Talking to the kids.

If, on one hand, we had someone like Andrei, a kid who wasn’t even interested in the nature of my relationship with his big sister, then on the other hand we had Cole, who was right at the age where he was beginning to understand, or maybe more like wonder, what relationships even are. It’s likely that, from seeing his parents, the people around him and even media like shows and movies, he got the normal idea that people formed… couples. As in two people. Dos.

Then there’s us. Cole’s big sister, whom he loves and looks up to, is in a relationship where more than two people are involved. And as I thought this, it dawned on me that the question might have come to him as he saw me hugging Alice.

And just as I was thinking about the effects of the spell we had in place. I wondered how much or how little it affected the perception of those that didn’t entirely understand relationships to begin with, but more importantly, it made me worry that Cole would come to believe Sarah, his big sister, wasn’t important to me.

“It’s true that most people, when they form romantic relationships, commit to only one person,” I began, and immediately I worried I was making things sound too complicated. I didn’t want to talk down to them, but I also needed to make things approachable. “Meaning, people usually form couples. Two people, right?”

Cole nodded, his expression unsure.

“That’s because they are respecting something very important. They’re respecting each other’s boundaries,” I continued. “If, for example, you didn’t want me to poke your forehead, but I did it anyway, that would bother you, wouldn’t it?”

“Of course,” Cole said, frowning as if it was obvious.

I nodded. “In the same way, and for a great majority of people, having a relationship with more than one person is a breach of boundaries. But instead of just bothering someone, it hurts. It hurts a lot, because someone is breaking a very important promise.”

Robert and Andrei were listening, but I don’t know how much of it they understood. Cole and Violet, however, seemed to be following.

“Then… Why are you all together, then?” Violet asked.

“Because our boundaries are different,” I told them. “We’ve talked about it a lot. And I really mean a lot. We’ve talked about it many, many times, and we’ve come to the agreement that this relationship with many people works for us.” I sighed, yet smiled at them. “It’s not a normal thing, that’s true, but the important thing is that everyone agrees of their own volition. No one is being ****. That’s the most important thing in relationships.”

Cole nodded, yet he frowned and his lip quivered. “I s-see. I’m sorry. I… I thought Sarah wasn’t important to you…” His eyes glittered, close to tears as he fought hard to fight them. His little sister beside him seemed taken aback.

I put my hand on Cole’s head and ruffled his hair playfully, smiling at him. “Sarah is one of the most important people in the world to me. So is Mila, and so is everyone else. I know it can be hard to understand, but I mean it. I think it’d be good if you could talk to your sister about this, too. Get her side of it. Maybe not now, but when you can.”

Again, Cole nodded, sniffed twice, took a deep breath and calmed down. Surprising control over his emotions, by the way. His parents’ influence showed. Then, being the smart cat that she was, Cake got close to Cole and began to rub herself on his legs, causing the boy to smile and pick her up.

AND THEN my ears caught something wild.

“UGH! I want to grab him, bite his cheeks and toss him across the room!” Mila yelled.

“W-Whose!?” I asked, aghast.

“Yours!” she told me.

“W-What…?”

“Don’t mind her, love. She’s going through cute aggression,” Grace told me. “And honestly, it’s valid.”

“Seriously,” Alice said, flipping through the pages of the photobook with the biggest smile on her face. “You were so cute! What happened to you?”

“Yeah, where did all that cuteness go?” Noelle asked, giggling.

Cole’s jaw dropped, and he looked up at me like he needed an explanation on what the hell was that.

I looked him in the eye and shook my head. “I swear, I don’t get it, either. Neither will you.”

“Oliver, why are we just finding out you dressed up as Peter Pan for Halloween?” Sarah asked me.

“Um… it wasn’t… Peter Pan…” I sighed. It was supposed to be Link, but…

“Isabelle **** him to put on a costume that year because she didn’t want to go out alone,” mom said. “We went to buy a costume because I can’t make anything, and that was the only one he liked.”

Because it was the only thing vaguely video game related.

“He has a sword. Isn’t it supposed to be Link?” Noelle asked. As always, the only one I can trust with this stuff.

Mr. Aliev snuck out of there and came back to check on the grill, giving me a wry smile. “My condolences, Oliver.”

“Isabelle is getting charred meat,” I said.

The group at the table kept passing photos to one another, laughing and having a good time, at least for the most part. At one point, Mrs. Aliev, Mrs. West and Mr. Summers brought out the childhood photos of their daughters they had in their phones. Not many, but a few. Mila, Sarah and Noelle didn’t laugh so much at that.

Some 20 minutes passed. The meat was almost ready, spirits were high and everything was going well. And then Alice’s phone rang.

She answered, and after a very short talk, she turned to me.

“My parents are outside.”

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