Oh, Calamity!

Will picked me up at my apartment at 8, giving me a quick kiss and smiling at me. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever since you’ve been so busy. I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too.” I grinned.
“It’s a shame we have this double date,” he said. “I’d rather just spend a night in and have you all to myself.”
“We’ll get together just us soon, okay? I promise,” I assured.
We headed down to the restaurant, because that seemed to be setting for all double dates. We reserved a table and waited for Rian and Cassadee as I tried to ignore the uneasy feeling in my gut. Nothing was going to go wrong tonight, so why was I worrying?
They soon arrived, apologizing for being late and we were seated. “So,” Rian began, attempting to break the ice, like always. “What is it you do again, Will?”
“I’m in medical school, studying to be an Eye Surgeon,” My boyfriend replied.
“That, uh, sounds...nice,” Cass added with a smile.
“Well, what do you like to do when you’re not at school?” Rian wondered.
“If I’m not at school, I’m usually studying...but when I’m completely free, I like to be with Nora. We watch a lot of documentaries together, mostly about whales,” he said.
Rian glanced at me questioningly before turning his gaze back to the menu in his hands. “Does anyone know what’s good here?”
Rian and Cassadee, bless their souls, kept attempting to make real conversation with Will, only to get lame, uninteresting answers in response. Was my boyfriend always this boring? ABout halfway through the meal, I could tell the other couple was fed up, and I felt really bad. I should have never agreed to this date in the first place.
“So there I was, standing above this rotten cadaver going ‘Why is this my major?’ when-” Will was telling a story about his ‘exciting’ days at school, and I was trying to look attentive...though I had already heard the story a dozen times before.
“Uh, Nora? Can I have a word with you? In private,” Rian cut in, looking at me intently.
I felt bad for leaving Cass to have awkward small talk with Will, but I was sort of thankful for the escape. “Sure, that’s fine.”
Once we were out of earshot of the table, Rian turned to me and sighed. In all the years I had known Rian, this sigh only meant one thing: ‘I think you’re doing something stupid, but I don’t want to tell you that outright, so I’m gonna try to guide you in the right direction.’ He folded his arms, avoiding my gaze and looking at the floor. “Nora, do you have anything in common with Will?”
“Well, yeah,” I said, slightly confused. “I mean, we both enjoy classic literature, popcorn...um...other stuff...”
“That’s all good and fun, but documentaries? Really? Since when did you like them?” he wondered.
I shook my head. “Why does everyone think that me watching documentaries is the end of the world? I mean, Alex watches space shows all the time, and no one bags on him for that.”
“That’s because Alex is known for his stupid obsession with space. You on the other hand, say you fall asleep during any and all documentaries because they bore you so bad,” he explained.
“You learn to stay awake,” I mentioned.
“Are you genuinely happy with Will? Or are you putting on a brave face?” He questioned.
“Rian, please don’t interrogate me. I am perfectly happy with Will, I assure you,” I replied nervously.
Another sigh. “Okay, I’m going to ask you one final question, okay? If I’m overstepping my boundaries, tell me.”
“Rian, what are you-?” I began.
“Do you still have feelings for Jack?” he interrupted.
Today was most certainly not my day. All I wanted was some time to not think about my conflict with Jack, but here I was, being asked if I had feelings for him twice in one day. It was easy to keep things from May, but Rian was a different story. The only person I had ever trusted with secrets more than Luna was him, and I knew he’d see through my lies.
“Why are you asking me this?” I asked.
“Because you look so unhappy with Mr. eye-whatsit. Not to mention, nothing has changed since high school. You guys still look at each other the same, still make so much sense together. It’s just...a vibe I’m getting, I guess,” he said.
“High school was a long time ago, Rian. Jack made his choice to cast me aside so I’m staying that way. The only reason I’m on good terms with him now is for Luna and Alex’s sake, nothing more,” I explained.
“But have you really moved on?” he wondered.
“I....I gotta go,” I said hastily, pushing past Rian and heading toward the front door of the restaurant.
“Nora, wait-” he said.
I picked up the pace, ignoring Rian’s calls and getting the hell out of that place. I felt like I couldn’t breathe in there, and I need air and someplace else to go. No Will, no friends with pressuring questions, just me. I ran from the building, feet pounding against the sidewalk as I sped off down the road, not entirely sure where I wanted to go. When I was sure nobody had followed me, I slowed down to catch my breath a little, taking a good look at my surroundings.
I soon found a bar and entered, thinking this was the last place anyone would think I would go. I slid onto a barstool, placing my head onto the counter. “Gimme a beer, and open up a tab. I’m gonna be here awhile.”
“Nora?” Someone said.
I was sure Rian had found me, but when I looked up, the voice was the last person I expected. Why had I picked Max’ Taphouse to drink at, of all places? “Robin?”

Notes