"What happened, Mel?"
"He said that if I let him use my apartment, he'd get out of my life and never contact me again. He showed up at, like, three in the afternoon, dropped that bomb, and I— I don't know. I just wanted to get through it, and I didn't want to make a bad impression, and... I don't know what happened. I was so overwhelmed. Terry's been getting my groceries, and I can't sleep, and I can't do anything, and he just... sprung it on me." Grimacing at my own, confused explanation, I ducked my head, but there wasn't any twinkle of judgment in Carl's dark eyes. "I took some Benadryl before my shower, and then I got out, I felt a little better, so I took some more... and then I had some wine, and I've never had wine before. I'm not really a drinker. And then my dad and your mom showed up, and I felt like I was gonna die because of her perfume, and..."
"Hey, this isn't your fault. It's your dad's fault." Pursing my lips thinly, I closed my eyes and took as deep a breath as my mangled lungs could manage. No matter how many times I told myself that same thing, it didn't make me feel any better. Shuffling to sit on the edge of the bed, Carl cupped the back of my head to press his ear against my sternum before I exhaled slowly. "You sound much better, at least."
"I don't think we should date anymore." That terrible, terrible sentence rolled off my tongue thickly, and Carl pulled back with a jerk. Sucking my bottom lip between my teeth to gnaw harshly, I twiddled my thumbs in my lap as he practically glared at me from under tightly knit brows. "Th— this is so... so complicated... and I— I mean, I don't want... I don't want my dad—"
My rasp tied on my tongue when Carl cupped my cheek, brushing my lips with his thumb. His gaze softened, the crease between his brows easing some, and my heart beat furiously as he sat back.
"I don't think disappointing you in the passenger seat of my car constitutes a date, Melissa. At least let me take you on a proper date before you break up with me." He smiled slightly, and I sniffled hard through my clogged nose. "As for your dad... well, I didn't like him, anyway. He's inconsequential. I know you never wanted to get to this point, Mel, but it's best if we stop worrying about our parents' bad decisions and let it go. My mom is absolutely convinced that your dad loves her, and your dad has admitted to you that he's just in it for the money. Regardless of what happens next, it doesn't involve us."
"I was really gonna call you, Carl. I just didn't know what to say." I knew Carl already figured that, but I felt the need to reiterate anyway. He caressed my cheek, tracing up my nose, and my heart fluttered delicately. "I'm sorry if you thought I was ghosting you."
"We live in generally the same area, Mel. Even I was affected by the bloom this year. I knew it'd be borderline disastrous for you. Besides, Laurie's the one who thought that, not me. She's naturally negative-leaning."
A rough snort sounded at Carl's declaration, and I glanced over at the door to find Laurie leaning with her arms crossed under her bust. She was so friggin pretty, man, with her thick, blue hair and naturally tan complexion. She looked smart, gave vibes not to mess with her, and I puffed out my lips absently.
"What's up, Laurie?"
"I was just talking to Eric Dane, and he offered me a job." Her strong but beautiful face broke out in a huge grin, and she waved her hands as she stalked over to punch Carl in the shoulder. "You idiot! I love you!"
"Seriously? Just like that?"
Bright, brown eyes met mine, and Laurie reached to grab my hand and squeeze— like she couldn't contain herself. In that one movement, I knew she was a physical person, and I struggled not to tense when she shifted her beaming smile back to her brother.
"Yeah! I was thanking him for talking to my professor, and he mentioned that he was authorized to take on an assistant starting fourth quarter. So, what about you two? Are you still gonna date even though your whole relationship is basically bad porn tropes?"
My eyes widened, heat slithering up my neck, and Laurie rocked side to side on her tall heels as she picked at her pale green shirt.
"I don't know how that works. Are you going to just ignore the fact that our mom married your dad?"
"I have a feeling they won't be married long enough to matter." I really felt bad for Carl's mom, but... like... I also knew he wasn't that great a liar or a schemer. That this woman fell for my dad's lies wasn't something I could get involved in, and it was obvious Carl and Laurie had already tried to dissuade their mom. "Oh— you're okay, though, right, Carl?"