He puts the car in reverse and looks back. A movement that brings his sharp jawline to light. My gaze flicks away, settling on the black stilettos I chose to match my bag.

Elias drives us away and a comfortable silence settles between us. He adjusts the stereo, making the music a little louder.

Dean Lewis. I’d recognize him anywhere and it seems Elias does too, by the way his fingers drum on the steering wheel to the rhythm of Half a Man.

We drive past a ton of beautiful houses, the mall, my favorite flower shop, and we’re back in the suburbs before he speaks again.

“Thank you.” He steals a glance at me.

“Thank me after we’re done with this.”

“All right,” Elias agrees, a slight smile on his face as we park in front of a modest house.

It looks like the perfect place to spend a vacation. Calm. Warm. Inviting. Almost like my house, but this one seems ideal for a crowded dinner, compared to the emptiness of mine.

“You ready?” he asks, looking genuinely interested in how I feel.

“Yeah. Let’s do this.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

ELIAS

I can’t explain how stressed I was in those twenty seconds it took Indigo to get out of her house. My mind was running through all the worst-case scenarios that could've happened if I went home without her.

But here we are. Me, opening the door for her, and she, looking oddly relaxed. She’s never really relaxed. Not since I met her, anyway.

Her brown eye contacts make me sad. I don’t think she should hide her eyes. They are beyond beautiful. They make Indigo, Indigo. Indigo wouldn’t be Indigo without her different colored eyes, but who I am to tell her what to do?

I give her a reassuring smile before she steps into the house. My parents are already there, waiting for us.

Mom looks like she might cry. This is why I lied: she loves to see her children happy, and if she wants anything more than a dog (my dad said he won’t get one, but he’ll give in one day), it’s for her kids to have a family of their own.

“We’re so happy you came,” my dad says, going for a hug. Indigo raises her palm for a handshake, but dad bats it away and gives her a tight squeeze.

She doesn’t look uncomfortable. To my surprise, she closes her eyes, a smile playing on her lips.

“Oh, honey! You’re gorgeous.” Mom shoves Dad aside for a hug of her own.

She whispers something in Indigo’s ear, and Indigo lets out a laugh and her cheeks go pink.

“I’m Lorelai and this is Tom,” says Mom after she lets Indigo go.

Indigo nods. “Thank you for having me,” my girlfriend says, while my parents beam at her.