I blink. “What?”
He leans a little closer. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I shrug. “It’s weird being home.”
“How long has it been since you’ve been back?” he asked. “I haven’t seen you in, what? Four years?”
“Yeah. The last time was when you came to see me in New York City.” Guilt edges back in. “It’s nothing personal, Curtis. I’ve been working on a tech start-up in Atlanta the last couple of years, and the hours are insane.”
Phil returns with Curtis’s beer and Curtis takes a sip. When he lowers the bottle, he says, “You haven’t been back to see your parents?”
“I was here for a couple of days for Christmas a few years ago, and for a day or two here and there. Other than that, they’ve come down to Atlanta to see me.”
“What about your brothers and Mallory?”
“I’ve seen them off and on too,” I say, tipping my bottle and shrugging. I drain the bottle and signal to Phil. “Another one, please.”
“Sure.” Phil disappears and comes back with a fresh bottle.
“So, a start-up? Sounds impressive,” Curtis says. “What’s it for?”
“A super-secret proprietary tech. We’re hoping to go live at the end of January, but it’s been a bitch getting all the investors in place. Thank God we’re almost to the finish line. It’s been pretty intense.”
Curtis makes a face. “Sounds awful, if you ask me.”
I can’t deny it. It has been awful, but if this takes off, the last two years will have been worth it.
“Teaching high school can’t be much better,” I say with a laugh, trying to steer the conversation away from me.
He makes a face and reaches for a peanut. “You’d be surprised. I actually like it.” He shrugs and cracks the shell. “I’m young enough to remember all the shit we pulled, so these kids think I’ve hidden cameras all over the school. I catch them at everything they try to do.” He pops the peanut into his mouth and laughs. “I’m definitely not going to tell them that we tried it first.”
I laugh and lift my bottle. “Well, we got away with it.”
“Sure did.” He bumps his bottle against mine, then we drink.
We’re quiet for a moment, before Curtis looks right at me. “We’ve been through a lot, Alex. I know when you’re full of shit, and you’re up to your ears in it.” His eyes hold mine. “Why have you really been staying away?”
A cold sweat breaks out on the back of my neck. If I was going to tell anyone what happened, it would have been Curtis. But it’s been too long, and it feels too late to tell him now. Plus, I can’t handle seeing the disgust in his eyes when I confess.
“Nothing,” I say, squinting at him like he’s crazy. “You know how it is. You grow up. Move away. It’s the way of the world.”
“Is it?” Curtis asks, no sarcasm, just genuine curiosity.
“It is for me.” I take a big swig of beer to help swallow the lump in my throat.
Curtis studies me, and I know he doesn’t buy it. Still, he sits back and gives me a forgiving smile. “I really have missed you, Alex.”
“Me too,” I say. Seeing him in front of me makes me realize how much.
“When are you headed back?”
“New Year’s Day.”
His face brightens. “So, you’ll be here a bit. We need to get together. You can meet my new boyfriend.”
Some of my gloom fades and I beam at him then glance toward the exit. “Was one of those guys him?”
“Nah. Those guys are in my curling club, and Reggie hates curling.”
