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No one would know if I took her bottom lip between my teeth.
“Well, goodnight.”
I remember to breathe, my head clearing. “Yeah. Goodnight.”
I stand there, waiting for her to finish fiddling with her keys and unlock the door. Once she turns the key, she looks over her shoulder at me. “What are you doing?”
“Uh, just making sure you get inside okay, I guess.”
“It’s kind of weird,” she says, and I don’t argue with her. It is weird, but that doesn’t mean I don’t notice the small smile pulling at her lips as she goes inside, shutting the door behind her.
25
margot
Warm sunlight shines through the window of Matt’s Ford Focus as I stare out from the back seat. I’m not really sure how I got here, or how Rae managed to convince me that spending Thanksgiving with Matt’s parents would be a good idea. Going home to Indiana for Thanksgiving and Christmas wasn’t going to happen, so that left us with no family plans. It makes sense for her to spend the holiday with her boyfriend’s family, but me? Maybe I should have stayed in the dorm and eaten my last Cup Noodles.
The thought alone is depressing. Maybe it’s better that I’ll be spending Thanksgiving with someone other than myself. There’s a good chance I would have ended up hangry blogging about the lack of Thanksgiving dishes you can make solely with a microwave. I let out a silent sigh as I stare out the window. When Rae and I made a promise to do everything together our first year of college, this isn’t what I had in mind.
As if she can feel I need the extra encouragement, she looks over her shoulder from the front seat. Her movement tears me away from the window, and I’m met with her grateful, yet apprehensive, smile.
I do my best to smile back, but I know it looks forced. As much as I appreciate the hospitality, I’m still the third wheel in this scenario. I don’t miss Jackson, but at least the scales feel more balanced when he’s here. We saw him before we left, but he wasn’t in a rush. He was still playing guitar on his bed when he nodded our way and gave us a curt goodbye.
I haven’t seen him much since the night he drove me home from his gig. Our constant back and forth may not have been my favorite thing, but at least it was entertaining. Without it, I’m left with only my schoolwork and outlining future blog posts.
I was nice to him that night. I told him I liked his band’s music, I thanked him for giving me a ride home, and the sight of him standing by his door, waiting for me to get inside, has been burned into my mind.
I focus on the passing trees. Autumn doesn’t exist in Florida. Back home, the leaves are changing colors and the temperatures are dropping, but as I stare out at the flat landscape, it looks the same as it did in August. Everything is green.
We’ve been in the car for just over two hours when Matt finally turns into a cute suburban neighborhood. We cruise through the winding streets until he parks in front of a house on a dead-end street. The soft green stucco and stone pillars give the outside of the home a sense of comfort, and the blooming flowers out front are just another reminder of how far I am from home.
I don’t even think Matt has fully put the car in park before a woman in capris and a maroon blouse comes bounding down the two front steps. Her pixie cut leaves her light brown hair neat like the rest of her, and I can’t help wondering if she’s the reason Matt never has anything left out of place.
Stepping out of the car, Matt catches his mom in a hug.
“You’re here!” she squeals excitedly before stepping back and putting both hands on his cheeks so she can give him the once-over. “Are you eating enough? You look thin.”
Matt laughs and steps out of her grasp. He looks over the top of the car at Rae, who gets out of the passenger side, and his mom follows his gaze.
“Oh my goodness!” She bounds around the front of the car. “You must be Rae!” Taking Rae in a hug, she whispers, “He sent me a picture of you two,” like she needs to justify how she was able to recognize her. When she releases her, she adds, “I’m so happy to meet you and have you here with us!”
Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I step out and make my way to the front of the car, unsure about interrupting their moment. Matt’s mom still has a hand on each of Rae’s shoulders when she looks at me. “Margot!”
I blink, caught off guard by her knowing who I am.
She lets go of Rae and trots over. “Everyone gets a hug here,” she says with a laugh, and I can’t help doing the same when her arms fling around my shoulders.
“You have a beautiful home.” Now that I’m able to get a closer look, even the pine bark around the flowers looks freshly placed.
She pulls back and the warmth in her eyes is almost overwhelming. It’s the type of warmth I’ve longed to see in the reflection of my own mother’s eyes, but all I ever got was a lift of a brow and a subtle sense of disapproval.
Matt’s mom gives my shoulders a squeeze in thanks before bringing her attention back to her son and Rae. She beams. “Come in. Come in.” Waving for us to follow, she bounds back up the steps. “I hope you kids are hungry! We’ve got plenty of food!”
“Come on,” Matt says to Rae and me before he puts his arm around my best friend. “I’ll introduce you to my dad.” Leaning forward, Matt looks past Rae to me, as if making sure I’m okay.
I smile at him, and I’m relieved the gesture comes naturally. I may be far from home, and I’m definitely the third wheel, but at least I’m surrounded by good people.
Walking through the entryway, each room is perfectly decorated with a combination of traditional décor and family photos sprinkled throughout. The only thing that doesn’t match the rest of the house is a dark green leather recliner and the tank of a man sitting in it.
