Their happy trip to Philadelphia hadn’t been exactly what Zephyr had planned. When they got back to Pittsburgh, it was back to life as usual though. All he’d wanted to do with the concert in Philly was to make Malia happy. And that had backfired.

Now they were back in the throes of their reality where they couldn’t walk outside together—at least not without a minimum of three feet separating them. All he wanted to do was hold her. Not that she’d even let him right now. She’d been distant since they’d gotten back.

And tonight was a date with Trevor. But given that his brother still had no idea who was following them around, he wanted to keep it low profile. So he was taking the kid to his place.

In the passenger seat, Trevor was quiet and introspective. “Where are we going?”

“Well, I figured that maybe we’d get dinner and watch a movie at my place. I think your mom might appreciate me giving you something like vegetables and shit. And not just like, on-the-go hotdogs.”

Trevor rolled his eyes. “On-the-go hotdogs are delicious.”

“Yes, but you should probably have, like, a home-cooked meal too. My roommate’s been cooking, and I wanted you to meet her anyway. “

Trevor’s brows lifted. “Your roommate? Is this the same girl you were trying to not talk about the last time we hung out? And is she the reason you’ve been, like, all happy and shit?”

Zephyr fought the smile that played across his lips. “Don’t swear.”

“Yeah, you first.”

Yeah, that was probably never going to happen. So much for being a good role model. “This might or might not be her, but be cool, okay?”

“Don’t worry. I won’t bust your balls too much.”

Zephyr laughed. “I’ll count my lucky stars then.”

When they got to the apartment, the smell of lasagna filled his nostrils. Next to him, Trevor shifted nervously on his feet. “What if she doesn’t like me?”

Zephyr nudged his shoulder. “What’s not to like? You’re friends with me, so you have that going for you.”

Trevor rolled his eyes. When Malia came out of the kitchen, she had a wide smile on her face. “Hey Zeph. You must be Trevor. It’s nice to meet you. Zephyr has talked a lot about you. I’m looking forward to having you help me beat him at cards. I swear he’s cheating at gin rummy, but I can’t prove it. I could sort of use a hand with the salad if you’re interested.”

Trevor just stared at her, mouth agape.

Zephyr leaned over. “Yeah, that’s pretty much exactly how I looked at her when I first saw her too.”

The kid recovered quickly though and then nodded. “Yeah, I’ll just wash my hands and help you.”

Before Zephyr knew it, Trevor had turned on the charm. He was like the epitome of the perfect kid, talking about his favorite books and the games he liked to play. Dear Lord, Zephyr was in real trouble with this woman when the kid hit eighteen.

Across the dinner table, Malia gave him a wide grin as Trevor talked to her about basketball. He was so animated and drew them both into the conversation. Despite what was going on, he was like a bright light in the storm that they were in the middle of right now.

When dinner was over, they headed into the living room after all the dishes were cleared away and Trevor got to pick the movie. “I’d vote for Die Hard. Since I know you guys are older and like retro movies.”

Zephyr placed a hand over his heart like he’d been wounded. “Retro, that’s a classic. What do you know about movies anyway? You’re ten.”

Trevor leaned back on the couch and crossed his arms. “Oh, I know things.” And then he frowned, shifting his gaze to Malia. “Well, actually, would you rather watch something else? I know that girls don’t like action movies and stuff. Maybe even Bridget Jones or something?”

Zephyr coughed and swallowed his laugh. “Uh buddy, I don’t think—”

Malia cut him off. She lifted a brow and adopted the same stance that he had. Leaned back on the other couch, arms crossed. “I’ll have you know, I am an action movie connoisseur, okay? Don’t come at me with your Bridget Jones nonsense. What about me says romcom?”

The kid just gave her his widest grin. And then he muttered, “I stand corrected.”

Zephyr couldn’t help it; he busted out laughing. “Oh my God kid, when you’re a teenager, you’re going to be a terror.”

He shrugged. “You know, it’s funny. That’s what my mom says.”

This was exactly what they’d been needing. He glanced toward the other couch at Malia, and she met his gaze with a warm smile. She could feel it too, the dissipation of tension, the ability to laugh and smile today. What he wanted to do was to pull her into his lap and snuggle her, but better safe than sorry with Trevor here.

There was no flirting, no hugging or kissing, but even without any of that, they were so connected. He just hoped he could keep her safe and that his past wasn’t going to drive a wedge between them.