LOVE BEYOND

CHAPTER THREE: First Impressions

The ringtone shattered the Lawson living room’s calm. It was barely past noon, and Mariah had just settled into her chair with a medical journal when the shrill buzz of her phone lit up the coffee table.

She snatched it up, frowning at the name. “Clara?”

Victoria looked up from the couch, book halfway open. “What’s Aunt Clara calling for?”

Mariah swiped to answer. “Clara? Everything alright?”

Her sister’s voice crackled through the line, hurried and bright. “More than alright. Angela’s flight landed early. She’s waiting at the airport, baggage claim C. You’ll want to get here quick.”

Mariah froze, coffee forgotten. “Now? She wasn’t due until evening!”

“Surprise. Better hurry.”

The line went dead before Mariah could respond.

She stood, already grabbing her keys. “Vic, Angela’s here. I’ve got to go pick her up. Watch the house until Danny comes back.”

Victoria’s stomach dropped. Already? No warning, no buffer? She forced herself to nod, though her fingers curled tightly around her book. “Sure, Mom.”

Mariah leaned down, pressed a quick kiss to her daughter’s head. “Be kind, okay? This is new for her too.”

And just like that, she was out the door.

*ARRIVAL*

When the front door finally opened again, the sound of wheels clattering over hardwood followed. Danny burst in first, his face flushed from playing outside, hair sticking up in wild tufts. “Vic! Guess what? She’s here!”

Behind him came Mariah, juggling two oversized suitcases, her expression a mix of exhaustion and determination.

And then Angela.

She stepped through the doorway like she was crossing into enemy territory. Tall, poised, a designer jacket draped over her shoulders despite the heat. Her dark hair framed a face too practiced in indifference for her age. A quick sweep of the room and she wrinkled her nose, just barely, but enough for Victoria to catch.

“Nice,” Angela said flatly. “Cozy.”

Victoria rose from the couch, every nerve buzzing. “Welcome, I guess.”

Angela gave her a once-over, a smirk tugging at her lips as if she’d already sized her cousin up and filed her away. “Thanks.”

Danny darted forward, eager. “Come see your room! Mom and Vic made it really cool fairy lights and everything!”

Angela let herself be tugged upstairs, her luggage thumping against each step.

*ARRIVAL*

When the door opened, Angela froze in the threshold.

The teal comforter gleamed under soft fairy lights, the throw pillows neatly arranged, the little mirror angled perfectly to catch the afternoon glow.

It was warm. Inviting. Thoughtful.

And Angela hated it.

Her lips pressed into a polite smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Wow. You… really tried.”

Mariah’s face flickered. “Do you not like it?”

“It’s just—” Angela dropped her purse on the desk with a careless thud. “Not my style. I don’t really do… teal. Or fairy lights.”

Victoria stiffened, heat rising in her cheeks. “Well, excuse us for not knowing you hate nice things.”

Angela turned, arms crossed. “I didn’t say I hate them. Just not… me.”

“It’s better than beige walls and nothing,” Victoria snapped before she could stop herself.

Silence stretched, sharp and heavy.

Mariah stepped in quickly. “Girls. Let’s take a breath. It’s been a long trip. Angela, why don’t you rest a while? We’ll sort the details later.”

Angela shrugged, slipping onto the bed like a queen tolerating borrowed quarters.

Victoria muttered under her breath as she left the room, “Some of us actually worked to make it nice.”

The door clicked shut behind her, but not before Angela’s cool voice drifted after her: “Didn’t ask you to.”

..........

And so the first spark caught.

..........

Victoria stormed down the hallway, her socks slipping slightly on the polished wood. She could still feel Angela’s words clinging to her skin like static: Didn’t ask you to.

She hadn’t expected gratitude, exactly. But maybe a smile. A thank you. Anything to show that hours of shopping and decorating hadn’t been wasted.

Instead—dismissed. Like it was nothing.

Mariah lingered behind in the room, trying to bridge the gap with Angela, but Victoria could already hear her cousin’s muffled voice, casual, careless, as if she owned the place.

“Can you believe teal? And fairy lights? It’s like a dorm room from Pinterest.”

Victoria pressed her lips together hard, swallowing the sharp reply that wanted to claw its way out.

She retreated to the kitchen, slumping onto a stool at the counter. A few seconds later, Danny bounded in, eyes bright. “Vic, why are you mad? She just got here.”

Victoria raked her hands through her hair. “Because she’s impossible, Danny. We did all that work, and she acts like she’s too good for it.”

Danny shrugged, grabbing an apple from the bowl. “She’s from New York. Maybe they don’t like fairy lights there.”

That almost made Victoria laugh. Almost.

Mariah entered then, her face caught between stern and weary. “Victoria.”

Victoria met her gaze, bracing.

“She’s adjusting. New state, new school, new house. Give her some time.”

“I was trying to,” Victoria muttered. “She didn’t even try back.”

Mariah came closer, resting a hand on her shoulder. “You don’t have to be best friends overnight. But you’re cousins. Family. That’s worth meeting halfway.”

Victoria wanted to argue, to point out that meeting halfway only worked if both people were walking. But her mother’s eyes were steady, full of a tired hope she couldn’t bring herself to crush.

So instead, she nodded. Slowly. Reluctantly.

From upstairs, the faint sound of music drifted down—Angela’s music. Loud, bass-heavy, the kind that vibrated through walls like a challenge.

Victoria’s jaw tightened. This was going to be a long semester.