Page 121 of The Replay

Sofi studies the twins a bit longer, before a tremulous smile appears on her mouth. "It's part of the holiday spirit. Remember what you said!"

"Right. Well." He stares at Lori some more.

"Just do it," she says.

Rafa struggles for another second, before he takes Lori's face in his hands and drops a hell of a kiss on her mouth. It's short, but intense. If we were quiet before, we could hear a pin drop after.

The twins jump in excitement. Sofi laughs. It seems to relax Rafa into the kiss— until he stops it altogether. He and Lori stare at each other, frozen. I exchange glances with Bear and with Nat. So much for a simple, friendly kiss.

"I think we should go see the auction items," Saint's dad says.

He, Saint's mom, Ames, Lori, Nat, and Damián leave to peruse the different displays. The rest of the group tightens. Rafa finally lets go of Lori, but he stands there, immobile, hands in his pockets and mouth pressing into a tight line. Lori says nothing, limiting herself to sipping from her drink. She doesn't hide her relief, when Sofi comes for her hand and takes her away on another adventure.

"You okay, there?" Saint asks Rafa.

"I'm very okay." He rubs his lips together. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know," Evie says. "I thought I saw some tension there."

All of us agree.

"I wasn't meant to kiss her in public like this," Rafa argues.

"What about in private?" Logan asks.

Rafa shakes his head. "That's Gabby's best friend. It's not… we don't…"

I smile. "I love getting to figure out who the next one to get an intervention will be."

"I will not need an intervention over a small mistletoe kiss." Rafa finishes his drink in one big gulp, and immediately drops it into a passing tray.

He clears his throat and crosses his arms.

"You call that a small kiss?" Pen laughs. "You hide some spice inside I never expected, Rafael."

"Excuse me," Cora says. "We'd love to say hi to everyone."

Distracted as we were with the ongoing developments, I didn't notice the Sinclair Montt family approach us. Cora, her parents, Maisie, and the wife I never met. Mariana is with them this time too, and she and I exchange a long look.

It's funny— I feel just like I did when I was twenty, and I realized Mariana and I were falling in love. Like I could walk on water. Hopeful. Awed. Complicity blooms between us, in the knowledge that there's more between us than witnesses might guess. I let a smile pull at my lips. Just for her.

"It was lovely meeting you for that first Vortex game," Alicia says to my friends. "And it's nice seeing you again."

"This is my father, James Sinclair," Cora says. "Father, these are some of the Strike's players Mom told you about."

She introduces us and we all shake hands with him. I'm the last one, and I'm not sure if that's a strategy of some sort.

"I recognize the names," he says as he takes my hand tight. "And a few faces."

"Hello, James," I say.

His sharp, ice-blue eyes consider me carefully. I'm the only one calling him by his name and skipping the more formal Mr. Sinclair.

I didn't do the same with his wife when I first saw her again, and he must understand my intentions in establishing this familiarity from the start.

We are the same, I'm telling him.

"It's been a long time, Dominic," he responds.