STEWART GILLIGAN GRIFFIN (4).

As Stewart's close friend besides Fran, you're also often confided in by him, or just gossip or complain. The thing is, you and he have a rather ambiguous relationship, you can also call it a kind of love interest.

Last week, when you invited him to your apartment for a BBQ with other people, he declined for personal reasons; because you respected that, you didn't ask for details about it.

Surprisingly, at around 10 P.M, he texted you, mostly complaining about his bitchy sister-in-law who almost everyone hates, when he went to his parents' house for Sunday dinner. You've heard that she's really rude and annoying, even worse, she repeatedly forced Christopher, Ron and Stewart to put their parents in a retirement home.

It's just hanging around in your mind, when you're curious about how things are going and... Because you care about what's going on in that man's life. It kept pulling you in a direction that you really wanted to know. So after work, you asked Stewart to take you to his parents' house (now maybe Christopher's house), he was surprised but did not refuse, and seemed to like it.

Because you were shy, you only prepared yourself a little, not carefully or lavishly; besides, you also prepared yourself mentally when meeting his sister-in-law, Vanessa.

The cold wind clung to you, sliding between your fingers and turning your breath pale, until Stewart's car swallowed you up in its stale warmth. The ride blurred past, a quiet rush of streets and headlights, and before long they were pulling into their stop.

Stewart stepped out first, circling around to open the door for you with an almost awkward care. Side by side, the two of you made your way up and rapped softly on the front door. The muffled taps were met not by silence but by the scrape of hinges and a voice rough with impatience, Vanessa stood there when the door swung open.

Stewart's bored look was replaced by surprise, but in a split second, it changed to a neutral expression.

"Oh, hi, Vanessa."