Page 68 of I Stop Somewhere Waiting For You

“Where’s Rico and JP?” I ask.

“Double date,” Nick snorts.

“Nuh-uh!” I laugh. “Shut up!”

“Swear to God.” He smirks with a shake of his head. “Apparently they’ve run through most of the females in this town and are looking for something more serious, but they were both too terrified to meet random dating app chicks on their own out of fear they’d be catfished.”

“Yes,” Daphne mocks with a roll of her eyes, “and strength in numbers is gonna ensure their dates are models instead of dogs. Fucking idiots.”

“I didn’t say it was sound logic.” Nicky chuckles with a shrug.

“Where’s Luc?” Caleb asks Daphne. “I haven’t seen him since we got in.”

“He’s got some meeting that ran late at work. He doesn’t know when he’ll be done, so no sense in waiting.”

We all move into the dining room where conversation progresses pleasantly. We talk about everything from my new job at the clinic, to Caleb’s med school plans, to Daphne’s new interior design business she’s launching. While she studied art in school and loved it, she’s got too much of a nose for business to live the starving artist life. So, she settled on a career she felt was a nice blend of both.

“So, Nick,” Caleb begins, “I have to admit, I was a big fan of yours back in the day.”

“Oh, thank you, man. I really appreciate that.”

“I have to ask…” Caleb innocently presses. “Why’d you cut yourself short? Retirement at twenty-one? With your talent you easily could have gone another decade.”

The room grows quiet as Daphne and I lock eyes across the table. My heart quietly breaking as past memories flood my mind—those which altered our lives forever.

Caleb glances around, his demeanor shifting to one of unease. “Uh-oh. Did I put my foot in my mouth already? You don’t have to answer that, Nicky. I’m sorry. That was rude.”

“No.” He smiles, shaking his head. “No, you didn’t ask anything wrong. I miss it sometimes. But some business ventures presented themselves, and at the end of the day there really was no other choice.”

“Well.” Caleb gestures around us. “It looks like they paid off.”

Nicky offers a forced tight-lipped smile as he rises to clear the plates.

Caleb leans into me, planting a kiss on my cheek. “I’m going to go help your brother in the kitchen and try to repair whatever I just screwed up.”

“You’re fine.” I offer a reassuring smile. “But go, I’m sure he’d love the help.”

Caleb nods, grabbing the last of the glassware and disappearing from the room.

“Well,” Daph grabs the remaining bottle of wine from the table, bringing it to her lips to take a swig, “that didn’t hurt… much.”

I extend my hand, gesturing for her to pass it over. She readily complies, and I throw my head back as I down the chilled liquid.

“When’s move-in day?” she asks, her demeanor significantly less chipper.

“Not for a few weeks. July first.” I take another sip before passing it back to her. “I’m staying at my parents’ place ‘til then. Thank you for agreeing to let Caleb stay with you guys.”

“Of course.” She nods, offering a small smile. “Luc is excited to get guy time in anyway.”

It’s not that I don’t want to spend time with Caleb. I do. It’s just that in three weeks we’re going to be in each other’s space all the time, and I’m really looking forward to just having some alone time before then.

“Hey,” she says, seizing my attention while placing the bottle back on the table with a thud, “let’s do a girl’s day tomorrow. You and me in Queen City. We can stop by your new apartment, and you can show me the space. And as my Maid of Honor, you have an obligation to come help me finalize the menu.”

“Yeah, absolutely.” I force a smile.

“Ask me.” Her voice comes out low, drawing my gaze up to her.

“What?” I ask, though I know what she’s referring to.

---