This dinner is probably the most awkward thing Bell has ever experienced in her life.

She is sitting in a place she doesn’t know with people she doesn’t know to get understand a situation with her mom and a biological father that she doesn’t know.

A lot of ‘don’t knows.’

It’s her entire life at the moment.

Her hands fidget with the metal silverware that don’t feel as quality as the ones at home. There is no tablecloth. The plates are plastic. The napkins are rough.

It’s never been more apparent that this isn’t her home.

“So Bell, I’m sure you have a lot of questions,” Arlo starts, uneasiness evident.

Maybe he feels as weird as she does.

Good.

“Yes, I do,” she answers simply.

Arlo sets down his fork on his plate. It doesn’t make a clink like it would at home.

“Ok, where do you want to start?” He initiates again.

She shrugs, “I guess the beginning. I know the lie I’ve been told my whole life. I heard my mom’s side. I just don’t have yours. So I guess I want to hear everything in your perspective.”

Through talking with her mom and dad, she has come to realize that the only side she doesn’t have is Arlo’s. And deep inside, she needs it.

Visibly swallowing, even though he hasn’t had a bite of food, he says, “Wow, it’s a long story. You sure you want that. It could take a while,” he has a teasing lilt in his voice.

It’s not funny though. Bell doesn’t laugh.

She’s serious.

Her stomach is in knots. She can feel the tension in every cell in her body. Her grip on her utensil is so tight that she feels her fingers ache in protest.

But she can’t loosen her hold. That would be like letting down her guard, and she can’t do that yet.

Taking a big breath, Arlo begins his story.

“I met your mom at a wedding. The moment I saw her, I knew something was special about her. I went to talk to her. She held such grace and poise. Much more than me. The conversation flowed in a way it never had with anyone. Our hands brushed the same cup, and boom. My powers were gone.”

The look in his eyes. Bell can see the glaze of…sadness? No not quite. It’s not of bitterness. It’s not even love.

Many it’s a mix of emotions far more complicated than she can decipher.

“What are your powers?” She questions.

It’s funny that through all of this, she doesn’t know. Her mom didn’t mention it.

“His powers are predicting the weather,” Tharen answers for him, jumping into the conversation.

Bell almost forgot he was there. Her newly found half brother had been surprisingly quiet. She wonders if any of this bothers him.

“I thought it was so funny when I was little. That my dad was basically a weather app. Though he’s always right. With the weather,” Tharen continues on. He talks about Arlo so casually that a part of Bell curls in itself even more.

Bell didn’t know this. And why would she? He wasn’t in her life.

Arlo stares at her intently. At first, Bell feels uneasy by this until she realizes that he’s waiting for her to say something.

“I can shift the weather,” she provides.

“Yeah, Liam told me. That’s awesome!” Tharen responds, his enthusiasm returning. It’s almost a comfort. It reminds her of Jeremiah. Someone familiar.

Arlo clears his throat and pushes on with his explanation. “I can sense the weather, and I couldn’t feel it anymore. We both knew instantly what happened. I come from a long line of soulmates, so meeting her was a dream. It felt right.”

It’s strange to hear the story from his viewpoint. The beginning for heir story sounds so…happy. Romantic. Like a rom com meet cute. If not for the whole marriage and child.

Her mom has a negative tint over the situation, so that probably makes her biased. But Arlo doesn’t appear to be regretful at all.

Bell supposes that’s because he didn’t cheat.

“Did you know? That she was married with a child already?” She asks. Immediately, he shakes his head vigorously, “I swear I didn’t know she was married. Or about Greta. All I knew was that she was my soulmate.”

Maybe she’s being naive, but she feels like he’s genuine. That he truly didn’t know.

“Fast forward to finding out about me.” She needs to move this along. Maybe one day, she will hear his thoughts throughout the whole thing, but right now she needs to move on to the most important questions.

Arlo’s gaze falls down to his plate. Maybe from shame. Or sadness. “It was only one time. After that….moment, Wren told me about your father and your sister. She said she regretted it and that it couldn’t happen again.”

“Did you believe her?” She automatically asks. She feels like she’s been using that a lot lately when talking about her mom.

Despite everything, Arlo nods. “I did and still do. She truly loves your father.”

How does her mom attract these very trusting men?

“How can you say that? When you’re her soulmate?” Bell goes further.

Even when she didn’t know Cross was her soulmate, she couldn’t imagine lying to him like her mom did to her dad or Arlo. Actually, she can’t picture lying to anyone the way Wren did to everyone.

“Because we all have love in our hearts for more than one person,” he says.

She lets that sit with her for a beat.

It puts what her mom did in context. Maybe she does love her dad. Even if she has fated feelings for Arlo.

Maybe her whole life isn’t an entire lie.

“And me?” She feels so insecure asking, but it is something that drove her to this meeting in the first place.

She can’t leave without the all the answers.

Everyone has abandoned their food by now, just listening to one another. Bell can’t possibly focus on eating with the past being revealed. “She called me. She told me she was pregnant and she knew that you were mine. I wouldn’t say she was upset. More like distressed on what to do. I myself couldn’t believe it. I had moved on, having met Tharen’s mom, and had found peace with not being with my soulmate. But I always wanted to be in your life.”

“But my mom didn’t want you to be,” this isn’t a question. One of her first statements at this dinner. She’s learned enough to believe this.

It does make her quite sad that maybe there was a world where she could have had both Hai and Arlo in her life from the beginning.

“I told her to do what was best for you. She told me the best thing was for Hai to be your father. That she couldn’t break up her family unit over someone she already decided not to be with.”

“Ouch,” Tharen verbalizes with a wince.

Bringing his eyes back to Bell, she continues, “Yeah, that did hurt a bit. So I agreed with what she said with the condition that she keep in contact with me about you.”

“Why?”

Arlo picks up a spoon and twirls it between his fingers with practiced skill. Bell watches and sees her own fidgeting in his motions. “I did and do want to be there for you. I know I’m not your dad. I know that. But I would like to be in your life in some way now that you know.”

She has one more main question. One that has haunted her ever since her mom told her about her biological father.

It is difficult to ask and has gotten stuck in her throat since entering his home.

“Was it easy?”

She can’t meet his gaze. She isn’t sure if she wants to hear the answer.

“Was what easy?” He questions.

“Not knowing me. Giving up your right to raise me?” She elaborates, her vulnerability on full display. She can’t run away. She needs to confront it, not matter how much it feels like putting salt in an open wound.

The spoon his was spinning hits the table with a clunk. He leans forward and turns his body to her. His right hand rests in the space between them. Not in a way that pressures her to take it but almost represents reaching out.

Both metaphorically and literally.

“One of the hardest things I’ve ever done.”

“Really?” her voice suddenly sounds so small.

“Hardest thing,” he confirms.

She searches his face for any tell of a lie. It’s easier than her mother who could make her believe her if she so chooses to. Arlo only predicts the weather, so she feels a bit better on reading his tone and body language.

Sincere eyes. Even tone. Neutral expression.

All signs point to the truth.

And she has no idea what that means now.

“I don’t know where that leaves us,” she says.

This whole dinner was to find out the truth. Now that she determined that his story is truthful, what does she do now?

She never thought of the after.

Arlo gives her a small smile, a tiny quirk of the corner of his lips. “It’s ok. You don’t have to know.”

For the first time, Bell didn’t feel any expectations. Growing up, she always had these set of expectations on her. Greta excelled in everything that she did. Even though she knew her parents never meant for the pressure, she always felt this weight. Like she had to meet her sister’s achievements.

Arlo didn’t give off anything like that. No comparison to Greta. Not even to Tharen who is across from her.

She is just Bell. And it is up to her.

“I think I want to be in contact though,” she offers, wanting to express how positive this experience this has been so far.

“Really?” Arlo blurts out, his composure slipping for a moment. “Yes. What my mom chose wasn’t your fault,” she acknowledges.

“I should’ve tried harder,” he insists.

While she appreciates his persistence in admitting his wrongdoings, it’s time for her to give him some reassurance. After all, he told her everything she asked.

“Yes, you should have. But that wouldn’t have changed the outcome. You’re here now and putting your cards on the table. It’s only right that I do too.”

Bell never knew that you could decipher gratefulness just from someone’s expression, but she can now.

Honestly, it feels like a part of her healed, having this dinner, hearing him out.

She needed this.

Turning to Tharen, she addresses him, “How do you feel?”

His eyes widen, his head tilting. “Me?”

She nods, “This affects you too, being my half sibling and all.” She sees his eyes light up at her recognizing their relation. She never had a brother. Maybe it won’t be too bad to have someone else in her corner.

“I would love to hang more. Get to know you more. But it isn’t really up to me,” he says, shooting her a genuine smile.

She smiles back.

Picking up her fork, she begins to eat, now feeling a sense of renewed peace.

There is more to process, much more, but she has people be along with her on the ride. Her soulmate. Her friends. Her family.

Both old and new.