As soon as they disappear, the eyes feel like lasers. I wander over and take a seat, pretending to ignore them.
“You owe me five bucks,” Daniel says to Seth. “I told you she’d show.”
Seth sighs dramatically, reaches into his pocket, pulls out his wallet, and hands Daniel five dollars.
“I thought that when Mom told you she was coming, you’d tell her not to,” he explains.
“You think Violet listens to anything I say?” I ask.
“That’s what I said,” Daniel offers. “I knew she’d show if Mom invited her.”
“Thanks for telling me,” I say.
“You weren’t here this morning when we were discussing it,” he says smoothly. “Otherwise I would have.”
“Violet didn’t tell you?” Seth asks.
“She forgot,” I say, doing my best to keep my composure.
“Or you were too busy to talk,” Seth says, lifting his beer to his lips and grinning.
Sitting next to Daniel, Charlie frowns and leans forward.
“Seth, you swore,” she says.
“I didn’t say a thing.”
“Then why’s poor Eli blushing right now?”
Shit, my face is getting hot.
“I’m not blushing,” I say.
“Don’t make Eli blush, he hates that,” Levi adds, out of nowhere. “Go fish.”
“He really thought no one knew,” Daniel says, his voice calm and gentle as always. “And now his …woman… is looking through the fridge with his mom.”
He reaches out and pats my shoulder. I glare at him and the stupid smile on his face. He’s definitely enjoying this too much.
“Be gentle with Eli,” he admonishes.
“She’s not my woman,” I mutter.
Where the hell is Violet?
They’ll lay off when she gets back.
“That’s patently untrue,” Levi says from the floor. “Give me all your lanternfish.”
I lean forward, rubbing my face with my hands, trying to find the simplest way to explain to all of them — including a six year old — that we’re nothing more than frequent sex partners.
“Violet and I have an arrangement,” I say, as delicately as possible.
“An arrangement,” Daniel says, mostly to himself.
“Yes,” I say, glancing down at Rusty. “We, uh, spend some time together, but we’re not dating.”
Silence from the brother squad. Silence and interested stares.
“We don’t even get along otherwise,” I point out.
“You’re saying you’re friends with benefits?” Seth asks.
“Are you even friends?” Levi asks.
“I know, right?” I say.
Seth leans forward, looking thoughtful. His eyes narrow.
“You’ve been spending most nights at her place,” he says.
“Yes,” I confirm, wary.
“Are you seeing anyone else?”
“No.”
“Do you eat meals together?” Levi pipes in.
“I bet he cooks for her,” Daniel says, leaning back in his chair. “You cook for her, don’t you?”
I do. More often than not I make us dinner in her kitchen while she has a glass of wine and helps out. Her onion-chopping skills have come a long way in the past month.
“I cook for everyone,” I say. “I cook for you assholes —”
“Eli.” That’s Daniel.
“I cook for you jerks and you’re not giving me the third-degree about it.”
“Eli,” says Charlie, leaning forward. She’s sitting cross-legged in her chair, a beer in her hand, her curly hair spilling over her shoulders. “These boys are all missing the point. Do you enjoy one another’s company?”
Yes.
I think I like arguing with Violet more than I like talking to anyone else.
“Where exactly are you going with this?” I ask.
“She’s your girlfriend,” Charlie says, putting the beer to her lips.
“Enjoying someone’s company doesn’t make her my girlfriend,” I point out. “You’re not Daniel’s girlfriend.”
I swear to God Charlie turns the faintest pink, but maybe I’m imagining things.
“Daniel and I aren’t fu —”
“Char.”
“ — uh, we’re just platonic friends,” she finishes, rolling her eyes at Daniel.
“She is always listening,” Daniel mutters.
“Uncle Levi, what’s platonic mean?” Rusty asks, still sitting on the floor.
“It means they’re not in love,” Levi says. “Give me all your giant tube worms.”
Rusty sighs dramatically and tosses three cards onto the floor in front of Levi, who chuckles. I lean over and look at Levi’s Go Fish cards.
They look like something out of a horror movie: all jaws and teeth, some weird eels, some shapes that look nothing at all like animals.
“What are you playing?” I ask.
“Abyssal Zone Go Fish,” Levi says, tossing another card of giant tube worms on top of the three he just got from Rusty.
“They’re weird fish who live at the bottom of the ocean where it’s always dark,” she explains. “Charlie gave it to me.”
I look over at Charlie, who’s drinking her beer again, any imagined blush gone.
“Cool, right?” she says. “Anyway, your girlfriend.”
“Violet is not not my girlfriend,” I say, as calmly as I can. “We are not —”
“You should probably let Violet know she’s your girlfriend,” Daniel interrupts.
“She’s not.”
“She is,” pipes up Seth.
“She’s not! She’s the one who doesn’t want to be my girlfriend!”
I’m met with total silence, including my own.
I’ve never said that out loud before.
I’ve never exactly thought that out loud before.
They’re all staring at me. Even Rusty, a six-year-old, is giving me a look.