Remember Us

“ready for this?” Adam asks, handing me a shot glass with tequila in it. I look down at the clear liquid and back at him.

“does it hurt?”

“you’re the one who wanted to do this.” He points out, pushing the drink a little bit more toward me.

Adam figured that when I got back from Italy I’d need to vent, or in this case, drink. So he planned that ‘controlled drinking’ party for the weekend after. And once I told him about everything that happened, he seemed to need a good drink too.

“couldn’t we have just-”

“God Julie, pick it up and drink it!” Greg says on the other side of me. I nervously pick up the shot glass, lick off the salt, down the drink, and then suck on the lime next to me.

“Fuck that burns!” I shout rather loudly. The group laughs, including Adam.

“want to stop?” he asks between laughs.

“no, no, I’m going to do this.”

The group, which included Greg, his wife Charlotte, Mark, Finn, and Adam, chose which drink to make me next. Dakota was at the house watching Katie for us.

“how does a Gin and Tonic sound?” I shrug, not knowing what I’d be getting. Adam mixes the drink and hands it over to me.

“does this one burn?” I ask.

“not as much.” Finn answers, smiling.

“if you’re lying Finn, don’t think I won’t do some bodily harm to you.”

His smile drops a little, “it really doesn’t burn as bad.”

“good.” I take a sip of the drink and then spit it out. “that tastes awful.”

“but doesn’t burn.” I glare at Finn.

Adam takes the cup from me, “okay, that’s good for tonight.”

“but I’ve only had like three drinks.”

“and you’re already getting tipsy.”

I pout, trying to convince him, “please? We don’t have her for the night, I can get drunk.”

He shakes his head and chuckles, “that’s not why. You’re a flirty drunk and there are way too many guys around here.”

“married guys.” I argue.

“Mark is definitely not married.” With his word the room fell silent.

“well obviously he’s not married, he’s a player.” Charlotte points out and I laugh. It’s nice to have that one naïve person in a group; they always know how to act like nothing is going on.

“what’s the real reason Adam?”

He leans in close so only I can hear, “because, we don’t have her for the night,” he whispers seductively.

I smile, “right. So guys, we should call it a night.”

Mark, Greg, and Charlotte left pretty much right after that. Finn on the other hand, felt the need to give us a lecture. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“what’s not a good idea?” I ask him.

“what you guys are planning on doing the instant I leave.”

Well, this conversation just got a lot more awkward. “Finn, don’t.” Adam says, glaring at his best friend.

“no. this needs to be said.” Finn argues, “I’m not saying wait four months or anything. But you guys specifically said you wanted to take things slow. It’s been over a month since Adam has been back, that’s not exactly slow.”

“Finn, I really don’t think this is any of your concern.” I tell him.

“you don’t think it is, but I do. I’m not letting this relationship fall apart again. Not only can’t Katie handle it, but Dakota and I can’t either. None of us can handle you two breaking up again. So please, just wait some. We definitely don’t need another pregnancy.” With that said Finn got up and left the apartment.

Adam and I looked at each other for a couple minutes, “well, that totally killed my mood.” I finally break the silence.

“he has a point.” Adam says.

“yes, a very good point.”

“so…”

I finally come up with a compromise, “how about you live here?”

His eyes widen, “what?”

“well, Finns right about taking things slow.”

“so obviously moving in together is the slow route.”

I smile, “actually, for us, I think it is. In Italy, we spent practically every night in the same bedroom, but nothing actually happened until about two months in. and then two years ago, you were sleeping in my room before we did anything, and once again, that was at about two and half months. So…how I see it is that you can move in, or at least stay here, and in a couple of weeks we can have Dakota babysit again.”

A smile spreads across his face, mirroring my own, “well, a movie then?”

“sure, but before we do, I’m curious about something.”

“what about babe?”

“babe? Really?” he just smirks, “whatever. I was wondering why you never brought up the whole thing with chatting online.”

“oh.”

“oh? Come on, you can do better than that.”

“I think that deep down I knew it was you. or at least it was someone very familiar.”

“damn, I thought I did a good job at keeping my identity hidden.”

Adam laughs, “it really sunk in when you said ‘some things are better left unsaid,’ I mean, why else would someone want their identity hidden if it wasn’t for the fact they knew me. so I figured it was Finn, Dakota, or you. Also, the advice you were giving me. Did you really think I’d see past it all?”

“I was hoping so.”

“well, it’s all in the past now.”

I smile and kiss him shortly, pulling away before it got too intense. “movie time,” I say, hopping up and putting in Men in Black.

That night, I slept better than ever before and I can only thank one guy for that.