Chapter Text
# 1: That’s Him?
I skipped down the stairs and wandered into the kitchen, rummaging around the pantry for something to eat.
“Ameli?” a voice called out behind me—deeper, accented, unfamiliar. “Babe, is that—oh.” He stopped short. “Hello.”
I turned, a box of crackers in hand, and froze for a second.
The guy standing in front of me was *insanely* attractive. Tall, with messy brown hair. His only real flaw was the aggressively papaya-orange athletic shirt he wore, clashing with the soft morning light.
His eyes lingered on mine a beat too long. “Hi,” he said again, slower this time, almost confused.
“Hey,” I replied, my voice softer than I meant. “Ameli’s upstairs with my mom, but she’ll be down soon.”
He nodded, still looking at me like I’d just thrown him off course. “I’m Oscar,” he said, though it sounded more like a question now.
“Yeah, I figured.” I shrugged, trying to seem casual despite the tension prickling up my spine. “I’m Isabella. Most people call me Isa… or, you know, Ameli’s sister.”
There was something about the way he blinked then, like the word *sister* snapped him out of whatever daze he was in.
“It’s nice to meet you, Isabella.” He extended a hand politely.
I reached to shake it but fumbled, the box of crackers slipping under my arm. As I set it down, he suddenly pulled his hand back. “Handshakes are dumb,” he muttered. “Forget it.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Wow. Not good enough for a handshake? My dad will get one. My mom will probably hug the hell out of you. And I just get an awkward introduction?”
His lips curved into a smile that shouldn’t have hit me the way it did. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Isabella,” he said, catching my hand after all before leaning down toward my shoulder, I tilted my head expecting him to whisper something in my ear.
Instead, He kissed my cheek.
My heart stuttered.
“Happy?” he asked, raising one brow.
“Handshake probably would’ve been the safer choice,” I muttered, trying to ignore how warm my face felt.
He laughed—soft, almost amused with himself. I punched him lightly on the arm, some weird instinct for balance, and looked up at him again. “Nice to meet you too, Oscar.”
“Going to enjoy those crackers now?” he asked.
I grabbed the box and nodded. “Yup. I’ll just… be right back.”
As I passed, he gently caught my elbow—not hard, just enough to pause me.
“Hey… think you could be my person on the inside? Tell me all the dark family secrets?”
“Oh, definitely. Although I should warn you—said girl on the inside,” I gestured toward myself, “may or may not still be a little emotional over a recent breakup. I’ll try not to cry on your very orange shirt.”
He laughed, and I offered a quick wink before escaping toward the stairs.
As I reached the landing, I practically ran into Ameli. “*That’s him*?” I whispered, eyes wide.
She nodded, looking giddy. “He’s pretty great, right? He was so nervous to meet you.”
“Nervous?” I echoed, heat blooming in my cheeks. “We just said hello.”
Ameli gave me a strange look but didn’t push. “We’re playing Trivial Pursuit later. Teams. You can go solo, obviously. You love being alone.”
I laughed. “Sounds fun.”
“Mom still wants to show me something,” she said. “We’ll come down in a bit, would you tell Oscy for me?”
I tried not to wince at that horrendous nickname, “Sure thing,”
Ameli looked pleased. smiling as I turned and started back toward the stairs, my heartbeat suddenly louder in my chest than it had been a few moments ago.
I groaned silently as I descended. He’s going to think I’m weird. I basically sprinted away mid-conversation and now I’m casually waltzing back in like I forgot something. I didn’t forget anything—I just panicked.
I paused at the bottom step, taking a second to breathe, box of crackers still in hand like a very underwhelming peace offering.
“And she’s back,” he said, smiling like I was some kind of unexpected gift.
“Well, we can’t have you discovering the family secrets on your own,” I teased, sitting in the chair beside the couch and cracking open the box.
He reached toward it, eyes twinkling. “So… did I hear something about a breakup earlier?”
“Yeah, just some guy,” I said with a shrug, handing him the box. “Dated for four years. Dumped me over the phone. At like, 3 a.m. Forgot I was still at school.”
Oscar looked up sharply. “Three in the morning? Where do you go to school?”
“Monaco.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Ah, the principality. A mate of mine li—”
The front door banged open.
“I’m home!” my dad shouted, arms loaded with grocery bags. “Oh, you’re already here? Damn.”
“I’ll help with those,” I offered, springing up. I grabbed the heavier bags, leaving my dad to greet Oscar while I disappeared into the kitchen.
From the other room, I heard my dad’s voice, then Oscar’s—awkward, polite, a little stiff.
I smirked to myself.
“Ameli! Mom!” I shouted upstairs. “Dad’s home!”
I returned to the living room just as my dad turned toward me.
“Ready to lose at trivia?” I asked.
He grinned. “Teams?”
I nodded, already feeling competitive.
“I’ve got dibs on you love.” He pulled me into a tight hug. ”Glad you’re home bug.”
“You’re good at trivia?” Oscar asked.
I turned toward him, my voice full of pride. “I am the *best* at trivia.”
He laughed softly, and something about the way he looked at me then—wide-eyed and almost too soft—made my stomach flip.
---
"Damn it!" I yelled after finally missing a question. "I didn't even know who Chad Varah was."
"You are really good at this," Oscar said, "*But* I still think I can beat you."
"Don't you mean *we*," Ameli said, pretending to be taken aback. Oscar laughed and leaned into her before kissing her cheek, which caused her to smile.
"Here, give me the cards. I'll ask the questions," I said, taking the cards from my mom. My mom laughed in amusement. She took a sip of the wine she was drinking. I grabbed it myself and took a sip. She only rolled her eyes and took it from me before setting it back down.
"Alright, *pink*," Oscar said and I pulled a card from the holder.
"Remember not to answer right away. You have to consult with me, okay?" Oscar nodded at Ameli and slapped his hands together in preparation for me to ask the question.
"This one is easy, but which American president was also an actor?" I asked, finding it unfair that everyone else got questions like this while I got the questions I had to rack my brain to think of.
"Alright, babe, this is all you." Oscar whispered and I laughed as I shook my head to myself.
"I don't think I know this one," Ameli whispered back. The smile on Oscar's face disappeared and I raised an eyebrow at him as he looked back at me. "Uh... Ronald Reagan?"
"Can you see the answers?" I asked, turning the card around as she rolled her eyes. "Just roll again, Oscar," Ameli said, waiting for Oscar to do so. "Yellow."
"What is The Union Jack?" I asked, knowing the answer without turning the card, again.
"Easy, the flag of the United Kingdom," Oscar blurted out. Ameli smacked his arm and he looked over at her. "Oh, sorry, I got excited." She rolled her eyes and rolled the dice; she moved spaces and landed on a pink.
"Alright. Two of the longest-running musicals in the London West end theater scene opened in 1981 and 1984 and feature the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber. What are they?"
"I have *no* idea," Ameli immediately answered, shrugging. She sat back in her chair and stared at Oscar, waiting for him to say something.
"Do *you* know this one, Isabella?" I nodded in reply to Oscar's question and stared at him as I waited for an answer.
"Come on, Oscar. We don't have all day."
"I don't know, what are they?" he asked and I smiled, flipping the card over to see that what I had been thinking was correct.
"*Cats* and *Starlight Express*," I said, handing the cards back to Mom.
"How do you know this stuff?" Oscar asked and I shrugged, not wanting to explain how I had spent too many hours with my eyes glued to a laptop screen. I learn things in weird ways, but I never forgot anything.
"My Isabella is a bank of knowledge," Dad said taking a sip from mom’s wine himself and I giggled, but shook my head.
"Mom, it's your turn."
"I surrender," she said before slowly walking out of the room. "Anyone want ice cream?" I sighed and rolled my eyes. I hated that we could never finish a game anymore.
Ameli stood up. "You want any, Osc-y?"
"I'm good, I might just steal a bite of yours," he winked, and I instinctively cringed— I tried to hide behind a casual scratch to my neck.
I hadn’t noticed, but at some point, my dad had disappeared into the kitchen too. Suddenly, it was just me and Oscar in the quiet hum of the room.
"Well... I guess we should put everything away," he said after a few seconds of silence, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Yeah," I said, standing up and starting to collect the game pieces. We moved in sync, not speaking, the air between us feeling heavier than before. Then—
"So..."
"So..." I repeated, lips twitching into a smirk despite myself.
"You know that jerk you mentioned earlier?" Oscar asked, his tone soft. I nodded, tucking a few strands of hair behind my ear, trying to get a better look at his expression.
"Seems like he gave up something great... and I hope he didn’t hurt you too much," Oscar said, his voice lower now. "Because he’s not worth the heartbreak."
I blinked, startled not just by what he said, but *how* he said it—earnest, eyes steady on mine, not a hint of hesitation. My breath caught.
His lips parted slightly like he wanted to say something else—something he maybe *shouldn’t*—when Ameli walked back in holding two bowls of ice cream. Oscar stood up quickly, that easy smile back on his face like it had never left.
"You okay, Isa?" Ameli asked, raising a brow.
"Yeah, sorry..." I forced a smile, trying to reorient myself. "I'm just a little out of it. I think I’m gonna clean this up and head to bed."
"Okay—night!" Ameli beamed, stepping over to give me a warm hug. I wrapped my arms around her, eyes flicking back to Oscar just in time to see him watching again.
"Goodnight, Isa," he said softly, with a small smile.
I reached for the *Trivial Pursuit* box at the same moment he did, and our fingers brushed. I pulled away quickly.
"Uh, night," I said, backing out of the room and trying not to trip over my own feet.
I jogged up the stairs, ducking into the hall closet to shove the board game back on the shelf, like I needed to finish the chore just to breathe again. I shut the door, then wandered into my room and collapsed on my bed without even bothering to close the door behind me.
I stared at the ceiling, lit only by the soft glow of my lamp.
**Maybe I should’ve stayed in Monaco.**