That was … something else. That was before I met Elena. Before the surf trip that kicked off Matt’s business. Before Evan started dating anyone steadily.
And by the time I got drawn into this group permanently, Chris was off playing pro football for the Mountain Lions. But Hannah and Megan welcomed me with open arms because of my attachment to Elena and the fact that I’d posed for Megan’s paintings, respectively.
So when Megan and Chris come through the front door, it’s with a mixture of happiness at seeing them and intimidation at seeing Chris that I stand and greet them.
Megan throws her arms wide and gives everyone a big hug. “You guys! I’m so excited we’re all together again! It’s been waaaay too long. We need to plan things like this more often. And maybe let’s not do it in December next time, because I hate driving over the pass in the snow. What’s everyone’s plans for the summer? Let’s get something on the calendar now. We can do a Fourth of July party, just like old times. Abby, remember that Fourth of July party when you and Lance were first dating? That was so much fun!”
Everyone laughs at her infectious enthusiasm. “Weren’t you hung up on some other guy back then?” Lance asks.
Chris scowls, and Megan gives Lance a playful swat on the arm. “Hush. You know Chris likes to pretend there weren’t any other guys before him.”
He loops his left arm around Megan and pulls her close, bending to kiss her. “I’m not that dumb. I know there were other guys before me. I just like to pretend none of them mattered that much. And that you weren’t actually hung up on that other guy back then, because he was a dickhead and we all know it. Plus, I wanted you to be hung up on me that day, because I’d already gotten hung up on you.”
She reaches up and cups his face with her hand, and I turn away, slightly uncomfortable with the intimacy of the moment.
“Ha.” Matt interjects. “Nice revisionist history. You were just looking to get laid at that party, and Megan was the only unattached female in attendance.”
Chris flips him off with a smile on his face. “You don’t know what was going on in my head back then.”
“Neither do you,” Matt quips.
“Boys, boys,” Megan says, making a quelling gesture with her hands. “This is supposed to be a friendly get together. Let’s not squabble over what happened ages ago. Whether Chris was hung up on me that day or not is immaterial. He’s clearly hung up on me now, and that’s what matters.”
“There’s food on the table,” says Hannah. “We’ll do the gift exchange after you guys eat.”
Megan claps her hands to her cheeks, her mouth open in dismay. “Oh my god. I completely forgot about the gift exchange! I didn’t bring anything. Ugh. I feel awful.”
Hannah waves her off. “No problem. I got a few extra things just in case anyone forgot. Go eat. I’ll get them out.”
“Are you sure?” Megan asks. “I can sketch something real quick. Or I’ll pay you back. Whichever.”
Scoffing, Hannah waves off her protests. “It’s fine, Megan, I promise. Get some food.” Hannah disappears into the bedroom while Abby ushers Megan to the food, their heads together as they exchange whispers.
Chris, unperturbed by either their lack of gifts for the exchange or Megan whispering with Abby, offers a wave to everyone else. “Hey, guys. Sorry we’re late.”
Turning to him, I offer my hand. “Glad you could make it. Sorry about your shoulder. How’s that doing?”
A grimace flits across his face, and he rubs the shoulder in question with his other hand. “Still working on it. You know how it goes. Soft tissue damage takes longer to rehab than broken bones sometimes.”
I nod, stuffing my hands in my pockets. “Yeah. Sucks.”
“It does.” He turns away a little abruptly, nodding hello to Evan before turning to Lance, a wide grin splitting his face. “Guess they just let anybody in here, huh?”
Lance laughs, smiling just as widely, and claps his friend on the shoulder—his good shoulder—steering him in the direction of the kitchen. “Well, you’re here, so yeah, obviously.”
I settle back into my spot on the couch, and Elena snuggles into my side, reaching up to turn my face to hers for a quick kiss. “Don’t worry about him. He’s an injured bear, and you poked him.”
Making an effort to smooth my face, I smile at her. “I know. It’s dumb, but I feel a little like a kid meeting one of his idols, you know? Which is ridiculous. I mean, I went on the surf trip with you guys, and he was there. This isn’t the first time I’ve been around him. But it was different, then. That was before, when he was still kinda my teammate. Now …”
“Now he’s a big shot pro football player,” Evan puts in quietly, leaning forward so he can look at me across Elena. “Too cool for the likes of us.”
Elena snorts. “I don’t think that’s it at all. He’s grumpy and tired and the first thing you did was ask him about the worst thing that’s happened to him in a long time. How many other people do you think are asking him the same thing? ‘How’s the shoulder? Getting better? When are you going to play again?’ And if he doesn’t have any good answers to those questions, you think reminding him of that is going to get you on his good side? Pssh. I don’t think so.”
Layla giggles from her corner of the couch. “She’s right, you know. Quit being weirdos
