My Holiday Reunion

by Parker, Weston

  I smiled and nodded. “Yes. It’s something you wear to spice up an outfit. To make it look a little nicer. Does that make sense?”

  Asher’s face scrunched together in thought. “The same as cufflinks?”

  “Yes, exactly the same.”

  I was buttoning up my black shirt as Asher entertained himself with going through the rest of my things. The suit I was wearing was black and perfectly tailored to fit me. My tie was dark purple, picking up on the color in the pattern of the pocket square. Once I had everything on, I stood back. “What do you think, Ash?”

  He looked me up and down. “It’s very fancy.”

  “Yeah, it should be,” I said, straightening out my jacket.

  “Then it looks good, Dad.”

  “Right answer, kiddo,” I said, ruffling his hair as I walked past him and out into the hallway. He followed after me.

  “What time do you have to leave?”

  I glanced at the watch on my wrist. “Pretty soon. About ten minutes.”

  “What time will you be home?”

  We started making our way downstairs. “I’m not sure. Probably after you’re in bed, though. But I’ll see you in the morning. You and Grandpa get to hang out tonight. Maybe you could go easy on him and not force him to watch that cartoon with the genie in it?”

  “Aladdin?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, that one. You’ve watched it with him a thousand times.”

  “Because it’s good.”

  I chuckled, and we moved into the kitchen. “Sure it is. But it loses its appeal after the hundredth time you see it.”

  He made a face. “Not for me.”

  I shook my head to myself. No matter how successful I was in the courtroom, this clearly wasn’t an argument I was going to win. Aladdin was a household staple.

  My father came into the kitchen from the living room. “Nice suit. Looks sharp.”

  “Thanks,” I said, straightening out the jacket and giving it a tug forward. “You’re sure it’s not too much for a silly high school reunion?”

  “There’s nothing silly about it. And no, it’s not too much. You look great.”

  I appreciated his compliment. “And you’re still good spending the night with Asher? I asked him not to force you to watch Aladdin, but no promises that’ll pan out.”

  Asher smiled up at me.

  My father laughed. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll be just fine on our own. We always are, aren’t we Ash?”

  “Yep!”

  “Okay. Good.” I glanced at my watch again. Might as well head out now in case there was any traffic. “Well, I’m gonna get out of here. You two have fun. Don’t do anything crazy. And I’ll see you in the morning.” I bent down and gave Ash a hug and a kiss on the head.

  “Bye, Dad! Have fun!”

  My father walked me to the front door. He and Asher stayed there on the front stoop as I reversed out of the driveway. Then we waved, and I hit the road, heading to my old school.

  It loomed before me when I took a right on Old Smithe Road. The school was old, fully brick, and trimmed in white paint, which was new. It looked cleaner than I remembered.

  I parked my car in the lot two spots down from where I used to park my old beat-up Ford pickup truck when I was a student. It was strange to be driving a black luxury Beamer instead now.

  A couple other people I didn’t recognize were arriving as well, so I made my way across the lot to the front doors. Inside in the main foyer, a huge banner was hung that read “WELCOME GRADS OF 2004”. It was written in our school colors, yellow and blue, and nostalgia wrapped itself firmly around me.

  Two young girls, high school students here most likely, were sitting at a table. In front of them were clipboards, and I walked over to them. They asked my name and marked a check beside it on their form.

  I peered down. “Would you be able to check if someone is here yet for me?”

  One of the girls, a brunette with braces and a chipper personality, nodded. “Sure thing. What’s the name?”

  I cleared my throat. “Uh, Lina Nelson.”

  The girl ran her finger up and down the page until she got to the last names starting with N. She dragged the tip of her finger across the page to the little square by Lina’s name. “Nope. She’s not here. Maybe she’ll come later.”

  “Yeah. Maybe.”

  “Here are your drink tickets,” the girl said. “This is for beer, wine, or cocktails. The bar is on your left when you go in. And I imagine you remember where the restrooms are?”

  I smiled. “Sure do.”

  “Great. Have a good evening, sir.”

  “I will. Thank you.”

  I made my way down the main hall to the gymnasium, following the signs that pointed in that direction for the reunion. I arrived outside the main entrance, two wide metal double doors that led into the gym. The hardwood floors were just as scuffed as I remembered as I stepped in. It smelled like plastic and floor cleaner and old gym uniforms.

  Exactly like it used to.

  I looked around at the setup. It was well done. The ceiling was filled with sheer drapings that hung down about halfway, ending maybe three or four feet above my head. It gave the place a much more sophisticated look, and once I was inside, it didn’t really feel like a gym anymore.

  Tables were set up all over the place and covered in white table cloths. White seat covers were draped over the chairs and secured with blue ribbon. Candles burned on every table, and twinkle lights framed the setup where the buffet was. In the north corner was a stage where I presumed the live entertainment would happen.

  “Well, look what we have here,” a familiar, friendly voice said from behind me. “Callum Gabriel.”

  I turned around to find David smiling at me. He held out his hand, and I gripped it before we both drew each other in for a half hug. It was more of a shoulder bump, and it was how we had greeted each other when we were kids. “David, you look great, man. How are you?”

  “I’m good. Better now that you’re here. I thought there was a good chance you might bail.”

  “There was,” I admitted. “You know this isn’t my scene.”

  He nodded. “I know. Your scene is courtrooms and sophisticated restaurants.”

  I laughed. “That’s not true.”

  “No?”

  I shrugged. “Well, maybe it’s a little true.”

  David grinned. “Just a little?”

  I rolled my eyes at him. “Drop it. Where are we supposed to sit? Does it matter?”

  “Nope. Open seating. I was surprised too. Usually the people who plan these things are super uptight about everything, from the seating plan to the menu.”

  “It’s not a wedding, David.”

  “Thank God for that. Weddings are nothing but massive snooze fests. The last one I went to was—” He stopped talking abruptly and blinked.

  I nodded. “I know. It’s all right. Mine and Claire’s?”

  “Yeah. Sorry, man. That was a stupid thing to say. I wasn’t thinking.”

  “It’s all right,” I said, clapping him on the shoulder.

  “How’ve you been, since, you know?” His eyebrows waggled to help him avoid using more words.

  “I’m hanging in there.”

  “And how’s Asher doing?”

  I smiled. “Asher is a little champ. He’s bounced back. Having my dad basically living with us has been a huge help. He’s in first grade and loving it. His favorite place is the zoo. He loves all living things so much that he won’t eat meat. So that’s been fun to navigate.”

  David snickered. “You making lots of Buddha bowls at home?”

  I scowled at him. “No.”

  “Liar.”

  “I’ve made a few,” I admitted. “And they’re not as bad as you think. They’re actually really good and fresh. You’d like them.”

  David held up his hand. “Yeah, yeah. Save your tree-hugging speech for the next guy, will you? I will never say no to a sirloin steak smothered in pep
percorn sauce.”

  “Neither will I,” I said. “But my son will. And he watches you eat it with this disapproving look. It makes you remember what you’re actually swallowing. If I eat meat, I do it when he’s not around.”

  “Kids.” David chuckled. Then his eyes shifted to something over my right shoulder. His lips parted, and he sucked in a sharp breath. “Holy fucking shit.”

  “What?” I asked, turning on the spot and following the direction he was looking.

  I figured out what he was looking at right away.

  Lina Nelson had just walked in.

  Good lord.

  She was even more beautiful than I remembered. Her hair was incredibly long and gently curled, hanging in shimmering waves down to the middle of her back. She was wearing a floor-length dark purple dress that flowed around her legs with each step she took. A glittery pendant sat on a chain at her throat and matched the jewelry flashing on her left wrist.

  She walked like a goddess, moving between bodies of people as she and the girl she was with made their way into the gymnasium. I realized the other girl was Kelli Rollins. Of course.

  “Wow, they look amazing,” David said. “I can’t believe Lina is actually here. Did you know her modeling career took off? She’s been in shoots for—Cal? Hey, Cal. Where are you going? Dude, I don’t think that’s a good idea!”

  David’s voice faded away behind me as I moved through the crowd to the girl I’d been head over heels in love with in high school, the only girl I’d ever loved besides Claire.

  She didn’t see me coming until I was almost upon her. And by then, it was too late. She had to look me in the eye.

  Her gaze was as bright and wondrous as I remembered. And green. So fucking green. Her glossy lips parted in surprise, and she took a half a step backward into Kelli, who sucked in a breath and said, “Oh no.”

  10

  Lina

  I ran my hands down my hips, smoothing out the silky fabric of my royal purple dress. As we walked up to the front doors of the high school, my stomach wrapped itself into a tight little knot, and I nervously fidgeted with the straps of my dress, wishing I had held my ground and told Kelli I wouldn’t be coming to this stupid reunion.

  I would have much preferred to be at the house, sipping tea, and catching up with Judy.

  “Stop fidgeting,” Kelli scolded, slapping my hand away from my strap. “You look beautiful, as always.”

  “I’m just nervous.”

  “Why? We’re grown-ass women. There’s nothing to be nervous about.”

  There are plenty of things to be nervous about. “I’ll feel better once we’re inside.”

  Kelli went through the double front doors first. I followed her into the hallway and almost stopped dead. It was exactly how I remembered. Even the smell. Musky teenage boy and cotton candy-scented body spray. The walls were the same cream color, and the lockers down the hall to the right and left were still royal blue.

  “Wow,” I breathed.

  “Talk about a blast from the past,” Kelli muttered as we joined the line forming in front of a table in the hallway, where two young high school girls sat. I didn’t recognize the two couples in front of us.

  After they had their tickets, we arrived at the front of the line. Another woman, one with a familiar crooked smile and cunning brown eyes, came down the hall and stood behind the girls at the table. She peered down at the list of names before them as one of the girls lifted her eyes to us and smiled. “Hello. Names please?”

  The woman peering over her shoulder answered before either of us had the chance. “Kelli Rollins and Lina Nelson.”

  The girl went through the list to seek us out.

  The woman, who I recognized as Caitlin Nowell, gave me a not-so-sweet smile. She and I had not gotten along well back in the day. In fact, she’d often seen to it that I was miserable. On more than one occasion, she had spread foul rumors about me—some of them involving Cal. Some involved other boys. When I met her gaze, one thing became crystal clear: she still wasn’t my biggest fan.

  “Hi, Caitlin,” Kelli said. Her voice dripped with false nicety as she watched the girl check off our names on her list. “Nice seeing you. Lina and I are going to run in and start mingling.”

  Kelli hooked her arm through mine and tugged me away from the table. We moved down the main hall toward the gymnasium where I could already hear music. “Thank you,” I breathed. “I was not in the mood to deal with her.”

  “I don’t think anyone is ever in the mood to deal with Caitlin. Mind you, I’m sure she’s not as bad now. She can’t be. Fifteen years should be enough time to get your shit straight, don’t you think?”

  “I’d hope.”

  “Besides, she probably knows who you are now. Your face is on ads everywhere.”

  I sighed. “Right.”

  When we stepped through the gymnasium doors, I was struck with memories. Memories of assemblies, Mothers Against Drunk Driving seminars, Christmas dances, prom, Cal’s basketball games—

  “This is insane,” Kelli whispered beside me. “Look, there’s Ty Whitwell. And Brandon Connery. And is that Annabelle? Damn, she looks smoking hot! You know, I heard through the grapevine that she’s a psychology professor at some swanky university in Texas.”

  “Texas?” I asked.

  “Yeah, she moved there after she got married.”

  I glanced around the gym. “There must be at least half of us here. That’s a pretty good turnout, right?”

  “For a grad class of over a thousand kids? Yeah. I’d say so.” Lina pointed to a stage in the corner. “Looks like there’ll be some entertainment later. And look! A snack buffet. Come on. Let’s go scope it out for later. I think I see chocolate-dipped strawberries.”

  “Always with the food,” I muttered as she took my hand and pulled me through the sea of bodies across the gym. We drew up in front of the buffet.

  Kelli clapped her hands together. “What a nice spread!”

  I couldn’t argue with that. Whoever was on the planning committee had done an excellent job. Pastries and slices of baguette sat beside a tray of various assortments of cheese, including a baked brie wheel smothered in cranberry chutney and candied pecans. My stomach growled. Cheese was my kryptonite.

  The table also had fresh vegetables and dip, mini sandwiches, chocolate fondue, a selection of fruits, and Christmas cookies.

  “Dinner is being catered,” Kelli told me. “I suppose this is appetizers and desserts.”

  I picked up a piece of bread and smothered it with brie and cranberry. I popped it in my mouth and nodded appreciatively. “So good,” I mumbled with my mouth half full.

  “Oh no.” Kelli sucked in a sharp breath and swatted at my hand as I reached for another piece of bread.

  “What?” I scowled, still chewing.

  “Swallow, Lina. Swallow!”

  I winced as I choked down my mouthful, which was not nearly chewed enough. It hurt my throat. “What’s with you?”

  She pointed behind me, and I turned.

  Then it all made sense.

  There he was. Callum Gabriel. Naturally, he looked fine as hell in his black suit, crisp tie, and paisley-patterned pocket square. His black hair was short and slicked back. The new hairstyle suited him better than his floppy high school cut had. He was clean shaven, which showed off his jaw, which was much squarer than I remembered. As he drew up closer, I became very aware of just how bright his blue eyes were.

  “Oh shit,” I said.

  Cal drew to a stop in front of us and mindlessly popped open the buttons of his suit jacket. It fell open to reveal a form-fitting black vest underneath. Damn, he was fit. His broad shoulders tapered down into a narrow waist. He was a man now.

  He nodded at me. “Hey, Lina.”

  “Hi.” My voice sounded weak. Hollow.

  “Cal,” Kelli said in greeting beside me. “You look good.”

  “Thanks. So do both of you.”

  Cal didn’t just look good
. He looked incredible. I swallowed.

  His gaze flicked to meet mine. “Lina, can I get you a drink?”

  I shook my head. “Thank you, Cal, but Kelli and I have to go mingle.”

  He nodded. “No problem. Maybe later?”

  “Yeah. Maybe.”

  I reached for Kelli. She was there, hooking her arm through mine again in a show of not so subtle support. We both smiled at him and walked as normally as we could manage away from the buffet spread and across the gymnasium.

  “Oh my God,” I breathed. “Oh my God. Oh my God.”

  “I know, right?” Kelli gushed. “He looks so fucking good! That’s unreal. I mean, we thought he was a looker fifteen years ago, but he really grew into that jaw. And those shoulders. And—”

  “Kelli,” I said sharply. “You’re not making this easier.”

  “Sorry,” she said. We ducked between a few chatting people and found an open table to sit down at. A waiter appeared with two bottles of wine, one red and one white. We both opted for a glass of red, and he topped off the empty glasses in front of us before flitting away to help someone else.

  I rested my hand on the base of the wine glass and dragged my finger up the stem. “I can’t believe I was foolish enough to think he wouldn’t be here.”

  Kelli shook her head. “I didn’t think he’d show either.”

  I sighed. “How embarrassing.”

  “Why is it embarrassing? You look like a smoke show, Lina. Maybe this is a good chance for you to, I don’t know, get some answers? You should take him up on that drink. Ask him the questions that you’ve had for him since that night.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t need to talk to him about anything. It was a long time ago.”

  “That doesn’t mean it doesn’t still hurt,” she said.

  No words had ever felt truer. That night was still a dark stain on my memory. What should have been a joyous evening, dedicated to celebrating, had become a night of horrible, horrible change. Everything I had mapped out for my future had suddenly been ripped away from me.

  It was devastating. And it was Cal’s fault.

  “I think if I talked to him, I’d just start yelling. Or crying. And I don’t know which one is worse.”