Friend-Zoned (Friend-Zoned 1)

TheTomicBomb: Cool! I hope u get it. I have 2 go, I’ll see u4 lunch the day after 2moro :)

Nik123: Great. Just warning you, I’m a big sushi fan

TheTomicBomb: Me 2! Sounds like a plan :p

TheTomicBomb logged off.

I don’t know what just happened but I’m smiling like an idiot.

Should’ve cut her loose.

***

Last night was spent packing away most of Nat’s things in the second bedroom.

I’m super psyched!

Next week she’ll be here and I’ll be living and working with my bestest friend in the whole wide world!

I messaged her to tell her how her room was coming along.

Me: Hey hon, your room is almost sorted. You’re almost here! Yay!

Nat: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! Totally awesome! I went to your dad’s and got his spare key.

Me: Cool. How is he?

Nat: You know your pops, always working on something. He made a new coffee table last week!

This is good news. My dad is a carpenter and fascinated with anything wooden. Most of my childhood memories of him include him making something out of wood. When Mom died, he stopped tinkering and became a bit of a recluse. Unfortunately, I wasn’t much of a help to him because I was mourning the loss of my sweet Mia. We comforted each other as best we could but living in Cali became too hard for me, so I moved to New York. I think it took me moving to break him out of his spell. We call each other a few times a week to chat and Nat goes over on occasion to check up on him.

Me: Awesome. How’d it look?

Nat: You tell me. It was in the moving truck!

Oh, wow!

Me: I thought it was yours! I put it in your room!

Nat: Nope, it’s yours babe. You have a new coffee table! I gotta jet, see you soon. Love you x

Me: Love you more x

This is awesome because I never even had a coffee table to begin with. I walk into Nat’s bedroom and take a closer look at my gift.

It’s beautiful. It’s as high as my knee with a toffee brown finish. The hand carved pattern around the sides is of roses, stems, and leaves. The stems wind their way around; it’s so realistic he’s even carved the thorns into it. I love it.

My eyes mist and my throat tightens with emotion because I know this table is more than a gift. It’s a message from my dad. The message is to not worry about him because he’s okay.

Relief settles me while love warms me.

I wipe at my eyes, clear my throat and pick up my cell to call my father.

***

“Knock Knock!”

I lift my head from my schedule to see a smiling Tina standing in the doorway of my office. She’s holding a large white container.