Chapter 353

The door down the hallway creaked open, followed by the slow, dragging sound of footsteps. A few seconds later, Esme wandered into the living room, rubbing one eye as she stretched, still half-lost in sleep.

She wore a black tank top, one strap slipped down to her elbow, leaving the side of her breast just barely visible. She didn’t notice the giant teddy bear on the floor and kicked into it with a dull thump.

Esme looked down at it, blinking. Then her eyes widened slightly.

Her gaze lifted—first to me, then to Cora.

"...Wow," she said. "I thought you just bought pizza."

"That’s the gift," I said. "The pizza’s on the counter."

She didn’t even respond. She opened one of the boxes, grabbed a slice, and took a huge bite, humming happily as she chewed. Cora sighed and covered her face with one hand.

"I’m sorry," Cora said. "She has no shame."

"It’s fine," I said, laughing. "I’m just glad she’s eating."

Esme glanced at the bear again, then at me. "Okay," she said around another bite. "This thing’s kind of awesome."

"The pizza?" I asked with a small smile. "Yeah. It smells amazing, doesn’t it?"

"It does," Esme said, her mouth already full. "So good. I love Renson’s."

I watched her for a moment, leaning against the counter, then cleared my throat. "Hey. I know I already said this on the phone, but I wanted to say it again in person. I’m really sorry about that day. About everything."

Esme waved her hand dismissively while chewing. "Please stop. Let’s just enjoy the pizza."

She reached into the box, grabbed another slice, and handed it to me. Tomato sauce dripped dangerously close to the edge, but she didn’t seem to care. She looked at me with half-lidded eyes and a lazy, warm smile, clearly more focused on food than heavy conversations.

I nodded and accepted the slice, taking a bite as I leaned my hip against the kitchen counter. Esme dragged the whole pizza box over to the dining table and plopped herself into a chair, already going for another piece like it might disappear if she waited too long.

"Don’t forget the diet cokes," I said, reaching for the bag. "Here."

"Oh. Thanks," she said, taking it without looking up.

"They gave me two one-liter bottles," I added. "Hope that’s fine."

"That’s more than fine."

I moved into the kitchen and opened the first cabinet I saw, then another when I realized the glasses weren’t there. Cora stepped in beside me without a word and opened the cabinet to the right, pulling out three glasses and setting them on the counter.

I poured the drinks, and she picked up Esme’s glass and carried it to the table. When she came back, she opened the second pizza box. I finished the slice Esme had given me in a couple of bites, grabbed another, and took a long sip of coke.

Cora leaned against the counter with both elbows, eating slowly while watching Esme demolish her pizza with impressive dedication.

"I like seeing her happy," she said quietly.

I mirrored her posture, resting my elbows on the counter as well. "I like seeing both of you happy."

She turned toward me, surprised, then looked down again. "Thank you, Evan. I... I don’t really know what to say."

"You don’t have to say anything," I replied. "Just knowing you’re okay is enough. But if you really want to do something for me..."

She glanced up, clearly misreading my tone, and shifted awkwardly closer. "W-want to... fuck?"

"Uuh..."

Her face heated up instantly. "I—sorry. I thought you meant something else."

I laughed softly and shook my head. "Not that. I was thinking something way simpler. How about you two come with me to an anime convention sometime?"

Her shoulders sagged a little. "I’m bad with people. I don’t think I can do that."

"Cosplay?" Esme suddenly said, lifting her head. "I want my sister to wear that magical outfit from that one show. What was it called... Dreamer’s Land?"

"Nala, a friend of mine, cosplays," I said. "You should join us sometime."

"I... maybe Esme can," Cora said hesitantly.

"No," I said gently but firmly. "You, Cora. Esme too, sure, but I’m asking because of you. You keep saying you’re bad with people. Are you doing anything to change that?"

She hesitated. "I just..."

"It’ll be fun," I said. "And maybe you’ll make new friends."

"I don’t need friends."

I tilted my head and looked at her. "So you don’t need me either?"

Her eyes widened. "No, that’s not what I meant."

"Then it’s settled," I said lightly. "I’ll ask Nala when the next convention is."

She groaned softly. "I can’t wear weird clothes."

"You’ll look great," I said. "Right, Esme?"

"Yeees!" Esme said immediately.

"You’re coming too," I added.

"Nooo," she complained, slumping back in her chair. "That sounds exhausting."

"I think you owe me that," I said. "I drove across the city to get you out of a police station."

She sighed dramatically, grabbed another slice, and shrugged. "Fine."

I clapped my hands together lightly. "Good. I’ll let you know when I find out the date."

Cora’s expression shifted, nervousness creeping back in. She stared at the pizza box, then took a slow breath. I stepped closer and bumped her shoulder gently. She swayed slightly, steadied herself, then exhaled.

"I’m just going to embarrass everyone," she said.

"You won’t," Esme said before I could. "Stop thinking like that, Sis."

"Exactly," I added. "Just relax. It’ll be fun."

She nodded slowly. "Okay. But don’t get mad if I mess something up."

"I mess things up all the time," I said with a grin. "You’ll fit right in."

She let out a quiet hum, somewhere between nervous and relieved, and finally smiled.

A brief silence settled over the room, the kind that usually meant the moment had finally found its footing again. Then Esme, completely unbothered by timing or social awareness, opened her mouth and just ruined it.

"My sister shaved her pussy because she thought you—"

"ESME!" Cora shouted, spinning around so fast she nearly knocked into the counter. "You idiot! What is wrong with you? Embelice!"

"Sorry," Esme said around another bite of pizza, the corner of her mouth lifting into a smug little grin. "Slip of the tongue."

I stood there with my slice halfway to my mouth, blinking. "Oh," I muttered. "Wow. That’s... information."

Cora covered her face with both hands and turned her back to me, shoulders tense. Esme, clearly proud of herself, finished her slice and chuckled softly like she had just dropped the punchline of the century.

This was not where I wanted to be. My brain scrambled for something, anything, that wouldn’t make the situation worse. Every possible sentence sounded terrible in my head, so I coughed, took a bite of my pizza, and washed it down with diet coke while pretending I was very invested in the ceiling.

"I’m... glad?" I said finally, immediately regretting it. "I mean, uh. I don’t know. Thanks?"

"You are making it worse," Cora said, muffled from behind her hands. "Please stop talking."

I raised both palms in surrender. "Right. Yep. My bad."

The awkwardness lingered for another second, then I clapped my hands lightly, forcing some momentum back into the room.

"Alright. I should probably head out. I hope you like the teddy bear, Esme. I thought you might want something to hug while sleeping."

Esme’s expression softened instantly. "I do. He looks very snuggleable."

"That’s what I thought," I said with a small smile. "I’ll let you know if Nala finds an anime convention for us."

"O-okay," Cora said, still facing away from me. "I’ll... walk you to the door."

"No need," I replied. "Enjoy your pizza. I’ll see you."

She turned just enough to give me a small wave. I returned it, zipped my jacket up fully, and stepped outside. The cold hit me immediately, but at least the air felt clearer than whatever had just happened inside.

As I started down the stairs, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw Ivy’s name on the screen. Hoping it wasn’t about her mother again, I answered.

"Hey, Ivy. What’s up?"

"I’m good," she said. "My mom came back this morning."

"That’s good," I said honestly. "Did you two talk things through?"

"No. Not yet," she replied. "I’m just going to focus on myself for a while. Remember the guy I told you about?"

"Chase Bellings?"

There was a pause. "You know his last name?"

"Yeah," I said, exhaling. "He’s kind of well-known. I watched one of his interviews."

"Huh," she said. "Anyway, we’re meeting for coffee today. Just the two of us."

"Nice," I said as I stepped outside, the cold air brushing my face. "Go get him."

She laughed softly. "We’re just talking. I think he still sees me as a patient."

"Why?"

"She knows how I... worry about my mother."

"What’s he saying about your situation?"

"Mixed signals," she said. "By the way, did my mom call you yesterday?"

"No," I replied quickly. "Why?"

"I thought she might ask you to pick her up before the storm," Ivy said.

"The storm hit fast," I said. "She probably didn’t realize how bad it got."

"Yeah," Ivy sighed. "I’ll just focus on myself for now. She can date whoever she wants as long as she’s happy."

"You sound angry," I said as I unlocked my car. "And your tone doesn’t match with what you’re saying."

"Why does saying that make me feel like a cuck?" she muttered.

I groaned. "Ivy, being supportive doesn’t make you a cuck. It makes you a decent daughter."

"Oh please," she shot back. "That’s rich coming from the guy who left Julia."

I smiled faintly as I started the engine. "That was a long time ago. She deserved better than me."

"You live in a penthouse now," Ivy said. "Don’t you think you caught up?"

"It’s ancient history," I replied. "High school stuff."

"Her mom liked you," Ivy said quietly. "She thought you were solid."

"I wasn’t," I said as I backed out of the parking spot. "I just tried."

She laughed. "Man. I wish you were my boyfriend back then."

"Don’t start," I said, shaking my head.

"I won’t," she said. "I just wanted to tell someone I’m excited."

"And you did," I replied. "Good luck."

"Thanks," she said. "I’ll need it."

The call ended, and I leaned back in my seat as the traffic light ahead turned red. My appointment with Chase was later tonight, and with traffic like this, the day already felt longer than it needed to be.

"Man," I muttered, rubbing my face. "I’m tired."

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