"Felix! Good to see you, man!" Kip pulled Felix into a quick hug outside the front door.
"Is Nova here?" Felix asked.
"Yeah, she's in the kitchen making dinner," Kip replied.
"Can I come in? I need to talk to her."
"Sure, come on in."
Felix brushed past Kip and moved into the kitchen. Nova stood over the stove, stirring ground beef as a cloud of savoury steam drifted through the room.
"Nova! Why haven't you been answering my texts?"
She spun around, her expression snapping from surprise to sharp irritation. Her eyes flicked to Kip, who had followed Felix inside. Without breaking her glare, she turned off the burner and set the spoon down in the saucepan.
"Kip! Why the hell did you invite him over?"
Kip shrugged, looking guilty. "Because he's our friend, Nova. From military camp training."
Nova shook her head, her jaw tight. "Not anymore." She glared at Felix, her eyes cold. "I can't believe you, Felix. You seriously asked me why I would choose someone with an ugly scar over their eye instead of you."
"It was an accident that I texted you that—"
"No, it wasn't," Nova cut him off coldly. "That text disgusted me so much I blocked your number. Then you ran to Kip because you know he's my brother."
She took a step forward, her voice dropping with anger. "Do you not understand that Jared was assaulted? That's why he has the scar."
"Yeah, Kip told me," Felix said defensively. "He got jumped because he owed money for drugs, right?"
"FELIX!" Nova shouted, her voice cracking with fury. "Jared's mother had cancer! He bought those drugs because she was in terrible pain! He wasn't a junkie — he was trying to help his mother!"
Felix scratched his head. "Oh… Kip never mentioned that part."
"I think you should leave," Nova said, putting her hands on her hips. "I don't feel comfortable with having you in my home."
"Please, Nova," Felix begged. "I don't want you mad at me. I just talk before I think sometimes."
Jared entered the kitchen, "Nova! Why is Felix here?"
"He was just leaving." Nova pointed to the hallway. "Kip shouldn't have invited Felix over-"
"How do I make you uncomfortable?" Felix pleaded. "Don't you remember when I invited you to my home, Nova?"
"Yeah, about that," Nova looked away defensively. "Look, I didn't feel uncomfortable, so I made an excuse so I could leave earlier."
"What? Why would you do that?" Felix's mouth dropped.
"He was just leaving," Nova said, pointing toward the hallway. "
"How do I make you uncomfortable?" Felix pleaded. "Don't you remember when I invited you to my place?"
"Yeah, about that…" Nova looked away. "I made up an excuse so I could leave early. I wasn't comfortable."
Felix's mouth fell open. "What? Why?"
"Because you don't approve of me being with Jared," Nova said. "As I said, you should go."
"Fine," Felix muttered. "If I make you that uncomfortable, I'm gone." He turned to Kip. "Let's hit the movie theatre."
Kip scratched the back of his neck. "Actually…It's getting late. I'll just text you later."
Felix's smile slipped.
"Oh." He glanced at his wristwatch just so he could agree with him. "Yeah. I guess it is late. I'll… wait for your text."
Felix walked out without looking back. His chest ached, but he straightened his shoulders and kept moving before the tears could win.