Chapter 156: The two fiancées want to devour Noah.
Aria had arrived almost an hour early for the dinner with her future mothers-in-law and, of course, Ren was with her.
Noah opened the door and found them standing in front of his house.
Aria was smiling while Ren looked like she wanted to apologize for existing and Noah checked his watch.
"Fifty minutes to go."
Aria nodded.
"I know."
"Then why are you here?"
"To get here early."
"That’s a vague answer."
Ren raised a hand.
"I told her the same thing."
Aria ignored her.
"It wouldn’t be proper to arrive late to a dinner with my future mothers-in-law."
Noah sighed.
"But there’s still almost an hour left."
"That’s called punctuality."
Noah closed his eyes.
’I’m not winning this argument.’
He stepped aside.
"Come in."
Aria walked in right away, while Ren stayed outside for a second and Noah looked at her.
"Aren’t you coming in?"
Ren lowered her voice a little.
"I can still leave."
Aria answered from inside.
"No."
Ren closed her eyes.
"I tried."
She went in and Noah closed the door.
Emma was still getting a few things ready in the kitchen and Sarah hadn’t come back from buying drinks yet, while Ava was upstairs in her room.
That meant that, for a few minutes at least, there wouldn’t be too many questions.
Emma appeared from the kitchen.
"Wow, you’re already here."
Aria smiled.
"Good afternoon."
Ren raised a hand awkwardly.
"Hi."
Emma still seemed to be looking at Ren a little differently ever since she’d found out the truth.
It wasn’t rejection, just that it was hard to reconcile the woman in front of her with the boy she’d seen next to Noah for years.
"Ren."
"Yes?"
Emma smiled.
"It still feels strange seeing you as a woman."
Ren lowered her gaze.
"I know."
Aria cut in.
"I think she looks a lot better now."
Ren looked at her.
"Nobody asked you."
Emma let out a small laugh.
"You two can sit down, since there’s still a little time."
Aria looked around.
"Can we help if you want?"
"No, no need."
"I insist."
Emma hesitated.
"Well, you can set the plates."
Aria nodded.
"Sure."
Ren exhaled lightly, since for a moment she seemed relieved that Aria had something to do and Noah noticed.
"You okay?"
Ren looked at him.
"Yes."
"You look nervous."
"I’m having dinner with the mothers of the guy I’m engaged to."
Noah went silent and Ren turned red.
"And on top of that they thought I was a guy."
"Ah."
"So yeah, I’m a little nervous."
Noah nodded.
"Okay."
Aria appeared next to them.
"You should get used to it."
Ren looked at her.
"To what?"
"To saying you’re engaged to Noah."
Ren blushed even more.
"Stop saying that."
Aria smiled.
"No."
Noah looked at both of them.
’This is going to be a long dinner.’
Sarah arrived a few minutes later, greeted Aria naturally and then looked at Ren.
She stared at her for two seconds longer than necessary, so Ren sighed.
"Yes, it’s still me."
Sarah smiled.
"Sorry."
"It’s fine."
"I’m just still trying to get used to it."
"I know."
Ava came down a few minutes later.
She saw Aria first, then Ren and stopped.
"What are they doing here?"
Noah answered.
"They came for dinner."
Ava looked at Aria.
"Another introduction?"
Aria smiled.
"Exactly, my dear sister-in-law."
"Don’t call me that!"
Ava crossed her arms.
"I thought you’d already introduced yourself."
"I informed them about my engagement."
"That counts as introducing yourself."
"Not to me."
Ava shifted her gaze to Ren.
"And why is he dressed like a woman?"
There was a silence.
Ren closed her eyes, while Noah brought a hand to his face and Aria looked delighted.
Ava frowned.
"What’s going on?"
Emma spoke from the kitchen.
"Ava."
Ava turned.
"Yeah?"
"Ren is a woman."
Ava froze, looked at Ren, then back at Emma and then at Ren again.
"What?"
Ren raised a hand.
"Hi, Ava."
Ava kept staring at her.
"Since when?"
Ren answered tiredly.
"Since I was born."
Sarah started laughing while Noah also had to hold back.
Ava opened her mouth, closed it and then pointed at Ren.
"But weren’t you Noah’s friend?"
Ren sighed.
"I still am."
"But you were a guy!"
"No, I just dressed like one."
"I thought you were a guy!"
"Everyone did."
Ava looked at Noah.
"You too?"
"Yes, I thought so too."
Ava looked back at Ren while she seemed to be rearranging years of memories and Aria decided to make everything worse.
"And she’s also Noah’s fiancée."
Ava turned slowly.
"What?"
Aria smiled.
"Ren is also engaged to Noah."
Ava pointed at Ren.
"Her too?"
"Yes."
Ava looked at Noah.
Noah raised both hands.
"It’s complicated to understand."
Ava went silent and Noah knew that expression.
She wasn’t accepting it, she was calculating something, which was worse, and finally she spoke.
"I’m going upstairs."
Emma frowned.
"Aren’t you going to have dinner?"
"Later."
She went up quickly and Noah watched her leave.
’That was way too calm.’
Aria commented.
"Your sister is interesting."
Noah looked at her.
"Don’t provoke her."
"I didn’t do anything."
Ren murmured.
"Yet."
There were still several minutes until dinner was ready, so Aria started walking around the living room looking at family photographs while Ren sat on the couch.
Noah was trying to make sure neither of them did anything weird.
Aria picked up a photograph.
"Is this Noah as a kid?"
Noah walked over.
"Give me that."
Aria held up the photo.
"How adorable."
Ren looked at it and smiled slightly.
"He was shorter than me."
Noah looked at her.
"That’s normal when you’re a kid."
"I was a kid too."
There was silence and Ren turned red.
"You got it."
Aria put the photograph down and then looked toward the stairs.
"I want to see your room."
Noah answered immediately.
"No."
"Why?"
"Because no."
"Ren’s already been in there."
Ren raised her head.
"When we were kids."
Aria smiled.
"Then it’s my turn now."
Noah shook his head.
"There’s no turn for seeing my room."
Aria started going up and Noah followed her.
"Aria."
Ren watched them and then sighed.
"I’m not staying downstairs alone."
She went up too.
Noah reached his room behind Aria, who was already looking around.
"So this is where you sleep."
"Yes, like any other room."
Ren came in behind them, looked at the place and her expression changed a little.
"It’s changed a lot."
Noah looked at her.
"You remember it?"
"A little."
Aria turned.
"Did you sleep here?"
Ren turned red.
"We were kids."
"That doesn’t answer what I asked."
"Yes, I slept there."
Aria smiled and Ren pointed at her.
"Don’t make that face."
"What face?"
"That one."
Noah half-closed the door.
"We have to go back down soon."
Aria sat on the bed.
"There’s time."
Noah looked at her.
"Not much."
Aria looked at Ren.
"Come here."
Ren frowned.
"What for?"
"Sit down."
"No, I don’t want to."
Aria took her wrist and Ren ended up sitting next to her, which made Noah sigh.
"I don’t know what you’re trying to do."
Aria looked up at him.
"Yes you do."
Noah stayed quiet and Ren understood too, so her face turned red.
"A-Aria?!"
"What?"
"We’re in his mothers’ house."
"I know."
"And they’re downstairs."
"I know that too."
Noah took a step back.
"Definitely not."
Aria smiled.
"Noah."
"No."
Ren lowered her gaze, so Noah looked at her and the tension shifted.
It wasn’t just Aria playing anymore, Ren was nervous, but she hadn’t gotten up.
Aria took her hand and then looked at Noah.
"We can stop."
Noah didn’t answer and Aria lost part of her smile, since this time she spoke seriously.
"If either of you doesn’t want to, we don’t do anything."
Ren looked at Noah, then at Aria and breathed slowly.
Noah stepped closer.
"Are you sure?"
Ren took a few seconds and finally nodded.
"Yes."
Aria smiled again.
"Then stop making that face."
Ren looked at her.
"I’m still embarrassed."
"That doesn’t change anything."
Aria answered, already sliding her hand up Noah’s thigh and ending the conversation.