Page 5 of Dear One Night Stand
His words shock me into silence as we walk into the private room.
Everyone else in the group is already there, sitting around the long table with drinks and plates of appetizers in front of them. They all cheer when we walk in, and I realize what a mistake it would have been not to come tonight, even if it meant seeing Baker.
I introduce Chris to Jamie and Maggie, Budgie, Eddie, and Lisa.
“You’ve already met Baker and Nadine. And you, of course, you know Marnie," I say as though he's met her many times since she is my roommate.
He waves to the group. "Nice to meet you all. It's nice to put faces to the names finally."
Everyone chuckles but Baker.
We all sit down and start catching up. Jamie and Maggie pass around pictures of their three kids. Budgie tells some stories about his adventures as a photojournalist for a travel magazine. Eddie talks about teaching and his elementary students. And Lisa tells us about her time living abroad in Europe before settling recently in Toronto.
The nerves I felt earlier in the evening hit again when Marnie starts talking about her work in the lab and the breakthrough they just had with a medicine she’s been working on for Parkinson's patients. Everyone here has done something with their lives, and all I do is work in an office job that I only took to pay the bills. And yet, at this moment, I suddenly realize that it's no longer just a job, but somewhere along the way, it turned into a career.
I don’t have an exciting job that gives me satisfaction. And I don’t have a family that makes me feel like I’ve done something.
"What about you, Annie?" Eddie asks. "Did you ever make it to Broadway as you planned?"
I smile, but I'm not sure that it reaches my eyes. "No, sadly, I had to give up the starving artist lifestyle to take a job in Human Resources.”
All the smiles in the room falter.
“But you still volunteer and work behind the scenes at the Milson Theater," Marnie adds, but it sounds more condescending to me than supportive. But I know that's not how she means it.
“Chris, you should have seen Annie play Helena fromA Midsummer Night’s Dream, our college's Shakespeare in the Park production," Lisa says, trying to find a way to push past the awkwardness in the room.
“Oh yeah,” Eddie joins in. “She would spend hours reciting her lines over and over again until we had to beg her to stop.”
“But all that hard work paid off in the end. She stole the show with her beauty.” Baker says before he clears his throat. “I mean, talent.”
I glance nervously at Baker and then to Nadine. She’s looking down at her empty cocktail glass and staring at it like if she concentrates hard enough, another gin and tonic will fill the glass.
4
CHRIS
I enjoyed listening to Annie’s friends talk about her passion for acting until her ex-boyfriend had to throw a wet blanket on the room by talking about how beautiful she was in her performance. He tried to cover up his slip, but it didn’t go unnoticed by anyone.
I do not doubt that it would have been impossible to take my eyes off her if I was sitting in the audience. But I really don't like the idea of Baker doing the same thing, even if at the time she was his girlfriend. He had his chance with her, and he let her go. I'm not sure how this night will end, but I'll be damned if I let Annie go.
My arm is draped over the back of her chair, and I’m not sure if she realizes it, but she’s leaning into my side. I’d like to think that she feels so comfortable with me, but as her friends just explained to me, she's also a good actress, and this is a show for an audience of one.
The conversation moves onto Baker and the new search engine his company is building and some of the wedding plans added by Nadine. I don't miss how she speaks to the rest of the table, but her eyes always seem to find Annie, like she's looking for some reaction from her.
I half expect to feel Annie tense up next to me when the conversation moves to the wedding plans, but Annie still feels at ease leaning against me. Marnie catches my eye a few times, too, her gaze somehow mixed with an expression of curiosity and protectiveness. It's clear that she cares a lot about Annie, and I wish there were some way to tell her that my intentions are good, whatever happens at the end of this night.
I glance down at my watch and sit up with a start. Annie turns to me, startled.
“Are you okay?” she whispers.
“I have to get to the club. I’m already late.” I whisper back and start to stand.
Budgie is in the middle of a story about jumping off the cliffs in Greece but stops when he sees me stand up.
“I’m so sorry to interrupt, but I’m going to have to head out early.” I point to my guitar case leaning against the wall behind me. “I have a performance I need to get to tonight.”
“Open mic night?” Baker asks, a hint of hostility in his tone.
