Josh’s voice was low and pointed, clearly directed at both me and Philip. I wasn’t too bothered, but Philip was clearly
ufortable.
“Don’t worry, it’s fine. Nothing’s wrong with it,” I said quickly, trying to ease the tension.
Josh walked over, holding a wet wipe. Philip reached out to grab it, but Josh didn’t let go. I took one instead, handed it to Philip, and used the other to wipe my own hands.
“Zoe, who’s this?” Philip asked, his gaze curious as he eyed the tall, intimidating figure of Josh.
“Josh, a lighting technician,” I answered, ncing at Josh.
Josh looked at me with that suffocating intensity. It was like he was forcing me to introduce Philip. “This is… my brother, Philip.”
“Hello.” Philip extended a hand, smiling warmly.
Josh only nodded in response, not shaking his hand. Myra, always quick to speak, jumped in, “Josh’s a bit of a neat freak.”
Philip gave a smallugh, then looked at me. “Let’s sit down and eat before everything gets cold.”
Myra licked her lips. “Can I have one?”
“Of course,” Philip said, then turned to Josh. “Josh, why don’t you try one?”
“I’m having oatmeal.” Josh turned down the offer, then stepped away.
Myra froze for a moment. She looked at me and then whispered, “Zoe, I swear, Josh’s acting like he’s on his period or something.”
I gave her a thumbs up. “You’re spot on.”
Philip chuckled at our conversation, but then added, “Josh’s temper is a bit… intense.”
“No, he’s usually fine. A little distant, but never rude. Today, though… I don’t know, maybe he had something spicy,” Myra said, clearly not able to keep quiet even when she was eating.
Thankfully, the food we ordered arrived. But after the pizza and soup, I didn’t feel like touching the rest of the dishes. I let Myra and Josh take care of it.
Myra, of course, was more than happy to eat with Josh, but he told her to go ahead while he had some work to do.
I couldn’t help butugh a little when I saw the disappointment on Myra’s face. It was honestly pretty funny.
“You seem in a good mood. I was worried you’d be upset,” Philip said, pulling me back into the moment.
“Why would I be upset?” I took another bite of my pizza and a sip of soup. “I’m not the type to live or die for love. When I love someone, they’re my everything. When I don’t, they’re nothing.”
Philip nodded thoughtfully, a small smile tugging at his lips. “That’s the girl I know.”
I paused, then tentatively asked, “How are Peter and Michelle doing?”
It felt odd that they hadn’t contacted me at all. I had this nagging feeling that they were starting to ept that things were
over between me and Alvin, but I didn’t think it was that simple.
Philip looked at me with that calm smile again. “Do you think they’ll be okay?”
I stopped eating for a moment, processing his words. Philip continued, “They still believe you and Alvin can’t stay apart. They’re just angry right now, giving you both some time.”
I thought, “That makes sense.’
The pizza in my mouth suddenly seemed tasteless as I processed his words. I swallowed and said quietly, “Looks like I’ll disappoint them.”
“Maybe with time, they’lle to ept it. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself,” Philip said, his voice kind.
I shook my head. “It’s not about pressure. I just feel like I’ve let them down. They raised me, after all.”
“They think of you like their daughter. It’s hard for them to imagine you not being around,” Philip said gently.
I smiled faintly. “A daughter eventually gets married, but even after that, she can stille home.”
When I looked up, I caught Philip’s gaze. His eyes flickered, and there seemed to be something stirring behind them. He smiled at me and said, “But if you marry into the Dolton family, you’ll live there forever.”
I thought, ‘That is never going to happen.’
I smiled back, “In my next life, I’ll be born as their daughter, and then… we’ll be siblings.”
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