Don't forget it, you'll regret it, Mother knows best.

Drew and I spent the evening talking, kissing, and cuddling. When things started getting too heavy physically, we’d both pull back and take a break, talking, updating each other on our lives, and really getting to know each other all over again. If you had asked me before, I would have told you I knew Drew, inside and out. But, the thing I didn’t take into consideration is that people change, and Drew had changed. I had changed. At first, the thought of taking things slow seemed almost agonizing. We had none each other so long, how slow could we possibly take things? But I found I liked getting to re-know Drew. I liked the excitement and anticipation of things. I thought I liked him before – now I was downright giddy.

He did end up spending the night, but only because we both fell asleep on the couch talking. I woke up the next day to the sound of the door opening and closing. Even in my groggy state, I knew it would be Matt, and I knew this had the potential of being very awkward. I untangled myself from Drew carefully and padded out to meet him.

I was surprised by what I saw. Wherever Matt had been, he had very clearly had a rough night.

“Hi.” I said, unsure of how to proceed.

“Ella, I can’t right now, OK?”

“Can’t what?” I asked, confused.

“I can’t pretend like I’m OK with all of this. I meant what I said about wanting to work through it so we can stay friends, but I guess I’m just having a weak moment right now, and I want to go to bed. I’m sorry.”

“Oh..” Was all I got out before he brushed past me and went into his bedroom.

“What was that about?” Drew asked, coming up behind me.

I shrugged. “Rough night, I guess.”

I knew by the look on Drew’s face that he knew what was going on, but he didn’t say anything.
“What’s on the agenda today?” He asked, heading for the kitchen.

“I really need to go visit my parents, and I should stop by and see Toni and the kids.” I almost added that I should also spend time with Matt, but I didn’t know if I should or not. I knew things would be a little awkward for a while, and I was willing to push through it, but I also thought I should probably leave the ball in his court. I didn’t want it to seem like I didn’t care, but I also knew this was a lot harder for him than for me, and I didn’t want to be insensitive.

“Well, I’m going to head home then. Maybe I’ll see you at Toni’s?”

“Yeah…” I trailed off. This was hard. I wanted to spend more time with Drew, and I knew I only had a few more days left before I had to go back to Colorado, but I also didn’t want it to become all about Drew before I left. Not only would that make going back harder, but I just didn’t want to become that consumed again. But, I also didn’t know how to broach it with him without it sounding like I didn’t want to spend time with him, I did, I just…

“Alright, well. See you later.” He said, kissing my forehead and moving out the door.

I went upstairs and showered and dressed, realizing that my Mom was probably going to chew me out for waiting for so long to come to see her. I almost hoped she wasn’t home, that it’d be just my Dad.

As I pulled up to their house, I cursed my luck. Not only was my Mom home, but my Dad wasn’t, which meant I could either come back later, or just suck it up and get it over with. But, I hadn’t told Toni I would be over until later, and I didn’t want to just waste time when I had so little of it. Plus, I sounded like a big baby hiding from my Mom. It wasn’t that she was horribly mean or anything. We didn’t really fight, but it was just… Awkward.

I pulled in the driveway and got out, heading for the door. I knocked and tried the knob. It was open, so I went on inside, and was greeted by my parents too old dogs. I bent down for kisses and belly rubs.

“Greeting the dogs before you greet your old mom, huh?”

“Hi Mom.” I said, standing to give her a hug. I knew she was joking, but it still rubbed me the wrong way.

“I didn’t know if we’d see you or not this weekend. Your Dad said Drew was going to pick you up.”

“He did. Where is Dad?”

“He ran to the store. I’ll give him a call and let him know you’re here.”

“No big deal. I was planning on hanging out for a while. I mean, if that’s OK.”

“Oh. OK.” She answered. “I was just in the kitchen, making cupcakes. Come on back.”

My Mom was pretty much Martha Stewart. She cooked, she baked, she decorated and sewed. She was home every day after school and on paper was the world’s best Mom. But she was always just a little bit detached. It always came across to me that she was more worried about the overall appearance rather than the actual details. She presented a pretty picture, but if you were to open the closet, a lot of crap would come falling out.

She fussed around for a few moments, getting me a drink, asking if I wanted a snack, getting me some cookies even though I said no. Then she turned and went back to her work. I expected her to say something – ask how Colorado was, how Drew was, but no. Silence.

“So, uh. What are you making cupcakes for?” I asked after I couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Nancy next door asked if I could make them for her daughter to take to the bake sale. She’s swamped with work, I guess. She tried to pay me for them, but you know me. I love baking, and I can’t do it too much anymore since there’s nobody but me and your Dad to eat.”

Again, she probably didn’t mean it as a dig, but it felt like one. I wasn’t home to eat her things anymore, so I was the one stopping her from doing what she enjoyed.

“Well. Colorado’s been fun.” I said, even though she hadn’t asked. “I’m glad to be home, but I’m looking forward to getting back to the girls.”

“Oh? How much longer do you have?”

“I go back for six weeks and I get a week off. Then I have five more weeks and I’m home for good.”

“Oh good. Not too much longer.”

She said it as though I didn’t enjoy being there, or as if I shouldn’t enjoy being there.

“Yeah, not too much longer. I’ll miss it, though.” I expected that to be the end of our conversation, and was prepared to wait in silence for my Dad to come home, but my Mom surprised me.

“So your Dad said Drew came and got you? You two not fighting anymore?”

I hadn’t told her we had been fighting, so my Father must have said something to her.

“Yeah, we worked it out.”

“That’s good. Drew’s been a good friend to you.”

“He has. We’re more than friends though.” I said, treading carefully. I remember being in this same spot the last time I dropped this news. She hadn’t handled it well then, and I didn’t know how she’d take it now.

“What do you mean?” She asked. She had been in the middle of decorating a cooled cupcake, the icing bag poised above, a drip of icing threating to fall from the tip.

“We’re trying again. He’s my boyfriend.” I said, stumbling over the words.

“I see.” She answered, and she dropped her gaze back to the cupcake. “Are you sure that’s such a good idea? Last time it didn’t end so well, now did it?”

“Last time was a mistake.” I felt myself getting defensive.

“I know, honey. No one is blaming you. I just mean how do you know the same thing won’t happen again? You two were so rocky afterwards. Drew’s a good friend to you, are you sure you want to risk that?”

I wasn’t sure how to answer that, and I wasn’t entirely sure where all this was coming from. My Mom always seemed to love Drew, you would think that would mean she wanted us to end up together.

“I don’t really know what to say to that, Mom. We’re together, it’s what I want.”

She sighed and wiped her hands on her apron. “Sometimes Ella, what you want may not be what you need. Or it may not be good for you. Sometimes, you don’t always get what you want.”
Now I was pissed off and confused. I was about to ask her what she meant when my Dad walked in.

“Ella!” He called. “It’s about time you came to see your old man!” He walked in the kitchen and must have seen the look on my face. He glanced at me, glanced at my Mother, and then pulled me to my feet.

“C’mon, let me show you my newest property I’ve bought!”

Good old Dad. He knew I didn’t give two shits about his property, but he’d been saving me from my mother for years.

It's Wednesday the 15th - I had expected to get a post up yesterday (and have one half written) but I also didn't plan to be up until 3AM working on math homework (I just don't get it. And then I think I get it and I don't and what can I say except I really hate math!)I don't think I'm technically "due" for a post yet, but I thought it'd be nice to have it up early for a change, and you know, on Valentines Day. I'm hoping it'll be up later today (again, Wednesday the 15th) but I have one more Math assignment due and I'm supposed to be going out for a bit with the hubs. So if not later today, Thursday it should be up.

Hope y'all had a great Valentines day!

Whatever Wednesday

New post below this - it's short, but I think combined with part one it's a normal post length.

Whew. Life is hectic - but it's getting a little better. Jeremy got a new job and the hours were killer - I was pretty much alone with the kids from almost the time they woke up until they went to bed. We also only have one car so I was stuck alone in the house with them. I literally thought I was going to go insane - Single Mom's and Mom's with husbands who are deployed, I do not know how you do it. Jeremy and I were fighting, I was being mean to the kids, I literally felt like I was losing my mind. It probably sounds so dumb, but to be stuck in the house with the kids all day by myself was just a lot harder than I ever thought possible.

So, he decided to go back to his old job. The hours there are way earlier, which stinks, but we pretty much have the whole early afternoon to evening together. It's still not ideal, but it leaves him time to job hunt for something better.

My dog is better - that was hard. We had two puppies, Koopa and Goomba. Koopa was the runt of the litter, and Goomba is... Well, we call him Big Fat Goo Dog for a reason. I knew when she started throwing up what it was. I freaked a little because she was vaccinated and I didn't understand how or why it was happening. We hadn't had them around other dogs or anything. Anyway, we took her to the vet. There's not a whole lot they can do, and Koopa was already still so small from being the runt, and she just didn't make it. Goomba, for a few days after, was fine. We had hope that maybe his vaccine took when hers didn't, or because he was bigger he was just stronger than she was and was able to fight it off. But then on my birthday he started throwing up. It was really scary and he got really bad, but through medication and force feeding of water and gatorade, he's better. And it's insane to know that last week he wouldn't even jump up on the couch and to see him now. It's still not great - I can tell he misses Koop and he does get lonely and bored by himself I think, but we can't bring in another dog and risk it getting sick too, and to be honest two dogs was quite a bit of work that I don't really know if I want to do. So, we're trying to lavish extra attention on him.

Then there's school, which hasn't been too difficult, but it's funny because I'll be like "whew, this assignment is complete" and then realize I need to start working on the next one, lol. I'm also mad at myself because I stupidly missed a math quiz, and I need ALL the points I can get in math because it is not my strong suit at ALL. So I'm hoping I pass the class or I guess I'll be adding it on to my class list for next quarter, lol.

Other than that, nothing else. School, kids, dog is my life, lol. The 24th is Jer and my wedding anniversary. We've been married for four years and it blows my mind. I know four years isn't a super long time, but it is my longest relationship.

How's everyone else doing?

Part TWO

-Short, but combined with part one, they would make a normal size post-

All I had wanted while I was away was to be at home, by myself, and just be able to do nothing. Now I had that, and I was so beyond bored. I sat around the house, time ticking slowly by, trying to find ways to occupy myself. I knew one thing was for sure, when I went back I wouldn’t complain about being too busy. I kept waiting for Matt to come home, and he did not. I was more than ready for the time when people would start arriving to hang out – and quickly became annoyed when that time rolled around and nobody was showing.

At first I was just antsy. I paced and checked the window. Then I tried to call the people who said they were coming over – and got frustrated when nobody answered. Then I got both pissed off an annoyed, and was about to head upstairs to change into my pajama’s when I heard the knock on the door.

I opened it and saw Drew standing on the door step.

“Hey, sorry I’m late.” He said, walking through the open door. “Or am I late? Where is everyone?”

“Good question.” I said. “I was told we’d be meeting for dinner and games and nobody has shown and nobody has answered their phone, or returned my texts. So.”

“Oh. Well. I mean… You still want me to hang around? In case anyone else decides to show? Or, uh, you know, we could do something?”

“Yeah, I mean… You did come all the way over. And I’m starving.”

“You wanna go out and get a bite?”

I shook my head. The earlier thought of getting into my pajama’s still sounded like a good one. “I’m not really in the mood to go out. I’m kind of bummed everyone bailed. But maybe pizza?”

“Sure, pizza’s good.”

“Can you order? I’m gonna go change. And hey, why don’t you order a movie?” I said, tossing him the remote.

When I came back down, Drew was sitting in the middle of the couch, a movie paused on the TV in front of him.

“That’s my shirt.” He said, smiling at me as I sat next to him with my legs curled underneath me.

“I have a whole wardrobe full of your stuff. It’s the most comfortable stuff I have.”

Drew slipped his arm over the back of the sofa, and without thinking about it, I leaned into him. My head hit his shoulder, and as soon as it did, a thought hit me and I popped back up.

“This was totally planned, wasn’t it?” I asked, looking over at Drew.

“What was?” He asked, looking confused.

“Tonight. Us. Being here alone. I mean maybe you weren’t in on it, but…” I remembered Matt leaving earlier. He had probably called everyone and told them not to come, and then stayed away from the house all day. He knew if he came home he didn’t have an excuse for leaving again.

“I’m not following.”

“Matt and I talked this morning, and he asked what the plans were for tonight and some other things. Anyway, he left pretty abruptly and I thought I had made him mad or something. I’m pretty sure he called everyone and told them not to come.”

“Why?”

“He wanted us to be alone I guess.”

“You don’t find that weird at all? I mean he likes you, right? Why is he pushing us so hard? I mean not that I mind, but it just makes me a tad suspicious.”

I sat up all the way now so I could turn and face Drew.

“Are you really worried about him?”

He shrugged. “I mean, yeah, a little. And don’t give me that look, it’s not because I don’t trust you. I mean it’s always a risk in a relationship, right? Things might not work out and people move on.”

“I think Matt just wants me to be happy. And I think he knows you make me happy.” Then I smiled. “And you said it was a risk in a relationship. So… Is this a relationship?”

That caused redness to creep up in his cheeks and a smile to cross his face.

“I don’t know yet. I wanted to take things slow, but it’s hard. It’s definitely where I want things to go, though.” He reached forward and brushed a stray strand of hair across my forehead and tucked it behind my ear. “What about you? What do you want?”

I swallowed hard. “You. I want you.”

I couldn’t tell you who initiated it. I couldn’t tell you if Drew leaned forward or if I did, or if maybe we both did it at the same time. But somehow, I was in his arms and his lips were on mine.

And the world was perfect.

Part ONE

---This is super short and uneventful, I know, but I wanted to get something up and got a later start than I had planned because even though my Math was super quick, the boys have colds AND Eli has three top teeth coming in so he was super fussy and didn't fall asleep until 10. Part 2 will be up tomorrow, probably later - look for something around 11PM-12AM est time tomorrow---

I had expected Matt and I to go out to breakfast, so imagine my surprise when I walked down the stairs the next day to find that he had cooked. Pancakes, fruit, sausage, and bacon.

“Wow. Trying to make it really hard for me to go back, huh?” I asked, stealing a sausage link and biting into it.

“That’s the plan.” He said, setting down a carton of orange juice in front of me. “How was the date?”

The question caught me off guard. I figured we wouldn’t talk about it.

“Isn’t that kind of awkward for you to hear about?” I asked, reaching for the carton to pour myself a class.

“Of course it is. But, it’s also awkward to ignore. You’re sitting there knowing I’m thinking about it, wondering when or if I’m going to drop the bomb and ask, I’m sitting here knowing you know I’m thinking about it, wondering how it really went, and wondering if I should ask. So, it’s just better to get it out in the open, get it over with.”

“Good point I guess.” I said. Still, I stalled by taking a long drink of juice, trying to figure out what to say to him, how much information to divulge. “It was… Nice.”

“Oh, come on El. That’s just adding insult to injury, don’t make me drag it out of you.”

I laughed. “This is weird! I don’t know what to say. It was good. At first it was a little weird. Then we both loosened up a little and it got easier. But, I’m still not sure it was a date.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know…” I said trailing off.

“Ella.” He whined, drawing out the a on the end.

“You seem awfully invested in this.” I countered, taking a bite of my food.

“I’m just afraid if we don’t do this, work through the awkwardness, that it’ll always be there, you know? I want to stay your friend.”

“Fine. He didn’t kiss me at the end. I asked him to come in and watch a movie or something and he said no. It was just weird. Maybe I considered it a date and he just considered it trying to re-new our friendship.” I shrugged.

“Well. That is weird. Do you guys have plans again?”

I nodded. “Tonight. Some people are coming over. He said he’d stop by.”

“Well. I mean that’s promising, right?” Suddenly Matt stood. “I’m not so hungry. I’m going to go for a run.”

“Oh… I thought we were going to hang?”

“I’ll be around tonight.” He said over his shoulder and he walked out the door.

And then I was a little mad. It was clear that Matt cut things short because it had hurt to hear about Drew. And I understood that. I remembered how bad I felt watching Drew with his girlfriends or hearing Jason talk about Kayla. But, I also didn’t push for details when I was uncomfortable. It seemed unfair to push and push and then bail.

“Well. He didn’t yell at you.” I mumbled to myself. “It’s just going to take some time.”

Just to keep you in the loop

I totally expected to have a post up by now. But the week hasn't gone so well.

First - THANK YOU for the birthday wishes. I really appreciate them :-)
Second - My other dog got sick - which is why I've been MIA. I was really afraid we were going to lose him too, and yesterday morning he looked really bad. I was a wreck. Cayden didn't really understand what was happening. He kept asking where Koopa (our other dog who we had to put down because of this) was, and when she was coming home. And even though I explained it to him, he didn't really get it. So, I didn't want to lose my dog, and I also didn't want my kids to go through that again.

He turned a corner last night and seemed to be doing really well. We're about 24 hours free without vomiting, and he pooped this morning and it was solid (gross, I know, but I've never been so excited to see poop before) He's also eating and drinking on his own. I'm not saying we're out of the woods yet, in these few days he's lost quite a bit of weight that we need to work on putting back on, but he's much better than he was (and not having to force feed him water from a medicine dropper is also nice.)

I also started working on the new blog. Nothing is up yet, but I set up the address and am playing with some nice and will be working on posts soon - after I get a new post for this up :-) Be on the look out for it Monday at the latest (but I'll probably work on it while bored at the superbowl party we're having!)

Let's start over, I'll try to do it right this time around

-I do apologize for my earlier post. It's been a pretty crappy day. I attempted to get math homework done, and it just wasn't happening. Eli is currently been down for 2 1/2 hours and Cayden has been wrapped up in TV (I know, horrible Mom here) so I got this done. It's for everyone who has taken the time to read the blog, and especially for all those who have been patient and understanding. -

Matt left me alone, and I was surprised how weird it felt to be alone. I guess I had been alone a couple of times in Colorado, but not really. I also felt like since I was at home, I should feel at home, but it was taking some re-adjustment that I hadn’t expected.

I had some time to kill before I had to get ready, and I wasn’t sure how to do it. There was really no point in unpacking my things when I wouldn’t be home that long. Nothing really needed to be cleaned – my room was how I left it, and Matt was pretty tidy. I threw in a load of laundry, but that didn’t take much time at all. I considered TV, but knew there wasn’t anything I was interested in watching. I thought about calling some friends, but realized nobody knew I was home and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to reveal that or not. Finally I gave in, picked up the phone, and called Brook.

“Hello?” She answered. “Is everything alright?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” I asked, confused.

“You just hardly call me anymore, and especially not at this time of day. It made me wonder if something was wrong. But I’m glad you called – I missed you! What’s going on?”

“I’m actually home for a few days, on my break.”

Brook squealed. She actually squealed. I had to hold the phone away from my ear.

“Don’t get too excited,” I said, chuckling. “It’s only for a few days.”

“When can I see you? I missed you! Oh geez, I sound like some sort of weirdo, all excited huh? Are you free now? Wanna do something? Or did you just get in and are all tired?”

“Slow down there, sparky.” I joked. “I’m free now for a little bit. I’m not tired and I’m actually bored out of my skull. I have plans later tonight, but if you want to meet up and hang…”

“Yes! Yes, yes, yes! Mall? I can leave now.”

“Awesome, I could stand getting some new clothes. I’ll be there in like twenty.”

“So. What are these mysterious plans you mentioned having tonight?” Brook asked after we exchanged hug and hello’s.

There was that goofy smile that ran across my face again. I thought I had gotten that thing under control? It was too late, Brook had spotted it.

“It’s a boy! You met a boy? Or is it a boy you already knew?”

“It’s Drew, actually.” Goofy smile managed to get even bigger and even goofier.

“Really?” Brook asked. “When did that happen?”

“He met me at the airport this morning. We had a heart to heart.”

“So are y’all back together?”

“I don’t know, actually. I don’t even know what this thing tonight is. I guess at first I kind of assumed it was a date, but now…”

“Well what did he say?”

“He said he wanted to start over, take things slow, and then when he dropped me off he said he’d really love to see me tonight.”

“Hmm…” Brook said, tapping her lip. “C’mon.” She said, grabbing my hand and pulling me in the direction of a department store.

“Where are we going?” I asked confused.

“I think to play it safe, you should keep it casual. Now we’re off to find the hottest casual outfit we can find!”

Calling Brook had turned out to be an excellent idea. Not only was she fun to be around, but she had helped me choose an awesome outfit (jeans, which sounds boring but these made my butt look fantastic and my thighs look tiny, and sweater that flowed over all the bad places and clung to all the good places), and then she headed back to my house with me to do hair and makeup. At first I was a little worried, Brook tends to go a little overboard, but there turned out to be no need. She did my hair in a simple half up do, but left my hair damp so that it natural curled and waved on its own. Make up she also kept light, and I didn’t even really looked like I was wearing anything – I just looked brighter and fresher, if that makes sense.

She left me about a half hour before Drew was due, making me promise to call her with updates as soon as I was able. I sat, my nerves jumbling in the pit of my stomach, and I waited. I expected Drew to be late – isn’t that always how it is? When you’re really waiting for something, it shows up late? So the knock on the door fifteen minutes after Brook left caused me to jump. And almost vomit.

“This is Drewbie, El. You’ve been around him a million times. This is just a million and one.” I said to myself, before I opened the door.

The second I saw him, I knew it wasn’t a million and one times. This time was different. And looking at him, I knew that he knew it too. This was a big moment for us – I didn’t understand why. I just knew that this was the deciding moment.

“Hi.” I said.

“Hi.” He answered. “You look nice.” He reached his hand up, as if to brush a stray strand of hair away from my face, and then stopped himself and dropped his arm back down.

“You do too.” I said, partly because I was unsure of what else to say, and partly because it was true. I was glad I picked casual – Drew had gone that way too, jeans and a button up with a tee shirt underneath. But he wore it well.

“You ready?” He asked.

I nodded and followed him to the truck.

It was awkward for a few minutes. But then Drew asked me about Colorado, and the kids, and I found them just as easy to talk about as my kids back home. I told him about them luring away Cumulus, how scared I was, how angry I was. But, with pride I also told him about my last night there, and the plans I had when I got back. And just like that, the awkward wall broke. We talked about his job, what he had been doing, and eventually the conversation turned to Jessica.
“So. What happened?” I asked. I figured now was the best time to take the plunge. We were waiting for the check, so if the conversation turned ugly or painful, we’d be leaving soon.

“She wanted things I wasn’t willing to give. I told you that.” Drew said, playing with his fork.
“What kind of things, Drewbie?”

He studied me for a moment, and I could tell he was trying to decide whether it was a good idea to tell me the truth, or a bad idea.

“She asked me to quit speaking to you. And I know that hurt you, but I was OK with it. Well, OK isn’t the right word, because it was hard for me. But… I understood. And I did agree that it was probably the best thing for our relationship, but I just stupidly figured it was a temporary thing. When our relationship got on solid ground, maybe then she’d be alright with us working on our friendship.” He smirked. “I realize how dumb that sounds now. Anyway. She overheard Jason and I talking you, she flipped out and pretty much squashed the idea that you and I would ever be friends again as long as she was around. Then she just kept pushing us to further our relationship. First it was us needing to move in together, then she started dropping all these proposal hints. We’d watch a romance movie and when the guy would propose she would say ‘keep that in mind, my ring size is a six.’ Just stuff like that. At first I thought she was just joking but she just kept doing it. Then one night one of her friends said something about ‘putting a ring on it already.’ That made me realize that not only had she not been joking when she made those comments, but that she also had discussed it with friends. That led to a discussion after her friend left where I said I wasn’t ready for marriage yet, and she told me I could either get ready or leave. So I left.”

“Crazy.” I said, unsure of what else to say.

“A little bit. I also think that she just never really felt secure in our relationship. She was so worried about you so she kept trying to push our relationship into a place where she felt secure. I don’t think she would have been happy even if I had married her.”

“Did you want too?”

“Want to what?” He asked. The waitress brought back our check and he signed it.

“Marry her?”

“No. If I had, I would have.”

We left the restaurant and got back in his car. The awkwardness was back, and I was disappointed when instead of heading somewhere else, we pulled up in front of my house. Drew got out of the car and opened the door for me, and walked me to the front step.

“You want to come in and watch a movie or something?” I asked.

“Do I want too? Yes. Do I think I should? No. So, I’m not going too.”

“I’m confused.” I said.

“Don’t be. Are you busy tomorrow morning? Want to do breakfast or something?”

“I told Matt I’d do breakfast with him, and catch up. Lunch?”

“I have some school stuff to do. Evening again?”

“I told Brook we could hang out – but we did say it’d be kind of party-like. You’re welcome to come over.”

“Text me tomorrow, and let me know what time.”

“Alright.”

There was an awkward beat, where I knew Drew was trying to decide what to do, and I knew Matt knew I was wondering if he was going to kiss me. Instead though, he leaned forward and gave me a crushing hug.

“I missed you.” He said into my ear. He held me a moment longer, then let go and walked away. “See you tomorrow.” He called over his shoulder.

I called Brook as soon as I got into the house. I felt like a highschool, replaying our outing word for word. When I got to the end though, Brook sounded disappointed.

“Just a hug? What is up with that?” She asked.

“I know I should be saying the same thing Brook, but… I’ve never had a hug that made my toes curl before.”