The rest of the afternoon passed in thick silence. Sarah barely spoke, her eyes flicking between Mia and Ethan more often than necessary. She smiled when Jake finally got home, but the smile never reached her eyes. By evening, the tension in the house felt like a wire pulled too tight.
After dinner, Jake stretched and grinned at the group. “Lila’s been dying to check out that new rooftop bar downtown. Sarah, you in? We can make it a double date thing.”
Sarah nodded quickly, standing up. “Yeah. Sounds good. I need to get out of here for a bit.”
Ethan leaned back in his chair, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ll pass tonight, man. Got some work emails I need to catch up on. You guys go have fun.”
Mia took her cue, keeping her voice casual. “I was actually planning to visit a friend from
