The air at Casa A Pezzi smelled of impending drama. All the guests had just arrived at the table, with Virginia smiling and Alfred relaxed (Ted's parents) presiding unknowingly over an imminent disaster.
Ted, sitting next to Robin, had his back so straight it seemed like there were pins in the chairback to keep him so upright. Robin was uncomfortable with the food and apparently not being good enough to have Ted's children.
"Robin, dear," Virginia said, passing the butter with an elegance that seemed like a diplomatic gesture. "Ted told us you're a journalist, so modern. My niece Stacy loves writing too, though they're shopping lists, but they're words..."
Robin forced a smile. "Fascinating."
Beside her, Marshall was a ghost in an ironed shirt. He had changed so much these months; he had lost weight, noticeable in the looseness of clothes that used to fit him well. His eyes no longer had that charming, childish spark but were duller, fixed on his plate of eggs without starting conversation with anyone.
"And Lily, Marshall?" Virginia asked with the delicacy of a bricklayer tearing down a house's walls. "Ted told us you were... taking separate paths." She paused a moment, thinking how to end the topic without being awkward. "What a shame," she added.
Marshall blinked, coming out of his thoughts. "Yes, a shame."
"But these things happen," Virginia continued as if commenting on a TV channel change. "Time heals all wounds, they say. And that other sensible girl? Ally?"
"Alyx," Ted corrected automatically. "She said she'd come."
At that precise moment, as if the universe had a perverse sense of humor, the restaurant door opened and in walked a woman—but it wasn't Alyx.
It was Lily.
And not the Lily Marshall remembered from the last months—the one who first abandoned them with confidence and without looking back, the remorseful one with swollen eyes and constant apologies, or the combative one who came for the records in the apartment.
This Lily wore a dress. And not just any dress—it was a red, form-fitting, short dress with a neckline that left nothing to the imagination. Her hair fell in perfect waves over her shoulders, and she wore a touch of red lipstick. She walked to the table with confidence, her high heels making a sound that seemed like a constant Morse code echo as if saying, Look at me, I'm here.
Barney, who had been explaining to Ted's parents about his supposed charity and tutoring work for young people, was left speechless.
"Wow," he murmured with genuine surprise and evaluation of the displayed attributes. "Miss Aldrin returns to the battlefield, and not alone—she's brought the heavy artillery."
Marshall felt the air leave his lungs. Of course, he had seen her dozens of times like this—beautiful with or without clothes—but this time was different. This wasn't a normal provocation; it was a direct, well-planned, and executed attack wrapped in a beautiful red dress. He felt that familiar desire in his body, an emotion well-known but diluted with the fresh anger from the breakup, plus this attack.
"Lily, dear," Virginia said without blinking at the dress, resolutely ignoring it to avoid having to go into details about it. "I'm so glad you could make it!"
"Hello, everyone," said Lily, her voice a bit louder than normal. She went around greeting the older Mosbys first, then Ted, Robin, and Barney, and finally Marshall, looking directly into his eyes, knowing very well he hadn't taken his eyes off her since she arrived. "Hi, brother," she said, feigning calm and reminding him of what he'd called their relationship that morning.
"Sister," he managed to say, adding hoarsely, "You... look good."
"Thank you," she responded, sitting gently in the chair Ted offered her, right next to Marshall. He smelled a new perfume she was wearing—he knew it was new; she had never worn it before. It brought him back to thoughts of all the changes she had undergone since their breakup—her habits, their shared three-way love, how much had changed with Lily's departure.
The meal continued, but now with Lily being absorbed by Virginia and her questions about San Francisco, the new apartment—so much so that Lily responded with rehearsed fluency and calm, meticulously prepared stories followed by funny anecdotes about finding herself, which only made Marshall want to throw in the metaphorical towel and leave.
Ted desperately tried to keep the conversation in safe territory, asking his parents about the neighbors, the garden—anything that wasn't the green elephant in the room.
Robin watched with a journalist's analytical gaze, taking mental notes of the disaster and praying she wouldn't have to speak with that kind of judge that Virginia was. And Barney, of course, enjoyed every second, though he occasionally interrupted to glorify himself in front of Ted's parents and make a good impression.
"So, Lily," Barney said, leaning forward with a sly smile. "This new style... is it part of finding yourself? Because let me tell you, the yourself you found has excellent taste in fashion." He said while looking her over again, this time focusing more on her chest, which was visible above the table.
Lily smiled tensely. "Just thought it was time for a change, Barney," she said, though somewhat uncomfortable since she doesn't like exposing herself like that for others to see, especially Barney.
"A radical change," murmured Marshall, unable to contain himself. "From kindergarten teacher to music video star," he added cynically.
The silence was deafening, as they weren't used to these new comments from Marshall. Lily paled a bit but quickly recovered.
"Everyone needs to grow, Marshall," she said, staring him down. "Some of us get stuck. Others move forward."
Before Marshall could reply, the door opened again. This time, it was Alyx.
The Alyx who entered wasn't wearing a dress. She wore impeccable black jeans, worn but elegant leather boots, a long-sleeved gray cotton t-shirt, and a dark leather jacket. Her hair was pulled back in a low, messy bun, with a few rebellious strands escaping. She wore no visible makeup except perhaps a touch of gloss on her lips. She seemed to have come directly from a place where appearance mattered least.
But there was something about her—the confidence in her posture or the calm in her steps—that made Lily's red dress pale, almost seeming like a desperate attempt. Alyx radiated a disquieting serenity, a peace that wasn't happiness but resolution.
"Good morning," she said, her voice clear and effortless. She greeted the Mosbys with genuine but distant respect and nodded to Ted, Robin, and Barney. Her gaze passed over Lily and her dress without flinching, as if seeing through the fabric, skin, and bones, straight to the trembling woman underneath. Finally, it settled on Marshall. "Marshall."
It was the same greeting Lily had given him, but it carried none of the electric charge of provocation. It was a simple acknowledgment of his existence. And somehow, that hurt more.
"Alyx," he said clumsily, not knowing what else to say, adding, "Thanks for coming."
"Ted insisted," she said, too much, along with Robin, to ignore them any longer, she thought to herself with a half-smile that didn't reach her eyes. She sat next to Robin on the opposite side of the table, giving her the greatest possible distance from the Marshall-Lily earthquake epicenter.
Brunch resumed, but now the dynamic had completely changed. With Alyx present, she barely spoke unless directly asked something. She ate small bites of her salad and took sips of water while observing everything.
She observed how Lily leaned toward Marshall to pass him the salt, how her hand deliberately brushed his, and how she exposed her neckline directly in Marshall's line of sight. She also observed how Marshall stiffened at those movements and clenched his jaw.
Virginia sensed the general discomfort without fully recognizing its source and tried to return to safer ground by including Alyx in the conversation.
"And you, Alyx, dear? Are you still with that interesting finance job? And your new apartment? It must be exciting to start fresh."
"The job is going well," Alyx responded neutrally. "The apartment is... quiet. Good for concentrating."
"Oh, yes! Of course, concentration is key," Virginia said. "And what do you do to... relax? Yoga? Ted says he's seen you very active lately."
Marshall held his breath. He had also noticed, in the weeks before she left, occasional bruises and a strange tiredness in her eyes, though Alyx always said it was from cleaning or a minor gym injury. But they were so recurrent that he began to worry, and when he was about to investigate, she decided to leave.
Alyx looked at Virginia, then slowly lowered her gaze to her own arm, where under her sleeves she knew there was a larger bruise from her body-to-body practice a few days ago.
"Something like that," Alyx said, adjusting her sleeve so it wouldn't show. "The gym, you know—activities for stress."
Lily saw all this, especially how Alyx adjusted her sleeves as if hiding something, which worried her. And Marshall, who was also attentive to her movements, felt a wave of concern that erased what he was feeling with Lily beside him.
Robin was the only one at the table who knew what she was hiding and how she had likely gotten it. Still, she didn't know how to broach the topic with the group or with Alyx.
The conversation drifted toward safer topics with Ted's efforts and Barney's absurd comments about his charitable life. Marshall and Lily couldn't stop looking at Alyx—her serene, silent profile, plus the way she lightly traced her fingertips over her water glass. But even more, how they missed her laugh, the security she gave them by being nearby, like the anchor that held them when they felt adrift.
When they finally finished and got up to leave, Lily said her goodbyes and left pensively. Marshall wanted to talk to Alyx, but she disappeared quickly after a brief goodbye and promises to the older Mosbys to have lunch with them tomorrow.
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