AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Oh shit. I totally forgot. I’m so bad with dates.”
“He didn’t invite you to celebrate?” Jay didn’t bother trying to hide his amusement.
“Nah, you know he’s not the celebrating type. Probably just spending the day with Melissa and the twins. Thanks for reminding me, though. Maybe I’ll drop by his house tomorrow.”
“Knock yourself out.”
“You can also call him, you know.”
“Oh, I wouldn't want to ruin his day.” He rubbed his chin and pursed his lips. “Or maybe I do…”
“Don’t be an ass.” I stood up and Jay walked with me outside toward my truck.
“It was good seeing you, E. Hope I didn’t force your hand into coming here.”
“The hell you on about? I love getting together.”
He nodded, long hair moving in the wind. I had a flashback of seeing him right after he’d gotten out of prison. A much skinnier and paler looking Jay.
“Take care of yourself,” I said and pulled him into a hug, aware that he was probably taking care of himself better than I was.
He let go and said, “Next time we meet, you better have more than a pussy drink. Like that time in Mexico—"
“You’re not bringing that up!” I hurried around the truck to open the door.
“What’s wrong? The crowd loved how you shook your ass on the table!”
“Bye!”
Jay’s laughter followed me until I was back on the road, and he was no longer in my rearview mirror.
2
The best thing about my apartment was its lack of wheels. After spending so many hours in a delivery truck, I yearned for solid ground. Unfortunately, this ground was located on the fourth and last floor of a crumbling building in the Bronx. It was clear that someday a skyscraper would take its place, hosting tenants with deeper pockets than mine. Occasionally, I’d get a sniff of cheap Chinese food from the restaurant downstairs. When I first complained, they gave me some free coupons, which was better than being told to piss off.
Lying in front of the TV in my boxers, about to dive into a lazy evening of watching Netflix, I thought about Chris’s birthday tomorrow, and how weird it was that we hadn’t talked about it. It was true he wasn’t keen on parties, but we’d always gotten together to celebrate, even after his marriage to Melissa four years ago.
A pang of unease ran through me. Did my current financial status have anything to do with Chris’s disappearance from my life? We used to talk for hours like two gossiping teens, but these days it felt awkward picking up the phone to call him.
I shook my head to stop my brain from over-analyzing things. The seeds of doubt Jay had planted in my head were growing quickly, and I needed to cut them out before they could further play on my insecurities. Ten years of friendship were bound to have some ups and downs, and it wasn’t like I’d been such great company in the last year. My mood had been so bleak at times, I could barely stand my own presence. I would need to show Chris I could still be fun, that the old Ethan was still here.
Fake it till you make it.
I decided to drive over to Chris’s place tomorrow and surprise him with his favorite bottle of wine. It was time to get things back to normal.
*
I had forgotten how expensive Chris’s taste was when it came to alcohol. I visited three different stores in hopes of finding his favorite wine on sale, but no such luck. I ended up buying the bottle from the third store, although it was cheaper at the first one on the other side of town.
Once done with my deliveries for the day, I made my way directly up north to White Plains where Chris and Melissa were currently living. Chris had wanted to stay in the city, but Melissa dreamed of a big backyard for the kids to play in even before she was pregnant.
Traffic was kind to me that evening, and it was refreshing driving on a route I didn’t know by heart. My phone rang during the drive, and I answered Anthony through the speaker.
“Hi, Ant.”
“Hi, E. Any hot packages?”
That was his usual greeting line these days, and it was on me to come up with a witty response. “I’m currently the only hot package in this truck.”
