CHAPTER 11:"BROTHER-IN-LAW"
675 Words
The second Marcus was out the door, Summer stood up.
“Bathroom. Be right back. Don’t fall in love without me,” she said, and disappeared before either of them could answer.
The waiter showed up 30 seconds later with a polite smile. “Ready to order dessert, or would you like—”
“Actually,” Luna said, “can you give us a few more minutes? My sister’s in the bathroom.”
“Of course,” he said, and vanished.
And then it was just them.
Silence.
Luna picked at the napkin in her lap. Nico stared at his water glass like it held the answer to all of his problems. The low buzz of the restaurant suddenly felt too loud.
“So,” Luna said, desperate to fill it. “Moving in together. Fun.”
Nico glanced up. “Yeah.”
“Do you think we should move your stuff to my place instead? It’s smaller, but cozier. And the rent’s already paid.”
Nico gave her _the look_. The flat, deadpan, "Are you kidding me right now?" look.
Luna held up her hands. “Kidding! Kidding. I’m kidding. Unless…?”
“No.”
“Right. Okay.” She laughed, too loud. “Just checking. Making sure we’re on the same page. Page 1: Not moving into a studio apartment with a broken heater.”
Nico didn’t answer. He just kept watching her, like he was trying to figure out if she was always like this or if it was the stress.
Luna tried again. “So. Do you cook? Because I burn water. If we’re living together I need to know if I’m going to survive.”
“I can cook,” Nico said.
“Good. One point for you. I can… order delivery. Very fast. Very efficiently.”
Another silence. This one was different. Less sharp.
Luna stopped talking and just looked at him. He looked tired. Not CEO-tired. Human-tired. The kind of tired he didn’t show when Marcus was around.
“Are you okay?” she asked, quieter now.
Nico hesitated. “Yeah.”
“Liar.”
He almost smiled. “You’re not great at pretending either, you know.”
“Neither are you,” Luna said. “You told him we’re shy. Nico. You.”
“That was Summer’s line.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t stop her.”
He didn’t have an answer for that. He just looked down at her hands on the table, then back up.
For three seconds, it wasn’t awkward. It was just… quiet. Comfortable, almost. Like they’d figured out how to be in a room together without performing.
Then Summer slid back into her seat like she’d been gone 30 seconds, not 10.
“Okay I’m STARVING,” she announced. “Waiter! I need pasta, bread, tiramisu, and whatever wine you have that’s most expensive. I’m using my rich brother-in-law’s card.”
Luna choked on air. “Summer—”
Nico actually coughed. “Don’t call me that.”
Summer grinned at him, all teeth. “Too late, _brother-in-law_. You’re stuck with me now.”
The waiter came back, wrote it all down, and left before Nico could protest.
Luna turned to him, trying not to laugh. “You okay?”
Nico rubbed his temple. “No.”
Summer was already breaking bread and talking about how she was going to “inspect the apartment for vibes” tomorrow. Luna listened, and found herself smiling.
Nico didn’t say much during dinner. But he didn’t leave either. He answered Summer’s jabs, shot Luna a look when she stole his bread, and paid the ridiculous bill without complaining.
And when Summer called him “brother-in-law” again in the car on the way out, he didn’t correct her.
He just rolled his eyes and drove.
Luna sat in the back, between them, watching them bounce off each other.
For the first time since the fire, it didn’t feel like her life was falling apart.
It felt like it was starting to make sense.
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- Writer
