Friends, Right?

AMIAH

WEDNESDAY

The more I thought about what the guys had said, the more I wanted it to happen. At least to see where it’d go. That meant I needed to get the Theo date over with sooner rather than later.

He begrudgingly accepted the move from Saturday night dinner date to Wednesday afternoon lunch date. I felt bad that I was going into this knowing nothing would come out of it, but part of me felt he deserved it because he never asked me out in college.

I hadn’t hidden my feelings for him back then, and he never got up the nerve to ask me for a date. Poor timing on his part, I told myself as I pushed open the door to the café we were meeting in.

I spotted Theo at the bar immediately, and he smiled when he saw me, seemingly unbothered by my ten-minute tardiness. I shrugged off my coat as I walked up to him, draping it over my arm.

“Hey, Theo.” I pulled my purse strap over my shoulder. “I’m sorry I’m late. Got caught up at work.”

“No worries,” he said. He pulled me in for a side hug and kissed my cheek. “Shall we grab a table?”

I said yes, then he nodded to a short blond waitress who led us to a booth farther in the back. She took our order and left, then Theo and I were alone. I thought about the last time we’d spoken.

It was at the end of the summer after we graduated. I’d gone off to law school, while he’d gone off to live his life. He and I, with two other friends, had been such a tight unit until then. Until life got in the way.

Hard to believe that was eight years ago. I looked at him across the booth, and aside from a few wrinkles and graying at his temples, he looked the same as he did in college. His taste in clothes, however, had changed.

His loose linen jacket covered a sheer linen shirt, and I recalled his matching linen trousers flowing as we walked to the table. They were all earth tones, the jacket and trousers both light beige and the shirt a pale green.

The silence between us grew awkward, but fortunately the waitress came back with our drinks.

Theo thanked her and grabbed his coffee. “So, how long have you worked at Heath and Fletcher?” He took a sip.

“Since I finished law school,” I said, following his lead and taking a sip of my tea. “They recruited me right after graduation.”

Theo smiled and nodded his head. “They’re lucky to have you. I’m surprised Stephan and Clark didn’t convince you to join them.” He chuckled. “I’m sure they need the legal help.”

Stephan and Clark were the other two in our college clique. After graduating, they opened their own private investigation firm. They stayed in town, though, so we still regularly talked. Theo was the only one who left.

I chuckled. “Oh, they tried. But after the excitement of college, I decided that sitting behind a desk was just fine for me.” I put the tea bag on the saucer. “What do you do now? Other than showing up at the workplaces of old acquaintances and chatting them up, I mean.”

He grinned and his cheeks pinkened. “You’re going to think this is a bit odd,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck, “but, holistic therapy. I travel around giving lectures.”

“Wow, that’s really cool,” I said, smiling at the waitress who brought us our food.

He perked up at my words. “Yeah, it is. I just got back from six months away. Actually, the day I went to your office was the day I got back.”

We spent the rest of the meal eating and sharing stories. It was easy for us to get back into the rhythm of friendship, and I was really happy I decided to keep this date with him.

No, it’s not a date, I reminded myself. My mind flashed to Levi and Mason, and my phone buzzed inside my purse on the booth beside me. I slipped it out, leaving it on the seat, and glanced at the screen.

Can they read my mind? I thought as I saw it was a message from Mason in our group chat. “How’s the date?” he said.

I looked back up at Theo, who was telling a story about his last lecture circuit. He hadn’t noticed me checking my phone. Then it buzzed again, and I pulled it onto my lap so he wouldn’t hear. I snuck a peek down at it when Theo paused to wipe his mouth.

It was Mason again. “Falling in love? We hope not.”

I smiled, and Theo noticed this time.

“Something good happen? You’re smiling,” he said, placing his napkin on his plate and pushing it aside.

“It’s nothing.” I shook my head and put the phone back into my purse. “Just a friend.”

“Speaking of, do you see much of the dynamic duo nowadays?” He was referring to Stephan and Clark.

I shook my head. “Not as much as before, of course, but we still get together at Clark’s mom’s house for most holidays. They travel a lot for work too. That’s why Stephan and Violet ended up breaking off the engagement. He just wasn’t around.”

“Yeah, that’s what I heard. Shame, too. They were good together.” Theo looked around the café, then said, “If you’ll excuse me, I need to use the restroom.”

I said sure and grabbed my phone the minute his back was turned.

Theo came back, so I put my phone away.

“I should probably get back,” I said, checking my watch. “Can we get the bill?”

Theo shook his head. “I already paid.”

I tilted my head and frowned. “Theo, you shouldn’t have.”

He waved off the comment. “It’s nothing. Besides, I’d like to do this again.”

I looked down at my lap, and he knew immediately what was coming. He spoke before I had to.

“Ah, I see,” he said.

I looked up to explain, but he held his hands up and shook his head. He gave me a genuine smile. “It’s fine. No need to explain. It was really nice catching up, Amiah. I’d love it if we could be friends again.”

I gave him a genuine smile back and said I’d love that too. We stood and walked to the door, then hugged briefly and went our separate ways.

On the walk back to the office, I thought again about everything that’d happened over the weekend. In fact, it was the only thing I’d been thinking about for the past three days.

Then, it hit me. The thing bothering me most about this change in our relationship wasn’t that it might ruin our friendship. It was that it almost certainly wouldn’t work out.

Mason and Levi were completely perfect for each other, so how could adding someone—even their best friend—make it better? How could you better perfection? It was impossible. And this saddened me to no end.

The sadness accompanied me through the rest of work, and I looked forward to the chilled bottle of wine waiting for me at home.