They clasp hands and pull each other in close for hearty back slaps, exchanging the usual greetings and pleasantries. “You made it! How was the drive?”
“Good. Wet. Uneventful.”
“Come in, come in!” Daniel steps out of the way, letting us into their living room. Cream colored carpet meets the small patch of vinyl flooring that is the entryway, leading directly into the open floor plan living room. A large flat screen TV sits on top of an entertainment center to the left, with a matching sofa and loveseat combo opposite it, a simple espresso colored coffee table in the middle bearing an assortment of remotes and a few books. A breakfast bar separates the kitchen from the dining area, where a dark wood table is set with plates.
“Hey, guys!” Elena calls from the kitchen, coming over to give us both welcoming hugs. And Evan’s right. Being back feels almost like no time has passed—the hugs, the warm welcome, the smell of pizza making my stomach growl.
Daniel laughs at the sound. “I see you brought your appetite.”
“Let’s get you all inside and then we can eat,” Elena says, gesturing for us to follow her down the hall to our right. “We have the guest room all set up for you. You can dump your things, and the bathroom’s right next door.” She leads us to a sparsely furnished bedroom on the right and gives me a rueful grin. “It’s not much, I know. We don’t have a lot of out-of-town guests, but the bed is comfy, and the blankets are warm. If you need extras, they’re on the top shelf in the closet, and there’s plenty of room to hang things up. I’ll let you get settled, and then we’ll eat. We got your favorites from Mangiamo’s.” With a smile, she leaves the room calling, “Come on out when you’re ready!” over her shoulder.
Evan parks the suitcase by the closet while I toss our pillows on the bed and take off my jacket. I set my phone on the nightstand, the twin of the one on the other side, the only other pieces of furniture in the room other than the bed. The wall above the bed bears a colorful painting, and that’s it.
Stepping closer, Evan wraps his arms around me, bending his head to give me another kiss. I snuggle into his chest with a sigh. “See?” he says, his voice rumbling under my ear. “This’ll be fine.”
“I know. You’re right. But you know how I am.” I shrug, and he rubs my back, dropping a kiss on the top of my head before stepping back.
“I do. Now go to the bathroom so we can eat. I’m starving.”
Laughing, I do what he says, waiting in the bedroom for a moment of peace while he uses the bathroom before we head out to the living room together. Yes, my worries about things being weird don’t seem like they’ll come true. And sharing space with another couple for two nights isn’t a big deal, really. But I’m a creature of habit and a homebody, so taking a moment to breathe is important.
Evan pokes his head through the door, holding out his hand to me with a happy smile on his face. Standing from the bed, I smile back, take his hand, and let him lead me out to the living area, where Daniel and Elena are waiting.
“Grab a plate!” says Elena, gesturing at the table. The pizza boxes are open on the counter, and Evan hands me a plate, gesturing for me to go first. I always feel awkward at these kinds of things where I’m the first one to grab food. Like I’m selfish or think I’m more important. But Evan’s right behind me, and Daniel and Elena are grabbing their own plates. Clearly they’re trying to be good hosts by letting us go first, and Evan’s being sweet. So I squash down my awkward feelings and get two slices of pizza while Daniel rattles off the drink options.
I claim a soda, and Evan gets a beer, and we sit next to each other at the table, digging in while Daniel and Elena get their food and get settled.
“So how’s coaching going?” Evan asks as soon as Daniel’s seated and has a mouthful of pizza.
Daniel flips him off while he chews, Elena snickering into her napkin around her own bite of pizza, and I grin while I sip my drink. I’ve always enjoyed watching these three interact. Elena treats Evan like a younger brother—I guess because she has one of her own—and Daniel and Evan were teammates and roommates for so long that their conversations are always full of inside jokes and goodnatured teasing that speaks to the depth of their friendship. As an only child, spending the last part of my undergrad with them gave me that taste of found family you always read about in books and see in the movies and on TV. I have to admit, I’ve missed it more than I realized since we left.
Daniel talks at length about his team and their failed run at making it to state. “They played hard, but in the end, we couldn’t make it past the semifinals. Still better than our school has done in years, though, so we celebrated making it as far as we did and plan on getting farther next year. This was the best team we’ve put on the field in at least a decade, though. It’s fun working with them, watching them grow and improve their skills.”
Evan nods and looks at Elena. “How about you? You’re almost done with law school, right? What’s next?”
Dropping her eyes, Elena shrugs and picks a piece of pepperoni off her pizza and pops it in her mouth. Uh-oh. I think Evan may have inadvertently struck a nerve. “Well,” she says slowly, drawing out the word. “I still
