Chapter One

A Chapter by noellejoi

Eric and Adam spent the car ride silent and awkward until turned on the radio. Eric knew Natalie wasn’t sleeping, but trying to get out of being next to Adam for an hour car ride. The snow started to fall lightly after they got off of highway 12.

“So, where are you staying?” Adam asked.

“Comfort Suites,” Eric said.

“Did you want me to drop you off there? I’m sure that you’re tired from your trip.”

“Natalie said there was some sort of get together tonight. I’ll probably go to that.”

“Ok,” Adam said simply. Eric could feel the tension in his voice and that confused him. It was really him that should be giving Adam the cold shoulder.

“Natalie?” Eric looked back at his friend who was leaning her head on the window sleep.

“Don’t wake her, “Adam said. “Let her sleep.”

Eric didn’t particularly like being told what to do but he relented and didn’t repeat her name. They drove for another fifteen minutes. Eric couldn’t see what Natalie was talking about when she said there was nothing to do. There was tons of shops surrounding the lake At last, Adam pulled up to a brown and tan cottage. He parked and turned the car off.

“Now can I wake her?” Eric asked with a hint of sarcasm. .

Adam ignored Eric and turned to Natalie, “Hey, hey Nat,” He gently touched her shoulder and she abruptly woke up, startled and squinty eyed. She moaned, “Home already?”

Eric jumped in, “Yes, you actually slept.” He winked at her. She rolled her eyes, reading his thoughts. Adam popped the trunk and then opened her door for her.

“What time is it?” She asked through a yawn.

“Six-thirty seven,” Eric said.

“Ahhh, why is it so late?”

“We got stuck in a lot of traffic,” Adam explained. He started to pick up her bag and Natalie got up and took her bag from him.

“You guys do me a favor. I need you to go to Piggly Wiggly or Wal-mart or wherever. Actually, Target. They have candles. Adam get chips, crackers and cheese, drinks, anything you’d see at a party. Eric, find me some candles. You know what kind I mean. And a few table clothes. Not the crappy disposable kind.”

“Are you talking about the candles that smell like Christmas that you’re obsessed with?”

“Exactly, go as fast as you can. People are coming over at eight and only God knows what it looks like in there.”

Natalie dragged her bags up the driveway and fumbled around in her purse for her keys.

“Natalie, why’s the party at your house?” Eric asked. “I thought it was at Audrey’s.”

“She was texting me in the car and I must have fallen asleep before I had the chance to process it. Now go! Go and hurry up!”

Natalie got the door open and disappeared, turning the porch light on. Eric and Adam got back into the car.

“I don’t know why she needed both of us to go to the store,” Adam muttered.

“She didn’t. She needed us both to be away for fifteen minutes so she could breathe,” Eric replied.

“What makes you so sure that you know her so well? You’ve got a crush on her. It’s not like you two are dating.” Adam said cooly, although it sure seemed like they were when he saw them at the airport.

Eric opened his mouth and then shut it again and shook his head. There were so many things he could say to that but he chose to not defend his friendship with Natalie to Adam. From the two hours of knowing the guy he decided anything he said to him would be a waste of breath.

“Why don’t we get our things and meet back at the checkout in ten minutes?” Eric suggested as they walked into the store.

They did exactly that. Eric found the candles easily and grabbed some Tolberone for Natalie in the check out. He paid for his things and waited by the exit for Adam, who came shortly behind. They rushed out to his jeep. The snow was falling harder now. They tossed their bags in the backseat and then Adam headed back to Natalie’s.

“So, did Natalie ever tell you how she and I met?” Eric asked.

“Nope,” Adam said. “But I’m assuming it was through school.”

Eric kept talking, even though he knew Adam did not want to talk to him, “I was working at this little café right by our school. It was a Monday night, the place was dead. I was playing solitaire on the computer waiting for my shift to end. All of a sudden, this beautiful girl walks into my café, her dark curls cascading down to her elbows. She was wearing a light blue winter coat, and underneath, a black dress. Clearly she was on a date or went to a Broadway show of some sort.”

Adam grunted as if to say, “Why are you telling me this?”

Eric continued, “She was beautiful. And if it wasn’t for those big sad brown eyes of hers I wouldn’t have hesitated to ask her out. She sat in a booth and picked up a menu but wasn’t really reading it. I walked over to her and asked her what she would like to order. She ordered a plain coffee; I brought it over to her and went back to my Solitaire. I watched her out of the corner of my eye. She hadn’t even picked the mug up. She was still staring at the menu. It was when I saw the tear drop down onto the menu when I decided to go over there.”

" 'Is there anything else I can get you miss?' I asked.

Startled, she brushed the stray tears off of her cheeks and looked at me and said in a raspy voice, ‘Oh, no, no. I’m fine.’

I started to go back behind the counter when something inside of me told me to stay by her. So I sat down across from her. She looked at me surprised, wondering what on earth I was doing especially when she needed to be alone.”

“Yeah I bet she hated that,” Adam said with a slight chuckle.

“She did. But after a few minutes of rambling about the weather and the business and anything else I could think of, I got her talking. She spilled out the entire story. And I listened until my shift was over and it was time to lock up. Fortunately, there wasn’t another customer that night. I walked her back to her dorm and we continued to talk. And we have been best friends ever since.”

“What was she talking about?” Adam asked, afraid he might know the answer.

“That was the night that you and Courtney left New York,” Eric said. He could see that Adam was catching on now.

“Adam, you don’t know me. And I don’t know you more than from what Natalie’s told me. And I want the next couple of days to go pleasantly for Natalie’s sake. So why don’t we just act like we like each other, not because it’s polite, but for her.”

Adam pulled into the driveway, “I guess we can agree on that.”

They both grabbed some of the bags and before heading up to the door Eric stopped Adam, “One more thing, I just want this to be clear Adam.”

Adam looked at Eric expectantly.

“If you hurt her again, I will not hesitate to beat you to a pulp, Deal?” Eric asked.

Adam knocked on the door, “I never meant to hurt her. And I have no intentions to do it again.” He said in a hushed tone.

“I know you never meant to hurt her. But the facts tell me that you did.”

Natalie answered the door, in a long sleeved red dress with a sweetheart neckline that came down to her knees. Her hair was partly pulled back and curled, “Oh it’s just you guys. It’s about time. Adam you can start setting up the kitchen. And Eric can you help me with the furniture in the living room please?”

Eric threw Adam one more look that he hoped Adam found threatening. “Sure Natalie. Anything you need. Also, I got you something.” He pulled out the Tolberone.

Natalie took the candy and lifted herself on the tips of her toes, giving Eric a peck on the cheek. “Bless you,” she said with a smile.

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