It’s a bright June day. The school year is almost over, summer is rolling in at full blast, and I decide that it’s well about time I visited my family again.

So we set that up.

And I bring Hugo with me, to officially introduce him as the boyfriend.

It feels odd to come back and knock on my own door. Not much has changed, the balcony is still lined with the kind of plants Grandma uses for her herbology shop, the huge observatory that looks so out of place still towers over our roof. I can feel my heart beating faster. It’s both happiness, and anxiety.

Shouldn’t have been anxious. Miranda opens the door, and she pulls me into an embrace before either of us has said a word.

Trying very hard not to cry there.

And then I meet my tiny nephew, Nolan, and I am absolutely tearing up. He is the cutest little toddler I have ever seen, whatever Cacahouète the cat running away from our embrace might feel about it.

He’s the little tot whose birth prompted me to flee home and spend some of the best times of my life. But smelling his little baby smell makes my heart flutter. It’s hard to let him go.

Miranda watches on knowingly.

Meanwhile, Hugo goes to chat with Grandma in the laundry room,because this is apparently the kind of stuff that makes sense.

To be fair, our laundry room is impossibly comfy.

Setting the table for the family lunch.

And eating together, four generations at a table. Mom and Mam look older. Grandma still doesn’t. The house is identical — except Nolan’s toddler chair has appeared at the end of the table.

Even the fish is still there.

Nolan, apparently displeased that he has finished his food before any one of us. And he wants more. I feed him from my own tomatoes while his mom isn’t looking.

Because I’m the cool aunt like that.

Also, the only aunt, but details.

As the night falls, Mom and I talk outside. she gets me up to speed on what has changed. She is now helping grandma at the shop. Mam has had to stop painting because her hands are not as steady as they used to be. So they’re teaching her to garden.

They’re happy. She says they are glad I am too.

Meanwhile, Hugo is still talking to Mir and Mam. guys, someone should really put the dishes away before Cacahouète gets to them.

And then we go. Grandma hugs Hugo, and Miranda hugs me again.

My heart feels bigger than ever, and it is filled with love to the brim.

There is actually nothing macabre or scary about the Red Room of the club, unless you let yourself think of all the bachelorette party that happened there. It’s still not the best for the kind of conversation we’re going to be having, but at least it’s private, and quiet.

We shouldn’t even be there, at least not without paying the equivalent of one month’s rent at the Air Complex, but you know. Stewarts family heir privileges.

Things are awkward at first. We do, after all, both have reasons to be mad at each other for some kind of infidelity.

Quickly we both agree on two things. One, this was all very stupid. Two, we… really just want to be together. I tell him what Charlotte told me; he says she told him, too.

So we laugh about it.

In the end, maybe this room is perfect.

Where to next?

You already know how this goes.

We get ready to dance the night away, as usual, one more of our nightclub nights — but not this time.

Hugo’s had enough of the waltz, once again, and right there on the dancefloor, he grabs me by the waist, and pulls me into a kiss. And I kiss him right back.

We both know that there are things we need to discuss, though. So we retreat into the basement, the room that’s normally rented for private parties, and in the red and steamy atmosphere, we talk.

The face of surprise.

A two-way kiss!

Romain the drama queen. 

Apparently the heiress of the second oldest family in town approves, though.

Seeing Romain’s drama has triggered Hugo’s jealousy again.

He shuts down the misguided flirting attempt from Romain, and we agree to go elsewhere. Anywhere else, really.

I think Charlotte is the one who had the brilliant idea to go for a round of Spin the Bottle, that fascinating game that has never, ever, gone wrong. 

If I’m being honest I sort of suspect that she had her own motivations in asking for that.

She should have thought it through. The game was cut short really fast when that stupid bottle, as if drawn by a magnet, pointed at me. Then at my direct neighbor, Hugo.

We followed the rules, and in front of them all, we kissed. It was a reluctant kiss, because the baggage behind it was on both our minds. Still, a cloud of butterflies exploded in my stomach at the brush of his lips.

We should ban you from having ideas, Charlotte.

Or maybe not.

Her next idea is to jump on her feet, and declare that we’re going out to party. We make a few phone calls, quickly change into party gear, and off we are.

(thanks to @josiesimblr for the pose, you 100% inspired this. My sims owe you this kiss <3)

There was a minute of debate over whether we *really* had to go through with this. I was getting annoyed.

 I shut the debate down with that stupid kiss.

Millenials, collectively pretending this never happened.

Emilie and Nathalie are lovely and no doubt talented, but they have some catching up to do. Also, we have no idea how to fit them into a pyramid formation. So they are effectively benched for the rest of the practice.

As the minutes go by, it becomes more and more apparent that Marie, who already looked queasy at the beginning of the day, is not doing her best.

It takes for me to catch her eyeing Charlotte sheepishly to understand. Romain has probably told her that their secret is out in the open. She doesn’t dare look at me. I’m not even that mad at her.

Then again she barely dares to look at Charlotte. It’s probably safer this way. Charlotte still feels bad about keeping secrets from me; but mostly Shanna’s earlier surprise has let her a little shaken. And very angry.

I wouldn’t stand in her way either.

We’re all really terrible at basketball, but it’s not for lack of trying.

Where has the ball I threw even gone? Nobody knows.

The faces of expectation. Has it gone through?

If side glances could kill…

Thanks, Charlotte.

The next day Shanna, who has successfully danced around all of our drama, introduces us to two new prospective members of the squad.

Seeing as there’s only six of us in said squad, we welcome them with open arms (Charlotte with ever so slightly less open arms after a minute), even if we’re a bit confused as to how Shanna got to know them.

Then once we all agree that they should join us, Shanna turns to Nathalie, the pretty red-head, and places a loving kiss on her cheek.

Mystery solved.

Okay, Shanna, you can stop selling them to us, they’re in. No matter how many dark looks Charlotte is giving me. I mean, they’re already wearing the uniforms.

Poor Emily on the left looks a bit confused as to what to do now.

To be honest, watching Shanna go full PDA on us feels a bit odd, but there’s no doubt they’re adorable together.