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Chapter 110 - The kiss I
The Colombian dinner unfolded in a strange atmosphere.
The clinking of silverware against plates, sips of drinks, the occasional murmur, and every now and then a discreet comment about how surprisingly tasty the pig intestines were.
Jay ate in silence, chewing with a stone-cold expression, adding nothing to the conversations that came up... and quickly died out.
Claire was just as quiet, though for different reasons.
At first glance, she seemed disturbed by what she had discovered about her daughters: sneaking out at night with Dylan and reading steamy fanfics weren't exactly reassuring news, but deep down, part of her felt slightly satisfied.
She would never show it... but the information Andrew had given her was perfect.
Until just a few minutes ago, both Haley and Alex were angry at her for snooping through Alex's messages.
Now, with this ammunition, she could turn the situation around.
Haley, for her part, barely touched her food. She stared at her plate as if the arepa was judging her.
After her public humiliation, and knowing that punishment was only a matter of time, she just wanted the ground to swallow her whole.
Alex didn't say anything either.
She avoided eye contact with everyone.
She was far too embarrassed by what Andrew had revealed.
In her mind, she was mentally slapping herself over and over again for not deleting her browser history.
'Lesson learned. Never. Leave. A trail,' she repeated to herself over and over.
Luke was the only one eating happily, as if nothing had happened.
He was completely oblivious to the tension.
He chewed enthusiastically, tried everything, and even helped himself to seconds.
Mitch and Cam sat side by side, but with a clear emotional distance between them. They still weren't talking much after this afternoon's argument.
Andrew ate in silence, not particularly bothered by his secret being exposed. What else could he do? There was no point in sulking or feeling ashamed anymore.
Besides, he had more important things to think about. The one-million-special. He had to upload a video thanking all his subscribers and announce the date, time, and of course, the location of the meetup. Nothing could go wrong. It was his first major event as a creator, maybe even one of the first YouTuber events in America.
Meanwhile, Manny chewed slowly, looking at his plate with a doubtful expression.
Despite loving many things about Colombia, pig intestines clearly weren't one of them.
"Well," Gloria said, trying to break the tension with her best smile, "what do you all think of my grandma's dishes?"
There was a brief silence until Pippa spoke, "They're delicious. I loved the spiced rice," she said with a smile.
"Thanks, mi amor," Gloria replied sweetly, touching her chest, "You're the only one who appreciates what I make with love,"
She then turned to Andrew and, with a firm but affectionate tone, added, "Don't ever lose her, you hear me? If you do, I'll never forgive you. That girl is worth gold."
The compliment didn't make Pippa smile. It reminded her of what Haley had said minutes ago about how 'perfect' she supposedly was. She just nodded slightly, as if thankful for the praise.
"I know," Andrew replied casually, without lifting his gaze from his plate. He kept eating, still thinking about the possible locations for the million-subscriber meetup.
Gloria, noticing the lack of enthusiasm in Andrew's response, slightly pursed her lips.
She didn't say anything else. There was already enough tension at the table without adding more fuel to the fire.
Dinner ended without further incident.
Miraculously, no one else revealed someone else's secrets, no new arguments were started, and Gloria managed to see the plates emptied without issuing any additional threats.
After clearing the table, the family returned to the living room for dessert.
Ice cream for the kids, wine for the adults, and uncomfortable silence for those still dealing with their inner shame (Alex and Haley).
"Taste this," said Pippa, raising her spoon and pointing it at him like it was a wand.
Andrew looked at her with one eyebrow raised, "I already did. No matter how many times you try to convince me, you'll never make me like it."
"Just try one more time, please," Pippa insisted with a smile.
"Your palate has matured. This is a new Chapter in your life," she added in an overly dramatic tone.
Andrew let out an exaggerated sigh but leaned forward and took a bite.
He chewed a couple of times, processing the flavor.
Pippa watched him closely, "Well?" she asked.
Andrew shook his head and shrugged, "Nope. Still don't see what's so delicious about it."
Pippa chuckled softly as she brought another spoonful to her mouth.
A few feet away, Cam approached Mitch with a glass of wine in hand.
"I brought you a glass," Cam said, handing it over with a peaceful smile.
Mitch looked at him cautiously and raised a hand, "Wait... Taste it first."
"Do you think I'm going to poison you?" Cam asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm just covering all possibilities," Mitch muttered.
Cam smiled, resigned, and took a sip, "I'm not mad about earlier anymore. I thought about it... and maybe you were right. Sometimes I can be a bit needy," he said.
Mitch let his guard down, relaxing and taking the wine glass.
"I appreciate that. And you're not entirely wrong. Lord knows I have my quirks. I'm not the most expressive man... but I try to work on that," Mitch admitted.
"And I'm going to help you with that," Cam said, smiling for real this time.
"Alright, but don't give up," said Mitch, raising his glass.
"Never," replied Cam.
They clinked their glasses gently, finally ending their argument and reconciling like the grown men they were.
Gloria, standing by the table, gave a soft ting ting ting with her fork against her glass.
"Alright, everyone! Gather around. Jay, come here," she said with a warm smile.
Everyone slowly made their way over, forming a loose semicircle around Gloria.
"I want to thank you all for coming tonight, for trying my grandmother's traditional recipes," Gloria said, her voice filled with emotion, "And even though she's no longer with me... I'm very happy, because I have all of you."
The group reacted with quiet smiles.
Claire took Phil's hand.
Andrew smiled as he placed his hand on Pippa's waist and pulled her closer.
Jay simply nodded, true to his style, but a faint smile was visible as he looked at Gloria.
"To Ana María Rosa de la Inmaculada Jiménez Morales," said Gloria, raising her glass.
Everyone lifted their glasses and, with some effort, tried to repeat, "To Ana María Rosa... Inma... uh... Ji... Mor...!"
No one could quite remember the order or pronounce it correctly.
With soft laughter and mumbled words, they all toasted anyway, clinking their glasses and taking a sip.
Cam, touched, spoke up, "What beautiful words, Gloria. Just like my Mitchell..."
And after saying that, he turned his head, intending to kiss Mitch on the cheek.
But at that exact moment, Mitch was taking a sip from his glass and unknowingly dodged the gesture, instinctively.
The motion threw Cam off balance, since they were both leaning on the back of the couch.
He stumbled forward, tripping over his own foot and falling awkwardly toward the coffee table.
SPLAT!
His glass spilled on the floor, hit a bowl of snacks, and a rain of potato chips fell directly onto his head.
Cam ended up sprawled on the floor... much like his dignity.
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
"Did you slip?" Mitch asked, still holding his glass, pretending to be surprised.
Andrew wanted to laugh but held it in. On top of that, he had just taken a sip from his glass and nearly choked. Quickly, to avoid bursting out laughing and giving himself away, he curled up against Pippa, hiding his face in her neck as he trembled from the effort.
"Don't laugh, that's your dad..." Pippa whispered, running a hand over his head. She knew the kind of humor Andrew had.
"Don't tell me that fall wasn't funny," Andrew whispered near her ear, his voice muffled by laughter.
Pippa bit her lower lip, as if that would help her hold back a giggle.
"It was," she admitted quietly, glancing at him from the corner of her eye, "But it's not the time to laugh... he still has a potato chip in his hair."
At that moment, Cam sprang back up, brushing snack crumbs off his shoulder with theatrical composure, as if nothing had happened.
"I'm fine!" Cam declared with forced dignity, trying to stand up straight with elegance, despite a few potato chips still stuck in his hair.
"The glass broke," Claire said as she stood up too, "I'll go get something to... clean this up."
Claire could barely hold in her laughter. The sight of Cam sprawled on the floor had been glorious... but she knew that laughing openly in front of everyone, especially in front of Cam, who was trying to preserve his dignity, wouldn't look good at all.
So she took the perfect excuse to leave the room and let her laughter out in the kitchen.
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