"Bro Luther and Vera are still just as close as always."
"Sure. When Bro Luther chased after Vera before, he laid out a whole rose garden using 99,999 gold roses."
"Seven years married and still getting matching couple tattoos, Bro Luther never lost that care."
"So, what did you two ink?"
Right after those lines, their eyes dropped toward the edge of my shirt.
Smiles froze in an instant.
Their mouths stayed lifted, yet their eyes stiffened hard.
The whole place suddenly went eerily quiet.
Only Faye let out a tiny laugh.
Luther tightened his brow, naturally tugging Faye a little behind him. "Faye, say sorry."
Faye pushed her lips out, barely tossing a simple line, "Sorry, fine?"
She looked up toward me, rolled her eyes fast, whispering low, "It was only a joke, why act so worked up?"
"An old lady really loves a scene."
Softly, Luther tapped her arm, then faced me with a tone like gentle advising.
"Faye realizes she was at fault. Don’t argue with a kid."
"She’s just twenty, thinks simply, speaks straight."
"You’ve always been broad-minded, don’t pressure her."
Each sentence hid like a soft knife.
There he stood, polite and calm, turning clear bias into something that sounded fair.