Page 14 of Meet You Half Way
“Okay then,” I said, trying to hold back my breath of relief. “I’ll buy the first round in that case.”
“Excellent,” Rob enthused, clapping me on the back. “Mateo here will help you with the drinks while Nick and I go lay claim to our pool table.”
Nick, that was it – the other friend’s name with the long surfy hair, tan skin and friendly smile. He and Rob sauntered off together while Mateo hovered at my side, an unsureness about him that I hadn’t seen the last time we’d met.
“How are you?” I asked, deciding I would have to just try and coax him out to play.
“I’m good,” he replied, adjusting the hem of his jacket.
“How is your boss going? I checked in on him a while back and he seemed to be recovering.”
“He’s doing okay,” Mateo nodded, a brief smile crossing his face. “He’s on bedrest which he absolutely hates but his wife is militant at following the doctor’s orders.”
“She sounds like the best kind of wife in that case,” I said, sharing a quick smile with Mateo.
“She is,” he agreed. “But, ah, with Dante off work I’ve been really busy keeping the firm running so, um …”
Hmm. Was this some kind of apology for not calling me? A really endearing, half attempt at an apology at any rate. Which I was a little too eager to accept.
“I can only imagine,” I told him. “So, what do you and your friends like to drink?”
“Nick loves the pale ale on tap,” Mateo readily replied. “Rob will probably go for the same.”
“And you?”
“I’ll have a vodka soda,” he said, that hint of shyness back on his face.
“Perfect,” I grinned. I signalled to the bar tender who exchanged a brief greeting with Mateo before I filled in our order, adding another pale ale for myself. I paid for the drinks and then Mateo helped me carry them over to where his friends had commandeered the old velvet sofa in front of the fireplace that was still unlit at this time of the year. Rob had already set out pool cues for everyone and was busy chalking them up.
“Cheers, mate,” he said when I handed him the glass. “How’s your pool game?”
“Certainly not at serious pool tournament level but I hopefully won’t disgrace myself,” I returned.
“Sounds good. In that case you can be my partner,” Rob continued with a nod. “I know you’d probably prefer to partnerwith Mateo but this is for the best. Don’t want to scare you off from ever coming out with us again.”
“In other words, Rob’s a pool shark who would otherwise wipe us off the table,” Nick added with a warm smile.
“Hey, no complaints from me,” I grinned.
“Are we ready to start?” Rob asked, moving to the top of the table.
“Just let us have a drink first yeah, little eager beaver,” Nick answered, leaning back on the sofa. Mateo was still hovering at the side of the sofa and I wasn’t sure what to do until Nick patted the seat beside him and I took it. Nick’s phone pinged and he instantly became distracted with whoever had texted him. I gestured for Mateo to take the spot beside me and he hesitated, eye’s whipping to Nick before he moved and sat on the sofa, keeping a safe distance of space between us.
“So how do you guys all know each other?” I asked. I eyed Rob for the answer given that Nick was still distracted with his phone and I got the impression Mateo wouldn’t volunteer the answer either way.
“Best friends since school,” Rob said with a nod as he leaned back against the pool table.
“Really? That’s cool that you’re all still friends.”
“The absolute best. But you want to know the best thing about hanging around these two in high school? The girls went mad for them. Like, literally mad. We had fan clubs and girl fights and everything. And as the interest was not exactly,reciprocated, well, you can bet your bottom dollar I was always right there in the shadows ready and waiting with open arms for a shoulder to cry on when these two inevitably let them down.”
“In other words you wore the girls down until there were no other options left,” Nick chimed in.
“We all benefited from that arrangement,” Rob returned. “Don’t pretend you didn’t.”
“What a lovely thought,” Mateo added, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Always begging for our sloppy seconds.”
“Not just begging but happy to take them too,” Rob laughed.
