Chapter 116 116: Almost
Alex dragged Claire downstairs before the atmosphere upstairs could settle again.
The party lasted another hour after that before finally dissolving into departures, half-finished wine glasses, and Phil loudly insisting everyone take leftover dessert home.
By the time the last guests left, the house had quieted completely.
Jay had already gone upstairs.
Mitchell and Cam left arguing about centerpiece colors.
Luke fell asleep in the car before Claire even backed out of the driveway.
Normal endings.
Gael stayed behind a little longer helping Gloria gather empty glasses from the patio while Haley rode home with Claire to prepare for work early the next morning.
The pool lights reflected softly across the backyard while chairs sat half-shifted from the evening crowd.
"You know," Gloria said while stacking plates onto a tray, "your family is emotionally exhausting."
"They're not my family."
She looked at him briefly over her shoulder.
"That is becoming less true."
The sentence lingered slightly longer than either acknowledged.
Then silence settled again while they cleaned.
Not uncomfortable.
Careful.
Ever since the downtown event, the dynamic between them had changed into something restrained and constantly aware of itself.
Which somehow made every small interaction heavier.
Gloria carried another tray toward the outdoor kitchen area before stopping suddenly.
"Can you reach that?"
A strand of decorative lights had slipped loose above the patio beam.
Gael stepped up beside her and adjusted the strand back into place while Gloria held the ladder steady below.
Simple interaction.
Still enough.
Because when he stepped back down, she was closer than expected.
Not intentionally.
But neither moved immediately afterward.
The patio had gone completely quiet now.
No music.
No voices inside.
Only the soft water sounds from the pool nearby.
Gloria looked up at him for one suspended second too long.
And something shifted.
No jokes.
No distractions.
Just proximity, hitting all at once again.
Her hand still rested lightly against his wrist from steadying him off the ladder.
Neither acknowledged it.
That made it worse.
Then Gloria exhaled softly and stepped back first.
A deliberate choice.
"You should go home," she said quietly.
The sentence was difficult for her to say.
Gael held her gaze another moment.
"Probably."
Neither moved.
Again.
Gloria laughed once under her breath after realizing it.
Not amused.
Almost frustrated with herself.
"This is getting ridiculous."
The honesty in her voice stripped away the last layer of denial between them.
Because now both of them knew:
The restraint itself had become intimate.
Then she shook her head slightly and picked up another empty glass from the table.
"We're acting like people in bad movies."
"You noticed that too?"
"Yes." Gloria glanced toward him briefly while carrying the glass toward the counter. "The intelligent thing would be creating distance."
"But?"
She stopped walking.
Didn't turn around immediately.
When she finally did, her expression looked softer than usual.
More vulnerable.
"I don't want distance."
The words landed quietly.
Still enough to change everything.
Because this time she didn't soften it with humor afterward.
Didn't redirect.
Didn't flirt around it.
Just truth.
And before either of them could decide what to do with that truth—
The sliding patio door opened behind them.
Claire stepped outside.
She froze slightly at the scene:
late hour,
empty patio,
the charged silence she arrived in the middle of.
Claire didn't look suspicious anymore.
She knew exactly what it was.
Her eyes moved briefly between them before settling into something calmer and more complicated.
Then she lifted Luke's forgotten hoodie slightly.
"Luke left this."
The interruption shattered the moment completely.
Gloria recovered first again.
"Thank God," she muttered to herself while reaching for another tray.
Claire laughed softly.
But her eyes lingered on Gael longer than normal afterward.
And this time the look carried understanding.