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“I’ll take a pitcher of whatever local IPA you have on tap,” I said.
Duncan cocked an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. He ordered himself a bourbon and the waitress scurried away to get our drinks.
“Didn’t think you liked beer,” Duncan said after an awkward silence. “I thought there were too many bad memories associated with it.”
“Well, some things change over time.” I shrugged my shoulders but still didn’t meet my friend’s gaze. I knew it was only a matter of time before he would ask the question I’d been avoiding again.
He waited until we were served our drinks, and for that, I was grateful. I poured myself a glass and chugged down about half of it before taking a breath. Liquid courage.
I filled the glass back to the top. There was a reason I ordered a pitcher; I knew I’d need it to get through this conversation.
“So, you still haven’t explained what happened and where you went. If it wasn’t for my Google searches, I would have feared you were dead.”
“Not dead…just trying to get my life together. That’s all.”
“Seems like you did a damn good job of that, as far as I can tell. You’ve done some great things. The insulin pump, which your company is selling at very little markup and giving away for free to those who can’t afford it, is going to save a lot of lives. You should be proud.”
I never knew how to respond to compliments about my success. “Thanks, Duncan… I always felt like I was falling behind. You and Grace, you always had your lives figured out, and I was struggling for so long.”
“You’re not struggling anymore. I’d say you might be more successful than any of us, and I’m happy to see it. I just wish you hadn’t cut us out of your life while reaching the top.”
I flinched at his words as I finished off a glass of beer then immediately filled it back up again before I continued. I looked my friend in the eye before I spoke.
“I’m sorry… I just, well, I fucked up, Duncan. I really fucked up, and I guess I ran away from everything rather than face it head on like I should have, and for that, I’m sorry.”
Duncan was quiet for a few moments, looking at me with a serious expression on his face.
“I appreciate the apology, Alex, but what did you do that was so bad to just… disappear?”
“I don’t really want to talk about it… Hey, may I ask, how is Grace doing? I figured I’ll call her next, but…”
“She’s doing okay, but I’m not going to tell you about her life. You need to call her and talk to her yourself.”
“I’m not sure she will forgive me.”
“You’d be surprised. She’s missed you.”
I took another big swig from my beer.
“I’ve missed her too,” I said softly, thinking about the last time I saw her. The way her dress hugged her curves… her sweet smile and those brilliant blue eyes that were as beautiful as sapphires. She was easily the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, or maybe it was my unresolved feelings for her coming to the surface again, along with the alcohol in my system. When I drank, I made stupid decisions, just like the night I slept with her.
“I think you need to call her,” Duncan said. “I bet she’ll be pissed at first, but she’ll appreciate hearing from you.”
“How’s work?” I asked, changing the subject intentionally.
“It’s going well… I mean, I work for someone else, an orthopedic surgeon. Grace works there too, as a nurse. I think it’ll be better once I can start my own practice, which hopefully will happen in a few years.”
Duncan kept his eyes on me, as if he still wasn’t sure I was real. He spoke slowly, and the conversation was awkward. Which I should have expected after all these years.
“Is Grace seeing anyone?” As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I felt like punching myself. It was none of my business, and the look on Duncan’s face said pretty much the same.
He took a slow drink of his bourbon and said, “I think that’s a question you should ask Grace.”
“Oh, yeah, of course.”
Silence. I knew Duncan was mulling something over in his mind, but I couldn’t be sure what.
“So… You have feelings for Grace, don’t you?”
