A Storm Is Brewing

Guilty

That night, I had discussed the bizarre call with Leah, throwing my thoughts on the situation out without really thinking of the impact. I knew that Leah was struggling with Rhys ever since the revelation that Liv had been made to feel like a burden to us. I understood that. She loved Liv like she was her own child, but she didn't know Rhys like I did. She hadn't been there for the years that Rhys would have done anything to protect me. I trusted him more than I trusted anyone else, perhaps even Leah.

We should've known that the double date was doomed before we had even got there. Teddy was teething and had picked today to show the worst symptoms of that; we'd had a two-hour power cut in our area, meaning we'd had to travel to Amanda's to get ready, and taxis appeared to be non-existent when we had called for one to take us to dinner, leaving us half an hour late. We should've just cancelled, but we didn't.

As always, the stresses of our lives were put on hold to put on a show for this event. The coldness between us after a full day of bickering faded the second we entered the restaurant and found the table that Paula was sitting at. We approached it with a cheery smile, greeting Paula and her new man with a falseness that portrayed us as the happiest of couples.

Corey was dressed to impress; his suit looked like it had some kind of magic anti-crease tool built into it, and it was obvious that he'd visited a hairdresser that day. He stank of aftershave. He hugged us both respectfully as we moved to take our seats, making the standard Irish accent joke that I was fed up laughing about. Or maybe I was just fed up in general that night.

Leah rested her hand on my leg under the table, her way of saying, the arguments are forgotten. Paula was nervous; that much was clear. She was speaking much faster than usual, and I couldn't help but notice how she was perfecting her pronunciation as she spoke, something I wasn't used to. The waiter took our drinks orders as we waited a few seconds to see who would speak first.

"Sorry we're so late; bloody power cut at ours." Leah began.
"Don't be silly. I told Corey, you two don't just have yourselves to get ready anymore." Paula smiled.

Corey seemed to be waiting for his moment to engage in conversation. I felt a little sorry for him, knowing it must be unnerving to meet with the boss of your new girlfriend and her wife after a few weeks of being together. I flashed him a smile as he made nervous eye contact with the table.

"Must be a big change for you both?" He finally found space.
"Honestly, huge. They tell you about the sleepless nights and struggles to get out to work in the mornings, but no one tells you about the outfit changes and inability to get a bath in peace."
"My mum always said that the hardest part for her was having to have sticky fingerprints all over the place." He chuckled.
"That's another thing. Black appliances and curious babies are a recipe for disaster."

He turned his attention to Leah, wanting to include both of us in the conversation.

"Paula tells me you're back to work already. That must've been difficult.

No one would've noticed the aggravation this question had caused Leah except me. There was a small slimming of her eyes, a falter in her smile, and a twitch in her hand on my leg before she regained composure.

"Not really. We live not far from the grounds, and our matches are mostly around England, so I'm always back on the same day."
"I still don't know how you do round trips, Leah. Going back and forth to the states kills me, and I'm there for days." Paula chuckled.
"You get used to it, I suppose. The lack of time difference helps too."

Paula had saved the day. I knew that Corey likely hadn't meant to cause any offence to Leah, but she was already pent up from our day of bickering, and anything could've pushed her over the edge. The conversation flowed naturally, with Paula seeming to settle after a few drinks and Corey making a better impression on Leah. All that would change, though, starting with a simple question from Paula.