Incandescent

“We’ve gotten to know each other pretty well, right?” He shrugged. “And I know firsthand how hard these kinds of days can be.”

My heart throbbed. “Thanks. You’re a good friend.”

“You are too.” He handed me the bottle as our gazes clashed. “Anyway, here you go. I know how much you enjoyed this when we were at the bar.”

When he turned to leave, panic seized my chest. “Wait. Come inside for a drink?”

He shook his head. “It’s okay to say no. You’re not obligated to invite me inside just because I showed up uninvited.”

“I…” I looked down at my bare toes. “I didn’t realize until you were actually here how much I needed the company.”

When our eyes met again, his softened a fraction. “Okay, but only if you’re sure.”

Once I let him inside, he followed me to the kitchen.

“Is Grant here?” he asked, glancing toward the staircase.

“He’s at Ellie’s tonight.” I reached for two whiskey glasses from the cupboard, trying to remember the last time they were even used. “How did you and Carmen celebrate anniversaries?”

“It was a big deal in the beginning of our marriage, but then it became just us being together, doing any little thing we enjoyed.” He twisted open the whiskey. “How about you?”

“Pretty much the same, outside of this big one, where we considered traveling somewhere. The details were never hammered out.” In hindsight, maybe that was for the best, or else I’d be lamenting some sort of trip abroad or to the West Coast. I held the glasses steady while he poured us three fingers each. “We definitely enjoyed going out to dinner.”

“Same.” Marcus smiled. “Do you have a favorite restaurant?”

“Yeah, the Asian one on Coventry.”

“The one that’s been there forever?” he asked, squinting as if trying to picture it.

“Hunan’s,” I replied, finally remembering the name.

“That’s it. They make the best brown—”

“Sauce,” I said at the same time as him.

“No way. You too?” he asked, his eyes alight in wonder.

“Damn, that sounds good.” I patted my stomach, remembering right then that I hadn’t eaten dinner. “Sometimes I crave it.”

“Wanna order delivery?” Marcus asked hesitantly, still apparently feeling like he was imposing. “Unless you already—”

“I could eat.”

“Yeah?”

I nodded. It would feel nice to share another meal with him.

“Okay, pulling up the site…” He lifted his cell and punched in the web address. “Chicken or shrimp?”

“How about both, and we can mix and match?” I suggested.

“Perfect,” he replied, raising the phone to his ear and placing the order.

I felt lighter than I had in hours.

“Done,” he said once off the phone. He lifted his glass and clinked it to mine. “To twenty years of loving someone with your whole heart.”

“Absolutely,” I said around the boulder in my throat. Fuck, that’d made me emotional. “Hey, you never know…maybe they’re out there somewhere, cracking jokes about us. Rebecca telling Carmen how she hated the way I left my socks laying around.”

Marcus snickered. “Or Carmen complaining that I was a terrible cook but tried anyway.”

“Really?” I said around another sip. It felt warm going down. “Have you improved at all?”

He frowned. “I don’t really know. I’m the only one eating it.”

Wasn’t that the fucking truth?

We sipped and talked about random stuff and set the table. Before we knew it, the doorbell rang and our dinner arrived.

We carried the brown bags to the counter, then set the containers in the middle of the table. We opened the chicken and shrimp with the delicious brown sauce, which was a bit tangy and a little spicy, and the smell made my stomach grumble. We loaded some of each on our plates, then dug in. I briefly considered saving some for Grant until I remembered he wasn’t a fan, preferring plain sticky rice with salt and butter. Rebecca was a fan of their garlic sauce and didn’t like to mix and match, instead savoring her favorites all on her own.

I didn’t know why I was making a comparison right then, except that it was a reminder of what I could expect in the future. If I ever dated someone again, there would be different things to get used to about a person. It seemed too much to consider, though, too painful as well. I prayed it went smoothly just like it did now with Marcus. He was easy to get along with, and I was grateful he’d made the effort to stop by.

“God, I missed this,” I said around another bite. “It’s been too long.”

“Same here,” he replied before relishing a forkful. “Glad I thought of it.”

After two helpings, we cleaned up our dishes, then went to enjoy the cooler night on the front porch. Marcus poured more whiskey into our glasses, and I brought the bottle along, just in case. But I was already feeling the effects, and soon enough, it was bound to loosen my inhibitions, something I was all right with tonight. It had been an emotional day.