Chapter Thirty-Four: Family Dinners Are War Zones

Aria stood in front of Ethan's apartment door, clutching a bottle of wine she'd picked up as a polite gesture… that now felt more like a defense weapon. Inside, she could already hear voices — one of them unmistakably Chloe's, animated and dramatic.

Ethan opened the door, already in a dark henley and jeans, looking too good for a casual dinner. His eyes lit up.

"You came," he said, pulling her in quickly before anyone could peek into the hallway.

"You sound surprised."

"I was kinda hoping you'd fake a medical emergency."

"You wish," she grinned.

He kissed her cheek before leading her in.

"Chloe, this is Aria. Again. Officially."

Chloe popped up from the kitchen with a wooden spoon in her hand and a smirk on her lips. "The wine's cute. You're winning points already."

Behind her, the apartment looked lived-in but stylish — warm lighting, shelves filled with books and candles, and a surprisingly neat couch. Aria took a calming breath. She could do this.

Dinner was a whirlwind.

Chloe cooked (or so she claimed, though most of it came from a fancy takeout place). She fired rapid questions at Aria between bites — favorite color, dream vacation, worst childhood memory, secret pet peeves about Ethan.

"I swear," Aria laughed after a while, "this feels like an interrogation."

"Please," Chloe grinned. "This is me being friendly. If I was interrogating, you'd be sweating."

Ethan threw a piece of bread at her. "Stop scaring her."

"Relax, she likes it."

Aria smiled. "She's not wrong."

Just as the conversation drifted into embarrassing Ethan stories, the doorbell rang.

Ethan stood. "I'll get it."

Chloe leaned across the table. "Watch it be your mom. That woman has a radar for drama."

But it wasn't their mom.

It was Nate.

Aria's stomach plummeted the second she heard his voice — arrogant, smooth, and unfortunately familiar.

"Ethan," Nate said, strolling in like he owned the place. "Didn't think you'd answer."

Ethan's entire body went rigid. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to talk—"

He spotted Aria. Smiled.

"Well. Isn't this nostalgic."

Chloe stood, frowning. "Who's this tool?"

Aria stood, every inch of her screaming to leave. "What are you doing here, Nate?"

"I've been thinking," Nate said, ignoring Ethan completely. "About us. About everything I screwed up. And maybe we could—"

"Get out," Ethan snapped.

Nate raised an eyebrow. "You can't be serious. After everything, you're with her?"

"I said get out," Ethan growled, stepping closer.

Aria placed a hand on his arm. "It's fine."

"No, it's not," Ethan said, eyes never leaving Nate's. "You don't get to show up, pretend to apologize, and expect anything to change."

"I'm just saying, people change—"

Aria's voice was calm but firm. "You haven't."

Nate finally looked at her. Really looked. And saw it.

Confidence.

Closure.

Something he couldn't manipulate anymore.

He scoffed. "Whatever. Good luck with this circus."

And then he was gone.

The silence afterward was deafening.

Chloe whistled. "Well, that was dramatic. Ten out of ten for tension, though."

Aria let out a shaky laugh. "What the hell was that?"

Ethan turned to her, eyes softening. "Are you okay?"

She nodded slowly. "Yeah. Surprisingly… yeah. That felt good."

"You were amazing," he said.

Chloe smirked. "I like her even more now."

---

Later, after the kitchen was cleaned and Chloe had declared herself "off-duty," Aria and Ethan stepped out onto the small balcony. The city lights glittered below, cars humming in the distance.

Ethan leaned against the railing. "I didn't know he'd show up."

"I figured," she said quietly.

"I hate that he even tried to talk to you again."

She slipped her hand into his. "He didn't get to me. Not like before. That's how I know I've changed."

He looked at her, the city reflecting in his eyes. "You've always been strong."

She smiled. "No. But I am now."

They stood in silence for a moment, just breathing.

Then Ethan said, "You know what scared me most?"

"What?"

"That I was falling for you so fast I didn't know how to stop it. But now? I don't want to."

She turned to him, heart thudding.

"I don't want to either."

He cupped her face gently. "No more hiding?"

"No more hiding."

And as he kissed her — under the neon glow of the city, after the storm of exes and siblings and chaos — it felt like the beginning of something new.

Something real...