Riley scribbles lazily in his drawing book, the pen dragging across the page while his father's voice fills his ear through the phone.
"Okay, Dad! For the last time, Mia is not my girlfriend. We're just friends. So if she's claiming we are, and if I'm not picking up her calls or answering her messages, then… I mean, it's because I'm busy. You know how tough the first days at work can be. I'll call her, but she is not..." Riley cuts himself short, his tongue twisting around the denial when the door opens without a knock and Henry steps inside.
Riley doesn't finish what he was about to say. Instead, he pivots, changing course in an instant.
"…I mean, how many times do I have to tell you, Dad, that Mia is my girlfriend?" He glances sideways at Henry, watching him from the corner of his eye as if to make sure the words landed where he wanted them.
"When did I ever say she's not? I was just shy. Actually… we've been dating since high school."
