“Here, I want to try some cranberry sauce,” Louisa said. Jeremy spoon-fed her. Her face cringed when it hit her tongue. Cranberry sauce was not something meant to be eatenalone.
Rafe could feel Eamonn’s eyes on him, and he wanted to look back, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t let himself get anymore attached than hehad.
“Louisa, you’re making a scene,” Heathsaid.
“I’m sorry if you have a problem with my new boyfriend being here. Allison, have I mentioned how much I love yourhair?”
Allison smiledpolitely.
“How long have you two been together?” Allison asked Louisa andJeremy.
Jeremy stammered for an answer, but Louisa had one ready. “Only a few weeks,” she said. “We’ve been in loads of classes together over the years, and…something just happened. We just felt this…” She interlocked her fingers, and it made Rafe’s heart clenchup.
“Connection,” Eamonn said, his voice thick. He cut his eyes atRafe.
“Right!” Louisa cocked her head at Heath. “Is something thematter?”
“Nothing at all,” Heathsaid.
“Can we please fucking stop this?” Rafe said, making a scene at his own table but too jumbled up with his own shit to care. “How many times are you two going to go around the carousel? Heath, she’s jerking you around. No matter what Louisa does to you and no matter how mad she makes you, you’re still waiting for her like some fucking puppy.” Rafe cut his eyes back toEamonn.
“Fuck you, Rafe!” Louisasaid.
“Fuck you rightback!”
“He’s right.” Heath eased up, and something like clarity seemed to come over him. “I reckon that you and I never worked. We never did. It’s time that I bugger off and get over you for good. If you’re with someone who makes you happy, then I’m happy foryou.”
Louisa didn’t say anything, but an eternity seemed to flash on herface.
“That’s proper of you, mate,” Jeremy said. He tried to spoon feed her stuffing, but shedeclined.
Lots of silverware clanging against plates filled the silence for the rest of the night. It was awkward. It was uncomfortable. It wasThanksgiving.
Eamonn
Once the meal was over, Heath went to Apothecary, Louisa went back to Jeremy’s dorm presumably, Rafe cleaned up in the kitchen, and Eamonn returned the extra table and chairs to the neighboringflat.
When he was done, he offered to help Rafe clean up, but he firmly declined. Eamonn knew not to push. Back in his room, he lay on his bed and tried watching TV to relax him, but it didn’t help. He couldn’t getcomfortable.
“Fuck.” Eamonn sat up. He rubbed his hands wildly through his hair. Moments later, he knocked on Rafe’s bedroom door. Rafe opened up, and for a second, he wished the guy would jump into his arms, and all the drama of before would be wiped from theirmemories.
“That was a great meal. You should be proud ofyourself.”
“Thanks,” Rafe said. He sat in his desk chair, feet on his desk, scrolling through an article on hisphone.
Eamonn shut the door. He spotted a bottle of aspirin on his nightstand, presumably for the hangover he would have tomorrow. “Do you need a glass ofwater?”
He pointed to one already on hisdesk.
“Rafe, I’m sorry about earlier. I couldn’t just walk away as the shit got knocked out ofhim.”
“I know. You did the rightthing.”
“There is nothing between me andNathan.”
“I know, and I realized it’s not Nathan that I’m upsetabout.”
Eamonn sat on the edge of the bed. His knees were so close to Rafe, but he could feel the distancewidening.
