There was a hint of a dare in Hope’s grin, Lyra thought. Lyra, who found it really, really hard to resist rising to the occasion of a dare, especially after she’d been preparing to rise to the occasion of his family for the last few days anyway. It was kinda encouraging, even, knowing that there might be someone else round the dinner table who was egging on a scene. “I think your sister’s a little bit of a troll,” she smiled back at Hope again then slung her arm around Avery’s shoulders, stretching over to kiss him on the cheek.
Hope wasn’t disappointed by a boring dinner.
It started small enough. Lyra wore one of the t-shirts she’d altered herself. Nothing offensive – it was the one she’d worn the first time she’d met Avery, long sleeved and black with lots of artful slashes showing off a brighter, tighter singlet underneath. And jeans, of course, but it was the top that Dannielle commented on, with a restrained “that’s…. Interesting.” And all Lyra did was say it was from a second hand shop, like pretty much all of her clothes, and yeah, it was an interesting look, wasn’t it, and thanks!
Dannielle did not return her smile. Across the table, Xander leaned over to say something quietly to his girlfriend Breeana, who smirked back at him with an ‘oh Xander, you’re awful’ flavor of smile, which Lyra recognised vividly from high school, and Hope disguised her expression by daintily sipping her soup. Duffy Sr. missed the whole exchange, and Avery nudged her foot with his under the table. That made Lyra grin and nudge him back harder, which he returned in kind, and the whole thing descended into a brief but flirtatious giggle of a tickle fight, which Dannielle ended with a dagger sharp “Avery, do you mind.”