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I sighed. “I miss this friendly us.”
“We should have continued trying to hook each other up with blind dates instead of sleeping together. We wouldn’t have had that baby scare mess us up.”
“I know, right?”
“Ending my friendship with you definitely wasn’t my brightest move. Am I too late to fix that now?”
“Too late to haveyouback into my life? In case you haven’t noticed, I’m kinda lonely here. It’s never too late.”
“Good. Then you agree that today we should celebrate together like we did every other year before. No, actually, better than before. You’re in the big city now. We must celebrate the New Year’s here with something big. How about a gala?”
“How are we supposed to find a reservation anywhere at this last minute?”
“Did I tell you I just sold my company for a big sum enough to buy any reservation I want? You just worry about which dress you’re going to wear. I’ll run back to town, find my tux and I’ll be back here in a few hours, alright?”
“Remind me when was the last time you were this spontaneous.”
“Never. That’s when.” He stood up, pulled out his wallet and tossed a few bills on the table. “Now let’s go. You got to go spend the next hour rummaging through your wardrobe.”
We exited the cafeteria and I felt like walking on cloud nine. It had been quite a few weeks since my last good day. Honestly, I can’t even remember which day that was. Today was a fantastic one.
I got my best friend back.
Joe was just as happy as me. We just couldn’t resist hugging again. The kind of hug you’d never want to tear away from. Until we realized we were kind of blocking the way on the pavement. We said our see-you-laters and since Joe was parked the opposite way from where I lived, we parted ways.
I bet the teeth-baring grin I wore was the brightest among all the cheerful pedestrians on this celebratory day. If the pavement wasn’t too busy with people, I might just hop home like a little girl. That was how happy I was.
The calling of my name stopped me in my tracks and made me swivel around as if on hypnosis. My brain took a second to comprehend what my ears really heard, that it was the call of my full name. It took an even longer second to be sure what my eyes were seeing. The immaculate glossy black car.Hiscar… And him.
Yes, there he was in the flesh, leaning against his treasured car, just a few feet away from me, wearing the most blank expression.
“Sam?”
That wasn’t my voice. My voice was stuck in my throat. It was Joe’s. He was heading back towards me from behind Sam, jogging through the pedestrians.
As soon as Sam spotted Joe, he inched for me to clasp my hand with a tight clutch and tugged me with him around his car.
“I just want to talk, Lucille.” Sam assured me as he opened the passenger door and guided me inside.
I was too stunned to argue or resist to his kidnapping.
“Hey.” With a hurried jog, Joe reached us. He jostled Sam away from me, slamming his back to the car not so gently. “What the hell are you doing here? Did you follow me? You fucking followed me?” Joe’s frown of fury was one I’d never seen before.
“You said you were meeting a friend. She’s your only friend.” Sam matched his rage.
“So you’ve been parked here the entire time Lucy and I have been in that cafeteria? What the hell, man? That’s not cool.”
From my seat in Sam’s car, I grabbed Joe’s hand. “It’s okay, Joe. He just wants to talk. Wait for me out here, will you?”
As much as I wasn’t entirely sure if I did actually want to talk with Sam and despite how much I was shivering at the prospect of that, I agreed to it, just to calm Joe and avoid triggering another argument between the boys. But I sure didn’t want Joe to leave. Some sensor in my mind was giving the inkling that after this, I’d be needing my friend.
Joe accepted my decision with a small nod. He moved two steps aside, only two, just enough for Sam to go around him.
Sam hurried off to get in the driver’s seat. Then his long arm reached across from my lap to pull my side door closed.
The next few seconds were long – too long. I tried to remain composed and not let his intense staring perturb me. Still I shivered a little inwardly. How could I not? Sam sat angled as far as he could to stare at me. His lips opened several times, but no words ever came out. I didn’t speak either. I just watched him, for enough time to notice how different he appeared. And it wasn’t because of his unusual attire of jeans and leather jacket or because of the busted lip courtesy of Joe. He seemed… in delirium.
I saw him winch. “You shouldn’t have driven here. You’re clearly still in pain. Shouldn’t your shoulder be in a brace or something?”
