"Hey, come in!" Lola welcomed her brother with a smile, though nerves churned in her stomach. What would he think of the way she lived now? He wasn't the type to say anything out loud, but that didn't stop the shame from bubbling up inside her.

No matter how often she cleaned the place, the smell of mold and stale cigarette smoke lingered. She led him into the living room. He looked around quietly.

The expression on his face said enough—he was shocked. They'd grown up with everything they needed, in a big house where nothing had ever been lacking.

"It's not much," she muttered. "And it's only temporary."

Not that she could afford anything better. Hopefully, she'd be able to move in with Phantom before too long.

"I..." The rest of his words got lost somewhere on the way to his lips. "This is... really different from your last apartment."

Yeah. That one they'd paid for together. And back then, she'd still had her own sustainable clothing line. Things had been going downhill for a while—with rising costs, disappointing sales, and one failed marketing campaign after another—but losing her best friend and the paralyzing fear of death had been the final blow.

She didn't know how to respond to his comment, so she just nodded. "Want something to drink? Coffee?"

It took a moment for her words to register—he was still too taken aback by the shabby surroundings.

"I'm doing fine," she stressed. "Really. A lot better than in the first few months after Isabèl's death."

She walked to the tiny kitchen, opened the coffee filter holder, and began making coffee for them both. Behind her, she heard her brother's footsteps.

"I'm glad to hear that. Do you... have a good job?"

She knew she couldn't keep dodging the truth. And besides, he'd already seen the place.

"I do cleaning work. At Phantom's motorclub and the buildings around it."

She left out the part where one of those buildings was a strip club. This was already shocking enough.

She kept her back to him as she filled the pot with water and poured it into the reservoir. She didn't need to see the look on his face.

"That's a big shift from fashion design. Do you want to get back to that?"

"I don't have the time right now. Or the money."

"You know I'd always—"

"No. You don't have to. I'm doing fine on my own."

"Okay." His voice sounded a little defeated.

She bit back a sigh. She already knew she was a disappointment in her parents' eyes. She didn't want to be one in his, too. At least he got along well with her boyfriend Lately, they'd made it a habit to play Minecraft together, and sometimes she'd hear them chatting over their headsets late into the night while she got lost in a book.

Lola knew Phantom wasn't exactly what you'd call ideal son-in-law material. Her parents would hate him. But Nathan genuinely seemed to like him, and that meant the world to her. His opinion carried more weight—he had a sharp sense for people.

He'd been far less enthusiastic about her ex, even though their parents had adored him. They still did. And even though it had been Brandon who'd cheated, her father blamed her for not being enough.

Just thinking about her father sent a hot pang through her gut. She focused on the bubbling sound of the coffee maker, hoping it would help calm her down.

As much as Lola wanted to avoid the topic of her father, it was as if he'd blown in with Nathan, a storm cloud that now hung above them, swelling beneath the yellowed ceiling.

She could practically hear the thunder already. So when the word "dad" slipped from Nathan's lips, she wasn't surprised—though they still struck like lightning.

"Dad's organizing a fundraiser next week. Proceeds go to Team Rubicon. They use veterans as emergency responders."

"Good for him."

Nathan avoided eye contact, and she could already guess what their father had said to him.

"He wants you to talk me into coming, doesn't he? Of course. It would hurt his image if his own daughter didn't show up to his precious fundraiser."

"He wanted to come talk to you himself. Apologize. But he didn't know where you live, and I didn't want to just give him your address."

"Yeah, that would've been the cherry on top," she muttered. "He can rot in hell. You and I both know those apologies wouldn't mean a damn thing."

Nathan rubbed his hands together. "I don't know exactly what happened between you two. I mean, yeah, I know you never got along. But since Isabèl died..."

"That's what happened. The bastard got furious when I didn't show up to his fancy dinner. When I told him, crying, that Isabèl had died in an accident, he said I never should've gotten involved with that 'occult figure.' That she'd tempted supernatural forces and had been too stupid to see the consequences."

Nathan stared at her. "He really said that?"

"As if you're surprised. He hated her. Our friendship was always a thorn in his side."

"Yeah, but..." He shook his head, still stunned. "I've got no words."

"Well, I do. He can go to hell. I'm not going."

"I get it." Nathan looked down into his empty coffee cup. "Now that I know all this, I don't really feel like going either. But Mom..."

"She didn't say a word against him."

He kept staring into the mug. A crease began to form between his brows. "What if you did show up, but as the rebellious daughter he already thinks you are? Like, bring your tattooed, hot biker boyfriend to his fancy gala?"

A surprised laugh escaped her. "Did you just call my boyfriend hot?"

He shrugged, but the blush that crept across his cheeks gave him away. He looked at her a little nervously. "Does that shock you? Not just that I said it about your boyfriend, but... in general?"

She blinked at him. For a moment, all she could see was the vulnerability in his eyes, the way his fingers clenched around his mug. It must have taken a massive amount of courage to finally tell her this.

"No," she said quickly, her smile warm and genuine. She'd always figured he was just too busy for a relationship. It had never occurred to her that he simply wasn't into women. And if he did start dating a man—oh, their conservative father would have a heart attack. He'd love to ship every member of the LGBTQ community out of the country.

She reached for his knee. "I never even considered you might not be straight. But honestly... I'm not that surprised either." She hesitated. "Does anyone know? I'm guessing you don't want Dad finding out."

"My worst nightmare," he muttered, shoulders slumping. "A few friends know. But I've never dared act on it. I'm always afraid it'll come back to bite me—used as blackmail or whatever."

What a nightmare. He was sacrificing his own happiness for their father's image—and that man didn't deserve it one bit.

"You should really ask yourself what's more important to you: a fulfilling relationship or your relationship with Dad."

"It's not just that. It's also... I mean, if I ever come out, it's going to be splashed across every tabloid. People will call it a scandal. And I've worked so hard all these years to stay out of the spotlight."

"Yeah, that'll be tough. But it'll pass eventually. Or you'll learn to deal with it." She gave his knee a reassuring squeeze. "You deserve happiness too, Nate. It's so good to come home to someone. To know there's a person who thinks about you, whose heart skips a beat when they see you."

She thought of Phantom. Their relationship wasn't perfect—especially with his asexuality—but he meant so much to her, and she didn't want to lose him. In such a short time, he'd already come to mean the world.

Nathan's lips curved into a faint smile. "It sounds nice. Who knows—if I ever meet someone, maybe I'll go for it. But right now..." He shrugged. "I'm not eager to open that can of worms without getting something worthwhile in return."

Lola nodded. She could understand that.

Her thoughts drifted to Phantom. She tried to picture him at her father's gala. Oh, Nathan was right. Her father would hate it. He'd be mortified.

Their relationship was already in ruins.

And just for that pathetic excuse of an apology, he deserved her presence—just not in the way he imagined.

A grin spread across her face.

"But you know what? I love the idea. I'm taking my hot biker to that fundraiser. I've always wanted to crash a party."

There was a glint in Nathan's eyes — a quiet defiance, and she hoped that one day it would burn through all his secrets, so he could feel free. So he could be himself.