Page 84 of Love is an Open Book
With a deep breath, I open my eyes again, ready to ask what Mia wants to do, but she’s gone. Headed over toward her sister. Ted pulls me in for a handshake-hug. “Dude, you’re the last person I expected to see here. I didn’t realize you even had a girlfriend.”
I have no idea what to say. The moment he sees Mia, he’s going to draw conclusions, and I doubt this is how she wantsher family to find out about us. Then again, maybe this is the perfect way to break the news. Instead of an awkward conversation, they’ll see us together and guess the truth.
I need to talk to her alone, but it’s too late. Ted’s already caught sight of her. “Hey, isn’t that Mia? What are the chances...” He turns back toward me, awareness dawning in his expression. “Hang on. You and Mia?” He jostles me good-naturedly. “No shit, man. How long has this been a thing?”
I look toward her, willing her to give me a sign of how she wants me to play this, but she’s absorbed in conversation with her sister, their heads bent together, telling her... What? That we’re here for book research? “Um,” I say, stalling. “It’s not what you think.”
“You two came to this thing as friends?” He’s squinting at me like that’s suspicious, because it is. But it’s what we agreed to back at Joe and Sera’s place. Just friends. Book research. The final trope test.Relationship-in-trouble.Except the relationshipisthe trouble.
“Friends of ours gifted the experience. Mia came to research a plot idea.”
“Seriously? And you’re her what, guinea pig?”
I flinch at the word. “I’m here to support her. She couldn’t very well come alone.”
“Guess you’re right,” he says. “But isn’t that a little weird? I know you two are close, but there are lines.” He raises his brows as if expecting me to agree with him.
Ted is the last person to talk about crossing a line, and apparently he gets the picture from my stare, because he steps back, hands up. “Whatever works for you guys. It will be cool to have some friendly faces. Kim and I have been wanting to do something like this, but we tried couples therapy once and it was intimidating. Thought it might be easier to talk through our feelings in a fun setting.”
That’s exactly what Mia wanted to avoid. What could beworse than a public discussion of our relationship with her sister and brother-in-law listening in?
A man with a clipboard approaches us. “Have you checked in?” he asks, dividing a look between us.
“Not yet,” Ted says. “I’m here with my wife.” He waves Kim over, and Mia follows, looking apprehensive. “Ted and Kim Wallace. This is our first time.”
The man scans the list. “Ah, here you are.” He makes a notation. “And you are?”
“Mia Brady and Gavin Lane.” She glances at me nervously. “We weren’t originally signed up. I think my friend called to change the booking, but if that’s a problem, we can go.”
He waves a hand. “Of course it’s not a problem. I spoke with Serafina last week. Today is definitely an activity to avoid during pregnancy, but it’s a fun one. Grab a water from the cooler while I check everyone else in,” he says. “Gonna be a scorcher today.”
No kidding. Mia and I are in the hot seat, with no time to get our story straight.
We’ve been making small talk with the other couples for the past ten minutes, and there’s been no polite moment to pull Mia away. Finally, I decide to just go for it. “Could you excuse us,” I say, breaking into her conversation with a woman showing pictures of her kids on her phone. “I need to talk to my... uh... Mia for a minute.”
The woman sizes me up, not bothering to hide the fact she thinks there’s clearly a reason why an inconsiderate guy like me should be here, but I couldn’t care less at this point. Mia and I need to be on the same page so I know how to play this.
“Sorry.” Mia makes an apologetic grimace. “We’ll be right back.” Once we’re out of earshot, she says, “Thank you for that. Listen—”
The man we checked in with claps his hands, cutting shortwhatever she was about to say. “Gather round, couples, and—” he looks at us with an indulgent smile “—friends.”
Mia and I share a look. Clearly Sera filled him in on our situation. Or what she assumed to be our situation. My heart drops. If only Mia hadn’t wanted to hide things, we wouldn’t be in this mess. “My name is Chip, and I’ll be facilitating today. Let’s start with introductions. Keep it simple. Your names, where you met, and if you feel comfortable, how long you’ve been together and your current relationship status.”
Given how today is going, it’s no surprise he turns to us first. “Why don’t you two lead us off.”
“Uh, hi. I’m Gavin.” I pause, waiting to follow Mia’s cues.
“And I’m Mia,” she adds. “We met in college.”
There’s a beat of silence, like everyone is waiting for us to elaborate. When we don’t, an older woman near us puts a hand on her heart. “College sweethearts. How darling. I didn’t know your generation was still doing that.”
“Actually,” I say, out of habit, “we weren’t together in college. Just friends.”
“Sure.” She grins at her husband, who smiles knowingly back.
“No, seriously.” I open my mouth to say more, but Mia takes my hand, squeezing it, and I’m so distracted by the unexpected touch that I stop.
“We’ve been friends forever.” She’s still holding my hand, our fingers intertwined. “Dating is new.” Her smile is sweet and encouraging, but wobbly. I don’t know how to interpret it. Are we going to be honest or play this up? Maybe that’s how she’s spinning this. Her sister knows about the trope tests; Mia must want to play this off as just another trope we’re acting out.
