Chapter 20 — The Question Nobody Expected
Dinner was finally over.
Dessert had been served, and the once-busy table had become much quieter. Everyone was still sitting around, enjoying the last of the evening.
Mia's father leaned back in his chair and let out a tired sigh.
"I think I'm done for tonight."
Mia looked at him.
"Already?"
Her father smiled.
"Some of us are getting old."
One of her brothers laughed.
"Dad, you're not that old."
"Tell that to my back."
Everyone laughed.
He pushed his chair back and stood.
"Goodnight, everyone. I'm going to bed."
"Goodnight, Dad," Mia said.
"Goodnight."
After he left, the siblings remained at the table.
Nobody seemed interested in going anywhere yet.
One of Mia's brothers looked around.
"We need something to do."
"Like what?" his wife asked.
"Let's play a game."
Mia smiled.
"What kind of game?"
"Act it out and guess."
Everyone agreed.
The rules were simple. One person would secretly choose an action, act it out without speaking, and everyone else would try to guess what it was.
The first few rounds were filled with laughter.
One of Mia's brothers acted like he was desperately searching for something.
"Looking for your phone!" someone shouted.
"No."
"Looking for your glasses?"
"No!"
"Looking for your dignity?"
The entire table burst into laughter.
Even Mia nearly fell out of her chair laughing.
Then it was Nathan's turn.
He stood up and acted out someone walking through heavy rain while trying to protect something from getting wet.
"You're carrying an umbrella!" Mia shouted.
Nathan shook his head.
"You're protecting a baby!"
"No."
"Your food!"
Nathan finally laughed.
"How did you get food from that?"
"Because you're always thinking about food."
Nathan sat back down.
"That makes no sense."
"It made perfect sense."
"No, it didn't."
"It did."
"You were wrong."
"I was close."
"You weren't even close."
Mia folded her arms.
"At least I guessed."
Nathan looked at her.
"And incorrectly."
Mia stared at him.
"You know what? Your turn is over."
"It ended five minutes ago."
"Then stop talking."
"I wasn't talking until you started."
Their siblings slowly stopped playing.
One by one, they turned toward Mia and Nathan.
There it was again.
That familiar tension.
Mia and Nathan continued arguing over the most ridiculous detail of the game.
"You should have acted better."
"I acted perfectly."
"You looked like someone trying to escape a storm."
"That was the point."
"Then why did you reject my answer?"
"Because you guessed the wrong thing."
Mia opened her mouth to respond.
Then she noticed everyone staring at them.
"What?"
Nobody answered.
Her brothers exchanged amused looks.
Their wives tried not to laugh.
Mia looked at Nathan.
Nathan looked back at her.
For a second, neither understood why everyone suddenly looked so entertained.
Then Sofia, the wife of Mia's second brother, finally placed her glass on the table.
"Okay."
Everyone looked at her.
She pointed between Mia and Nathan.
"I have a question."
Mia raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
Sofia looked at the others.
"You've all been trying to ask this question without actually asking it."
Her husband immediately shook his head.
"Sofia..."
She ignored him.
She looked directly at Mia and Nathan.
"Are you two in love or what?"
Silence.
Mia froze.
Nathan froze.
The entire table became completely still.
Mia slowly turned toward Nathan.
Nathan was already looking at her.
Their eyes met.
For a moment, neither of them knew what to say.
Then, almost at the exact same time—
"No!"
They both answered so quickly that everyone burst into laughter.
Mia looked away.
"We're not."
Nathan nodded.
"Definitely not."
Another awkward silence followed.
Mia suddenly became very interested in the dessert plate in front of her.
Nathan picked up his glass and took a sip.
Sofia watched them carefully.
"So why did you both answer at exactly the same time?"
Mia looked up.
"Because the answer is obvious."
"Is it?"
"Yes."
Nathan nodded.
"Of course it is."
Sofia's husband gave her a look that clearly said leave them alone.
But Sofia wasn't the only one who had noticed.
Mia's second brother leaned toward his wife and whispered quietly enough that only she could hear.
"They're definitely in love."
Sofia glanced at him.
"You think so?"
"They just don't see it yet."
She looked back at Mia and Nathan.
Mia was still avoiding Nathan's eyes.
Nathan was doing exactly the same thing.
Her husband smiled.
"Just leave them alone."
Sofia sighed.
"Fine."
She raised her hands innocently.
"I'm done."
The game continued.
Or at least, everyone tried to continue.
But something had changed.
Mia couldn't stop thinking about the question.
Are you two in love?
She knew the answer.
She wasn't in love with Nathan.
At least, she didn't think she was.
Nathan was her childhood best friend.
Now he was her husband.
They had simply become closer.
That was all.
She repeated that explanation to herself several times.
Across the table, Nathan was doing the same thing.
He tried to focus on the game, but every now and then his eyes accidentally wandered toward Mia.
Whenever she noticed, he looked away.
Whenever he looked away, Mia wondered why she had noticed in the first place.
The game became strangely awkward after that.
Their siblings noticed.
But this time, nobody teased them.
They simply watched.
The evening eventually came to an end.
Everyone began saying their goodbyes and preparing to leave.
Mia stood beside Nathan as they walked toward the entrance.
Neither said much.
For the first time in a long while, being beside him felt different.
Not bad.
Just... noticeable.
Before getting into their car, Mia glanced at him.
"Nathan?"
"Yes?"
She hesitated.
"About what Sofia said..."
Nathan looked at her.
Mia immediately lost her confidence.
"Never mind."
Nathan nodded.
"Okay."
They got into the car.
Neither mentioned the question again.
But the silence between them was no longer the comfortable silence they had grown used to.
Now there was a question sitting quietly between them.
One neither of them was ready to answer.