“Was it worth it?”
“The musical? No idea. I spent the whole time being so mad that I couldn’t enjoy it. I had to wait until they released it on streaming. Then David and I watched it one night after the girls went to bed.” She looks toward the ceiling as a large thunk shakes the overhead chandelier. “They used to fall asleep so nicely.
“My point is that these things happen. When David got home, he was so exhausted. It’d been a tough day for him, trying to save this kid in surgery, doing everything in his hands to keep that family from having the worst day of their lives. The minute I saw him, I broke down sobbing, feeling like a horribly selfish person.”
“That doesn’t sound like you.” My sister is a pain in my ass, but she’s the most selfless person I know. Having five younger siblings is rough. She really was like a third parent to a lot of us.
“It’s not. Usually. Sometimes it gets the better of me. The thing is, if we kept track of all those days and times, we’d probably be divorced. Instead, we know they’re going to happen, acknowledge our feelings, and figure out what we can do to move on. Sometimes that’s watching the movie on the couch with popcorn, sometimes it’s rescheduling, and sometimes it’s justknowing how lucky we are that at the end of the day we come home to one another.”
Fuck. Jane’s going to make me cry. “I want that.”
“Then what the fuck are you doing here?”
What am I doing here? Moping. I’m moping around doing nothing productive. Well, childcare is a little productive. “I’ll head back tomorrow.” That was my plan anyway. A week with them is more than enough. Besides, Saturday is my race. I wasn’t sure I was going to run, but I think I need to prove to myself that I can. And then to Aaron that I’m strong enough to deal with his schedule.
“Are you coming?” Two small voices call from the stairs.
“Be right there.”
AARON
Even seeing my friends sitting in our booth at The Flaming Unicorn isn’t enough to pull me out of my bad mood.
It’s only been a few days since Oliver skipped town to stay with his sister. He insists that it doesn’t mean anything. I’m not great at relationships, but I know that’s bullshit. He has every right to be hurt. Three times I’ve gotten in my own car and driven to the edge of town, thinking about driving all the way to his sister’s to confess my love.
But he asked me for a little space. I’m trying to be respectful, but it’s breaking me into a million pieces.
“Okay, what happened?” Nathan asks as soon as I sit down. “You look like someone ran over your puppy.”
“Thanks,” I mumble as I reach for the beer. I took a ride share here tonight so I can drown my sorrows properly.
“Um… don’t you race this weekend?” Matthias asks.
“Yeah?”
“Okay, well, you don’t usually drink the week of a race.”
Seriously? That’s what he remembers.
“Hey, don’t blame me. You’re the one who has a whole theory about the impact on your body, or hydration, or something. Personally, I think you should get to drink right up to the start.”
That’s usually my philosophy. Often, I stop drinking for the whole month before a race. I intended to do this time, but then things went a little haywire. I’m still running the marathon on Saturday. It’s the same day as the five-k that Oliver signed up for. I told him he’d be ready sooner, but he insisted he liked the idea of us running together, even if we wouldn’t actually be together.
“I’m not in the mood.” I grab the pitcher from Tyler to fill my glass up.
“Okay, so why don’t you tell us what happened? Is this about the airport fire? That thing looked rough.” Tyler grimaces a little.
“It did a lot of damage, but overall we got off easy.” Most of the systems are back online, and construction crews are working on the walls and floors, the bulk of which were damaged while putting out the fire. “It’s going to take a while to be back at one-hundred-percent, but it’ll be okay.”
“So why are you so cranky?” Only Nathan would use a word like cranky to describe an adult.
I take a deep breath. I owe them an explanation, especially now that I’ve ruined our Thursday night fun. Hopefully, Oliver can forgive me for doing this without him. “So, you know Oliver?” I wince at the words—stupid place to start.
“Yeah. You like him.” Nathan reaches out and puts his hand over mine. It wasn’t a question, but I nod my head anyway. “Then you should go for it.”
It takes me a few rounds of clearing my throat before I’m ready to speak. “That’s the thing. I already did.”
“Did he turn you down?” Tyler looks shocked. “We all thought he liked you.”
