27: Larissa

Larissa comes home at 3 a.m. to find her mother counting tips and Phil asleep. She explains that Mike got drunk at the gathering and that Chris drove her home. Chris then took her along for secret shops, and they grabbed food, stretching the night.

As they talk, Larissa reveals that on the night she met Mike, Chris had admitted he’d wanted to drive her home and told her he thought she was pretty. Her mother is surprised and immediately asks how Larissa feels about this revelation.

When Larissa hesitates, her mother poses a hypothetical: if Larissa could redo that first night, whom would she choose to go home with? Larissa’s inability to immediately say Mike leads her mother to conclude that the hesitation speaks volumes. Her mother likes Chris but insists nothing should happen, noting Chris’s loyalty to Mike.

After her mother steps outside to smoke, Larissa reflects. She admits she likes Chris but deems any relationship impossible because of his friendship with Mike and her own commitment. She tells herself she’s happy with Mike, though she wishes he drank less and acknowledges she hasn’t asked him to cut back.

Larissa ends by wrestling with the “what if” of choosing differently that first night but resolves not to dwell on an unchangeable past, recommitting to her choice while the doubts linger.