Some might say best friends tell each other everything. To me, there are times when not knowing is a gift.
Natalie lifts the pie and examines it. “Meet you in the kitchen tonight at two a.m.?”
“Of course,” I say, turning onto the road that will lead us to my parents. I reach over and yank on Natalie's seatbelt. “Just making sure,” I tell her. She gives me a knowing look and grips the pie.
With just the slightest amount of pressure on the gas pedal, the car lurches forward. Fallen leaves swirl into the air as we pass, and the nearly bare trees begin to blur. Natalie's eyes are squeezed shut, but she squeals and laughs. She loves the thrill as much as I do.
I slow down before I make the final turn on to my parents’ property. My mother will chew me out if she sees me driving that fast. Sneaking a peek at Natalie, I see her chest rise and fall with a deep inhale and exhale. She looks at me and grins.
“That was fun,” she says, her voice a little breathless, her eyes dilated.
I wink at her and nod, the car slowly creeping up my parents’ long driveway. We wind around some trees and the house comes into view. Parked out front is my father's black Range Rover, and a white SUV I've never seen before.
“Your parents repainted,” Natalie murmurs, peering out the windshield.
Their home, previously painted a light tan, is now a colonial blue. The trim is white, and the door is dark gray. My mom spent ten minutes on the phone with me raving about the door she had found. The wreath hanging from the front is a collection of silver metal that has been bent to look like a giant flower. My mom calls it her only perennial flower. I can see why she loves it so much. Right now, all the living things in her yard have gone dormant.
I bring the car to a stop and put it in park. Natalie bends down, grabbing her purse and lifting it up to her shoulder. She reaches for the door handle, then pauses and turns back to me.
“Who is going to be here today? I didn't even think about there being other people since your parents are having it out here.”
Natalie's fingers run through her hair and she flips down the visor and looks at herself in the mirror.
“It's my parents, and I think they've invited the neighbors from two houses down.” My mom called earlier this week to remind me that I'm supposed to be coming to our house, as if I could possibly forget. Being a schoolteacher means I'm always well aware of all holidays. Plus, I have Natalie to keep me on track.
“What about Shawn?”
“Yes, of course.” I can't remember celebrating a single holiday without my father's personal trainer and best friend. When I was younger, I referred to him as my uncle.
“Let's go.” I climb from the car and go around to the trunk to unload our bags. Natalie leads the way to the front door. She is wearing her tight jeans, the ones with strategically placed rips in them. It’s hard to admit, even to myself, how much I like how she looks in them.
My hands are full with both of our bags, so Natalie opens the door and holds it for me. The house smells like cinnamon and turkey. Laughter filters in from the kitchen at the back of the house. Off to the right is the staircase that leads to the bedrooms where we will be staying. I pause there to drop off our bags, then we move on to the kitchen.
“Aidan!” my mother says when she catches sight of us. She wipes her hands on the bottom corner of her apron and pulls me into a tight hug. She steps back and does the same to Natalie. In a lower voice, I hear her tell Natalie that she looks lovely. Natalie grins and ducks her chin, tucking the hair on the right side of her head behind her ear.
My dad is only a few paces behind my mom. “My son,” he exclaims, his excitement thickening his accent. He holds my face in his hands and scrunches one eye, pretending to examine me. “You look good,” he declares and hugs me. He moves on to Natalie, who smiles and opens her arms. “You must be the reason he looks so good,” he says, stepping into Natalie's arms.
Natalie's eyes flicker to me. For half a second she looks taken aback, then she recovers and says, “Diego, stop. You’re making me blush, but fine. I’ll take the credit.”
My father laughs and steps away, turning and gesturing to the breakfast table. I hadn't noticed three people sitting there.
He gestures to the man first, and then the woman. “This is John and Melinda, they live next door. And this…” He walks quickly to stand behind the third person's chair. “This is Anna.”
Anna smiles at me. Her very blonde hair is curled and hangs around her face. I'm not sure how old she is, but I'm guessing she's young. She still has baby fat in her cheeks. Her blue eyes widen as she gets up and walks over to where I’m standing.
“Hi,” she says, her smile softening. Beside me, Natalie starts digging through her purse. I'm almost positive she's looking for absolutely nothing, she's just trying to look anywhere but at the preening girl in front of her.
Extending her hand, she says, “I'm Anna. But I guess your father already said that.”
Shaking her hand, I say, “Nice to meet you, Anna. I'm Aidan. This is Natalie.” Gently I elbow Natalie’s side and she looks up.
She smiles apologetically at Anna. “Hi. I'd shake your hand, but I can't give up the search for my lip gloss.” Natalie laughs and Anna does too.
I stare at them, confused. Was that some kind of girl secret message?
Anna continues to smile, Natalie continues to fake dig. The atmosphere is turning awkward really fast, so I do the only thing I can think to do. I turn my attention to John and Melinda. I offer them a hand, in turn, tell them it's nice to meet them, and then pepper them with questions I don't care about the answers to.
Anna comes back to her chair at the table and now she's sitting opposite from me. Natalie has apparently given up her search, and now she's beside my mother at the kitchen counter, stirring something in a copper pot on the stove.
