Oh, Calamity!

By the end of the first wedding planning session, Jack and I had made plans for a double with him and Robin and me and Will. I wasn’t quite sure how I had gotten myself into it, but needless to say, I sort of regretted it afterwards. I mean, what could be more awkward?
The date was set for the following night at a nice restaurant near Fell’s Point, just a little bit away from the park Jack and I used to go to. I called Will that morning, debating whether or not I should cancel or not. I figured he could be my voice of reason.
“Hey,” I greeted. “So, don’t get mad...but I kind of set us up on a double date for tonight at John Steven’s.”
He let out a small chuckle. “Why would I get mad at you for something like that? What time should I be ready? And who is it with?”
“Jack and his girlfriend,” I said in a quiet voice.
He paused. “Please tell me you mean someone from work and not your ex.”
“I can cancel. I’m sure it won’t be a big deal,” I replied.
“No, that’s too rude,” he mentioned. Will was honestly too kind sometimes. “Maybe we can try to be positive about this? Like, maybe he won’t cause a problem.”
“I don’t think he would cause an issue or anything, I’m just worried about how awkward it might be,” I commented.
“We’ll prevent it from being awkward then! We’ll have a nice conversation about the weather and politics,” He joked.
I laughed. “Very funny, but I’m serious.”
“Then we’ll rub in how happy we are together,” he decided. “Listen, I’ve got a few things to finish up, so I better go. What time are we meeting them at the restaurant?”
“8 o’clock,” I stated.
“I’ll come pick you up at 7:30 then. See you soon, babe,” he said. We finished our goodbyes and hung up, leaving me in an empty apartment to mull over how I thought this dinner was going to go. What had I gotten myself into?
Will kept his promise and arrived at my place at 7:30 sharp, dressed in his typical Business Casual clothing. He opened the car door for me, like he always did, and the two of us headed toward the restaurant. Nervousness bubbled in my stomach as we got closer and closer, but my boyfriend kept assuring me that it would be okay.
Jack and Robin were outside waiting for us, hand in hand. As we approached, I took the time to take a good look at Robin. I felt so judgemental, but I couldn’t help it. Her shoulder length brown hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail, her eye color matching and sparkling under the light from the stars appearing in the sky. I was inferior compared to her simple beauty.
The inside of the restaurant was nothing too fancy, but it was still a good place. Will and I had been there a few times for dates, but I had never seen so many people there before. Surprisingly, we were seated immediately and left to begin looking through the menu.
“So, uh, how did you guys meet?” I asked, trying to make some sort of conversation.
“We had a couple days off from touring, so I flew home for a couple days to just hang out. I ended up going to Max’s Taphouse, and I got hammered of course and was flirting with the bartender, AKA Robin. She thought I was cute, so she put her number in my phone and called me a cab. The rest is history. What about you two?” Jack explained.
“A book store. We bonded over the fact that we both like The Great Gatsby,” I grinned at the memory.
“Do you remember when we met?” Jack asked me before turning to explain to WIll and Robin. “First day of Sophomore year, Alex tells me he met this chick in his Geometry class and that us and Rian and Zack were gonna meet her and her friend. Lunchtime, we all meet at this one spot, and Alex flirts with the girl and then Nora shows up. She didn’t seem happy to see us, but eventually we all got along. Here we are, 10 years later. Alex is marrying that girl and we’ve reunited the high school group.”
“The only reason I was less than pleased to see you guys was because I didn’t know you’d be showing up until you were already there,” I commented.
“At least it payed off in the end. There are so many good things that happened because we met you and Luna,” he replied.
Did he think of our past relationship as a good thing? “I guess you’re right.”
“Come on, just think about it,” he paused. “Like that time we all dressed up for Halloween!”
Jack and I sat there, talking animatedly and reminiscing of our high school days. It was like Will and Robin weren’t even there as we chatted. We had already fallen back into our old routine of friendship, and it was honestly nice. It was as if nothing actually changed, that we had been like this forever.
At the end of dinner, we all bid adieu to each other and Will and I walked to the car, though he didn’t hold my hand like he usually did, nor did he open my door for me. “Okay, you’re pissed.” I said as he started the engine.
“I’m sorry, Nora. You were just talking to Jack so easily, like I wasn’t even there. You ignored me almost the whole time we were there,” He commented.
I sighed. “Look, I really didn’t mean to do that to you, Will. Jack and I just got caught up in the memories. Me and him agreed to be friends, and that’s what we were doing. Besides, it’s not like we were having an affair right in front of your eyes or anything.”
“I know,” he said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “And I get that you’re trying to be friends with him, but I don’t think that means you have to forget I exist.”
Guilt washed over me. I was a horrible person for making my own boyfriend feel this way. “I can try and make it up to you. I could stay over at your house and we could watch those documentaries you like, just the two of us.”
A small smile crept onto his face. “That does actually sound pretty nice.”
“Face it, I know exactly how to win you over,” I joked.
A moment of silence passed, the only think audible being the sound of the car. “Nora?”
“Yeah?” I asked.
“Promise me you’re done with Jack, that nothing’s going to happen between you two again,” he mentioned, a hopeful look in his eyes.
“I promise. After all, I’ve got you! Why would I need Jack?” I said. I felt like I had a told a lie, but I ignored it and focused on making it up to Will. Will was my boyfriend, not Jack. I was just rekindling my friendship with Jack. Nothing was going to happen.

Notes