I haven’t made a decision, and I’m not going to while I’ve been drinking, but it’s nice to feel the options. I’m no longer trapped in a prison of my own making; the walls are breaking away. My future is what I make it.
“G ood morning, Jace,” Mom says with a smile as I wander down the stairs, rubbing the hangover out of my eyes. “You are looking happy today. Would you like a coffee?”
“Yes, I would love a coffee. Thanks, Mom. But I’m more tired than happy.”
“Oh, I’m not saying that you don’t look tired, I know you had a late night, but you look happier too. Like a big weight has been lifted off your shoulders. Can I ask where you were last night?”
I pause for a moment, trying to decide what to do about this. Do I tell her now? It did go well.
“I was with Addie.” The words burst out of my mouth. Excitement gets the better of me. Much as it would probably be safer to contain this, I can’t. “We had a few drinks.”
“Addie?” Mom’s eyes light up with happiness. “As in Addie from college?”
“Yes.” I nod and laugh. “We erm… ran into one another and ended up having a good night.”
“And, how is she?” Mom leans forward. She wants to know everything.
“She’s good. Busy, like you said. She has a very stressful job as the managing editor of the newspaper.”
“Oh, I can imagine. She was always very clever, wasn’t she?”
“Yep, she was.” I smile to myself. The pain of her leaving me in the middle of college is still there, but I’m able to focus on the good parts as well. “She was one of the smartest people I knew. She still is.”
“So… what happened? With you and Addie? Was it amazing to see her?”
“It’s always amazing to be with Addie. She’s a great person. We get on really well; you know?”
Mom eyes me curiously. I pretend that I don’t see her, but I know what she’s thinking. She always wanted me to end up with Addie, she made that clear at the time, and I’m sure that still stands. I want to tell her that I’m working on it, but I don’t want her to get her hopes up in case it doesn’t pan out.
“Well, that’s wonderful to know. Are you planning on seeing her again while you’re still here?”
I think about her number sitting in my phone and I smirk. I have a way to contact her at last, and she’s promised me that this time she will actually answer when I call her which is really something. “Yeah, maybe.”
“I hope you do. And maybe bring her to see me. I’d like to catch up with her.”
“Hmm, maybe. We’ll see what happens. We’ll see how long I’m here.”
I am still up in the air about that. It’s not easy to be so decisive when I’m sober, but I’m trying not to rush it. I still have time, I haven’t spoken to any of the band yet, so I’m not too worried. They are giving me space which is what I need, even if they don’t quite know what they’re giving me space for.
“Anyway, I’m going to take a shower. Thanks for the coffee, Mom. I’ll take it with me.”
I hop up the stairs with my phone in my hand. Maybe I should be playing it cool and waiting a while before I call her, but I don’t care. I want to speak to her now, so I will call her right away.
I check the time, noting that it’s still early but not too early, so I hit the call button. She answers right away.
“Hello?” She’s unsure, but that’s probably because she doesn’t know that it’s me. I took her number but didn’t give her mine. To be honest, I didn’t really think about it at the time.
“Hey, Addie, it’s Jace…” Is this a good idea? Should I have waited?
“Oh, hi, Jace.” She giggles. I can practically see her thinking about last night. “How are you?”
Now I’m thinking about it too. The taste of her lovely lips, the way that her hands felt all over me, the sensation of her body pressed up against mine… I kinda wish I had gone up to her place… just so I could be with her now.
“A little tired, but okay.” I bite down on my bottom lip. “How about you?”
“Shattered, but getting ready for work. I need to be there soon.”
I imagine her pulling on her suit, tying her hair back, slipping high heels on and turning in to the professional woman that she spends all of her days being. The version of her that I don’t yet really know. I will though, soon enough, if things go the way I want them to. I hope that we get to spend a lot of time together.