"I should get going," Dominic said, standing up and stretching his arms like he was trying to shake off the weight of today's tension. He glanced at me. "Let me drop you off at home."
I slung my bag over my shoulder. "Can't. I'm actually heading to pick up Alia."
His head tilted. "Alia?"
"Mm-hmm. Her teacher texted me this morning, said she wanted a word."
Dominic's lips pressed into a smile. "Alright. I've actually missed her. Been so busy lately, I barely noticed how long it's been."
"Tell me about it." I laughed quietly, trying to make it lighter. "I just hope it's not because she did something chaotic again."
He bumped my shoulder as we started toward the stairs. "Please. It's Alia. Chaos is her middle name."
That actually made me laugh for real. "Facts."
We walked down, voices from the living room drifting up to meet us.
Dominic slowed when we hit the bottom. He gave a small wave to everyone gathered, then crossed to Liam's parents.
