I'll stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror

 

Stevie wasn't so sure how to act when J and Liam came back from being outside. Yes, maybe Liam needed an ice pack so Carrie got him one from the freezer. 

Finally, it was all settled even if the food was lukewarm, both ate like they needed a good meal about now.

It was so quiet. No one said much. Naturally, nearly ten minutes later Holly was shouting, "How about that cake, Carrie?"

She got up to make coffee. Stevie went to help.

"Don't be mad at J," Carrie whispered to him as she practically put double shots of coffee grounds into the coffee maker.

"I'm not." Stevie stared at the amount of coffee grounds. "What are you doing? Keeping us up for an allnighter?"

She hesitated then. She told him it was a mistake. She should have never invited Liam. "But..but Holly wanted to meet him."

"She just wanted to investigate him," Stevie said as he leaned against the kitchen counter and watched the coffeemaker at work. The aroma of caffeine was so inviting. Really, he could hardly stand the wait. Maybe Carrie knew he needed a caffeine fix. "You know how she is." Stevie gave Carrie a dead stare.

"Yeah, I suppose." But she was in a fret. Their giddy moments from before the dinner were gone. It was so fun getting dressed up. They had had such joy now they might as well be waiting to bury a hatchet or something. 

"Look, when..when things get better we'll go shopping, you know," Stevie felt he needed to make this up to her. "I know a great sushi place."

"But I don't like sushi," she told him. Stevie nodded.

"Well, we will find a place only we know," Stevie decided.

"Don't try to get back at J," Carrie winced hard as she went to get the cups ready.

"What? No, this is not about J. It's about you," he told her. "I want you to be happy after all you've been through with that brother of yours. And Holly being the scoundrel she is." He frowned then as if she were the worst. 

"You know, you have to believe J. He would never let you down." Carrie was still adamant that he needed to be there for J.

"Of course, he wouldn't." But he really wasn't sure he even wanted to know what was going on with Liam and J.  Finally they got the cake cut and coffee poured. It was time for dessert although, it felt like they'd fallen into a wasteland of a desert at this dinner party.