AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We went for a stroll down to the lake and both kinda got lost in memories from back then. I’m pretty sure he was about to kiss me.” I’m in full hot flash mode. Or at least this is what I think it would feel like. The only other times I’ve experienced this feeling of heat rushing through my body have involved unfinished homework assignments.
“What did you do?” my sister asks gently. There’s no judgment in her voice or her eyes.
“I told him we need to keep things professional and walked away.” I shrug, trying to shrug off the thoughts of what could have been.
“And now you regret it,” she says, matter of fact.
“A little. It’s hard to give up on the dream I had back then.”
“And neither one of you has had anyone serious as far as I know.”
That was a surprising and interesting bit of news. I’d always assumed Joe had moved on and was dating out there. Not that I’d stalked him on social media or anything ...
“Did you want to kiss him?” she asks a few minutes later.
“I wanted to. I almost did.” I shake my head.
“Maybe you should,” my sister says.
“I don’t think that would be a good idea.” Tempting, yes. Smart? Definitely not.
“You don’t think it would help get it out of your system? You’ve been on edge the entire time you’ve been here.”
“What if it doesn’t work out? We haven’t seen each other for a long time. We’re both completely different people than we were in high school.” And I made it a point not to date anyone I worked with. So far, that has served me well.
“True. Plus, I wouldn’t want things to get awkward between you two right before the wedding. Tell you what, let’s get through ten more invitations, and we’ll call it a day. I’ll pour us a glass of wine, and we can chat.” Gwen melts more wax and pours it onto the envelope I hand her.
“Let’s make it sparkling water or soda. I have to drive back to Wilmington tonight.”
“How about coffee?” she asks.
I shake my head. “It’s a little late for that. I don’t want to be up all night.” Little did I know I’d come to regret that decision so soon.
“You’ve reached Joe McAlister, please leave a message.”
I press the red end button and toss my phone in the passenger seat. It’s the second time I’ve called Joe since I’ve left my sister’s house. After our talk, I realized Joe and I need to clear the air before we head back to Wilmington. I don’t need things to be weird between us at the office tomorrow morning.
On a whim, I make a right turn and drive to his parents' house. Maybe he left his phone to charge somewhere or packed it already.
“Fiona, how nice to see you! What can I do for you?” Mrs. McAlister asks when I knock on the door of the small brick house I’ve spent so much time in back in the day.
“Is Joe here?” I ask, sounding like a fourteen-year-old.
“He left this morning to get settled in his new place in Wilmington. Didn’t he tell you?”
I shake my head. “New place? He’s not staying at the Hilton?”
“No, he’s moving into his own apartment. They called to say that they got it ready earlier than expected. I’m sure he’s busy getting settled in. I haven’t heard from him all day.”
“That makes sense. I didn’t realize he’d found something. I’ll catch up with him at the office tomorrow.” Not much else I can do with him not answering his phone. And I have no idea where he moved to. He didn’t bother to mention an apartment in all the time we spent together.
“Ask him to call me when he gets a minute. And to send some pictures of the new place.” Mrs. McAlister waves as I pull out of her driveway and head back to my parents’ place to pack and make the trip back home myself.
At least traffic has calmed down. The drive is uneventful but different from my trip up here. I miss Joe’s company and turn on the radio, trying desperately to find some music that will lift my mood. Not even eighties pop does the trick.
“You’re a fool,” I tell myself. “He doesn’t care for you. We both got caught up in the moment in an old, familiar place. That’s all.”
By the time I pull into the parking lot of my condo, I almost have myself convinced that it’s true. And it’s all I can do to keep my eyes open. Until I spot a familiar red Mustang.
