Chapter 6: An invitation

I put the milk into the fridge and the rest of my groceries where they’re meant to be. I don’t realize I’m still holding my breath but when I turn around and come face to face with Damien I let out an exhale.

“So…” he looks around my space, taking in the view from the windows. “This is good. Jania did the decor right?”

I nod. I can feel my cheeks heat and it has everything to do with the fact that he’s pacing around in my space.

For some reason , I still can’t get over how grown he looks.

“It screams you” his lips curve as he takes in the orange couch. “That couch is hideous though”

I gasp. “That’s so offensive, that is the most beautiful couch ever”

He laughs. “Of course you’d think that”

I can’t help but laugh too and then we both mellow out into silence. He takes a deep breath and turns towards the view. 

“You look good.”

I ignore the swarm of knots that swim in my belly and grab a glass from the cupboard to distract myself. "Turns out a little warm weather suits me" I fill it with water and take a sip. “Shit, my manners” I face him again and walk over to the fridge. I open the door and scan through its content. “Do you want anything? Drink? Snack?”

He doesn’t respond and when I turn to look at him again he’s moved closer and he’s leaning against the table.

The smile on his face is gone now and it’s been replaced with something serious. He looks at me and lets out a frustrated sigh before leaning up.

“Did you hate it?”

Fuck.

Trust Damon to say what’s on his mind.

I rest against the other counter and cross my arms.

“What?” I decide to play it off.

“What?” He repeats and an amused smile plays on his lips. “Do you want me to spell it out? Do you not remember the night before you packed your things and ran to Santo Paulo?”

I shake my head. “Let’s not do this Damien” 

He sighs. “You’re right, you’re right. We shouldn’t” He grabs the oatmilk he had dropped on the table and makes his way for the door. “Always a pleasure to see you Lex”

“Damien-”

The door slams shut before I can complete my sentence and I wince.

So much for seeing old friends.

I stand stuck in my position.

Did I remember? What kind of question is that?

How could I not.

I had up hilled my life and tried to start afresh. Everytime I’d thought I’d gotten better something came up and I’d been reminded of them again. 

Lance would talk about them and I’d get upset, Rahi would send a picture with one of them in the background and I’d be stuck for the rest of the day. I had dyed my hair dark for Christ’s sake, just because I had spiraled a bit when I found out Damien would be in Santo Paulo for a democratic conference.

He didn’t reach out to me.

Did I remember? Honestly I wish I didn’t.

I run my fingers through my hair and stare pick up my phone from the counter. I head over to Lance’s name and click on the call button.

He answers on the first ring. “What’s up?”

“Parker lives here” I try to keep my voice controlled and I can only hope he doesn’t notice, but knowing Lance. He probably would.

“Are you okay?” his voice creeps with worry .

I roll my eyes. “Yes Lance, I’m okay” I plop into the orange sofa. “Why didn’t you tell me he lived here?”

He pauses for a second. “I mean, we own the complex and he has his primary unit there. You’re right, I should’ve let you know. It totally skipped my mind”

The silence that follows is heavy and he speaks again.

“You don’t have to tell me the details and I know you guys have history but can you just assure me you’re fine?” He continues. “If you want to move to another condo, I could arrange for that–”

“Lance, Lance, I’m fine trust me” I let out a deep breath. “I was just surprised. I ran into Damien at the mart and he was coming over to see Parker and he dropped me off and…yeah”

The other end is silent for a bit and then he sighs. “ Yeah, apparently Damien touched base this morning” 

“Look how the cards flip. Damien coming home from important congress stuff and 3am while we’re the ones clubbing at such an ungodly hour” I stifle a laugh.

Damien in college would have never missed a party, even if his life depended on it.

Lance chuckles. “He cleaned up really good”

“Thanks. I'm fine really, I’ll catch up with you later okay”

"Yeah"

I end the call feeling a hundred times lighter than I did before. I highly recommend having a twin, I honestly cannot imagine my life without him. 

Outside, the sun is already setting and the view is too irresistible to not capture. I pull out my phone and take a photo before uploading it to my private i*******m story.

The replies come flooding in instantly.

raHi: Wish I had that view xx

Jania: heart emoji

Mind you, they both had better views than this. Speaking of which, I really need to go visit their houses. I know they all lived with their partners but that’s a plus in my books. I see at least two of my friends.

I order some take in from a Chinese restaurant that apparently has really good ratings and decide to spend the rest of my evening catching up on the shows I missed and some scrolling through the new drop of one my favourite fashion brands. 

I’m about to click on the clear cart button , when a notification pops up on my screen.

I freeze temporarily and my  brows furrow. I ignore the swirling in my stomach as I stare at the text sent by…

Parker.

I sit up on the chair, feeling my heart rate pick up and cross my legs. 

Parker sent me a text.

I haven’t seen his name in my contact log for so long. He had my number but he never reached out, except for..

I shake my head to erase the memory that threatens to creep into my mind and I take a deep breath.

“It’s not that serious” I mutter to myself. “He’s just a friend. Just a friend”

I click on the message and suck in a deep breath as I read the words he sent.

Have dinner with us on Saturday , 7?

It’s been a while. We missed you Lex.

Oh god.

I let out a  breath I didn’t even realize I was holding. 

They want to have dinner with me. They actually want to see me.

The first emotion I feel is relief but I only bask in it for a second, suddenly all the feelings I tried to keep buried rise to the surface and I realize something that I tried to ignore all this time.

I missed them too.