Ariella never saw Mike like a brother; she only loved his goofball personality and flair for creativity. Mike never dreamed that bubbly and fierce Ariella would be interested in him. Once she confesses she's crushed on him for years, Mike staunchly...
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The cafeteria is quieter than usual today; people talking in subdued tones as we head into a holiday break from the grueling first trimester. Narrow dark wooden tables in orderly rows house high school kids on plastic orange chairs.
My table is no exception to the lowkey atmosphere—Riley's hunched over with her nose buried in her phone, and Ella stares into space while stirring a straw in her aluminum can. She startles as a couple of junior boys burst into laughter behind me, shaking her head while emerging from a reverie.
"Thinking about Cillian?" I tease.
The corners of Ella's mouth turn down in an amused smirk. "Maybe." Her deep turquoise turtleneck rides up her stomach as she tips back and stretches with a loud yawn. Without glancing up, Riley pokes her cousin in the belly, and Ella snorts while prodding her back.
"Hey, girls." Grayson slips into a chair next to me, sliding a tray across the table. He unzips his blue and white track jacket, then folds it over the back of his chair. Riley mumbles a reply as Ella and I cheerfully greet him. He points toward the other end of the cafeteria. "What's that?"
"What's what?" I furrow my brow, scanning where he pointed, then swivel my head back toward Gray chewing and holding a handful of my fries. "Gray, you can have some. I don't mind." I direct my gaze across the table where Ella's gathering her sleek hair into a thin ponytail. "So, what are your Thanksgiving plans? Will you be together?"
"Not this year," Ella says. "I'm going to my Dad's this year but Riley's going to Grandma's like usual."
"Ohhhh. Well, hopefully, that'll be nice."
"Should be. The drive is about three hours and it'll be me with Liam and Daphne. What about you?"
Riley snorts. "Good luck with that."
"Thanks," Ella says dryly. Her younger brother and sister are under ten and tend to bicker but Ella seems to be the calm in their sibling storm. "So, what about you, Ari?"
"The usual," I say. AJ and I exchange a smile as his chair scrapes the carpet. He plops down with his usual grace—as in, barely any—and his girlfriend Maggie is a few steps behind. "Except my brother's bringing a girlfriend for the first time ever."
"Luke invited Ellie over?" AJ squints one eye up at the bright white lighting before letting out a dainty sneeze. Maggie ruffles his light brown waves as AJ scoots a chair back from the table for her.
I wave a hand. "No, I meant Nick. My mom and I haven't met her yet, but my dad and Luke think she's awesome, and Nick can barely go an hour without mentioning her."
"Aw, that's cute," Ella says. She lays her sandwich down, then dusts her hands against each other. "Your brothers are both such nice guys."
Grayson pops another fry into his mouth. "Runs in the family, huh?"
