I shoot him a wide-eyed look. “You noticed it too?”
He nods.
“I have no idea, man. She’s been like this for a while now … awkward, never making eye contact. I don’t get it.” I shake my head before continuing, “I’ve been wondering if she really does just still hate my guts and she was only playing nice for the sake of us both being in the wedding party together.”
“Nah,” Aidan shakes his head, “Lucy’s not like that. If she has a problem with you, you’ll know it.”
“Well, I know itnow,” I huff out a frustrated breath. “We were getting along great at your wedding, but then you guys went away on your honeymoon, and the few times I’ve seen her since then it’s been like this. She’s been–”
“Since the wedding?” he cuts me off, rubbing his jaw in contemplation.
“Yeah,” I sigh. “I’m so confused.”
“Well …” he trails off, watching me closely.
“Well, what?” I prompt, suddenly annoyed. “Just spit it out.” I hate when people don’t just speak their mind. Ironically, it’s one of the things I usually love about Lucy–that she’s not afraid to tell it like it is, whether you want to hear it or not. So why is she acting so strange and evasive around me now? Why not just come out with it, whatever it is?
He rolls his eyes at me, un-phased by my curt tone.
“Well,” he says in an exaggerated tone, “you guys were both really drunk that night. Do you think you could have said something to piss her off? I mean, you can be a real asshole sometimes, you know?”
I scowl, not just at the insult, but also at the reminder of just how drunk I got.
“I don’t need reminding,” I snap.
He holds his hands up in a pacifying ‘don’t shoot’ gesture, but his eyes tell me he’s amused with my attitude.
I take a deep breath, actively working to pull my shoulders down from up around my ears.
“I know I got …” my throat goes dry at the concession and I swallow audibly, “a little out of control that night.”
“A little?” he chuckles.
“Okay,” I growl, “alot.” I shake my head in bewilderment. “I don’t know what came over me. I’veneverhad that much to drink before. Ever,” I admit, dropping my eyes. But I still hesitate to tell him just how drunk I actually was … that I woke up the next morning naked on the beach, seemingly having decided to skinny-dip the night before. It’s so utterly out of character for me that I just shoved the entire thing out of my mind and have avoided thinking about it ever since. But now … maybe Ididsay something horrible to Lucy.
Fu– fudge. This is bad.
When I meet his eyes again Aidan is watching me. “Look, sometimes you just need to let loose.Especiallya guy like you,” he offers with a sympathetic smile. “I don’t know if you know this,” he jokes–and I roll my eyes, “but you’re a pretty tightly wound guy, Noah. Nobody can blame you for needing a night off. So you lost control. It happens. I think you should just confront Lucy, ask her what you said, and apologize. It can’t be that bad.”
???
The night wears on and my frustration continues to rise as I try in vain to engage with Lucy. She sits across from me, chatting easily with Piper. Occasionally she shoots me a polite smile in response to something I’ve said, but it’s so fake that I can’t stand it, and she continues to avoid my eyes. Aidan watches his wife and Lucy closely, his head angled as he studies them, no doubt trying to read between the lines on my behalf. It’s clear that whatever is going on with Lucy, Piper is a party to it, but she’s not been forthcoming with Aidan either.
Eventually, I give up and move over to the adjacent pool tables, teaming up with Mark in a game against Joe and Luke. At some point, Steph shows up and then the three women sit together in a tense bubble, conversing quietly. Aidan knows when he’s not wanted and wanders over to join us, calling out the play-by-plays and taunting us in an attempt to throw off our game. The other guys just laugh him off, but my temper’s been rising all night and I can’t help but let it get to me. I know he’s just doing it to distract me from obsessing about what’s going on with Lucy, but it’s only pissing me off more.
When Luke sinks the winning ball, I’ve had it. This is not my night and I need to get out of here before ‘dick’ Noah rears his ugly head again. These guys have all come to know me and generally accept and forgive my moodiness now, but I still remember a time when I was despised as the a-hole from Coldpine Ridge that nobody in Llyn Lakes wanted anything to do with. I’ve come a long way since then and I don’t want to be that guy anymore.
I make my excuses to the boys and call out a goodbye to the girls over at the table. Lucy’s head shoots up at my voice. Piper and Steph wave, but I barely notice because she’s finally looking at me. Our eyes lock and I’m frozen. Something passes between us … a look …anintimacythat confuses me. She’s staring at me intently, searchingly, but I don’t know what she’s hoping to find. I just know that whatever it is that’s come between us, I want to fix it. I do my best to convey that wordlessly, but it must not work because after a moment she drops her gaze and her shoulders slump. I feel my own slump in response and I turn dejectedly and make my way toward the exit. By the time I reach the door, though, my anger is back and I shove it open forcefully, storming towards my SUV in the back parking lot. This is ridiculous. Why am I letting this woman tie me up in knots? I don’t know what her problem is, but I’m done trying to figure it out. If she–
“Noah?” her voice is low and tentative. I freeze, expelling a frustrated breath.
She clears her throat and calls out, a little louder this time, “Can we talk?”
Here we go.
Slowly, I turn to face her. She’s standing across the lot in a pool of light cast by one of the bar’s exterior lamps, and she looks worried. Unsure. It’s so unlike the Lucy that I know that I can’t help but take a few steps back in her direction. She hesitates, then takes a couple of tentative steps as well, and it’s stressing me out to see her like that. Despite her diminutive stature, she’s never looked so small to me before.
When I draw nearer she lets out a little squeak, and twists away from my searching gaze.
