Page 30 of All Our Almosts

“Where is yours?” I ask, scanning the art on the surrounding walls.

“Oh, it’s in the far corner.” Lia points behind the bar. “I’m actually supposed to stay by my work, but when Nolan gets here come find me.”

“Of course.” I squeeze her arm before she dashes away through the crowd, then I take a second to survey the room. The overall vibe is Sexy Hippie Artist. To my left, a woman with long pink braids is talking to a tall man with a mustache and insect tattoos crawling up his arms. To my right, a woman with a shaved head and cat eye makeup is flirting with a veritable Clark Kent.

I lean sideways towards Andy and whisper, “Maybe this is Nolan’s chance to finally meet someone in person. Everyone here is super hot.”

“You think Nolan can pick up someone here but you and I can’t?” he jokes.

“Oh, speaking of, did I tell you I made a date for next weekend with that app guy?”

“Already?” He pulls back in surprise. “You don’t want to, I don’t know, get to know him first?”

“I’ll get to know him on the date. That’s like, the whole point of a first date.” I quirk an eyebrow, daring him to contradict me.

“Well then,” he says, shifting his gaze out to the room, “with you off the market and Nolan being Nolan, it looks like I’ll have my pick of the lot.”

“Stop!” I laugh, swatting his arm. “Nolan is objectively a catch. He’s just… really bad with women?”

We’re both laughing at the truth of it when a beefy hand clasps over each of our shoulders.

“Hey friends!” Nolan exclaims, poking his head between ours. “Whatcha talking about?”

We exchange a guilty, wide-eyed look before I say “Nothing, nothing—hey you” and grab him around the middle in a hug. “Want to go over and see Lia’s stuff? She’s in the back corner. Andy’s brother might stop by too but we’re not sure if he’ll have time.”

“Oh,” Nolan says, realizing that Owen’s possible presence is a big deal. And of course he does—it’s downright weird that he’s never met his best friend’s brother before. “Do you want to hang by the entrance for a bit in case he makes it?”

“Nah,” Andy says. “I wouldn’t wait around.”

Andy’s back is to the door, so I’m the first one to see Owen come in.

There’s certainly a family resemblance between him and Andy, but no one would ever confuse the two. Andy’s about an inch taller and noticeably leaner. They have the same shade of dark brown, wavy hair, but Andy wears his longer. Andy is also clean-shaven, where Owen has a neatly maintained beard. But ultimately, their eyes are the biggest difference: Andy’s are a rich chocolate brown, while Owen’s are an almost uncanny light blue.

I take and squeeze Andy’s hand once to remind him of our plan before I stand on my tiptoes and wave. “Owen!”

He notices me and starts heading over. He’s a little overdressed, in gray slacks and a white button down, but who cares. He came, and I couldn’t be happier for Andy. Even having met him only once before, I can’t resist pulling him into a hug the second he reaches our circle.

“Hey Owen, it’s so good to see you.”

“Great to see you too, Sophie.” He releases me and extends a hand towards Nolan. “Hi, I’m Owen, Andy’s brother.”

Nolan takes Owen’s hand in both of his, shaking enthusiastically. “It’s great to finally meet you, man. I’m Nolan. I can’t believe it’s taken this long.”

Owen and Andy look at each other then. I can almost hear them mentally weighing the pros and cons of a hug versus a handshake. Eventually they settle for the most awkward choice imaginable as Owen offers a small wave from across the circle.

“Hey, thanks for inviting me. I’ve heard of this place but never made it up here.”

“Yeah,” Andy says with a nod. “No problem.”

“How are you?” Owen asks cautiously, like Andy’s a scared kitten he just found on the side of the road. It’s the wrong approach.

“I’m good. How are you?”

“Good. Good. How’s work?”

“It’s good.”

“Yeah?”