Baltic fucking Avenue.

I stare at the board in front of me in utter disbelief, the small pewter top hat representing my now completely broke ass seeming to judge me with the jaunty curl of its brim. Some decisions you’ve made in life to end up here, ol’ chap, it whispers to me. No Chance cards are getting me out of this jam: I’m done. Finished. Bankrupt.

How, exactly, for the past six circuits around the board I’ve managed to roll exactly what was necessary to land my unfortunate ass on Baltic fucking Avenue every single time is a complete mystery. Why do I even bother passing Go or collecting $200 if I’m just forking it plus the rest of my assets over to my beautiful, adorable, loving, kind, sweet, and in this moment complete piece of shit wife Lucy and her goddamn extortionist hotel?!

But, you know what? I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s Quentin Tarandino this and go back in time. Before the utter betrayal of my wife and her exorbitant price gouging for hotel stays at a mediocre property, before her and everyone else’s laughter at my expense, before the inevitable table flip that’s going to occur just as it always does when this particular spawn of hell game claws its way out of its box and into our lives.

Cue freeze frame, roll opening credits, play Misirlou.

 

—

 

I find myself before the familiar monolithic steeple of the church, a place that I’m rapidly growing more fond of. Though its visage against the skyline is as imposing as ever, it feels especially welcoming this morning. Of course, my beautiful wife who seems to wear a smile even more radiant than before walks up the stone stairs with her arm linked under mine. 

She gives me a little nudge as we scale the top step. “You don’t have to stare at the church like that every time. It’s not gonna bite you.”

I clear my throat. “I’m, uhh… just admiring the architecture.”

She gives me a suspicious side-eye before gently pressing herself to my side. “I’m happy you came with me today. Mom and dad will be thrilled, too!”

Almost on cue, the silhouettes of her parents appear before us past the small sea of other church-goers that ebb towards the front doors. They give us a wave and their own beaming smiles as we approach, but before we get close enough to be within earshot I abruptly stop. Lucy looks at me quizzically before I turn my back towards Samantha and Ripley and whisper my sudden revelation to her.

“... Did you tell them about our viability tests yet?”

Lucy wears a perplexed expression for a brief moment before her eyes go wide and she gasps. She whispers back. “Oh my God I didn’t.”

I scratch my chin contemplatively as she glances at her parents again, awkwardly smiling in their direction. We did just have the test on Friday, after which we went on our picnic. Yesterday was our meet-up with Rosa, and the rest of our free time has been… well… rather busy. I guess it slipped both of our minds to fill in her parents on this blessed news.

I turn back to Lucy, still whispering. “... Should we?”

She opens her mouth in protest, but stops herself before she speaks. She considers the question for a moment out loud. “... I suppose… we don’t have much to tell yet. I mean, we only just-”

“Only just what?”

Ripley’s sudden voice causes both of us to jump. Apparently between when Lucy had smiled at them and we turned away again, her parents made their way over to us, suspiciously eyeing our hunched and secretive posture. In an instant, Lucy straightens up and stammers. “N-nothing!”

Ripley lifts a disbelieving eyebrow towards his daughter before he shrugs and hands us both pamphlets for the service. “Same row as always. Come on in when you’re ready.” He turns to head into the church, but stops himself mid-rotation as he realizes what he forgot to say. He offers a big smile our way. “It’s great to see both of you this morning. Glad you could make it.”

Samantha wraps Lucy in a hug, then does the same to me. “Good morning, kids! I’m very happy to see you!” As she steps back, she glances from Lucy to me, then to Lucy again. Her typically narrowed eyes widen ever so slightly as she looks up at me once more. I see a mischievous glint appear in her iris as a grin tugs at the sides of her beak. I don’t know if it’s the patented Aaron woman telepathy or some sort of superhuman pterodactyl senses at work, but I get the worrying feeling that she knows something’s up.

Lucy seems to get the same feeling as she nervously laughs. “Haha good morning, mom! Let’s get into the chapel! Don’t keep God waiting, now!” She scoots forward, ushering her mother inwards with her palms. Samantha obliges but doesn’t break eye contact with me for several moments, giving the same smarmy grin and suspicious eye.

Something Ripley said once about the futility of trying to keep secrets from the Aaron women echoes in my mind. Welp, we may not have to tell them anything.

I follow the two of them into the sanctuary and find my place next to Lucy as the beginning of service music starts up and the rest of the congregation rise to their feet. Though I’m still not going to be winning any awards or swaying any hearts with my tone-deaf singing, I feel a little less self-conscious about it today. Of course, the beautiful woman by my side outdoes me with gusto, wearing a beaming smile as her ascendant voice fills the air with warmth. 

As the music comes to an end and we take our seats, my hand is almost immediately enveloped by hers. She glances at me for only a moment, her loving smile still resting on her face. As Lucy turns her attention to the pastor making his way to the pulpit, I once again catch sight of my mother-in-law staring directly at me from beyond her husband a few spots down on the pew. Her sly grin remains and the twinkle in her eye shines brightly again. She flares her eyebrows as she formulates her deductions.

Get outta my head, Samantha!

The sermon is another good one, ironically falling parallel to some of the recent events of our lives. Its major themes of forgiveness include mention of the “prodigal son”, a story I had vaguely recalled as Rosa and Lucy were mending their bridges. However, the pastor puts special emphasis on the difficulty of true forgiveness, noting that even the most devout Christians struggle with the concept. It’s one thing to claim you would be a forgiving person, should the need ever arise. It’s another entirely to truly humble yourself and not just forgive, but ask forgiveness, even in situations where you feel you’ve done no wrong.

As we stand for the final blessing and are dismissed, Ripley turns our way. “So, kids. What do you say to lunch at our place?” 

Lucy turns from her father to me, giving an agreeable shrug which I mirror. She turns back to Ripley. “Sure, dad. Sounds nice! We’ll swing home quick and then head your way.” He gives both of us a nod and heads out to the lobby to mingle with a few of his church buddies.

Samantha steps forward, donning her familiar grin. She glances from me to Lucy, her eyes widening more than I’ve ever seen them widen. “Don’t be late, now!” With a titter, she slides past us and after her husband.

Lucy wears an expression of confusion as her gaze follows her giddy mother out of the chapel. I simply shake my head. At this point, there’s no use fighting against it. Mom’s gonna mom.

After Lucy greets and adulates her preschoolers in the lobby, all of whom are ecstatic to see her after her week “off”, we make our way back home. In the car, we discuss our strategy for handling her parents. Clearly, Samantha’s onto us, so we’ll need to let the both of them know about the results of our test and our intentions. Lord knows they’ve been pestering us about it enough, despite the fact that we haven’t even been married for a month. I must say, I’m a little surprised they’re so anxious to become grandparents considering they’re only in their 40’s. Though, I guess Samantha did have Lucy when she was around her age…

We mutually settle on the plan to give them the news over lunch. After we change out of our Sunday best and into more casual fare, we make the short trip to her parents’ house. The familiar, spacious home is already filled with the smells of cooking meat and vegetables as Samantha helms the kitchen. Her voice calls to us as we enter. “Hi, kids! Lucy, can you give me a hand?”

Lucy glances my way and I give her a quick, reinforcing nod. She may need to weather her mother’s prodding for a few minutes before we can give the news to both of her parents properly, but I’m confident she’ll have the resolve to withstand such an onslaught. Ripley gives me a smile from his recliner, extending a beer towards me as an invitation to join him in the time-honored ritual of Sunday afternoon relaxation.

As I accept the gift and take a seat on the nearby couch, he addresses me. “So, Anon. How have things been going the past few days?”

I fumble around with my keys to retrieve my bottle opener. “They’ve been great, Ripley. Everything is going well.”

He gives a contented nod. “Good… I’m very glad to hear that.”

“In fact, not only have things been going well… we also reconnected with one of our friends from back in high school.”

At this, his eyes widen in surprise. “Wait. Do you mean her old bandmates?”

I shake my head. “No, not them yet. We’re sort of saving them for last, since… well, it might be the most challenging meet-up of the three we have planned. We met with Rosa.”

Ripley scrunches his brow as he tries to conjure forth the mental image of who I just referred to. “Rosa… Rosa… was that the ankylosaur gal who always went on about flowers?” I nod. “Ahh… yeah, I only met her the one time. She swung by here to pick up Lucy for… what was it, a camping trip?”

“Yeah, kind of. Stargazing, more so. But we had tents and cooked kebabs and s’mores.”

His eyebrows rise in accusation. “‘We’? What do you mean, ‘We’?”

… Oh. Whoops. I, uh… don’t think I ever told him that I joined Lucy for a semi-private overnight stargazing sleepover. I nervously scratch the back of my neck as my ears redden slightly. “Umm… yeah… I, uh…”

Ripley’s eyes narrow towards me before he sighs and shakes his head. “I suppose I can’t be too mad at you, considering you married Lucy. Still… that wasn’t a wise move. If I had caught you… you wouldn’t be sitting with me here today.” He smirks wickedly. “You’d be fertilizing Samantha’s flowers in the backyard.”

I gulp, mostly because I know that he’s not lying. I took a few big risks in high school. Thankfully, they paid off, but… oof.

He takes another swig of his beer. “Anyway, you reconnected with Rosa. Did you say something about having three meet-ups planned?”

I similarly take a drink of my own beer before replying. “Tentatively, yes. Our next step is reconnecting with Stella, then lastly with Reed and Trish. Kind of a two for one since they’re married.”

Ripley opens his mouth to reply, but stops as he blinks. “... Wait a second. Reed and Trish got married?”

I raise an eyebrow for a moment before I realize I hadn’t divulged this information to him or Samantha. “Oh… uhh, yeah. They did. I guess I only mentioned Reed before, but in reality I met both of them, and their daughter.”

At this, he snorts. “A daughter already? Well, their parents must be very proud!” I notice his gaze flare in my direction for a moment to add some extra weight to his implication. Not you, too, dad.

“So, anyway, the plan is to meet with them last. Next up is Stella. I’ll be trying to get that in motion tomorrow when I go into work.”

“So you work with this Stella person?”

“No, but I do work with her boyfriend.” I pause. “Oh… do you not know Stella?”

Ripley swallows another swig of beer. “Nope.”

“Huh. She was on that stargazing trip with us, too. Light green stegosaurus, green hair, into tarot readings and nerdy shit?”

He shrugs. “Never met her.” He thinks for a moment before speaking up again. “What about that, uh… other gal? The one Naser was dating for a while? She was a friend too, right?”

I blink. “... Naomi. And, no. Not really, no.”

He finishes off his beer before speaking. “Well, probably for the best. It might make your social gatherings awkward if Naser’s old squeeze suddenly popped back up.” He shrugs again. “She seemed sweet.”

If only you knew, Ripley… if only you knew.

The women call us to the kitchen, indicating lunch is nearly ready. We do our manly duty by setting the table and fetching drinks for everyone. I notice that Lucy appears slightly more frazzled than she usually would, likely from having to fend off her mother’s probing questions. Though Samantha still appears devious, I don’t think she broke Lucy’s resolve. Good job, honey.

As we chat pleasantly throughout the meal, Samantha continues sending side-eyed glances at Lucy and I. She’s obviously anticipating our announcement, and as we reach the end of the food portioned before us, Lucy dabs at her snout with her napkin before clearing her throat and taking my hand in hers. “Mom, dad… we have something to share with you.”

Samantha immediately leans forward with a massive grin and sharply inhales. Her shoes audibly tap the floor as her legs bounce up and down. Ripley simply raises his eyebrows as he looks at his daughter.

Lucy addresses both of her parents as her own smile widens. “Anon and I got a viability test done… and they told us we’re a ninety-six percent match!”

Ripley’s eyes widen as a beaming smile extends across his beak. “Really?! That’s wonderful! Congratulations!”

Samantha, on the other hand, looks… disappointed. She seems to deflate slightly, but quickly tries to recover. “Oh… oh! That’s… very nice to hear!” Both Lucy and I are perplexed by her lackluster reaction. Even Ripley peers down his snout at his wife with some surprise. Samantha meets all of our eyes before huffing. “I… I thought the news was going to be different, that's all.”

I bring my hand to my forehead and do my best Captain Picard impersonation. Lucy balks at her mother. “Wh- did you think I was already pregnant?!”

Samantha crosses her arms and averts her eyes. “Look, my motherly instincts are always right! Except… maybe not this time.” As she puffs her cheeks and pouts, Ripley, finally grasping the situation, bursts out laughing. Samantha swats at him indignantly which only makes his laughter that much more bellowing. I can’t help but start to chuckle as Lucy buries her face in her hands and groans.

This family sometimes.

As everyone calms down, we’re able to loop the conversation back to our actual announcement. Of course, both Ripley and Samantha are thrilled about the news and fully supportive of our decision to begin trying for a child. They excitedly offer advice, with Samantha setting expectations for the “joy” that will be carrying around a child for nine months, and Ripley coaching me on how best to deal with a grouchy, morning sick wife.

With the pleasant visit coming to a close, we say our goodbyes to Lucy’s parents. Samantha gives me a little wink as she separates from our hug. “I might not have been right today… but I will be.” She steps back, keeping eye contact with me as she repeats her portent. “I will be…”

Ripley steps between me and his divining wife and extends a hand. As I shake it, he, too, gives me a wink. “Good luck, chief. Though you won’t need it.” His grin fills me with intense discomfort. I’m glad they’re both so excited for us, but this is starting to feel like they’re gonna try to get season tickets for Lucy and I’s “home games”. Ripley wearing a big foam hat and an even bigger foam finger, Samantha clutching hot dogs and beer for both of them… they rise from their bleachers and cheer wildly… I shudder at the horrible thought I just conjured.

Stupid sexy baseball.

Lucy doesn’t seem to notice, happily bidding her parents farewell. As we hop back into our car and make our way home, she speaks up. “That went really well! I mean, I didn’t imagine it going badly, but I’m happy they know now!” She blushes and glances down. “... Maybe we’ll have that other news they were hoping for soon.”

As much as I want to respond in my usual way, my mind wanders. I consider Samantha and Ripley’s glowing smiles and excited reactions in response to our announcement. Their hospitality and warmth are always present, never seeming to crack or falter. Their limitless support and love fills me with immense gratitude, but… I can’t help but feel a bit sad at the same time.

We arrive home and head inside. As we’re taking off our shoes, I unconsciously let out a sigh. Lucy stops and turns to me. “Everything okay, honey?”

I give her a weak smile. “It’s nothing.”

She lowers her beak and stares at me in a display very similar to her father. “Anon… remember when we said we weren’t going to keep anything from each other anymore?”

I sigh again. “It’s just… how happy your parents were for us, how they treated us… made me think about my own folks and how they’d react…” She cocks her head and gives me a concerned look. I avert my eyes. “It’s not a big deal. I just…” The image of my father’s scowl and my mother’s curled lip causes a vein in my neck to throb. “After last time…”

My eye twitches as I recall the only sour note of our wedding. I stood at the altar next to the pastor and our meager wedding party, with Naser serving as my best man and Samantha standing in place of where the maid of honor would be. The wooden doors to the chapel opened and Lucy, adorned in the most beautiful wedding dress I’ve ever seen, was guided down the aisle by Ripley who wore what might have been the largest smile of his life. He blinked back tears of pride and happiness as he led his daughter towards me, preparing to hand her over to the man to whom he provided his blessing.

The small attendance all rose to their feet as she entered, as was tradition. However, the only two humans in the room besides me seemed to be a bit slow on the draw, only standing after getting a few odd glances from the other attendees. I made a conscious effort to prevent myself from looking at or acknowledging them as much as possible; I didn’t even want to send them an invitation in the first place, but acquiesced when Lucy practically begged me to do so. Even after our encounter when I introduced her to them and told them my intentions to marry her, she still held out hope that my parents could be redeemed.

Despite doing my best, I couldn’t help but notice that my father rolled his eyes as he slowly stood and turned to face Lucy. Fortunately, if he or my mother attempted to shoot her a dirty look as she walked down the aisle, she didn’t notice it. Her eyes were only on me. I immediately discarded the resentment I felt building towards my parents when I saw her face, brimming with so much love and hope, focused only on me. I blinked my budding tears away as she arrived beside me, placing her hands in mine and gazing at the man to whom she was committing herself.

We exchanged our vows. The familiar marital words were spoken over us. We both affirmed our decisions to one another and to those present in the room. Naser handed me the wedding ring, giving me a little wink as he did so, and I placed it on Lucy’s finger. She mirrored the gesture, receiving my wedding band from her mother before placing it on my finger. The pastor declared us husband and wife, and we shared what would be the first of many kisses as a married couple, sealing our bond with one another in love before our families.

As we parted and were presented for the first time as “Mr. and Mrs. Mous”, we turned to those in the pews. Everyone applauded and cheered for us.

Everyone… except two.

The scene melts away and I stand in the entryway of my home once more. I can barely see Lucy’s form beyond my tear-clouded vision. I don’t know how long I was standing there, lost in my own head, but my voice rattles as I mumble. “Why… why couldn’t they just be happy for me? Not even on that day, if only for one day in my fucking life?”

In an instant, Lucy throws her arms around me and draws me into a tight hug. I didn’t even realize I was doing it, but conjuring up the memory made my limbs tense up. My arms are locked at my sides, my hands clenched into balled fists. I mutter again through gritted teeth as I fight back the tears.

“Why can’t they be happy for us?!”

Lucy gently caresses the back of my neck as she shushes me. She speaks in a calming voice. “It doesn’t matter what they think, Anon. All that matters is you and me.” I shudder as she squeezes me tighter, her wings slowly enclosing around me in their protective cocoon.

I heave out a sob as I form the words. “Lucy… I’m sorry… I… I don’t want them… I don’t want them to know…”

She places her forehead against mine and wipes the tears from my cheeks with her hands. “Then they won’t. My parents have more than enough love for both of us, and we will have more than enough love for our children.”

A horrifying thought claws its way to the forefront of my mind. I see a vision of my father, apathetic and uncaring, looking upon me with disdain and resentment. A burden on his wallet and his life is all I ever amounted to. I see a vision of my mother, wine glass in hand that never seemed to run dry, waxing poetic about the “good old days” before she had responsibilities and obligations. She’d shoot me a look as though I was the sole cause of her aging, her lost whimsy, her loveless marriage.

My teeth grind against one another as my nails embed further into my palms. I can hardly form the sounds. “I don’t want to be like them! I can’t-”

My words are interrupted by Lucy bringing her lips to mine. She holds my trembling head still with her delicate hands as she kisses me. Her tender gesture is one of reassurance, acceptance and love. I quiver and stutter air into my empty lungs; she continues comforting me, whispering to me that everything is alright while allowing me the breath I need in between each kiss. 

I finally find the strength to unball my fists and return her hug, albeit weakly. I suddenly feel ashamed of my display of weakness, stumbling to apologize as my ears redden. She gently puts her hands on my cheeks again and turns my eyes towards hers, locking her gaze with mine. Her amber irises sparkle with her own tears but she wears a loving smile.

“Anon. You aren’t your parents. You are an amazing, gentle, loving man who had the bravery to accept me, faults and all. You fought for your life overseas after being injured to be with me. You are patient and kind, but also strong and courageous.” She takes a deep breath before continuing, her eyes still affixed to mine. “I truly mean it when I say it: I love you dearly and I want to be with you forever. I want to have your children. I want you to raise them with me, giving them all the love and kindness you’ve given to me. I want you, Anon, and I want a family with you.” She finally breaks eye contact for a moment as she glances down, regret showing on her face before apologetically looking back up at me. “… You’ve repeatedly told me what a wonderful mother I’m going to be… but I never did the same for you, and I’m sorry. Let me correct that now: you are going to be the best father in the world.”

I draw in a sharp breath and blink away the remaining tears in my eyes before I take the initiative, kissing Lucy as I did on our wedding day. She reciprocates the gesture tenderly, still encircling both of us with her majestic wings. The aching in my heart subsides as I lose myself in the loving act, my fears and anxiety melting away with our kiss.

The woman I love, the woman I married, the woman with whom I want to raise a family… if she believes in me and my ability to be a good father… then I know I can do it.

After what never feels like long enough, we part lips, gazing into one another’s eyes. She whispers the words to me I want to hear from only her. “I love you, Anon.”

I draw her closer before I respond in kind. “I love you too, Lucy.” We stay like this for a few more moments, resting in one another’s arms as I regain my composure. She eventually draws back her wings; I never thought to ask, but I assume it must take some effort to position them in such a way, and I’m sure they get tired just like any other limb would.

However, I don’t ask about her wings right now. Instead, I meet her eyes again as I cock my eyebrow. “Did… you say something about our ‘children’? As in, plural?”

She giggles. “Of course I did. What, you think I’m gonna stop at one?”

“Maybe we should start with the one and then reevaluate.”

She playfully shakes her head. “Nope! I’ve already decided! I want twenty five kids, like that possum on the poster in the clinic!”

“Possum? I think you mean ‘crab’, given how exhausted and grumpy that mommy looked. No. That’s out of the question.”

She fake pouts. “... Twenty?”

“Are we really haggling over how many kids we’re gonna have?”

“Work with me here, Anon! I want babies! Plural!”

I sigh, though I can’t conceal the smile on my face. “... Two.”

“Fifteen.”

“You’re gonna have to bring that number way down.”

“Fifteen.”

“Okay, fine. Fifteen. Good luck with that.”

She cheers before balking at me. “YAY- Wait, what do you mean, ‘good luck with that’?! You’re putting these babies in me, mister!”

I shake my head. “Nope. After two, I’m all dried up. You’ll have to find another schmuck to get you your remaining baker’s dozen.”

“ANON!” She swats at me as we both laugh. After a few moments of deflected blows and riposted tickles, our playful roughhousing settles down and she leans into my embrace once more. “... We’ll start with the one. Then we’ll reevaluate.”

I run my fingers through her hair. “No matter how many we have, you’re-” I cut myself off, causing her to glance up at me. I smile at her and rephrase my sentiment.

“... We’re going to be great parents.”

 

—

 

Monday rolls around, bringing with it a return to the workplace for both Lucy and I. To be honest, we were both getting a little anxious to find our normal routines again. As much as we love one another and enjoy each other’s company in our… ahem, pursuit of parenthood, it’s also nice to pursue our careers and do what needs doing to earn our bread.

Of course, Lucy was doubly excited to return to her preschoolers, frequently pining over how much she missed the little rascals. Though I don’t dislike my work, I can’t say I shared the same enthusiasm about returning to Bill. That said, I do have a clear mission on my first day back.

As I make my way into the Frontier Data Management building, I stop by Rick’s office first thing. I give a quick knock on his open door, causing him to lift his beady eyes from the small laptop screen. He looks at me with a slight amount of surprise, quickly replacing it with a grin. “Anon! I wasn’t expecting to see you so soon!”

I return his smile, giving him a quick salute. “Glad to be back, sir.”

His grin quickly drops. “And here I’d been enjoying the relative peace without your bullshit. You sure you don’t want any more time off?”

I give a smirk. “Whoah, is it that easy?”

His colossal brow creases. “I was thinking more permanently.”

Ouch.

His menacing expression shifts to one of concern. “How’s Lucy holding up?”

“She’s doing well, Rick. Much better than she was. That pterodactyl metabolism is something else.”

He nods in approval. “Good to hear. Is she back at work, too? At… your church, right? Preschool teacher?”

“That’s right, and yes. She was antsy to see the tikes again.”

“Good, good.” He glances past me towards my cube section. “Well, I’m glad you were able to be there for your wife and I’m glad she’s doing better. Things here have been a little… hectic. Your absence has caused a small pile-up of unprocessed spreadsheets, and you know how our clients get if there’s even the tiniest delay.”

I smile. “I’ll get right to work, Rick.”

“Attaboy.” As I turn to head towards my desk, he catches my attention again. “And, Anon… it’s good to have you back.”

“... Thank you, Rick.”

As I round the corner to the pair of desks within the cube of sound dampening felt-lined half walls, I see the familiar rotund form of Bill stationed in his office chair. His back is facing me as he diligently types away at his keyboard. Figuring it’d be a bit rude if I didn’t say anything to him, despite his focus, I speak up. “Morning, Bill.”

He instantly whips around, momentarily startled before a tremendous smile crosses his portly face. “Anon! Buddy! You’re back! It’s so great to see you!” He rocks forward out of his chair, moving his stubby legs in my direction. I fear what’s about to happen, but realize I’ve got no escape from the inevitable as he throws his arms around my midsection in a big hug. I lean back, tapping his shoulders lightly in a very minor return of the awkward gesture. I normally wouldn’t be too keen on this, but given the circumstances I suppose it’s fine.

He takes a step back and beams up at me. Though his words carry the same energy as always, I can’t help but notice a slightly exhausted look about him. “Man, it’s been crazy around here without you. Work orders piling up, always loads to do, but they can wait a second. How are you? How’s Lucy? Did everything at the hospital go okay? Is she feeling better? Is she back at work now? What about her folks, are they-”

I raise my hands to stymie his deluge of questions. “Bill, Bill… I’m happy to see you too, buddy, but one question at a time.”

He lets out a light chuckle. “Hehe… sorry… it’s been a bit rough here.” I glance past him at his computer monitor where nearly a dozen different spreadsheets are open across his desktop. Like Rick said, the customers don’t care about family emergencies, they just want deliverables.

I nod towards my own desk. “I’ll be happy to catch you up on everything, Bill, but why don’t I get logged on and start helping to chip away at the backlog? We can chat while we process this stuff, right?”

Bill lets out a grateful sigh. “That’d be awesome, man. Thanks a bunch!”

I get myself situated and start pulling up the oldest datasheets that require processing. As advanced as technology has gotten, not everything can be handled by scripts and computer logic, especially when spreadsheets fall victim to the greatest threat to their existence: human and dino error. That’s how our company makes money: we fix problems that are usually caused by some doofus with an overblown sense of confidence royally fucking up a datasheet and being unable to figure out how to fix it. Most of our job comes down to problem-solving, so work orders can take anywhere from a few seconds to a few hours depending on the complexity and severity of the aforementioned bungling.

For the next couple hours, we chew through the oldest cases, Bill clearly breathing a lot easier now that he’s got my usual help again. Between the two of us we’re normally able to keep the queue in check, so while it might take us a little bit of time to get caught up again our normalcy will return soon enough.

As we work, I answer Bill’s questions. He peppers me with more as I go, eager for any small details I provide. Of course, I don’t share everything with him, choosing to keep personal matters personal, but having the opportunity to recount some of the events and some of my feelings over the course of the week is surprisingly therapeutic.

Despite his normal penchant for chatterboxing, Bill is a surprisingly good listener. However, he immediately goes into full overjoyed mode when I mention that Lucy and I had a viability test on Friday.

“YOU DID?! Holy crap, dude! That’s awesome! How did it go?! I bet it went great, you two are so perfect together, she’ll be popping out kids in no time! You’re both-” He suddenly cuts himself off, his face beginning to glow beet red as he realizes I didn’t tell him if the test results were good or not. “It- it did go well, didn’t it?”

I turn to him with a grin. “It went well. Ninety six percent match.”

He claps his hands together as he cheers, the red fading from his cheeks. “DUDE! Awesome! That’s so great to hear, I’m super happy for both of you!”

“Yeah, it was really exciting. We had a little picnic that afternoon, then on Saturday we got to meet up with one of our old high school friends, Rosa. Which actually brings me to something I need your help with, Bill.” At my statement, he cocks his head inquisitively. 

As Lucy and I were discussing the next step of our game plan to reconnect with friends, I realized that I had never gotten Stella’s contact info. She visited at the hospital, but she didn’t give me her number. When I pulled up Faceboop and tried to search for her, I couldn’t find a profile matching her name, meaning either her account was set to private, or she never made one.

Thankfully, we had the common denominator of the guy she’s dating sitting next to me at work. I continue. “Lucy and I want to set up a meeting with Stella. Nothing too formal, just an opportunity to chat and try to reconnect.”

Bill considers my words. He averts his gaze, clamming up a bit more than he normally does. I pretty easily surmise that his reaction is tied to Stella’s wishes to remain on the down-low, despite her having visited me at the hospital. I hope that her gesture means she’ll be amicable to this proposal.

After a moment, he speaks up. “Umm… I’ll have to ask her about it…”

I nod. “Of course. I’m not telling you to make a decision on her behalf. I just don’t have her contact info is all.”

He doesn’t seem surprised by my words. “Yeah… let me message her, okay?”

“Sure thing, bud. No rush.”

He turns back towards his computer, withdrawing his phone and unlocking its screen. I catch a glimpse of an anime character from a show I don’t recognize as his device’s wallpaper, but I don’t keep staring at what he’s doing; instead, I turn back to my own workstation and pull up another spreadsheet. I hear the rhythmic haptic vibrations of his phone as his thumbs dance across its surface. He sets his phone down; after a moment, it begins vibrating. He glances from it to me. “Uhh, I’ll be back. Let me take this.”

He dismisses himself in the direction of our break room for some privacy. All I can do is remain hopeful that Stella will be ready to meet. If not, our progress may be temporarily halted. I’m sure we can still try to get together with Reed and Trish, but it might be a blow to Lucy if Stella is still holding a grudge. It didn’t seem like it back at the hospital, but… I really don’t know.

After several minutes, Bill returns and takes his seat. He draws in a quick breath before addressing me. “Uhh… well, she said ‘yes’. Asked me to facilitate something for us. Would… you and Lucy be up for a board game at my place tomorrow night?”

I blink a few times. I was a little worried when she called him instead of texting back, but… it sounds like we’re a go! “Yeah, that should be fine. I’ll check with Lucy real quick, but I’m guessing we’ll be free.” I bring out my own phone and tap a quick text message to her relaying the news. She can’t always respond immediately, especially if she’s got armfuls of preschoolers when I message, so I set my phone down and patiently wait for her response. “Thanks for doing this, Bill. I really appreciate it.”

He offers a weak smile. “Yeah, no problem.” I nearly turn back to my workstation before he speaks up again. “Uh… hey, Anon… maybe keep this between you and me, but… she sounded really nervous. Like… more than I’ve heard her before. She’s usually got a pretty steady demeanor. I mean, I’m the one that ends up screaming when we watch a horror movie together.” He chuckles nervously. “Hehe… but… yeah. She said ‘yes’, but I think she’s pretty anxious, you know?”

“I understand, bud. The board games will be a nice way to break the ice, but the two of them will need to do some talking together, too. We may have to give them a little privacy at some point during the night, if that’s okay.”

He nods. “Yeah, that isn’t a problem. I just… what happened between them?”

I shrug apologetically. “I don’t think it’s my place to fill you in on that. Maybe Stella can give you her side, if she’s ready. All I can say is, they were friends in high school, but haven’t talked since then. Lucy wants to reconnect and hopefully rebuild that friendship.”

Almost on cue, my phone pulses with a notification of a received text message. I glance down at the device, seeing Lucy’s agreement to a meet-up at Bill’s place tomorrow night. We settle on 7 PM, giving us a chance to get some dinner in us before heading over, though I offer to bring along some snacks. Bill nods enthusiastically at the prospect of treats. 

After we set the plan in stone and turn our attention back to our workstations, I think things through. Stella wanted to apologize back at the hospital, but didn’t get a chance to because Lucy was still unconscious. She gave us some encouragement by way of the Lovers tarot card, but that was the last I heard from her since then. Sure, it was only last week, but… I can’t help but shake the feeling that something’s still lingering. I get the feeling she’s being standoffish, based on what Bill said and the fact that she’s remained so “off the grid”.

Well. On the bright side, she agreed to meet up. If she is still hurting, maybe we can start the healing process together. All we can do is try.

 

—

 

Lucy and I arrive at Bill’s apartment a few minutes before 7, keeping with my tradition of punctuality. Lucy was a little nervous over the past twenty four hours leading up to this evening, but after our resounding success with Rosa she got a much needed confidence boost. While neither of us are deluding ourselves that the reunion with Stella will go as perfectly as the one with Rosa went, we’re both hopeful that we won’t run into any major snags.

As we approach the front door of the apartment, Lucy takes a steadying breath. I gently place my free hand in hers, the other being preoccupied with carrying the chocolate chip cookies Lucy baked for the event. Her baking skills are coming a long way, and her confections always seem to win hearts. She accepts my hand and gives me a smile. I reciprocate it by planting a quick kiss on her cheek, causing her face to redden and her smile to widen.

“You’ll do great, sweetie. You got this, and I’m here for you.”

She inhales once more before nodding. Her finger depresses the doorbell, sounding the dainty chime beyond the outside-facing apartment door.

The portal before us slowly opens, revealing the familiar, light green shape of our old friend from high school. She brushes some of the green hair from the side of her face with her hand as she offers a nervous smile. “H-hi… nice to see you again, Lucy. Anon.”

Lucy returns the smile with one of her own. “Stella, it’s really nice to see you again, too.”

I extend the clear glass container of cookies. “We brought treats. Lucy baked ‘em.”

At the word “treats”, Bill pokes his head out from behind Stella within the apartment. “Oh, I’ll take those! Hi, Lucy! Nice to see you again!”

We both greet Bill, and we are welcomed into his home. Unsurprisingly, the bachelor pad very much resembles a bachelor pad, hosting walls adorned with framed movie posters and other memorabilia. As I take in the surroundings, I notice a sheathed katana hanging next to the doorway. A mental image of the rotund Bill swinging it around while fending off home intruders nearly makes me let out a rude guffaw, but I smoothly transfer the energy into a compliment. “Wow, Bill! Cool place you got, bud!”

He reddens at the comment as he places the tray of cookies on the coffee table. “Thanks, Anon! I know it’s a bit nerdy but I like what I like, you know? I’m just glad Stella’s okay with it!” At her mention, Stella’s cheeks also brighten slightly. She still stands near the door, hands folded in front of her, looking even more meek than she did back in high school. She was certainly not an outgoing girl, but opened up greatly once she got to know us. It seems our time apart and the inciting events of that time apart has undone her comfort around Lucy and I.

Lucy tries to give off some of her own friendly energy. “So, Stella! How did you and Bill meet? I’ve only heard a little from Anon, and he’s not exactly a gossip so the little I heard was ‘Stella and Bill are dating’.”

Stella fidgets and glances downward. “We met online.”

Bill fills in the gaps caused by her apparent shyness. “PaleoLove.com, in fact! I had accounts on several sites, but kept striking out, as ol’ Anon knows.” He gives me a wink as he says this. “The ones you miss aren’t the ones that matter, though! The important one is the right woman!” He gives Stella a beaming smile as he says this. She smiles in return, glancing down again as her face flushes slightly. Wow, Bill. That was surprisingly smooth.

A moment of awkward silence hangs in the room. I glance at Lucy who bites her lip slightly, also recognizing the lingering stillness. Bill breaks the tension with a clear of his throat. “Ahem! Uh, so! How about that board game?”

We all turn our attention to him, and I speak up. “Sounds good, man. Which one did you have in mind?”

 

—

 

Baltic fucking Avenue.

My pockets are turned out, my meager properties are all mortgaged, and my will to live has been thoroughly expended. Lucy, the woman I love so dearly that I’ve pledged to spend my life with her, makes me momentarily consider divorce when she imitates a sad trombone, uttering “Wah, wah,” through her smiling beak. She does this, of course, as she counts the remaining bills of multicolored paper money I forked over to her greedy, extorting ass. She wears the most smug expression I’ve ever seen her wear, as though her victory over me was some sort of feat of superior intellect or skill when it was, in reality, achieved through FUCKING UNLUCKY DICE ROLLS.

Why would I agree to this? Why did I agree to play this luck-based piece of shit game when I know for a fact there’s a million better games out there? We’re trying to repair friendships, not break them, and we’re literally playing the definitive “friendship-breaker” right now. On the plus side, it seems Stella and Bill have been enjoying themselves, even joining in with the laughter at my horrific misfortune. 

Stella still seems a bit reserved, but has definitely loosened up some as the game progressed, even making some small talk with us. She filled us in that she’s working remotely for a tech company, and has been getting into painting in her spare time. She still enjoys tarot and the mystic arts, too, as well as anime and movies. Those latter interests helped her and Bill connect for the first time, giving them plenty of things to chat about virtually as they got to know one another over their dating app.

But that’s neither here nor there. I’m still pissed off about this game.

In a daze, I glance at my watch. 11 PM. They say “time flies when you’re having fun”, so it makes perfect sense that I believe the battery in my watch to have died, expecting to see the morning sun peeking over the horizon any minute. This absolute slog of a game is punctuated by a miserable end for me, the first to be eliminated as the other three players sit comfortably with thousands of dollars apiece and plenty of real estate. Even if it gets too late and we have to call the game before declaring a winner, there will be one definite loser tonight: me.

I pass the dice to Lucy across the coffee table. She retrieves them from my defeated hand with one last jab at my pride. “Ah, I guess you won’t be needing those anymore.”

I glare at her. “Remember our rule about neither of us sleeping on the couch? I’m considering revoking that rule.”

She sticks out her tongue at me. “Don’t be a sore loser, honey!” The two six-sided dice land in the center of the board and she maneuvers her small pewter boot the allocated number of spaces, landing on a hotel-laden property owned by Stella. “Oof! This is gonna sting! Good thing I got all this money from Anon! Okay, what do I owe you?” She glances at Stella’s card positioned in front of her on the coffee table. “$1200? Yikes. Well, I should still have a bit left after that…”

As Lucy begins counting out the small bills, Stella’s head dips. Her bangs cover her eyes. She speaks in a soft voice. “... I’m sorry.”

Lucy shrugs, not looking at Stella. “Hey, that’s the game, right? Win big, lose big!”

Stella’s shoulders heave and she brings her hands to her face. Bill quickly places a hand on her back, but she shakes her head, still covering her face. Her voice is broken. “I’m sorry!”

Lucy, having now realized what’s happening, freezes in place, hands full of play money as she stares at Stella. With a sob, Stella rapidly rises from her spot on the couch and tries to dash towards the bedroom. As she moves, one of her green, scaly plates attached to her tail catches the side of the coffee table. The entire table flips over as her tail tries to catch up with her fleeing form, sending the game board, all the game pieces, and the few remaining cookies in the glass container launching across the living room floor. Their cacophonous clatter is met by her horrified look, quickly being replaced by a wail of despair as she darts out of the room.

Lucy and I can only look in her direction in stunned silence. Bill quickly pursues her, pausing for a moment to glance at the two of us. His look is equal parts concerned and accusatory. As we hear the bedroom door close behind him, we turn to face one another. Lucy is mortified. “Wh- what did I do?”

I rapidly shift from my position on one of the two recliners to the spot next to her on the couch where Stella was seated, placing my arm over her shoulders. She trembles, still clutching the crumpled bills, the last remnants of the game that aren’t strewn across the floor. “Lucy, it’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong.” I gently rub the top of her balled fist with my hand. “Remember why we’re here. I think she… just got to that point, you know? Kinda like you did when we were with Rosa and her babies. We had to cross this bridge eventually tonight.”

Her eyes are wide and remorseful, but she takes several calming breaths, slowly inhaling and exhaling to steady her emotions. I stay by her side as her fists slowly uncurl, releasing the play money. It drifts to the floor below as she wraps her arms around me and buries her face in my shoulder. I return her hug, allowing her to continue breathing her steadying breaths within my embrace.

A few moments later, Lucy lifts her head and meets my eyes, composure regained. “I… I hope she’s okay.”

I give her a comforting smile. “She’s got Bill with her. We’ll give them the time they need. In the meantime, why don’t we clean this up?”

Lucy nods and we both collect the strewn game pieces from the floor after returning the coffee table to its upright position. Thankfully, games like this are designed to take a beating so nothing seems damaged beyond use, though a few of the paper bills are slightly creased and folded. After situating the items in the box and folding the board up, I pick up the few cookies that had also descended to the floor. I’m able to retrieve several of the larger crumbs from the carpet, but make a mental note to let Bill know he should probably run a vacuum through here when it’s not the wee hours of the night.

I discard the cookie remnants in the trash, place the glass container that once housed them back on the coffee table, and retake the spot next to Lucy. We sit in silence for another few minutes. I notice Lucy nervously fidgeting; I offer her my hand which she quickly accepts, locking her fingers with mine.

We hear the bedroom door open. Bill wanders out, eyes cast downwards with a sullen expression. We turn to him and he addresses us without making eye contact. “Uhh… I… think you two should probably go…”

Lucy draws in a quick, sharp breath through her nostrils and hangs her head, prepared to accept defeat. However, I keep my eyes on Bill, studying him for a moment. I’ve known him for a little while now, and I’m picking up on some of his cues.

He’s not telling us something.

I do a little probing. “What’s going on, Bill? Is Stella alright?”

He winces, still not meeting my eyes. “... She’s pretty upset. I thought that woulda been obvious, given…” He gestures towards the coffee table, momentarily surprised that everything is back in order but still utilizing it to emphasize his point.

“Yeah, she certainly left in a hurry. But we talked about this, remember? This was about reconciling tonight, not just about playing a game.”

He wrings his hands. “I don’t think she’s in a place to reconcile right now, Anon.”

Aha. “You don’t think? What did Stella say?”

He finally brings his eyes up to meet mine, looking defensive. “She’s upset, okay? I’m trying to be protective of her!”

I glance over at Lucy who is now staring at the two of us. Her eyes are wide and she hangs on my words. I turn back to Bill. “Trust me on this one, buddy. Being supportive is one thing. Trying to solve all of her problems for her is another thing entirely, and won’t work the way you hope it does.” At this comment, I feel Lucy’s fingers squeeze my hand slightly. Her gesture of affirmation makes my chest swell; I think I’m on the right track. I cock my eyebrow towards Bill. “... Did Stella say that she wants us to leave?”

Bill opens his mouth to answer, but nothing comes out. Bingo. He glances around as he thinks, finally finding some words “I- well… she… no, she didn’t, but-”

I abruptly cross my arms, having to forego Lucy’s hand to do so. “Then we’re not leaving. Not yet at least.” I look straight ahead, putting on a stubborn expression as Bill balks at me.

He stammers. “Wh… what do you-”

“We’re not going anywhere unless Stella comes out here and tells us to leave herself.”

Bill stares at me with an open mouth. From the corner of my eye, I see Lucy mirroring his expression. This might be a bit of a ballsy play, but I think it needs to be made. I just hope that Bill doesn’t realize that he owns this apartment and technically has the authority to kick us out.

He glances at the floor again, eyes shifting to and fro as he mentally processes the situation. With a sigh of resignation, he looks back up at me. “I’ll… ask.” I nod my encouragement to him and he slinks back to the bedroom. 

Maintaining my locked posture, I turn to Lucy who still stares at me. I give her a wink. “We weren’t about to give up that easily.”

She lowers her head again, looking sullen. “... I was about to give up that easily…”

I uncross my arms and take her hand in mine once more, prompting her to meet my gaze. “I took a calculated shot for us. I didn’t mean to be a bully or push Bill around, but I’m not gonna throw away the chance for you and Stella to make amends over his mishandling of the situation. We’ll give this an honest shake, and if it doesn’t work out, at least we can say we did our best.” I scratch the back of my neck with my other hand. “Though… I hope I didn’t overstep my bounds by doing this.”

Lucy considers my words before subtly shaking her head. “I’m glad you stood your ground… for both of us. Like you said, we’ll get an honest shake. Besides, we’re a team… right?”

I bring my hand to her cheek and caress her face, causing her to lean into my palm. “Forever and ever.” Her eyes glisten, diamond pupils affixed to me as she releases a slow, steadying breath. She gives me a loving smile which I return. We might not be out of the woods yet, but we’re not beat ‘til we’re beat.

A few moments later, Bill emerges from the bedroom once more. He doesn’t say anything, simply taking a seat on one of the two recliners. Another moment goes by before Stella slowly enters the living room. Her face is pointed down and she clutches a handful of tissues; while I can’t see her eyes due to her bangs overhanging them, I surmise that they show the telltale signs of fallen tears.

Stella only takes a single step towards the remaining recliner before I rise from my spot next to Lucy and quickly plant myself in it. She stops, lifting her head slightly to meet my eyes. As expected, hers are bloodshot and puffy. I offer a polite gesture with my arms to point her towards the spot next to Lucy on the couch. Lucy looks at me for a moment in panic and abandonment, but I give her a subtle nod and a loving smile.

You’ve got this, honey. I have faith in you.

She interprets my wordless gaze correctly, inhaling slowly as she steels herself for what’s to come before turning to face Stella. The light green stegosaurus moves to her spot on the couch and gingerly takes a seat, glancing at the upright table and boxed board game. The top of her short snout quivers for a moment, but she steadies herself as her eyes remain locked to the floor in front of her.

The air hangs silent. Nobody speaks. It feels as though nobody breathes. I notice Bill fidget in his chair; when he turns to look at me, I gently lift my eyebrows, wordlessly asking him to be patient. It seems he gets the hint, sinking a little lower into his chair to allow the air a chance to clear by means other than his.

Finally, the silence is broken. Both Lucy and Stella open their mouths simultaneously, only getting out a syllable each before their words collide in midair, causing them both to stop and recoil at the awkwardness. Stella’s shoulders slump, but Lucy takes the initiative. “... Please, Stella. Go ahead.”

Stella takes a deep breath, still staring at the floor. She glances at the coffee table once more, putting on a weak smile. “... I really made an ass of myself, huh?” Her tail flits lightly to punctuate her words.

Lucy scoots a little closer to Stella. “No, not at all, Stella. I… understand how hard this can be…”

Her lip quivers again. “I… tried to visit you in the hospital… but you were still unconscious.”

At mention of the hospital, Lucy lowers her eyes. “... Yeah, Anon told me. I appreciate that you did that… and I’m sorry I wasn’t able to see you then.”

Stella lets out a sigh. “To be honest, I didn’t know what I was going to say to you if you were awake. I knew I needed to apologize, but… I hadn’t prepared anything. When Bill told me you were in the hospital, I went off half-cocked and insisted on going along with him to see you and Anon.” She lets out a nervous chuckle. “Not to sound rude, but… I was kind of relieved you weren’t taking visitors.”

Lucy nods slowly. “Honestly, if you had seen me in those first several hours even after I woke up, I wouldn’t have gotten two words out. I’d much prefer to see you now, when I’m fully aware of my surroundings.”

She offers a kind smile to Stella, but Stella doesn’t return it. Her eyes begin welling up with tears again as she chokes out a sob. Her words are shaky and broken “I- I still don’t know what to say… I just… I’m so sorry… for everything!”

In an instant, Lucy moves across the couch and wraps Stella in an embrace. Stella wails, tears streaming down her cheeks as she tries to form words. “I… *hic*... I ruined… everything…!”

Before I saw Stella at the hospital, the last I had seen of her face was at prom. Her grand plan, orchestrated with Rosa, designed to reunite Trish and Lucy and restore their faltering friendship had ended in cataclysmic failure. Trish emotionally forced herself upon Lucy who was overwhelmed and hurting, trying to put on a big rock performance at prom to make amends. It was a move fit for, as Trish herself put it when I spoke to her a few weeks ago, “a fucking Dipley Channel show.”

Stella and Rosa only realized their error as Trish barraged Lucy with apology after excuse after consolation, with Lucy burying her face in her hands and retreating from both the assault and the prom altogether. I quickly chased after her, catching that one last glimpse of Rosa, Trish and Stella. Though Rosa seemed confused and Trish appeared disbelieving, it was Stella who looked the most hurt of the three. Her best intentions had come crashing down before her, and the ramifications of that miscalculation echoed across the past three years of each of our lives.

Lucy gently strokes Stella’s hair, shushing and comforting her old friend. Her own tears begin falling as she speaks gently, reassuringly and sincerely. “It’s okay, Stella. I forgive you.”

Stella heaves out another cry as Lucy’s words reach her. She lifts her hands to return Lucy’s embrace, sobbing into her shoulder. The two women who had shared so many laughs and good times throughout the several months of high school in which they were friends are reconnected through their grief, finally giving one another closure as they begin the healing process together.

As they unburden themselves, I glance over at Bill. Though his eyes are wide, he’s doing a tremendous job keeping his composure. I would have expected him to dart forward and try to comfort Stella, but he’s letting her and Lucy hash it out. Well done, buddy.

A few moments go by before the two of them part from their hug. Stella dabs at her tear-streaked cheeks with a few of the tissues while offering some of the other clean ones to Lucy. They share a small, mutual giggle with one another as they both try to salvage their make-up, though at this hour of night it really doesn’t matter much. 

As they collect themselves and set the spent tissues aside, Lucy speaks up. “Stella, I want to apologize to you too. I was in a bad place in high school, and I messed up a lot of things. I should have been able to see that your intentions were good, but I got so mixed up in my own head that I threw everything else away.” She pauses for a moment before glancing in my direction. “... Well, almost everything. I… shouldn’t have done that. I should have been a better friend. I’m sorry.”

This time, Stella initiates the hug, throwing her arms around Lucy. Her voice quivers again. “I forgive you too, Lucy. I just want my friend back! I missed you!”

Lucy smiles as she returns the hug. “Same.”

The two separate once more and Stella smiles sheepishly at Lucy before lowering her eyes. “I’ve… been pretty ‘off the grid’ since high school. I was scared of hurting people again, so I just didn’t want to interact with anyone from back then… well, except for Rosa.” She glances up at Lucy. “I’m glad to hear you made amends with her already.” Rosa had mentioned at her party that she and Stella were still in touch, so I assume Rosa shared that she met with us. Perhaps that lent a little extra confidence boost for Stella meeting us this evening.

Lucy places an arm on Stella’s shoulder. “For what it’s worth, me too. I’m only now trying to get things patched up. I just hope I can still make things right.”

Stella gives her an encouraging nod. “I’m sure you can! Have you talked with Trish yet?”

“No… her and Reed are last on my list.”

Stella’s eyes sparkle. “Oh! Do you want me to read your fortune?! I bet it’ll-”

Lucy emphatically shakes her head. “No! No, that’s alright! I’ll… make my own fortune!” They both giggle, and I join in the laughter. Bill is a little confused, not understanding the inside joke of Stella’s fortune-telling being part of what caused the debacle at prom, but smiles as the air lightens with our mirth.

Stella turns to us, partially having forgotten we were here. “Oh, geez! I’m sorry, guys. I was wrapped up in my own little world with Lucy there.”

I offer her a warm smile. “It’s okay. You two needed the time together.”

Bill reaches his hand over and takes Stella’s. “Y-you did amazing, Stella! I’m really proud of you!” At the compliment, Stella blushes, fluttering her eyelashes in Bill’s direction. I still don’t quite understand the pairing, but I’m coming around to it. Bill’s proving himself to be a real one, and Stella deserves a good guy. I hope it works out between the two of them.

However, this lovey-dovey show of affection needs to end. I glance at the tidied board game in the center of the table. “To be honest, I am glad that we were able to keep up the time-honored tradition of flipping the damn table over whenever this God-forsaken game comes out. If you didn’t do it, I was gonna.” All three of the other people in the room turn to stare at me. I glance around at them, then tug at my collar in faux embarrassment. “Uhh... too soon?”

Stella is the first to make a noise, emitting a loud “Pfffffft” from her pursed lips before bursting out laughing. The others join in, as do I. Lucy speaks up through her laughter. “You know, Anon. Even if none of us won… there was one definite loser tonight!”

“Oh, son of a- I thought the exact same thing earlier. GET OUTTA MY HEAD, WOMAN!”

As our laughter dies down, we decide it’s time to say goodnight. We shake hands and exchange hugs at the door, and the two of them wave us goodbye as we head down the external staircase of their apartment complex towards our car.

We take our seats in the vehicle and buckle up. Before I start the engine, Lucy lets out a sigh. “I’m really glad that we came out here. It… wasn’t easy, but I’m really happy we were able to clear the air between us.”

I take her hand in mine. “You did awesome, sweetheart. Really.”

She smiles before her expression turns to one of contemplation. “So… that just leaves us with the big finals. End boss.”

I caress the back of her hand with my thumb. “You’ll do great. I know you will. In fact… I know it’s a little late, but do you want me to message Reed right now? He probably won’t see it ‘til the morning, but we can at least get the ball rolling.”

She thinks for a moment before nodding. “Yeah. Let’s do it.”

I withdraw my phone and open the messenger app. I pull up my conversation log with Reed, frowning when I see the last received messages and remember the last time we spoke. I did give them a call, but… we haven’t exactly been in touch since then. I hope they don’t take it too hard, and this should give us a chance to get them caught up on everything and mend this last bridge.

 

Reed S.

[ 11:37 PM ]

[ Hey Reed. I know it’s kind of late, so I don’t expect an answer right away. I just wanted to let you know that Lucy and I are ready to chat, if you and Trish are still up for it. Let me know your thoughts. Look forward to hearing from you. ]

 

Lucy watches as I type the message and hit the Send icon. I turn to her with a hopeful smile. “That’s that. Let’s head home, get some shut-eye, and maybe tomorrow he’ll see it and-”

The still lit screen catches my attention. I notice a small “Read” icon, followed by the familiar ellipses that signify the other party typing:

 

[ … ]

[ Hey bro. I don’t really think that’s a good idea right now. We probably shouldn’t meet. Sorry. ]