Chapter 10 Autumn
Autumn
“You did not end up with a cat!” I exclaim and laugh as he takes a bite of his turkey club. “You hated cats!”
He lifts a finger. “No. Your cat hated me.”
We both laugh. I remember how much she really did dislike him. She would hide whenever he came over, and she would hiss any time he tried to touch her. And it was only him. No one else.
He reaches over the table with his phone, showing me a picture. A black and white dog and an almost matching black and white cat.
“So, these are my kids. Rex and Rosie. And believe it or not, just like yours, Rosie is not a huge fan of me.” We both laugh again.
I debated on if this was a good idea or not. This is actually so nice. I was worried about running into him, but after it happened, I realized it felt good. I was happy to see him, and I knew there was so much to catch up on, like he said.
Sure enough, we picked up right where we left off. As soon as he sat down, it was like high school all over again, and we laughed so much my cheeks and ribs felt bruised.
I watch him as he talks, and internally accept how much I actually missed him.
I can tell he’s been going to the gym before he says it.
He isn’t bulky, but the muscles I felt are now clearly defined through his tailored button-down shirt, which he didn’t have before.
Even his face is more toned than I remember.
Both of us are here dressed for work, and I’m pretty sure the only times I’ve ever seen him in a suit and tie were at school dances, which is ironic. But nothing he wore then fit him the way this shirt does. It’s a good look on him.
His eyes catch mine. I always loved the way they glow in the sun. As a blue-eyed person, I firmly believe that brown eyes don’t get the attention they deserve. They have a hidden ring of gold around them, and when the sun hits them just right, those rings shine, like his are right now.
He reaches back behind his head to scratch the nape of his neck, and I can’t help but follow the outline of his chiseled arms all the way to his brown hair, short at the bottom and getting slightly longer as it gets to the top. Just enough to look messy, but in a good way.
As he smiles, the stubble on his jawline moves with his skin. I wonder if he is growing a beard or just hasn’t shaved in a couple of days. Whichever the case, the stubble also looks good on a mature him.
His finger scrolls to the next picture, and it’s of Becca with the cat, smiling and cuddling on the couch. Clearly, Rosie does have a favorite.
Speaking of Becca, we haven’t talked about her at all. Do I bring her up? Does she know we’re here? But then again, why wouldn’t I bring her up? It shouldn’t be weird. We’re friends. Having lunch.
I take a sip of my tea.
“So… I was pleasantly surprised to hear you got married.”
He chuckles. “You kept tabs on me while you were gone?”
I laugh it off and pretend not to feel the blush heating on my cheeks. He keeps talking.
“Yeah, Becca. She’s great. But why were you surprised?”
I look at him through scrunched eyebrows. “Because you never even had like real girlfriends. I never expected to see you actually settle down with someone so soon after high school. Remember Sarah?” He rolls his eyes, so I know he does. It makes me laugh. “She LOVED you.” Now he laughs too.
“She was crazy. We only dated for like thirty days.”
“Yeah, well, she had the whole wedding planned and told everyone so.” We both laugh some more.
“Well, what about that Trevor guy? He was pretty obsessed with you, too.”
He’s got jokes today.
“Trevor? The one I never dated because you insisted, he only wanted to get in my pants?” I joke back.
He chokes on his drink. “That was probably true.”
“Probably?!” I ask with a laugh, “I should probably look him up then and see if he’s still obsessed with me.”
He shakes his head with a laugh. “But really, what about you?” he says, redirecting the subject. “I’m surprised you’re not married.”
I shrug my shoulders. “Just hasn’t worked out.
I’ve been on a handful of dates, even fewer second dates, and only two relationships.
The first one ended right before our first anniversary when I found out he was still living with his ‘ex.
' Then the second one just changed his mind after a year and a half. Sent me a text, and that was that. We never spoke again.”
I read the surprise in his face. “Well damn. I’m sorry.”
I shake my head. “Don’t be. They probably just wanted to get in my pants, too.”
He chokes on his drink again. Clearly, I’m the one with the better jokes today. “Anyways, it happens. I am happy for you, though.”
He looks down. “I’m sorry for not inviting you. It was just…”
I stop him. “It’s fine. Seriously, I get it. I moved away, ghosted everyone, I didn’t expect to be invited back for the fun stuff.”
He nods, and we pivot quickly into different conversations. I try not to notice how many times the waitress has walked by since setting our bill on the table.
“So how was college?” he asks.
“It was college. Felt like it lasted forever.”
He laughs as he takes a drink. “I feel that.”
“Honestly, I think it felt worse than high school because I really didn’t have anyone. I like being alone a lot now, but sometimes it’s still nice to have someone to walk to class with, ya know?”
“Neither of the guys you dated went to school with you?”
“One did, but our classes weren’t ever near each other.”
“You’re meaning to tell me that in ten years you really didn’t make any new friends?”
I shake my head. “Not close ones.”
“I find that hard to believe. Not you.”
“I’ve changed since you last saw me.”
“I can’t imagine you’ve changed that much.”
My cheeks flush. “None of the friends I made were as good as the ones I had here, I guess.”
We share a smirk and fall into an awkward few minutes of silence until we’re saved by the bell. It’s 2:15 p.m. I had a feeling we would lose track of time, so I set an alarm to make sure I’m not late for my first week of work.
“Well, I should probably get going. Duty calls.”
He nods and puts cash on the table as he stands. I didn’t expect him to pay, but for some reason, I don’t argue.
We walk outside together and stop near my car to say our goodbyes. He envelopes me in a hug, but it’s not the hug he gave me the other day. It’s my favorite kind of hug and the one he gave me the last time I saw him. The only thing that ever really made me feel better on a bad day.
My face is nestled in his shoulder, with one of his arms wrapped around my lower back, the other wrapped across my shoulder blades, and his hand resting on my head.
I could stand here forever, but I know I can’t.
I feel him kiss the top of my head, and I get goose bumps, but don’t say anything. He releases me and steps back.
“See you around, kid,” he says with a smile.
I laugh, “You’re really never going to give that up, are you?”
His smile turns mischievous. “Never”
I nod. “See you around then.”
With that, he drops my hand and walks away, taking any and all sense I had left with him.