There are few monts in life more cursed than:
A ho-cooked dinner with both your dad and your stepmom.
After you’ve almost kissed your stepmom.
While knowing your dad is starting to suspect sothing.
Add wine, tension, and a lasagna nobody asked for, and you’ve got the hellscape I called Thursday night.
7:04 PM — The Setup
Mark ca ho with flowers.
The gesture would’ve been sweet if I wasn’t imdiately flooded with secondhand guilt.
He kissed Elena’s cheek. She smiled. It looked... practiced. Polished. Like they were auditioning for a toothpaste comrcial but forgot to read the fine print.
"Aaron," Dad called. "Dinner’s ready. Co on down and socialize for once."
I considered jumping out my window.
Instead, I walked down the stairs like I wasn’t internally combusting.
Elena didn’t look at .
Not at first.
But when she finally did, her eyes lingered one second too long.
And I knew.
She was burning up too.
7:18 PM — The Conversation
We sat down at the table like we were normal people.
Mark poured wine.
Elena served the food.
And I stabbed my lasagna like it had personally wronged .
"So," Dad said, swirling his glass. "How’s school? Still hating your psych class?"
I blinked. "Uh, no. I dropped it."
He frowned. "What? Why?"
"Because my professor thought Freud was a genius and I didn’t feel like fighting for the rest of the sester."
Elena snorted. A real, honest laugh.
Dad looked between us, confused.
"You two been bonding or sothing?"
Elena recovered first. "We’ve talked a bit. It’s nice. I think he’s brilliant."
Don’t. Say. Things. Like. That.
Dad smiled. "Told you. Kid’s got a sharp brain. Gets it from ."
I nearly choked.
7:42 PM — The Spark
Elena reached across the table to grab the salt.
Her fingers grazed mine.
It could’ve been innocent.
Wasn’t.
I felt it like an electrical surge through my arm and down my spine.
She flinched — barely — and retracted her hand like she touched a burner.
Mark didn’t notice.
I took a long drink of wine and stared at my plate like it held answers to questions I shouldn’t be asking.
8:10 PM — Milo Enters the Chat (and the House)
Just when I thought the night couldn’t get worse, the doorbell rang.
"Can you get that?" Dad asked.
I opened the door and wanted to die imdiately.
Milo. Holding a six-pack. Grinning like the devil.
"Thought I’d drop by," he said innocently. "Ga night?"
"No one told about a ga night."
"No one had to," he said, sliding past like a gremlin. "I brought Codenas and sha."
He walked into the kitchen.
Saw Elena.
Raised a brow.
Saw the three wine glasses.
Raised both brows.
"Wow," he said. "You guys playing ’Let’s Suppress All Our Problems’ or the family-friendly edition?"
Dad clapped his back. "Good to see you, Milo. We could use a distraction."
You have no idea.
8:45 PM — Ga Night from Hell
We sat around the coffee table.
, trying not to look at Elena.
Elena, trying not to look at .
Milo, watching both of us like we were contestants on a reality show called Who’s Gonna Snap First?
Mark? Oblivious. Laughing. Drinking. Cracking jokes like nothing was about to explode.
"Elena and Aaron, you’re a team," Milo announced during Codenas.
I glared at him. "You’re evil."
He smiled. "I know."
We played.
We laughed — tightly, nervously, with teeth.
And sohow, in the middle of it, Elena’s hand found mine under the table.
No one saw.
But my whole body did.
And I didn’t pull away.
Not until my dad looked over and asked, "You good, son?"
I yanked my hand back like I’d touched a live wire.
"Yep," I croaked. "Just fine."
10:00 PM — The Aftermath
Dad went to bed first.
Milo stayed behind to "help clean up," which really ant hanging around to corner once Elena went upstairs.
"So," he said casually, drying a plate. "What the hell was that?"
"What?"
He gave a look.
"I don’t know what you’re talking about."
"I swear to God, Aaron—"
"It’s nothing," I snapped. "Nothing happened."
Milo stared at . "Not yet."
I didn’t answer.
He tossed the towel on the counter. "You’re playing with fire."
"Yeah," I said. "I know."
"Then stop pretending it won’t burn."
📘 End of Chapter 14
💬 YOUR TURN!
Is Milo a real one or getting too involved?
Was Elena’s hand under the table move brave... or reckless?
👇 Drop your takes, theories, and chaos energy below.
❤️ Tap that heart if you wanted to scream during dinner too.
🔔 Follow now — Chapter 15 is coming soon, and the next mistake won’t be so quiet.
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