Chapter 10
I’m on the opposite side of campus, dropping something off for Callahan, when I see her. She’s with two other girls and I watch with admiration as she throws her head back in laughter.
For too long, I stand there, soaking in every last drop.
I debate going over there and decide against it. I’m not ready.
I must be getting old because the idea of Sunday family dinner sounds amazing. It’s a Bardot tradition that I’ve always admired and have always dreamed of continuing on those nights I let myself think about what life would be like with Bex.
I brought a bottle of French wine even though I don’t drink anymore and the Bardot family isn’t actually from France, at least not in the last few generations. It’s something I’ve always done just as a token of my appreciation for the way Elaine and Hugo so immediately accepted me as Gabe’s friend and roommate.
Since I returned to Massachusetts, I have been avoiding Sunday dinners. I would never admit that to Bex or Gabe but I felt like I needed to distance myself. I’ve always known that if I’m too close to Bex’s orbit, I will get sucked in. I think I’m ready for that now.
Gabe and I rode over together since the apartment is only about fifteen minutes from the Bardot home. We pull up to the house and there are already several cars parked out front.
“Ben and Jules coming tonight too?” I ask Gabe as I step out of the car. Benoit and Julien are the other two Bardot brothers—identical twins that fall in between Gabe and Bex. No one goes by their full name in this family, which makes me smile.
Gabe checks his phone as he follows me up the front sidewalk. “Yeah and I think Bex brought Luci and Riz.”
Interesting. I can’t remember being at a family dinner with any of Bex’s friends before. Obviously I know Luci and Guilliana, or Riz as everyone seems to call her, from conversations with Gabe and a few quick meetings, but I’ve never spent a lot of time with them. It should be fun to see this side of Bex.
As soon as the door is open, I remember why I love this family so much. Boisterous laughter is coming from inside and the delicious smell of beef stew floods my nostrils. The warm, familial feeling is immediate.
Ben sees us first. “Ah, it’s the Golden Child, home at last!”
“I’m here all the time,” Gabe retorts.
Ben shoves past him and clasps my shoulders. “I was talking about Anders, you nimrod. How are you, man?” We do the typical bro hand clasp to a slap on the back move and I easily fall into my “Golden Child” role.
I pull back, grinning. “I’m great, Ben. Glad to know I’m missed around here.”
“Terribly missed. Especially by a certain Bardot woman.” He winks, but my eyes widen and my heart rate immediately picks up until a half a second later when I realize he’s talking about Elaine.
“Well I have heard that I’m the favorite child. I should find her and say hi.”
Before I make it two steps, Elaine has rounded the corner and is pulling me into an embrace. After a moment, she leans back and cups my cheeks with both hands.
“You are my favorite child and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!” Beaming up at me, she leans in to whisper, “Though it would be nice if you hurried up and made that official.” She winks, leaving me to stand there gaping at her. Surely she doesn’t mean what I think she means.
Before I can spend too long analyzing that comment, I’m ushered into the living room. My eyes instantly find Bex. She’s sitting in the same chair she was in the first time I ever laid eyes on her. She has on a “Reading is Sexy” sweatshirt and I have the thought that anything Bex did would be sexy.
A blonde and a brunette with blue streaks in her hair sit on the floor below Bex. Luci and Riz but I can’t remember which is which.
“Hi, I’m Anders,” I say, directing it toward the two women on the floor.
The brunette raises an eyebrow at me. “We know.”
The blonde rises from the floor and flits over to me. She sticks out her hand before introducing herself. “I’m Luci! I’m sure we are going to get to know each other very well this semester. You know, since you’re in such close proximity to Bex!” She glances behind her and gives an exaggerated wink to the other two girls. Bex has her face buried into her palms and is murmuring something to the girl who has to be Riz.
As if Elaine has an alert set for whenever Bex and I are mentioned in the same sentence, she magically appears at my side.
“Why are you two in close proximity?”
I glance over at Bex with a question in my eye before she gives me a resigned nod. “Bex is in my Introduction to Acting class this semester.”
The once bustling house all at once becomes incredibly still.
Jules, the quietest of the Bardot brothers, is the first to snort a laugh. “No way.”
Bex’s glare could kill as she bursts out, “I needed a fine arts credit to graduate, okay?! It’s not a big deal. It’s fine.”
Convincing. We’ll definitely need to work on that in class.
Her eyes snap to mine, pleading for me to save her.
“It’s actually an excellent course for anyone to take. You learn a lot of breath work, take time analyzing a character or scene, learning more about the human psyche, and storytelling in general. I’m sure Bex will be a quick study.”
Based on the way everyone is staring at me, maybe that little speech didn’t help. I dig my hands into my pockets, forcing myself to look casual. “And I never mind spending some quality time with Baby Bardot.”
Okay that doesn’t help either because now at least half of the room has a knowing glint in their eye.
I clear my throat. “Right… Well, what’s for dinner? It smells delicious, per usual, Elaine!”
Is the false cheeriness in my voice obvious? I think the answer is yes after Gabe gives me a confused look.
“Dude. Why do you sound weird? And I already told you that we’re having beef stew.” Thanks for playing along with this, Gabe.
“Duh. Don’t know what’s gotten into me. I’m just going to…” I let my sentence trail off as I walk into the kitchen to drop off the bottle of wine. While I’m standing there, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out and have to hide my shock.
Baby Bardot
Real smooth there, killer.
I look over my shoulder to find Bex engaged in conversation with her friends and Gabe. Alright, I guess that’s how we’re playing it. I turn back to my phone and quickly type out a response.
Killer? Is that the nickname we’re going with?
Baby Bardot
Turnabout is fair play. You’ve had a nickname for me for years, felt like it was my turn.
Surely someone as well read as you can come up with something better than “killer.” That makes me sound creepy AF.
As I turn back around to grab a seat on the couch, I catch a hint of a blush on Bex’s cheeks. She’s typing on her phone and the anticipation I feel should scare me but really I just feel alive again. She’s always matched me in our verbal sparring.
Baby Bardot
Not sure that would exactly be appropriate considering the books I read…
Now that has me raising an eyebrow in her direction. She’s looking nervously across the room at me.
I definitely need to hear more about this.
She shakes her head and a reply pops up almost instantly.
Baby Bardot
Absolutely not.
100% no.
Will literally never happen.
I just text her back two words.
Game on.