by Cece Peters
“Thanks for sharing that, Krista,” I said sarcastically as I gave her a dirty look. “Really appreciate it.”
Matty laughed and said, “I’m happy to hear that I was missed! And hearing that someone was devasted actually makes me feel a lot better about the whole thing!” Matty said with a smile as he gave me a wink.
And with that, the three of us laughed, although I really had to fake it. And at the height of the laughter I kicked Krista’s shin under the table.
“Ow! Leah, that hurt!”
“Oh, I’m sorry; I thought that was the table leg. My bad!” I hoped Krista would end up with a nice big bruise to remind her to keep her mouth shut in the future. She deserved a lot more than a kick to her leg to make up for my being completely mortified. I would not have blamed Matty if he got up and ran away; he thought he was catching up with an old friend, but Krista painted a picture of me as a love sick crazed lunatic. I honestly wanted to die right then and there.
“In all seriousness,” Mathew said to Krista, “I was pretty devastated myself, as I was telling Leah.” He looked at me and gave me a sweet smile. “If I could go back in time, I would have figured out a way to stay in touch. I will always regret that I didn’t try harder. But I am so glad we have reconnected. Here’s to second chances.” And with that, Matthew raised his beer bottle and I raised my wine glass and we clinked them together. Krista, with no drink, chimed in with her stack of metal bangle bracelets; although I think the toast was meant to be between Matty and me. And Krista was actually lucky that she did not have a drink, as I will so pissed off at her that I would have likely ‘accidentally’ found a way to spill it all over the front of her pretty dress.
“So, are you two coming back in or are you going to sit out here all night? Leah, people want to talk to you!” Krista said as she stood up.
“Ugh, do I have to? How much longer does this thing go on for, anyway?” I sighed, resigned that the chances of me getting out of at least making one round of “hello’s” were slim to none.
“At least you guys know people,” Matthew said. “I don’t know anyone, and I have no way out until Leah is ready to leave, seeing she’s my ride.”
“How about this? Leah, you bring in Matthew and make the rounds. Should take you about an hour….”
“An hour?!” I exclaimed, interrupting her. “I can move faster than that.”
“Fine,” Krista sighed, rolling her eyes. “Say your hellos, get in your hugs, and then you and Matthew can leave. You two can sneak off the way you did when we were kids to do whatever it was that you used to. I personally intend to stay until this party is officially done!”
Matty laughed and I gave a resigned sigh before I finally stood up and said, “Come on, Matty; help me schmooze my way outta here!”
And with that, the three of us headed back inside and I circled the room to say hello to my former classmates. I introduced Matty as an old friend of Krista’s and mine; no way was I saying he was Molly’s boyfriend. Matthew never volunteered that information, either, so it wasn’t like I was lying about anything. At several points we held hands to make sure we stayed together as we moved through the crowd. I suspected people thought we were a couple, and I was happy to oblige that, especially if that news somehow made it back to Molly. And I had to admit that it was good to see most everyone in person after so many years; we ended up staying slightly over an hour. I told myself that the evening counted as a year’s worth of socialization for me, and that I was now free to leave.
After confirming that Krista would be able to get a ride home with someone else and hugging her goodbye with promises to talk to her soon – and a whisper in her ear that I was not yet done with punishing her for embarrassing me – Matthew and I headed towards my car.
“This is a really nice town; feel like driving me around a bit to show me the sights before dropping me back off at my hotel?” Matthew asked as he buckled up. “Unless you have to get home?”
“Of course we can take a drive,” I replied a bit too eagerly. My dogs were safe at home, likely sleeping the night away; and they had a doggy door they could use to access the yard if nature called. Plus, I had a security camera hooked up that fed into an app on my phone so that I could check on both the inside and outside of my house at any time; it was almost as good as me physically being there.
“Not sure how much you can see of the area in the dark, but I’ll take you around to some of the better lit places. The college is always illuminated at night, so we’ll definitely drive over there.” And with that, I drove the short distance to my alma mater and place of employment. Granted, Lakeview was a small town, so everything was a short distance drive. But the campus was all lit up and looked beautiful. “I’d forgotten how pretty this place looked at night,” I said to Matthew, still feeling a sense of wonder that he was actually here, talking to me and sitting next to me in my car. “I haven’t taught a night class in years, so I’m usually home well before dinner.”
“This is a such pretty campus. Did you live in the dorms?” he asked.
“Yes, Krista and I roomed together every year in the dorms, actually. So, I survived not only leaving home and completing college, but I also managed to live with Krista in a tiny room. For four years. And not kill her!”
“She is a character,” Matthew said, laughing. “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone as…. perky…as she is.”
“Yes, Krista is definitely perky,” I agreed. “She’s a walking energy drink!”
“So, where was your dorm?” Matthew asked.
“We actually lived in four different halls, one for each year. Here is the first place we stayed, Chamberlin Hall. This was the girl’s freshman residence. Across the street is Preston House, which was for the sophomore girls.” I drove a couple of blocks further to point out where we had lived our junior year, which was Wright Hall; and up another block to Crawford, where we lived our senior year. “The boys’ dormitories are across campus,” I said as I gestured in their direction.
“So, no co-ed accommodations?” Matty asked with a smirk on his face. “That is good to hear. I wouldn’t have liked it if you were living next door to some frat boy.”
“No frat boys here,” I said with a laugh. “Lakeview has no Greek system, which was a bonus for me. I had enough of stuck up rich boys in high school.” At that jab, I turned and stuck my tongue out at Matty.
“Hey, I resemble that remark!” Matty laughed before shaking his head and adding, “Adolescent boys are awful. I apologize on behalf of all teenage males everywhere.”
“Well, teenage girls can be pretty bad, too. So can college girls,” I added, thinking of Molly. “Hence why being an adult is so great: you can live where you want and be friends with who you want, plus you get a bigger allowance.”
“Ah, earning your own money is nice,” Matty agreed. “But sometimes I do miss getting an actual allowance from my parents.”
“True,” I agreed. “And having someone to do my laundry. And not having to drive everywhere. Or cook. Or take care of home improvements. Or pay taxes. What was so great about adulthood, again?”
Both of us just laughed and then continued the drive around campus, me pointing out the library, cafeteria, book store, and the building where my office was located, which was of course the English department. I also showed him a nearby apartment complex where I had lived with Krista while I completed my Master’s. I was suddenly reminded of just how small my life had been and was; it had completely revolved around Lakeview and the larger city over, Lincoln, for ten years now.
“So, did you have a boyfriend in college? Or, do you have one now,” Matthew asked, glancing over at me.
“Oh, um. No boyfriend now,” I admitted. “A few here and there, over the years. No one worth mentioning, ha-ha!” I hoped me laughing it off would cause him to drop the subject as I really did not want to relieve my horrible dating history. “What about you? Anyone serious over the years?” I had momentarily forgotten about Molly, but cring
ed at the thought of her, even though he had already said it wasn’t serious between them. I didn’t really want to know about his love live, but I also knew that I had to ask. After all, two former best friends catching up usually meant that everything was on the table. And after Krista had told Matty how depressed I was after he left, I really wanted to play down any potential romantic feelings he may have thought I once had. I thought asking about relationships helped cover my tracks.
“I didn’t have a steady girlfriend in high school, but I had a couple in college. And a couple after college. None lasted more than a year. In the end, it always seemed that they were more interested in my family’s money than in me. There are a lot of young, single people who work at our firm. It feels like a college campus sometimes with everyone dating everyone else and then getting into arguments about it. It can be worse than junior high sometimes, you know?”
I nodded my head “yes,” but the truth was that I didn’t know. The English department felt like working in a library, so Molly’s prediction of my future work environment was somewhat correct. Most of my co-workers were older, and the atmosphere was generally quiet. Plus, since the campus and town were both rather small, the entire area was peaceful. I had left the busyness and drama of a larger school and city behind long ago. But with Matty sitting next to me, I suddenly longed for the people and traffic of Springville as the hustle and bustle of living in a more populated area reminded me of the time I’d spent with him.
“L.A. is emotionally exhausting for me,” Matthew admitted. “I sometimes can’t believe I’ve stayed there as long as I have. I guess I didn’t know where else to go. I seem to have fallen into a bit of rut. Honestly, Leah, I have felt lost since we moved to California; I’ve just never fit in the way I did back in Springville. Even though I didn’t move there until sixth grade, it has always felt like my hometown.”
Once again, my heart sank hearing him talk about the years after he moved away. And again, I felt disgusted with myself for ever being cross with him. He had left me with a broken heart, but he himself had been broken, too.
I continued our drive around Lakeview, leaving campus and going round to the main commercial area with the typical chain stores and restaurants. I then headed into downtown, which was a boulevard lined with street lamps and cute boutique shops and eateries. At the end of the street was a park with a large white gazebo. It had a very Gilmore Girls feeling to it, which was one of the things I loved most about the town.
“This place reminds me of Gilmore Girls,” Matthew said.
“Wait! What? How do you know about Gilmore Girls?” I asked, stunned that he had any clue about the show.
“Hey, I’m a sensitive guy; I like me some Lorelai and Rory drama sometimes!” Matthew laughed and looked around. “There is even a little coffee shop, just like Luke’s!”
“I don’t know whether to be impressed or frightened that you know this information,” I said, giving him a deliberately suspicious look. “But, yes, that little coffee joint does remind me of Luke’s, too. Want to go in?”
“Definitely; I need something to kill the taste of the peach schnapps. The beer wasn’t enough to do the trick.” And with that, we exited the car, crossing the street to the Java Joint. At nine o’clock at night, it was empty except for one customer. We walked up to the counter and ordered: a coffee with double shots of both cream and sugar for Matthew, a hot chocolate for me. We then found a table in the corner and waited for our drinks to be brought out, which they were within a couple of minutes.
“So, what is your schedule like this coming week,” I asked casually, stirring the whipped cream into my hot chocolate while secretly hoping he would have some more time to spend with me but trying not to get my hopes up about it. I knew I should be happy with just this evening. Reconnecting with Matthew and filling in the years we had been apart had really helped me heal from the wounds of the past. I told myself not to get greedy; that I may not see Matty again after tonight. I needed to brace myself for that possibility and figure out how to be okay with it, to be happy with what I had already been given.
“I have two meetings over in Lincoln at the Miller Sports Foundation; we’re hoping to partner with them on some inner-city initiatives. They are based here but do work all over the country. I have one meeting Monday and the second on Wednesday. I fly back to California on Friday.”
“Oh,” I said, too shy to dare invite him to see me again.
“So, as long as you are free, I’ll have plenty of time to hang out with you, if you want?” Matthew smiled at me, that same sweet smile I remembered from long ago.
“Of course,” I replied, a bit too eagerly. “I mean, other than a few odds and ends at work, I’m pretty much free all week,” which was a lie, but I was already figuring out how to rearrange my schedule to make time to spend with Matty.
We sipped our hot drinks and continued catching up. Just when it seemed we were done talking, another memory would surface and we would start chatting all over again. By the time the coffee shop closed at eleven we were both a bit hoarse from talking for so long. We got back into my car and I drove him back to The Roosevelt, remembering with a sick feeling that he would be reuniting with Molly at some point, depending on when she came back from her night of partying. I did not want to even think that they might be sharing a room.
“Molly is leaving for the airport first thing in the morning; I’m assuming she’s taking a taxi or a ride share or something. So, maybe we can meet back up for lunch? I would love to see your house. I mean, if you are free? And want me to cover over?” Matthew asked with a chuckle. “Sorry, I guess I just invited myself!”
“Um, yes, I’m free, for sure, and I would love to have you over,” I said with a laugh. “How about I pick you up at eleven tomorrow morning? Sundays are a nightmare at the local restaurants, so I could grab some food for us to eat back at my place, if that’s okay?” I also wanted to avoid public places as I did not want to deal with the last of the reunion crowd who were still in town. I wanted to keep Matthew to myself, to be able to have his full attention and to talk to him in peace.
“That sounds great!” Matty said with a smile. We exchanged cell numbers before he got out of the car. However, he quickly sat back down and turned to me. “Leah, I’m so glad to have found you again,” he said and leaned over to kiss my cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” And with that I watched him walk into the lobby of The Roosevelt. I sat in my car for a few moments just to fully absorb the evening’s events. I knew I needed to get home to my dogs and to get some sleep; but I also knew sleep would not come easily as my mind and heart were racing a mile a minute.
Once back home, I took the dogs outside and let them play in the yard for a bit before coming back in and giving them their nightly treats along with a few extra to make up for my absence. I did my usual nightly routine of giving them fresh water and getting their breakfast bowls ready for the morning. I then headed upstairs to shower, letting my hair down while looking at my reflection in the mirror above the sink before stepping under the stream of hot water, regretting that I had to wash the spot on my cheek that Matty had just kissed. I showered and got into my pajamas, which were just a pair of knit booty shorts and an old tee shirt. I was too wound up to get into bed, so I went back downstairs. I flopped onto the couch and immediately found myself with two giant labs on my lap. I snuggled with them, giving them both prolonged belly rubs and ear scratches. I turned on the television and tried to catch up on the news. But I could not concentrate on the TV. All I could think about was Matty. And for the first time in years, thinking about him did not make me sad or mad, nor did it make me cry. I let myself happily replay the evening’s events in my mind before finally heading to bed shortly after one in the morning. I could not wait until the next day when I would get to see Matty again.
CHAPTER FOUR
“What was that all about last night?” Krista practically barked into the phone. “Did you end up sleeping with Matty?” Krista had begu
n texting me at six o’clock in the morning after the reunion, but I had just ignored the notification sounds; of course, always glancing at the screen to make sure it wasn’t Matty. I would have gladly woken up to talk to him. Krista, however, I was not in a rush to speak to, especially after she had embarrassed me so badly the night before. But, at eight, she stopped trying to message me and started calling every few minutes; I finally couldn’t stand listening to the constant ringing of my phone and clicked on the “answer” icon.
“What? No! Krista, for crying out loud!” I replied sternly into the phone. “I took him for a drive around town, we stopped for coffee, and then I dropped him off at his hotel. Of course I didn’t sleep with him! Geez!” I paused a moment before adding, “We are, however, meeting up later for lunch. Molly left, but Matty is here through Friday.”
“Ohhhh…. you two all alone together all week!” Krista said, with an almost evil cackle in her voice. “I can’t wait to see what happens!”
“We’re not going to be together all week,” I replied, as I pulled a sleeveless button front dress from my closet; it was navy blue with tiny white flowers printed on it and it fell to just above my knees. “He has work over in Lincoln. And I have work, too, you know. And stuff to do. And besides, you aren’t going to see anything here, are you, since you are heading out on vacation, right?”
“Crap, you’re right. The flights to Hawaii are non-refundable; I really need to get on the road to the airport, to be honest. But as much as I am looking forward to a week at the beach, I’d love to be here to witness the reunion of Leah and Matty in person!”