Together by This Christmas Tree

cally mcgregor

My heart beat faster as I headed back towards the bar, Tony smiling at me with that adorable quiet smile of his that seemed to always be on his lips, lighting up his whole face. “Is that this John boy you keep going on about, the one you met on the plane ride home from Gemma’s?”

Excluding Damien, Tony was the closest thing I had to a best friend, someone who knew everything about me and still loved me. Tony was probably my favorite person to spend my nights with, that one guy who made me smile those summers without anyone else around.

“Two Millers, a Cosmo and a Shirley Temple,” I said coolly, not meeting Tony’s constantly shifting eyes, who grinned stupidly as he began to stacking up the drinks on my tray, and kept jabbering.

“It is John, isn’t it? Is it the one with the caramel hair, or the one with the girl hanging off him, ooh, or is it the one with the long brown hair?” Tony was honestly curious, something I rarely saw out of him when I met a guy. Evidently, something had changed with him. “Cally, would you just tell me? I swear I won’t go talk to him, I just want to know!” I lifted the tray slowly.

“It’s the caramel hair guy, Tony, okay? We’re just friends.” I smiled, and then winked, our usual tradition, before heading back to John’s table, the only one I was waiting on before my shift ended. “Here are your drinks,” I said, noticing how they all watched me carefully, especially Jess. “Can I take your orders, or do you need more time?”

Jess was the one I had heard about the night I spent at John’s. She was Eric’s girlfriend, who Eric loved more than anything else in the world, second only to playing music. John had told me, without even realizing it, that he was jealous of their relationship, their love.

Halvo looked directly at me, the last one to order. “So, Cally, are you single?” Halvo asked, not even bothering to give me his order. Jess gave some quiet cry of outrage, and John cursed under his breath. I laughed, not minding answering the question, because he was John’s friend.

“Yes, Halvo, I am single, now, instead of discussing my lack of a relationship as great as yours, what kind of delicious pub food would you like to shove down your throat?” I asked, and Jess looked at me in awe.

“I like this girl!” Halvo said, directly looking at John, which made Pat giggle. “I’ll have a burger, I guess. Can I get that without cheese?” Halvo asked, and I was almost jealous of how Jess gently put her head on Halvo’s shoulder, smiling widely at me as Halvo handed me his menu. John gave me a bright smile, and a gentle wink I was sure wouldn’t go unnoticed.