Stronger With You

Chapter 10

Blaire glared at me all the way back to the table. I'm definitely not making new friends here.

When we all walked back into the dining room together, the noise softened just enough for me to feel the shift. Im sure everyone noticed we were all gone and most could speculate why.

Every conversation paused for half a heartbeat.

Alexander smiled gently. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” I said quickly, sliding into my chair and pulling it a little farther from him without meaning to.

Nicolás noticed, again. And why did I care?

His eyes flicked to the space I created, then back to my face, thoughtful and unreadable.

Blaire sat closer to him this time, her hand settling on his arm like she was staking a claim. He didn’t move it away, but he didn’t acknowledge it either.

Mateo leaned forward, grin already forming. “So, Em,” he said, clearly enjoying himself, “how’s life working under Nico at the shelter?”

I exhaled through my nose. “You mean doing all the dirty work and shoveling poop while everyone else gets to interact with animals?”

Maria laughed softly at the end of the table. Rafael looked delighted.

Blaire’s mother wrinkled her nose. “You actually do that?” she asked, her voice thin with disbelief and disgust. “Clean animal waste? Disgusting!”

“Yes,” I said evenly. "And it's going ok. I wish I had other duties like everyone else," I shot Nicolás a quick glare.

Blaire's father shook his head slowly. “That seems… like a necessary job for some people. Way beneath our level of course.”

The words landed heavy.

Luciana made a face like she was disgusted but didn’t want to show it.

Alejandro leaned back in his chair, watching the exchange with growing interest.

“It’s part of the job,” I added, refusing to shrink.

Blaire gave a soft laugh that didn’t sound kind. “I suppose everyone has to start somewhere, seems fitting for you.”

Mateo rolled his eyes.

Rafael spoke before I could respond. “Hard work never embarrassed anyone worth knowing.”

Maria nodded, her smile warm but pointed. “And it teaches respect. Something people with perfect manicures occasionally forget.”

Blaire’s mother stiffened.

Nicolás’s gaze stayed on me, steady. “You volunteered,” he said calmly. “You knew what you were signing up for.”

“I signed up to work with animals,” I shot back. “Not to be assigned permanent poop duty by a tyrant.”

Mateo laughed loudly.

Alexander tried to hide a smile.

Callie glanced toward Isabella, her cousin, both of them studying me now like they were reevaluating something.

Luciana’s expression stayed neutral, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that she didn’t like me. Her eyes lingered too long, cool and curious, flicking between me and Nicolás like she was measuring something she didn’t approve of.

I swallowed, suddenly hyperaware of how out of place I felt.

Blaire leaned closer to Nicolás. “She’s just adjusting,” she said sweetly. “Rosenberg can be overwhelming for… some people.”

“I’m adjusting fine,” I replied, sharper than I meant to.

Alejandro’s mouth curved into a slow smirk.

“I like her,” he murmured, lifting his glass.

Mateo barked out a laugh. “Same.”

Isabella grinned openly.

Luciana didn’t laugh, though her eyes warmed for half a second before returning to that thoughtful distance.

Mateo nudged Nicolás. “Careful, little brother. She’s calling you out in front of witnesses.”

Nicolás leaned back in his chair, gaze dark with amusement. “She talks big for someone who slipped into a pile of dog crap earlier today.”

Heat rushed to my face. “You cornered me into that row.”

“I did not.”

“You were basically waiting for me to fall. You pierced me with your evil glare. I had to step back.”

Alexander out right laughed, loudly. “That sounds accurate.”

Blaire’s father looked genuinely horrified. “I can’t imagine my daughter ever doing that kind of labor.”

Maria’s smile sharpened just slightly. “Everyone is capable of working. It's a decision to be lazy.”

The room went quiet again. I officially love Callie's parents. They are the absolute best.

Luciana however, still watched me closely, her expression unreadable. Not warm. Not cold. Just… calculating.

And I hated that I couldn’t tell if she disliked me or hated me.

“He runs the shelter like a dictatorship,” I added, lifting my glass. “Everyone looks like they’re waiting for him to issue orders.”

Mateo clinked his fork against his plate. “To the tyrant.”

Alejandro’s smirk deepened.

Nicolás’s mouth twitched despite himself.

Blaire looked like she might combust.

“And you keep coming back,” he said quietly to me.

“Because I’m stubborn and I need this job to keep my scholarship,” I replied.

“And because you care,” Alexander added softly.

Luciana’s gaze flicked between us again, sharper this time, like she didn’t like the way the air shifted whenever Nicolás and I argued.

I felt it too.

And it scared me more than Blaire’s parents ever could.