“Because I don’t know if you’re going to be happy or upset.”
“There are many things between happy and so blindingly angry that I crash my car,” I say sarcastically.
He huffs a laugh. “Good point. Well, Man—uh, I mean, Amanda, invited me there for Thanksgiving.”
I can’t help but tense at the way he wants to call herMandyall the time, but stops himself.It’s so personal. The only person who calls her Mandy is my stepdad. Trey told me a couple monthsago that they work together. I knew she worked in the same field, but didn’t think anything of it, since she works for a different company than he does. But I guess being in the same field means they see each other frequently. I’m still not sure how I feel about that. He seemed shocked that I wasn’t aware of this, but why would I be? I’m not close with her, and he does know that. In fact, she’s more friendly with him than she is with me.
“Here, as in—”
“Your mom’s house.”
“Wow,” is what comes out of my mouth. “That’s…”
“If you don’t want me to go, I won’t.” It’s the way he says the words. So matter of fact. Like all it would take is just one word and he wouldn’t even question me. He’d just not show up.
Sometimes that’s a relief, but other times, it makes me feel conflicted.
So, I don’t say anything right away, needing to think about this. The idea of him being there doesn’t bother me, exactly, but it does feel weird that Amanda is inviting him to something like this, being as it’s usually just the four of us. Though, the more I think about it, I guess it’s not much weirder than I normally feel about going to my mother’s house. And maybe there’s a part of me that feels a little bit relieved at the idea, too. It’s been months since I’ve seen him, and though we talk every day, and sometimes even Facetime, it’s not the same.
“Yeah, uh… maybe it’ll be nice having you there.”
“Maybe?” I hear the smile in his voice.
“Come on. You know how my relationship is with my family, Trey.”
His voice softens. “Yeah, I know. I just, uh… well, it would be nice to see you.”
He tries to sound nonchalant about it, but he doesn’t quite succeed.
And I’m not mad about it. My cheeks heat, and I’m glad I’m not on Facetime right now, because there would be no hiding that and I’d have to find something to blame it on.
I let out a sigh, knowing there’s no way I can refute him. Not when I hear the thinly veiled excitement in his voice.
“It will be nice to see you too, Trey.”
He lets out a sound of contentment and I can imagine him smirking.
“So… you want me to come, then?” he asks, and the tone is equal parts humorous and sexy.
But it’s not his tone that resonates with me. It’s how direct he is.
Trey doesn’t beat around the bush. He’s direct and deliberate with what he says, and that makes our discussions a lot easier, less stressful. I don’t have to analyze what he says the way I usually have to with other people.
“Just don’t have any expectations for my mood,” I warn him.
“What does that mean?”
“It means I’m my worst self when I have to be with them. So don’t take it personally if I’m… grumpy.”
It’s not untrue. I am different around my family. But I’m also different around Trey. What will happen and who will I be when they are both in the same room? Almost as if he can sense my anxiety, he speaks.
“Pretty sure I can handle anything after the office fiasco over the summer.”
I laugh. That’s what we call it now, and thankfully… we laugh about it often. I can’t explain why I was so angry with him for showing up, other than it being a shock, and I hate that, but I can’t say I regret it either. What happened at the hotel after was hot as hell, and I think about it all the time.
Though, we don’t talk about that either. Just like last time, it’s as if it didn’t happen. Another secret to add to the mountain.
“Fair point. Why aren’t you going to be with your mother?”
