Page 261 of Boys Who Taint

“It wasn’t. But at least I had a safe home,” I say.

“It’s safe here,” Felix growls.

“Oh, I’m sorry, sir, I wasn’t implying that it wasn’t,” I say, as I put down my glass.

“Good,” he adds.

“He was, though,” Silas says, narrowing his eyes at me.

God, the room’s temperature just fell ten degrees when he opened his mouth. Can’t believe Felix is Mavis’s dad. She always looked so cheery whenever I saw her hanging out with Aspen on campus. And he’s just … death incarnate.

I clear my throat and ignore Silas, focusing on Dylan instead because I have to win him over first. “I feel very lucky to have found your daughter,” I say, smiling at them all. “And I’m grateful that she allows me to be in her life.”

Aspen smiles back at me, solidifying our togetherness in front of her family. Because I do get the feeling this whole dinner is just a dress-up for the main show, which is judging me.

“Well, I’m glad she found someone she can relate to,” Alistair says, trying to break the ice. “It’s nice to see Aspen happy.”

“Thanks,” she says.

Her phone is buzzing, but she ignores it.

“I’m just glad that fucker is out of the picture,” Dylan says as he keeps flicking that lighter up and down.

I nearly choke on my own saliva and cough, while Aspen squeezes my hand hard.

“Who?” her mom, Penelope, asks as she comes in with a giant pan.

“Don’t,” Felix growls at her dad when he opens his mouth.

“Don’t what?” her mom says as she puts down the pan on the table. “I made y’all some chili tonight. Do you like chili?” she asks.

“Chili is always nice,” I reply, trying to keep things civil.

“Oh God,” Xavier mutters as he peers into the pot.

“What?!” her mom squawks, and everyone leans back in their seats. “I made this with love. You eat it with love. The end.”

She marches back into the kitchen for more food, and the rest of us look at each other in complete silent awkwardness.

“We have a cook, but she prefers to poison us with her home cooking when we have guests,” Xavier whispers to me.

“Xavier!” Dylan hisses at him to shut him up.

“You have such pretty hair,” Melody says out of nowhere.

I forgot she was seated next to me.

“What?” I mutter, confused.

She grabs a strand of my hair and plays with it. “Did you paint this?”

“I have poliosis,” I reply. “But I bleached the rest so it matched.”

“Nice. I dig it.” She smiles. “You should pose for me sometime.”

“Pose for what?”

“She does paintings,” Aspen whispers. “Sometimes she finds new muses and latches onto them. Doesn’t bode well for people if they say no, so just go with it.”