Modern Family: More than Family

By the time the sun started lowering properly, they still hadn't decided where to go.

Which eventually became ridiculous enough for Haley to point it out.

"We've been driving for like an hour."

"You haven't complained."

"That's because I'm distracted by unresolved emotional damage."

"Fair."

Haley shook her head lightly, then looked out the windshield ahead.

"Okay pull over somewhere before this turns into a road trip."

Gael smiled faintly.

"Yes ma'am."

"Don't flirt through obedience."

"No promises."

She rolled her eyes but didn't hide the smile this time.

Then eventually he pulled into a small outdoor restaurant tucked between downtown streets, warm string lights already glowing above the patio as evening settled around the city.

Haley looked up at it through the window.

"You remembered."

Gael glanced toward her.

Of course he remembered.

This was the place she dragged him to once because "the fries tasted emotionally supportive."

Haley noticed the look on his face immediately and looked away before the warmth in her chest became too obvious.

Then she unbuckled slowly.

"This still doesn't count as a date."

"I didn't say it did."

"Good."

But neither of them fully believed that.

The hostess led them outside to a corner table beneath hanging lights while the city hummed softly around them.

And strangely—

it felt easy.

Not perfectly comfortable.

Not healed.

But easy enough that Haley caught herself relaxing halfway through reading the menu.

Then she looked up and immediately narrowed her eyes.

"What?"

"You're staring."

"I missed your face."

The answer came too naturally.

Haley physically froze for half a second before recovering.

"That was aggressive."

Gael laughed quietly.

"You asked."

"I regret asking."

But her cheeks were pink now.

Then a waiter appeared and temporarily saved her from responding further.

The interruption helped.

A little.

Because once they were alone again, the intimacy settled back over the table immediately.

Then Haley leaned lightly against one hand and studied him across the table.

"You know what's weird?"

"What?"

"I thought seeing you again would make me either completely furious or completely relieved." A faint laugh escaped her. "Instead I mostly just feel… sad and happy at the same time."

Gael nodded slowly.

"Yeah."

That seemed to matter to her—the fact that he understood the contradiction instead of trying to fix it.

Then quieter:

"I still don't know what we are."

The question sat between them without accusation.

Just uncertainty.

Gael answered carefully.

"Two people trying not to lose each other."

Haley stared at him for a second longer after that.

Then she looked down at the menu again mostly to hide how much the answer affected her.

Because the terrifying part was—

that sounded exactly like what she wanted too.