Ava glances back and forth between you and Remi, her brow arching with curiosity and a flicker of suspicion. There’s a brief silence as she tries to piece together the body language, the closeness, the way your arm is casually hooked around his. She's clearly on the verge of asking the question hanging between you all — what exactly is going on here?

But before she can get a word out, you flash a wide grin and speak first, holding your head high with mock solemnity and just enough dramatic flair.

“We’re getting married!” you declare, squeezing Remi’s arm and beaming at your sister like you’ve just announced you won the lottery.

Remi exhales a half-laugh, half-sigh, then untangles himself from your grip with exaggerated patience. “Yeah, no. Not happening,” he says, giving you a side glance that isn’t nearly as annoyed as he pretends it is. His voice is dry, but there’s no real bite to it — more like he’s playing along despite himself.

You don’t miss the way he doesn’t actually move that far away.

“He’ll come around,” you say breezily, unfazed, still grinning as you tilt your head and wink at Ava. “Give it time. Sooner or later, the wedding will happen — with flowers, a band, maybe even doves.”

Remi mutters something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like “over my dead body,” but the way his mouth twitches at the corners betrays him.