This is taking forever.

For the past two hours, I’ve been trying to get us out of Seth’s mansion so we can go home to Zeke’s apartment.

I haven’t even unpacked my luggage since I got here last night, so it should be a matter of getting my bag and taking off.

Zeke has even cleaned himself up pretty well. Luckily, Seth didn’t hit him too hard, so except for some bruises and little cuts, he’s fine.

But Seth is not making it easy.

After a half-hearted apology for having punched Zeke, he said he couldn’t let us leave without at least sharing a meal together. So now I’m sitting at the long-ass dining table, watching Seth give Zeke the third degree.

I keep hoping the baby, who’s taking a nap in the nursery right now, would wake up and start crying. Maybe that would end this painful dinner. Or maybe that’s wishful thinking—Alice would probably rush away to breastfeed the baby, but Seth would just stay at the table and continue the interrogation.

He was content to leave me alone last night because I’d seemed too distraught and he felt bad for me, I guess.

But he doesn’t have such charitable feelings toward Zeke, so he’s been asking question after intrusive question. So far, he has asked Zeke about what he does for a living, where he lives in the city, how long we’ve known each other, and how we first met.  

“So, Zeke,” Seth says from his seat at the head of the table. He’s clearly faking his smile. “Alejandra called me the other day and she told me she’s married. Is she married to you?”

“Yes. I’m sorry you couldn’t make it. The invite must’ve gotten lost in the mail,” Zeke says, in a tone so overly casual it’s obvious he’s deliberately talking like that to annoy Seth.

“Sorry, Seth. It was all very last minute. It was more like an elopement than a wedding,” I say, trying to save the situation.

Zeke turns to face me and raises a questioning eyebrow.

I recognize that look. He’d better not say anything about the lavish wedding by the sea, or about the long guest list.

I give Zeke a warning glance before turning my attention back to Seth. I’m sure Seth has noticed the little look that we shared, but he says nothing. He just stares creepily at Zeke while he slices through his steak.

“This beef is amazing, Alice. This is going to sound clichéd, but it melts in my mouth.” I say, trying to change the subject.

“Thank you,” she says, giving me a grateful look. Obviously, I’m not the only one bothered by the tension between the two men at the table. Alice adds, “I can’t take all the credit, though. We actually got this shipped in from Japan. It’s called Matsusaka beef, and it’s famous for its high fat content.”

“Wow, from Japan? How long did it take to get here?” I ask, feigning interest.

“Not as long as I expected. It’s actually really interesting. They have the whole process figured out, from packaging, to…” Alice drones on, going through enough details about meat importation to fill an entire book.

I nod, trying to seem enthusiastic. Normally, I’d space out whenever Seth or Alice starts talking about food. But right now, I’d happily listen, if it means an end to Seth’s questioning.

But of course, I have no such luck.

After talking in painfully minute detail about how she prepared the meat, Alice finally runs out of things to say about it.

Before I can ask a question about whether the cows in Japan actually get massaged daily, Seth opens his mouth.

“So you two—” Seth says as his gaze flicks between Zeke and me, “—you’ve known each other for ten years. But I never heard you mention Zeke before today, Alejandra.”

“Ouch, that stings,” Zeke says. “Why didn’t you ever talk about me, Ali?”

I glare at Zeke. He’s so not helping right now.

Turning to Seth, I say, “Yeah, we lost contact for a few years. We met again through mutual friends when I moved to the city, and we immediately hit it off.”

“Sounds like a pretty quick process,” Seth says, obviously still suspicious.

“Yeah, well, we used to date when we were younger, so we weren’t exactly starting from zero,” I say with a sweet smile plastered on my face.

I know he still thinks this is a weird story, but I’m sticking with it. No way am I going to tell him about the agreement that Zeke and I made.

Seth asks a few more questions, but I’m quick to answer before Zeke gets to open his mouth.

I wish Seth would stop. He is like a big brother to me normally, but right now he’s more like an embarrassing dad.

Somehow, we manage to finish the meal without any incident.

I hurriedly herd everyone to the front door, where we say our goodbyes.

And finally, Zeke and I are outside, where the night breeze cools my skin and we’re free from Seth’s scrutiny.

“Sorry. I swear I’ve never seen Seth this talkative before,” I say to Zeke.

The wheels of my luggage, which is being pulled by Zeke, drag noisily on the asphalt. The sound drowns out my voice, so Seth and Alice can’t possibly hear me.

Zeke chuckles as he takes my hand and leads me to the car. “It’s cool. I can tell it’s because he cares about you.”