Page 101 of The Night We Met

Once our food is purchased and coffee in hand, we find a bench to share our food.

“Ladies first,” Mason declares and holds the first bite out to me.

“I’m not just going to bite into it.”

He looks at me like I’m insane like I didn’t just hold up a whole cinnamon roll.

“You are one weird woman,” he proclaims.

I lean in to kiss him on the cheek. “Yeah, but you love me anyway.”

“I do.”

We eat in relative silence. Watching the mid-morning crowd venture into the still waking up city.

“What are you thinking about?” Mason asks, pulling me from my stare into the distance.

Turning to look at him, I blurt out what I’ve wanted to ask him since London, “Move in with me. I mean you’re there most of the time anyways. And while I love your apartment, Lucy can’t run around whenever.” I wouldn’t bea proper millennial if I didn’t think about my dog having the necessary space to run around.

“Are you sure?”

Nodding. “I’m one hundred percent sure. I’ve never been more sure.”

His answering smile is reward enough. “Yes. I’ll move in with you.”

It’s hard not to compare the future living situation to the past. But like I always war with myself, I’m older. Mason and I already spend most nights together. And as much as I love the view from his apartment, it’s not a home. At least not one where a family can be born or pets can roam free.

“So what’s next for you two?” Sarah questions when we’re at our final stop for the day, Trio City Exchange, and it’s just our group with a few other people that decided to stop in for the day.

We’ve all gorged ourselves on food and drinks that we’ll have to UBER to our respective homes.

“Like after here? Or in general?” I think I know what Sarah is getting at. But I want her to spell it out.

She gives me aare you dumblook. “In general, smartass.”

Blowing her a kiss, I announce to our group, “Mason and I are moving in together.”

“It’s about time” and “Congratulations” and “When’s the wedding?” are tossed out. I wasn’t joking when we were in London. I would marry Mason as soon as possible. Now that he’s retired and is waiting to hear back from some sportscaster jobs, we have time.

“Enough about us. Emily, where’s your beau?”

A blush covers her face. She’s been going strong with her new beau for quite some time. I’m still in awe of her resilience to let love back in. While it wasn’t as easy for me, she was more open to the possibility of finding the person that fills the missing pieces of her life.

“He’s at home, while his son is with his parents.”

I look at her quizzically. “He didn’t want to come out with us?”

“Kamryn, he owns a bar. The last place he wants to be on his day off is at a bar.”

I give her ayou’re rightnod.

I look around at the people that have become my people. But the happiness I feel with this group falters when I see Sarah watching the TV with a sad look on her face. I follow her line of sight and see a baseball game on. The truth is that I’ve been a terrible friend to Sarah. When Liam passed, she dropped everything to be with me. I guess in my grief and in my healing I refused to acknowledge anyone else's grief.

“Sarah. Come with me,” I place my drink on the table in front of us and kiss Mason on the cheek before heading over to Sarah.

Our hands clasp as I lead her to the back patio of the bar. When we’re seated, I wait for her jaw to unclench. In all the times we’ve been friends I’ve never seen her so upset.

“Sarah, I’m sorry.”

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