CHAPTER 3

“So... your mom got married and you didn’t even text me?”

Jason didn’t look up. He just kept peeling at the label on his drink cup, eyes fixed on the wet pavement.

Ava raised a brow, nudging his knee with hers. “Rude.”

He sighed. “It’s not exactly something I wanted to talk about.”

They were parked behind the old thrift store on Hillside Avenue, same spot they used to sneak off to back in high school when they needed to vent, sulk, or scream-laugh until their stomachs hurt.

Jason sat on the hood of her car, legs swinging, the scent of rain still clinging to the air. Ava leaned beside him holding her iced coffee, one sneaker tapping the bumper like a slow metronome.

Her curly hair was pulled into a messy bun, and she wore that same oversized hoodie he remembered from high school— the one with half the sleeves chewed off. She had said she wanted it cap sleeve just like the ones on the magazines.

“Well, the whole town already knows,” she said, stretching her legs out. “My aunt sent me a screenshot from Birknam Watch. Apparently, your mom married the man some people swore was secretly gay.”

Jason blinked. “Wait—what?”

“Mm-hmm. You know how Birknam is. The tiniest whisper becomes a parade. People say he’s never been seen with a woman before your mom. Then suddenly— bam —married.”

Jason groaned. “God…”

“And…”

She continued, while restraining herself from laughing. “...the Birknam Watch called him the brooding senator-to-be and said your mom looked like ‘a hostage in Chanel’.”

Jason actually laughed at that, which made Ava to burst out laughing too. “There it is,” she said. “A reaction.”

“You’re evil.”

“And you’re deflecting.”

She knew him too well— always had and that never changed even after years apart, miles and lives in between.

Jason went quiet, squinting out at the fading skyline. “She didn’t even tell me about the marriage till I got back. I mean it would have been a difficult pill but I'd always support my mom. And she knows that.”

Ava sipped her tea. “Yeahh….You okay?”

He did not answer right away. Just shrugged then glanced over at her. “You wanna know the worst part?”

Ava raised her brows. “Tell me…”

“Okay, so… the first time I saw him, I mean actually saw him, I almost ate him up with my eyes.” He winced. “I didn’t know who he was yet. I walked into the kitchen, and he was there— like he owned oxygen.

His broad shoulders,real... serious jawline…and his eyes?? I was just standing there like—damn.”

Ava started laughing before he even finished. “Jason!”

“I know! It was bad.” He shook his head, burying his face in his hands for a second. “I was literally checking him out. And then my mom was like, ‘Jason, this is my husband.’ I think my soul left my body.”

Ava was full-on laughing now, doubled over, trying to catch her breath. “You were eyeing your mom’s man! You’re a menace!”

“I had to play it cool the rest of the evening, pretending I wasn’t internally combusting.I couldn’t even look him in the eye.”

“Oh, you definitely looked. You just did it sideways like a weirdo.”

He shoved her gently. “I hate you.”

She grinned. “Nah, you love me. Admit it.” She wiped a tear from her eye. “This is top-tier comedy.”

Jason gave her a look but couldn’t help the smile tugging at his lips.

Then Ava quieted, leaning into him. “You sure you’re not... you know?”

Jason hesitated. His expression didn’t change, but his silence said enough. He looked down at the crumpled label in his hands. There was something unspoken in his eyes— he didn’t know whether to admit it or not.

He opened his mouth, then closed it. The truth was, he did not know. Not exactly. Not yet.

Ava didn’t push him either.

She just sipped her drink and bumped his knee with hers again. “Well. For what it’s worth... you’ve got taste.”

He laughed softly, tension easing just a little between them.

***

He thought that everyone had gone quiet for the night after he walked into the house but just as he walked past the living room, his mom's laughter broke through the stillness unexpectedly, drifting from the TV.

He froze, then quickly ducked into the passage, not in the mood to be seen or pulled into any small talk. He figured he would wait her out, that's when he noticed the light spilling from the study.

The door was slightly open and that in fact stirred his curiosity.

It had been a while since he saw it so organized, or even normal. Adler had turned it into his.

He paused.

After a minute of contemplating, he went in before he could talk himself out of it.

Inside, the desk had some files stacked, pens aligned, laptop shut. But something caught his eye: a huge envelope that was left carelessly on the edge of the desk.

There was no name on it, just a thick ivory paper sealed without a mark. No indication that it was government issued or formal.

His pulse quickened as something about it gnawed at him.

He hovered over it, his fingers already reaching for it. The feeling was sickeningly like that moment when you're staring into water, knowing it’s deeper than it looks.

But something gnawed at the back of his mind. Could this be about his father? A report? A thread finally pulled loose? Has Adler found something yet? Or just… work stuff?

Before he could stop himself, he grabbed it.

The sound of the floorboards behind him froze him in place while his heart dropped into his stomach.

Oh shit is it him?

He spun around. There was no one.

The envelope still in his hand.

A chill ran through him. The temptation to open it—the need to know—was suffocating.

Without thinking, he dropped the envelope back onto the desk and backed away.

He walked towards the door, heart still slightly racing, and left for his room.