When Your Friends Finally Get On Board With The One You Love

Day 280-287 of The Andie Chronicles

Day 280

Cooper was acting strange this morning; alert, anxious, almost. He was fussing around the house, tidying things up in a great fury. There wasn’t that much to tidy, mind you. We had a leftover bottle opened from the week that needed disposing of in the recycling. And there are leftovers in the fridge ready for the bin. That was the worst of it. 

Cooper kept his home constantly ready for guests. He said he did it for me. 

It's why I couldn't quite work out why he was fussing this morning. I kept asking him if someone was coming over, but he pushed away my questions by kissing me, kissing my neck, kissing my collarbone, kissing lower. And then, after a few moments, I forgot what I was asking. Yet, when he returned to fussing around the house, the questions began bubbling again.

Just before lunch, there was a buzz at the gate. Someone was trying to get in with a car, I noted. Cooper rushed over to the intercom and quickly let the person in. “So there is someone coming over today? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I promise this person I would keep their entrance somewhat of a surprise. They didn't want you to know that they were coming around here only for you to start panicking in advance.”

“Panicking?” I questioned. “Their words or yours?” 

“Mine, actually. I know that you're not going to panic. I meant I didn't want you to even think about who they were and why they might be here. I want you to enjoy the surprise.”

The last time there was an unexpected guest at my house, it was Douglas Gallo. There was no way it was going to be him today at Cooper’s house, surely? Perhaps it was Sherry coming around. Maybe it was Chris with one of the recruits. 

Yet, as Cooper hurried to the front door to let our guest inside, I was delighted at who was there. 

“James,” I exclaimed in delight. “What are you doing here?”

He presented me with a bottle of chilled Verve. Outside of the super expensive stuff reserved only for very special occasions or random Tuesdays and public holidays, this was my favourite champagne. It was the same champagne we had opened when we decided the name of Highway. It meant a lot to me. 

“I called Cooper earlier this morning and asked if it was okay to come over to tell you something in person.”

“Oh my god, what do you have to tell me?” It felt like one of those moments when James was going to declare something awful like he had cancer or that he was dying or already dead. Now, who was panicking, huh?!

“I wanted to give you this back.” He had his house keys in his hand. “I'm moving out. I'm getting my own place, and I'm going to stand on my own two feet.”

I reached out and took the keys. I held them in my hand, fingering the intricate details of the front door key. “Well, first of all, I appreciate the gesture. But I need you to keep a spare can set of keys just in case. So please have these back.”

I handed them back to him, and he promptly returned them to his jacket pocket.

“And secondly, I do think you stand on your own two feet. Yet, I think you need to have your own space. You need to have your own life.”

We both stared at each other. Not in this Mexican stand-off kind of way, but in this knowing, caring, coming together kind of way.

And there was a lump in my throat. The lump that told me it was time.

“James, I have something to tell you too.”

---

Day 281

“Do you think they will believe me?”

We were at Candy’s Bar. Our table. I couldn't remember the last time all four of us were here. Just the four of us. No interventions. No deceptive reasons to get one of us here. This was as close to normal for us as we could muster. An appropriate venue for this conversation. 

“If I'm being real, I didn't even believe you,” James mused as he waited impatiently for the bottle of wine we ordered. “It's one of those things that sounds like it's too good to be true. Yet you know it's true because it's what should've happened all along.”