did you get back safe?
Yeah, got home last night
Dead tired though
That trip wiped me out
sorry, man
long flights suck
Still worth it
Wouldn't have wanted to miss your wedding for anything
kinda surprised you came all the way if i'm honest
Bro, I've known you half my life at this point
You really think I'd miss the one time someone actually agreed to marry you?
ouch
Tell me I'm wrong
never said you were
you've been waiting years to roast me over this, huh?
Oh, absolutely
i wasn't that hopeless
Ah, the bliss of ignorance
My man, you were hopeless and awkward
I still remember when Sarah from Bio asked you if you wanted to "study at her place"
she meant actual studying!
no dude
she didn't
In that scenario, nobody means actual studying
oh
You only figured that out now?
okay, yeah
but that was ages ago
You were the king of missing signals
it's not like there were signals everywhere
Bro
They were neon flashing lights
well
Noelle didn't exactly wait around
Hell no she didn't
She had her eyes set on you and she made things happen
she just walked up to me and said hi
"Hi"? 😂
She basically recruited you
Not to mention she already has a daughter
She wasn't wasting time playing games
true tho
she was upfront about everything from the start
And you?
You were probably still debating whether she actually liked you or not
guilty
i honestly thought she was just being polite
Polite?
She invited you to meet her daughter like, what, a month in?
no, that never happened
i still haven't met her
Wait, seriously?
Not even once?
she keeps that part of her life separate
said she didn't want to blend things too soon
Huh, okay
That's kinda wild
yeah
she wasn't at the wedding either
Dude
Your own wedding to her and you still haven't met her kid?
That's unusual
she said it was about not rushing
keeping boundaries and all
plus she's busy with college too
Makes sense, I guess
But still though
Married to her mom and her stepdad on paper
But never had a "Hi, nice to meet you" moment
exactly
Does that not mess with your head even a little?
i mean
i married Noelle, not her daughter
though obviously the kid's part of the package
Yeah
And right now, it feels like the package is still in shipping
that's one way to put it
What happens when she finally brings you two together?
i don't know
i just hope it works out
You better hope so
Because if the daughter doesn't like you, that's gonna be rough
And that's probably putting it lightly
trust me, i've thought about it
Well anyway
Good luck, man
You've gone from clueless to married man with a whole stepdaughter
thanks for putting it that way
Hey, I'm just saying
You might've dodged the awkwardness so far
But it's definitely coming
Three Years Later
Hi, Dear
Do you want anything specific for dinner?
I was thinking pasta… Unless you're craving something else, of course
pasta sounds good
easy, no stress
Great
I'm not in the mood for anything that takes an hour and six pans either
sounds like you had a long day
You have no idea
Three meetings ran over One client changed their mind last minute
I swear, sometimes it feels like I'm babysitting adults
sounds brutal
It's the usual though, sadly
Though you'd think I'd be used to it by now
But somehow, it never gets easier
maybe you need a vacation?
The last time I took one, I spent half the trip checking emails
so what you're saying is
you need a better vacation partner
Maybe
alright
pasta aside, it sounds like something's on your mind
What makes you say that?
i can just tell
You're annoyingly perceptive sometimes
comes with the husband package what's up?
it's about Skye
what about her?
She just graduated
Which means no more dorm housing
But she hasn't landed a job yet
She asked if she could stay here for a while
makes sense
what did you tell her?
That I'd think about it
And talk to you, of course
well, i don't think there's much to think about
it's fine with me
she can stay as long as she needs
You're sure?
positive
I don't want you to feel like she's intruding
don't worry, dear
i don't
This is your house too
It's our house
It shouldn't feel like someone else is taking up space they don't belong in
she does belong
she's your daughter after all
that's all that really matters
You make it sound so simple
maybe it is
I'm just being cautious
She says she'll be job-hunting nonstop and I told her that's the least I expect
I don't want her sitting around waiting for things to fall into her lap
i don't think she will
She's still young, Liam
And I've seen how "taking a break" can turn into months of drifting
I can't allow that
that's fair
but a roof over her head isn't drifting
it's giving her stability while she figures things out
You always see the best-case scenario
someone has to balance you out
Maybe
Still, I'll be setting boundaries Her stay here needs to be structured
structure's fine
i just don't want her to feel like she's walking on eggshells around me
I'll talk to her
But she knows how I am well enough by now
I don't mince words
understatement of the year, haha
Oh, don't start!
if it helps, i'll handle the day to day
if she needs rides, help with resumes, whatever, i can be the buffer
You don't need to do that
but i will anyway
She doesn't know how lucky she is
or how lucky you are?
Don't push it hahaha
so it's settled then?
Skye stays here until she finds her footing
Yes
But I'll be keeping her accountable
fair enough
just don't make her feel like she's on trial every morning
I won't
But I also don't want her thinking this is some endless vacation
no danger there
she just needs a base while she gets her feet under her
I know
It's just that I've worked too hard to let chaos creep in now
she's not chaos, dear
she's family
You say that so easily
and i mean it
she's your daughter
which makes her part of us
You always oversimplify things
maybe
or maybe i do it just enough
sometimes, simple's the truth
You're really better at this than I am
while i do appreciate the compliment
i wouldn't go that far
i just don't overthink it
Exactly
I can't help but overthink everything
It's why I'm good at my job
and this is why i'm good at keeping you balanced
Well…
Putting it like that makes it sound like we're some perfect team
not perfect
just a solid one
and that counts for a lot don't you?
Hahaha, okay
It does
Thank you, Dear
of course, dear
On the day of moving...
heyyy just checking in
you all settled?
finally, yeah
boxes are unpacked and everything
i'm officially moved into my mom's new place
oh wow
how's that going for you?
fine, i guess?
haven't actually had to talk to her 1on1 yet
makes it easier
wait
i thought living together was supposed to fix things?
if i could just get hired somewhere
trust me
this wouldn't even be happening
still no luck?
nope
applied to like 7 places this week alone complete and utter radio silence
brutal
smth will click soon, i'm sure
it better tbh
or i'll lose my mind here sooner
have you met your stepdad yet?
not properly
just a quick hi while i was dragging stuff inside