by Kaylee, Katy
Ryan
Frowning as I watched the insanity bustling around me, I propped my cheek on my fist. Gwen didn’t interfere, but it was plainly obvious that she’d trained her staff very well. All of them had been in the industry long enough not to get nervous about the fact that the line was around the block.
This wasn’t an invite only event, but people started lining up two hours before the restaurant was set to open. Although the entire floor was open, there was a wall hiding the unfinished bakery from view. Whoever had designed this place had done a good job, and the casualness didn’t come off as lazy or uncaring. When I blinked, I could still see the vacant space that Gwen and I had visited all those months ago.
Now, there was an open-style kitchen hugged by a bar, so people could watch their food being made. There were fixtures handing from the high ceiling, and bodies broke in leather seats and booths that had never been used. The smooth brickwork underfoot gave some rustic sense of atmosphere, but there was still a whole lot of class and elegance.
Just like Gwen.
“Here’s your drink, sir. Are you ready to order?” Blinking hard, I smiled automatically at the waitress, and she readied her pen and pad as I nodded.
“The lasagna, please.” She nodded and bounced off towards the kitchen, and I leaned back in my corner booth to sigh. Snatching my beer, my palm tingled from the cold, and I licked my lips before catching sight of Gwen over the rim of the glass. “That look is so hot…”
Gwen was so in her element, and the change in just the past 24 hours was incredible to behold. She’d spent her entire life gearing for this moment, and while she’d experienced it before in San Francisco- this was an entirely new ballgame. Confidence and happiness and pride radiated from her entire body, and I smirked slightly before taking a deep swig of my beer.
Gwen’s uniform slimmed her down some, but her baby bump was still very much in evidence as she leaned to mumble something to a hostess. She greeted every single person that walked through the door personally, with a handshake and a smile, but I didn’t recognize a single face.
“She’s got such a handle on all of this. I didn’t expect it to be this busy.” Across the booth, my mom positively beamed, and I tore my gaze off Gwen. My parents were already eating, and my dad nodded beyond his bite of a fish taco as my mom cut her basil-pesto-chicken-thing. “It tastes exactly the way I remember. Those cooks she has back there are really good at following recipes.”
“They’re culinary students from Charlottesburg, Mom. Gwen and I went to interview them personally at the school-“ Chuckling at the memory from the day after I got back from California, I leaned back in my seat as my mom shot me a smile. “The instructor fangirled really hard- it was interesting to think that chefs are like that about other chefs. Like, you only see the ones on the Food Network and stuff, so it was definitely an experience.”
“I’m sure it helps that Gwendolyn has proper expectations. So, do you know if she just used her old suppliers or their contacts?” Nodding at my dad’s question, I glanced around with a warm, fuzzy feeling in my chest. People littered every flat surface, food was going in and out of the kitchen at break-neck speed, and no tables were left empty for more than two minutes. The bussers were on point, which was nice because they were arguably the most important employees.
“Yeah- they were really good about it, too. She’s a big client, Dad. There was a lot of competition, though. I’ve never been on this side of the desk, so it was shocking that Gwen had these local people falling over themselves to stock her.” Taking a swig of my beer, my gaze flickered to where I’d just seen Gwen, but she had disappeared somewhere. “I wonder where her parents are, though… they were supposed to be here.”
“I’m not going to worry about it-“
“Holy shit!” Jumping at the cheeky tone, I whipped around to find Gwen grinning at me, and I shot her a mock glare as mirth glimmered in her big, brown eyes. “You can’t sneak up on me like that, Gwen.”
“Stop worrying about the things that are wrong, and start being happy about the things going right, Ryan.” Reaching to palm her bump, I only huffed at that, and she turned her attention to my parents. “I hope you’re finding everything enjoyable.”
“I feel like I’m 33 again, my dear. It’s delicious.” Smiling at the sentiment, I turned to my dad as he sighed. “It’s such a shame that we didn’t go to your restaurant in San Francisco.”
“I appreciate that. I’m much happier with this one, though. I have to-“ Gwen stiffened, her nose scrunching up, and I frowned when she turned towards the door. Her ability to sense people that she didn’t like was kinda funny- or, it would’ve been if Thomas wasn’t arguing with the hostess. “I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll come with you.” Shuffling out of the booth, I rubbed Gwen’s back soothingly as we made our way over. There wasn’t even time to reassure her before Tommy noticed us, and he flashed a bright smile as my own lips parted. “Dude- what are you doing arguing with the hostess? Do you not see how many people are here?”
“What-“ Gwen grabbed her brother’s arm and took him into the coat room, and he frowned deeply. “Mom and Dad invited me-“
“Mom and Dad aren’t here, Tommy, and you need to leave before you make a fool of me.” Her irritated snarl surprised me, and she shoved her finger in Tom’s chest as he stared, shocked and slack-jawed. “You didn’t want anything to do with me, remember? You chose not to answer my calls, and you bailed on me all those times before finally deciding to just tell me to fuck off. Well, guess what, Tommy- I didn’t invite you for a damn reason, okay? Now, you need to leave.”
“Wow- okay. No need to be a bitch about it. I thought you’d appreciate the support.” Scoffing while I remained silent, an observer, Gwen glanced beyond me to make sure no one heard her, and her voice dropped dangerously. If Thomas realized in that moment that he was the one being a fucking dick, he didn’t let it show as he clenched his hands by his sides.
“You don’t really think I believe you’re here to support me? Really, Thomas? You’re here for a free meal, to meet influential people- there’s some ulterior motive that has nothing to do with me and everything to do with your selfish ass. You can’t just decide now that you want to pretend to try to fix things, okay? Don’t ever come here- in fact, I’m putting you on the black list. I don’t have time for this, and I don’t care about your feelings. Now, leave.” Thomas opened his mouth, his brows rising high above his reddening face, but Gwen beat him to the punch. Watching all of this, I knew that my best friend expected me to defend him, but I couldn’t.
Not because I was fucking his sister, but because he was wrong.
“No- no, Tommy. You can’t get over the fact that I didn’t want to spend time with you when we were younger? You get uncomfortable being around me? That’s perfectly a-oh-fucking-kay with me. I don’t have the time or the energy to deal with you and your childishness. And- let’s not forget that you accused me to my face of getting pregnant on purpose just to steal attention from the fact that you got a job. Woohoo! You got a job! Welcome to the real world, Tommy, where people get their first job at 18, not fucking 25. If you don’t get out, I have three cops in here right now that I can ask to escort you off my property.”
He turned around and stormed off, my best friend, and I reached to rub the back of my neck as I rocked on my heels. Taking a few stabilizing breaths, Gwen smoothed her shirt and ran her other hand through her hair while I tried to think of something to say.
“Yeah… that was bad… ah- but, at least it wasn’t too embarrassing.” Cringing at the hard glare Gwen shot me, I licked my lips heavily with a shake of my head. “Right- I’ll walk you back out.”
“Thanks.” Rolling my jaw at the curt response, I did as I promised before making my way back to my table. Part of me wondered if Thomas was so deluded that he thought he’d be allowed because Gwen’s parents had invited him. They hadn’t even shown up, and there was no way he didn’t know it.
&
nbsp; Another part of me wondered if Thomas showed up just to be an asshole.
A third part of me wondered if he was telling the truth, and he wanted to provide support whilst also getting a free meal.
Or, maybe, it all those things. I was rarely at my apartment for more than a few hours, lately, but we needed to sit down and have a serious discussion.
But not right now. Right now… I’m going to enjoy my lasagna.
Ryan
“Thomas, who the fuck do you think you are, huh?” Stalking over to Thomas to push his chest, I positively fumed at the sight of his stupid, surprised expression. “What fucking right do you have to show up like that and make a scene, huh? Do you even know how many important people were there for Gwen’s restaurant? Do you understand what they would say if they saw you two arguing?”
“Man, what’s your problem? I left like she wanted me to-“
“You shouldn’t have been there in the first place. Fuck- Tommy, you can’t just try to rebuild that bridge because it’s convenient for you. And, of all fucking times, you chose such an important day-“ Pursing my lips tightly, I stepped back to heave a hot breath through my nose, and Thomas’ eyes flashed with guilt. “You know, these past few months, I feel like Gwen is more my best friend than you. All you do is complain or try to drag me out or make a fucking fool of yourself. I want you to move out.”
“What? Dude, we’ve been friends since we were 4 years old-“ Holding my hand up, my body fraught with tension, and Thomas bit down on his bottom lip hard. My heart ached, but there were better things I could do with my time than try and fail to get him to grow up.
“That’s the thing, though, Tommy. You’ve been my best friend, but how good a friend are you, really? You’ve been hung up on shit that doesn’t really matter, and what’s worse is that you know it doesn’t matter. You can’t keep blaming other people about living their lives. Believe it or not, but you’re not the center of everyone else’s universe. You got a job, and you’ve kept that job, and that’s great- I’m not saying it’s not. Gwen had a point, though. You should’ve gotten that job when it was first presented to you almost a decade ago, but you didn’t because of some stupid, petty reason.” I felt like I was a broken record playing, but, this time, I was going to stand by my decision. “You’ve been working for months, and you haven’t had to pay for anything but your food and whatever else you wanted. So, you should have enough money saved up to get your own place. It can be here- or it can be somewhere else. But you need to get out by July. That’s generously a month and a half away.”
“If you think I’m such a shit friend, why did you put up with me all this time? You’re a fucking hypocrite, Ryan- telling me to man up about Gwen and not doing it yourself.” Bitterness dribbled from Thomas tone like acid, and I frowned as he scoffed loudly. Taking a shallow, stabilizing breath, I shoved my hands into my jean pockets to stop myself from popping him in the mouth. I’d never really had a friend as close as Thomas, but spending so much time with Gwen made me realize a few important things.
“Thomas, I never not wanted to be your friend. I don’t want to end our friendship. I don’t think you’re a shitty friend, either. I just don’t think you’re as good a friend as you can be if you’d just let all that shit you keep building up go. I like spending time with you, and I like going out with you- and I like that we live together… but I don’t like listening to you trash someone for something that happened 20 years ago. I don’t like watching you get plastered even though you told me it’d be a bro night. And I especially can’t stand it when you blame me for being a pussy for not indulging you in shit you should’ve gotten over when we were teens. There’s only so much I can take, and that shit at the restaurant was the last straw. You literally try to drag people down to your level instead of rising up above them, Tommy, and I can’t stop thinking- when are you gunna try that shit with me?” Carefully keeping my irritation from my voice, I held Thomas’ gaze to really drive my point home. It hurt, telling him that I was at the end of my rope, but he needed to realize that this wasn’t sustainable. His face paled some, and he raked his hand through his hair as I sighed heavily.
“That’s what this is about, Tom. When are you gunna hate me for being an actor and having bigger and better opportunities? When are you gunna stand there and tell me that you’re miserable, and it’s my fault- when it’s really just you? Would you even be able to tell me to my face, or would it just fester until you were so bitter about our relative positions in life that something bad happened?” Licking my lips heavily, I shook my head as Tommy tensed, and his eyes narrowed into fine points. “What you did the other day was low, Tom- even for you. You can’t begrudge people for their success when you don’t try for your own. My agent wants me to audition for a huge, starring role- right next to Bruce Willis. I won’t be around to make you feel like you have substance, so you have to do it yourself.”
“… Do you really think I’d ever feel that way about you, Ryan?” The low, cautious question jerked my head in a nod, and Thomas covered his mouth to hide his frown. Blood beat against my ear drums, but it was about time I did what was best for me. If Tommy was holding me back, he needed to go; and, hopefully, this time that notion would get through to him.
“You did it to your own sister, man… and I’m not saying she doesn’t deserve it to an extent, but she’s still your sister. She’s been through shit that you will never understand, and she had to focus on herself and her future. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you, man. You’ve had 12 years to try to fix this, though, and you never did. What does that say about you? When, since she moved back, did we have a conversation where you didn’t mention her?” That seemed to get through to Thomas, and he gasped as his pupils blew wide. Cracking a small, grim smile, I shrugged absently as he tore his eyes off me to stare at some distant point on the floor. “I’m not saying you should turn around and lovey up to her or anything, but if you’re going to not have any relationship with her, you need to stick by it. You’re my best friend, but that was really fucked up, Tom.”
“Y- yeah…” Hiding my surprise when Thomas actually agreed with me, I slumped a little as some of the thickness in the kitchen dissipated. Leaning on the counter, he rubbed his jaw and neck furiously under furrowed brows, and relief surged through me. “Mom said she was going to be a little late, but that she’d be there when I got out for lunch… I wasn’t going to go, but Dad texted and said he wouldn’t make it. Then, I stood outside for a little while until Mom texted me that she wasn’t going to go, either. I thought… I don’t know why- I thought that my showing up would be better than no one.”
“You should’ve told Gwen that rather than call her a bitch.” Huffing a hallow laugh, Tommy only grunted in acknowledgment, and I fished my phone out of my back pocket to check the time. “You want to come with me to check with my agency?”
“Sure. And- Ryan-“ Glancing over at the call, I arched a brow when Tom faltered before sucking up a huge breath. “I’m sorry, man.”
“I accept. Small steps, man.” I was more than content with his apology, and he smiled small as I snatched my keys off the little, circular table. My heart beat easier, and I patted my back pocket for my wallet before speaking up over my shoulder. “Speaking of, how much have you saved up since you started working?”
“All of it, mostly. Honestly… it- it feels good- I never realized until now how much it sucks not to have money of my own.” The sheepish confession earned Tommy a chuckle, and we left my apartment on better footing than when we’d entered. “So- but- seriously, Ryan? Bruce Willis?”
“Yeah- it’s a rogue cop movie- go figure…” Taking the stairs leisurely, I rolled my eyes slightly, and a strange feeling swept through me. “I hope I get it. That’s why I’m going today- the producer came out here to watch me audition.”
When was the last time I spent time with someone other than Gwen and our baby? I dreaded being with Thomas- for obvious reasons- but who else could I turn to that wasn�
��t Gwen? My parents went back to Florida, and not once did either of them mention her pregnancy. I knew my mom felt awful about the whole thing in the airport parking lot, but there was no way she missed it.
With my parents gone back down south, who else could I hang out with that wasn’t Thomas? I really had very few friends that I wanted to spend time with because they fawned over me. They weren’t even friends- they were fans.
Talk about pathetic.
Gwen
Groaning loudly as I gingerly lowered myself into the bath tub, I was once again reminded of the benefits of living in a house and not an apartment. The porcelain tub was big and deep, and I could stretch out my legs without my feet pressing against the other end. Hot water eased the soreness of my muscles, and I closed my eyes to savor the feeling of floating in bliss.
Rubbing my bump, a small smile tilted my lips when my baby squirmed inside me. The movement was almost constant, only ceasing when I went to sleep, and I didn’t let guilt trample this moment alone with him. Ryan was all about our baby; I didn’t begrudge him for being so involved, but…
“Okay… maybe I’d like a little more time to myself…” Mumbling softly, I pursed my lips thinly as I stared into the abyss behind my eyelids. I’d spent four months alone with this baby, so I couldn’t tell him that he needed to un-staple his face from my bump. He was always around, though, and I knew I’d regret wishing he’d leave me alone for a day.
I wasn’t sure how much time past before a rustling downstairs popped open my eyes, and Ryan’s faint curse soon followed. The water was warm, now, and I lifted my hand out of the water to find my fingers pruning. Heaving a content sigh, I carefully stood up, but the sound of liquid sloshing must’ve alerted him to me.