“All done?” Dylan asks, standing behind me, rubbing the knots out of my tired shoulders.
I tip back the longneck beer bottle, chugging down the cold brew. “Yep,” after handing him the empty bottle and swiping my forearms across my lips, I add, “and I’ll have another.”
I overhear tiny snippets of Dylan talking with the girls about who-knows-what. Honestly, I’m too tired to care. Reid’s words snap my attention back to the living room. He claps a hand on my shoulder; a similar look of exhaustion is mirrored on his face. “You guys are really good for each other.” Admiration for his surrogate brother shines in his words.
“Thanks, I think so, too.”
We hang around for a little while longer, devouring the pizza Reid and Maddy offered as payment for our help. The girls chat animatedly about what color to paint which room and what kind of curtains to get.
As for us guys, it’s simple. The cable guy came earlier. We watch sports.
Bryan, Melanie’s fiancé, stands and collects all of our paper plates. He looks down at his watch. “Let me take care of the router and modem in the office before we hit the road. Don’t want you guys to be without a phone or internet for the night.”
Melanie’s face melts in appreciation. As he walks away from us, she decides she’ll go help him, though I’m pretty sure she doesn’t know a thing about computers or technology.
“I think I’m gonna hit the road,” Rachel announces as she stands and gathers her bag and keys.
“Someone’s got a hot date!” Maddy taunts her and she immediately looks to me, almost afraid of what I’d say.
“I do not!” she huffs, pulling a shut-your-trap face at Maddy.
“He’ll find out eventually,” Maddy defends before sticking her tongue out at my sister. They’ve become close in the last couple of months, and I think being friends with Maddy has helped Rachel find her own place here in Elmira.
“Come on. I’ll walk you out.” I lay a protective hand on her arm and escort Rachel to her car.
When we’re outside, I stand with my arms crossed, trying my best to keep a straight face. She sees straight through it, poking me in the chest, telling me, “You’re an ass!”
“What?” I mock. “I had to at least make you feel a little guilty.”
Now she crosses her arms over her chest and spins around, giving me her back. “Rach,” I turn her back to face me, “I’m happy for you.” Popping a quick kiss to her forehead, I add, “Have a good time tonight, and be sure to call me tomorrow.” She smiles at my approval and I return a smile at her happiness.
Waving at her as she pulls down the quiet suburban street, my chest fills with a light feeling of contentedness. Lightning bugs flicker in the early summer evening, spotting the darkening sky with their neon green dots of light. Out for an evening stroll, a family walks past me, waving and greeting me cheerily. Despite looking like something out of a Normal Rockwell painting, this kind of life – quiet and peaceful, normal and routine – is exactly what I’d always wanted, what I still want.
When I walk back inside, it’s just Reid and Dylan on the couch. Completely enraptured in the baseball game on the TV, they don’t even hear me. When the game ends, Dylan looks at me, silently asking me if I’m ready to go home. I nod and we stand to leave.
“Thanks again, guys,” Maddy calls, walking down the stairs. She hugs each of us. “We wouldn’t have gotten nearly as much done as we did if it wasn’t for you two.” She curls herself into Reid’s side, and he kisses her head.
“See you guys at the cookout tomorrow, right?” Reid stammers, something odd in his voice, and says goodbye.
“What was that all about?” I ask Dylan as we walk out to his car.
He shrugs, before sliding into his seat. “Not sure,” he says as he starts the car. “Must be more tired than we thought,” he guesses and we pull away from the house.
"Grab that case of beer out of the fridge,” Dylan’s voice calls out from the bedroom as he finishes getting ready. We’re going to Lucy and Evan’s for a cookout. As the summer dwindles down, there aren’t many more opportunities for us to get together as a group.
“Ready?” Dylan sneaks up behind me, planting a chaste kiss to my cheek as he grabs his keys from the counter. Freshly showered and smelling of soap and everything heavenly, Dylan looks incredible in a fitted baby blue polo, khaki shorts, and flip-flops. He’s been working out more, using the excuse that he gets to spend more time with me at the gym, and it’s definitely showing.
When we pull up to Lucy and Evan’s, I notice a change in Dylan. It’s subtle, but noticeable. His leg bounces; his spine straightens. The smile on his face that’s usually causal and lopsided, is now forced and odd. “You okay?” I ask, dropping a hand to his nervous leg.
“Yeah, I’m good. Let’s go.” Even his words sound off, rushed and slightly higher pitched. I shrug it off – something could be going on at work that he’s not telling me about just yet. As far as he’s come and open as he is about everything, he still has stuff to work out – so do I.
As I lace my fingers through his, I let my eyes scan over him. He’s not perfect, and neither am I. We’re far from it, in fact. But we’re trying, so damn hard some days that it’s exhausting. But when he squeezes my hand and searches my face, asking, “What?” with a soft smile, and crinkle at the corner of his eyes, I know it’s all worth it.
“Nothing,” I dismiss his question and simply squeeze his hand back.
The soft click of the gate unlatching precedes the loud “Surprise” that welcomes us into the back yard. Like a fool, I look behind me, thinking that there must be someone else following us in. “Happy Birthday!” Dylan says as some of the loud cheers subside.
I look over at him, confusion clearly evident on my face. “What? My birthday was two weeks ago.”
