Always Had Your Way

Brighten jumped at the feeling of her phone vibrating in her pocket. She pulled it out, smiling to herself when she saw Ryan's name flash on the screen. "Heeey." She answered in a sweet sing song voice. Ryan's deep voice made her feel a little homesick. She moved towards the corner so as to have some privacy away from the rambunctious group.

Josh sat on the seat of the couch, beer in hand, mind wandering aimlessly in and out of the conversation being had with the group. He was too busy staring at Brighten, his eyes watching the way a smile played at her small, pink lips. "Give it up, my brother." Anais said clapping her brother on the shoulder.

Josh sighed and nodded his head sadly. An amazing girl like Brighten was of course already taken up by a proper bloke. Anais tried to smile at her brother before her eyes roamed around her old friends noticing Dan was missing. She looked around the room self consciously hoping she would spot him staring at her like old times, but he was no where to be seen.

"Back porch." Max, who was sitting next to Anais and noticing her actions, whispered quietly. She nodded, knowing she would have to sooner or later talk to him and try and reckon with him to sign the papers.

Anais heaved herself up and excused herself from the group, and walked the short distance from the living room to the back door. Her hand on the knob, she paused taking a deep breath before creaking it open and walking outside into the brisk night air.

Dan sat on the bottom step, with his head hung low staring into his beer which he had barely even taken a sip of. Anais sat beside him quietly. He didn't notice her until she stretched out her legs and sighed loudly. Both sat quiet wishing the other to say something first, but neither knowing where to begin.

Anais looked around the grassy backyard. "I missed this place." She found herself saying before she could stop herself.

Dan sniffed, inhaling the sweet scent she carried around her. "This place missed you. Everyone did." He said. "I missed you." He added quietly. It remained quiet between them. Awkward. Anais didn't know how to respond to that. "Remember how ramshackled this place was when we first got it?" He asked, musing himself with the memory.

Anais chuckled softly, remembering how horrible it was. "I certainly remember Josh running from the bathroom naked, screaming about the water being black and that some sort of sludge monster was going to attack us all."

Dan laughed out loud as the memory flooded his mind. "More of your brother than I wanted to see." He said.

"That makes two of us. I remember I couldn't even get mad at Max for tossing his cookies on the carpet because the house already smelled rancid."

"Yeah," Dan smiled to himself and took a sip of his beer before continuing. "I always imagined we would fix this place up good, yeah? That's we'd fix it up and be happy."

"Hard to focus on fixing up the place when you're always out partying with your friends."

"They were your friends, too." Dan snapped back.

"Yeah, well I didn't have time to party. I was too busy being the grown up for both of us." Anais said in a raised tone.

"Grown ups don't run from their problems!" Dan countered. It fell silent between them both, trying to calm themselves instead of fighting for the next hour like they used to. Dan sighed and raked his hand through his unkempt hair. "Why did you even come back?" He asked sadly.

Anais frowned. "You know why."

"It can't just be about the bloody papers."

Anais stayed quiet, turning her head so she wouldn't be tempted to look at him. Deep down, a part of her didn't want to realize let alone admit that she missed him. Dan had been a big part of her life. Her first crush, her first kiss, and her husband. She couldn't just easily forget that no matter how hard she tried.

"Keep your secrets. Just remember I know you better than you think." Dan said.

"You used to anyways." And at a time he did. But she had changed. She sometimes felt like she hardly knew herself anymore.

Dan's eyes scanned Anais, his eyes stopping on the sparkling diamond that decorated her finger. "Does he at least treat you good?" Dan asked.

"Better than you'd like to believe." She replied. "You would like him. He's real nice."

"Yeah, well I doubt that." Dan said, standing up.

Anais rolled his eyes. "And why's that?" She asked preparing herself for the immature answer he would provide.

"Because he's marrying my wife who I love." Dan said, before he turned around and walked inside.

She definitely wasn't expecting that answer.