Yet, here she is. I could recognize her voice anywhere. I’ve just realized that. It’s strange, how accustomed I’ve become to her in such a short period of time, but when I woke up in her apartment on Christmas night, I remembered where I was before even opening my eyes, simply by recognizing the scent of her perfume around me.

I just came out of the shower, so before going down to greet her and start partying, I head to my room with a towel wrapped around my hips and change into black slacks and a burgundy sweater. I may or may not spend a few extra minutes to make sure my curly hair doesn’t look like total shit.

Once I reach the main floor, it sounds like chaos, in the best possible way. Laughter is coming from everywhere. I halt for a second, wondering whether I’ve jumped into another dimension while I was in the shower. The house hasn’t sounded this alive in months.

And when I enter the living room, I immediately understand why.

I don’t know how it was possible for them to find a way to embarrass me in less than five minutes, but this proves I should never underestimate my family. Because in the time it took for me to change, my sister, my mother, and my cousin Will have jumped on the opportunity to go pick up my old photo album and start showing it to Wren. Or maybe that was their plan all along, and the album was already in the living room, ready to be studied.

Fuck me.

“And this is the day Aarón lost his first tooth,” Ma says as she points at a picture. The album is open on Wren’s thighs, who’s studying it like it’s a work of art. “He was so scared, he started crying so much he peed his pants.”

Wren throws her head back, her laughter brighter than the sun. It almost makes this intense embarrassment worth it. Beside her, Violet, Will’s wife, is laughing with them, discovering the pictures at the same time. I’ve seen her a couple of times since she and Will reconnected a few years ago and made things official, but I guess she never saw photos of me as a snotty kid before.

Hiding my smile, I say, “I see my traitor family has showed their true side.”

They all lift their heads in my direction, but I only stare at Wren. It’s as if her gaze is magnetic. I have no choice but to maintain it.