Javier.

"That is why I don't miss that kid sometimes," Grace complains.

"Yeah, well, try living with that human sweaty gym sock," Regina adds.

"Please, kids, we are all here to enjoy a decent meal with your father and sister who have not had time until today and the next few days to do so, so let's all sit and enjoy our pizza," their mother, Rosario, instructs carefully.

"So that explains why papa's in a pink robe," Grace comments.

She takes a seat to the right of her father, right across from her mother. Gigi trades places with Javier and is now seated next to Grace, a pepperoni slice already in hand. There's no doubt that the Martinez family really enjoy what was essentially junk food. Dinners like those, where they could lay back and enjoy a quick meal is what made them feel normal. It makes them feel like any other family in the world, not the famous family they really were.

"I'm relaxing before I have to go back for interviews, and more interviews, so I will relax in this silk robe which happens to feel very nice on my skin," Jeffrey admits between mouthfuls of pizza.