Page 29 of One More Weekend

SY

Tightening my black apron,I took a deep breath. The whole catering team had been briefed on what was being served to this room of Wall Street bigwigs and I knew chaos was about to ensue.

I took extra shifts with the catering company whenever I could use extra money, most often around the holidays. But my dates with Jenna were starting to strain my wallet and if I was smart, I would start banking some money now if she left.

When. Not if.

Shaking my head, I walked over to the table full of silver platters, hor d'oeuvres neatly placed on each tray.

Another cater waiter in the same white dress shirt and black apron sidled up next to me. “What’s happening, bro?”

I turned to meet the familiar voice. “Good to see you, dude.” Dapping her up, I nodded to the food. “Just another gig.”

I’d met Angel on a similar job back in December, ironically for the same management company that Jenna got an internship for that next spring. We’d hit it off, having the same attitude about all the rich assholes at the party.

Although, that party had nice hosts which was a pleasant surprise.

The head Chef gave us our orders and we grabbed the corresponding trays before taking our positions in line next to the exit. Inside the hall past the doors, the event planners were preparing to open the doors and welcome guests inside.

If I wasn’t wrong, this was a celebration for some start-up that just went public on the stock market… which meant a lot of douchebags with too much coke and money.

“Anything new with you?” I looked at Angel who shrugged.

“Not really, same shit.”

Laughing, I nodded. “Any cool DJ gigs lately?” Almost everyone working a job like this was an artist doing their best to pay their way to their next project, myself included. Angel was no different, a music major turned DJ who was in the middle of producing her first album.

Chewing her lip, Angel raised her eyebrows. “Yeah, mostly just playing Ginger’s on the weekends.”

It was a surprise to me that Ginger’s even had DJs come in. It used to have much more of a pub vibe with some pool and music over speakers. But having someone come in to spin meant a much more clubby vibe.

Maybe I should go visit soon.

“What about you?” Angel asked as she adjusted the collar of her button-down.

Blowing out hot air, my shoulders dropped. “My roommate – and best friend – might be leaving at the end of the lease. So bye-bye to our rent-stabilized place.”

“Fuck, that’s bad news.” Angel winced. It was every New Yorker's dream to have a place that couldn’t jack up the rent on you at the end of a year. But Jenna’s name was on the lease and without her, the owners could do whatever they wanted. Andfrankly, rents had gotten out of control in the three years we’d been there.

Finding a place in this market was proving to be far worse than anyone was talking about.

Wrinkling her forehead, Angel looked over at me. “Is this the best friend from college? The one you made that deal with?”

I couldn’t stop myself from laughing, forgetting I’d told her about that. Last time we worked together, Angel had asked why I hadn’t hooked up with Jenna since she sounded so amazing. Left with no choice, I admitted my greatest shame: friendzoning the best woman I’d ever met.

Of course, I was glad we’d had so many years of an incredible friendship. I’d needed those years to grow and fuck up. Jen’s advice had gotten me through some tough shit and if we’d rushed into something as eighteen-year-olds, it wouldn’t have ended well.

But the closer Jenna’s departure came, the more I was questioning the point of keeping the bubbling feelings at bay.

“Yes, that one.” I nodded.

Pursing her lips, Angel lifted her eyebrows. “But you’re in love with each other, right?”

It was impossible to stop the blush from rising to my cheeks. I hadn’t allowed myself to think about it like that, so explicitly. I knew I loved her, knew that I couldn’t live without her. But the more we spent our days together, exploring the city that brought us together, it got more complicated than just platonic.

“Don’t even bother refuting. I see right through you, Sy.” Angel clapped my shoulder with a knowing look.

I leaned against the wall, letting it knock some of the wind out of me as my hand grew sweaty under the metal tray. “What if it’s too late though, like if we can’t cross that line now?”

---