I hugged everyone as they left—first Nacina, then Cam, and then Serco. Serco pecked my forehead and held the embrace several seconds longer than the others.
"I'll see you tomorrow," he said as he finally released me.
I smiled and nodded in affirmation. "I'll see you then."
I closed the door behind them and heard my brother call from the living room,
"We need to talk!"
Mom hurried toward the stairs, saying, "I'll give you two time to chat!"
She's abandoning me?! I needed her for emotional support.
I dragged my feet, taking as much time as plausibly possible to enter the room and sit beside Aren on the couch.
"So... do you have anything to tell me?"
I played with my fingers in my lap to steady my nerves before replying.
"I'm... dating someone, and it's serious. We plan to get married a year after graduation."
I let the words spill out quickly so I could get the awkwardness over with.
"...Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.
